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[guek]

For example, I max out at 3. I can play a game, keep a conversation going with my wife, and keep an eye on my dog all at once. However, I usually lose track of at least one of those activities. I can keep track of two things without ever missing a beat. Stuff like watching TV while gaming or listening to a podcast while reading. My wife has trouble focusing on two things at once but she focuses on that one thing better than I ever could.

 

[Aaronrules380]

It really depends on how much focus each thing takes. It's literally impossible to do any kind of multitasking without some loss of quality for each thing, but things that take less focus will obviously work better with multitasking

 

[DBT85]

Hmm, the most I've done is probably 4. My old job required me to monitor a TV feed for sponsorship that we couldn't show, listen to the director who would inform me of the break I needed to roll (whilst also gabbling about anything and everything), often hold a conversation with a coworker or trainee while also preparing the playlist for the next days programming.

Just got used to filtering out the noise.

 

[EdibleKnife]

3. For reading or writing however I literally can only pay attention to that and nothing else.

 

[Desperado]

Multitasking is a farce.

 

[b&jy77VjiKn$#F]

I can watch all Zack Snyder's films at once.

 

[akira28]

I notice the gorilla

 

[IconGrist]

For example, I max out at 3. I can play a game, keep a conversation going with my wife, and keep an eye on my dog all at once. However, I usually lose track of at least one of those activities. I can keep track of two things without ever missing a beat. Stuff like watching TV while gaming or listening to a podcast while reading. My wife has trouble focusing on two things at once but she focuses on that one thing better than I ever could.

I'd say about the same. I can be reading, keep an eye on the kids, listen and respond to my wife's comments all pretty well simultaneously. Things get a bit more complicated if a 4th thing is going on.

 

[Creepy]

I can do one thing well or two things badly.

 

[ScatheZombie]

Never half-ass two things.

Whole-ass one thing.

 

[capitalCORN]

Working in a kitchen, quite a lot.

 

[old manatee]

I can pay attention to myself forever.

 

[fade_]

May I request a video of you playing a dark souls boss while conversing with your wife?

 

[guek]

Working in a kitchen, quite a lot.

I can see that.

 

[Sophia]

Depends on what I'm doing.

In general, if I'm not being stressed or rush, I can multitask up to four or five different things. I can usually do at least two things without suffering in quality.

 

[Septimus Prime]

One.

 

[LookAtMeGo]

Im browsing gaf while watching Legacy of Kain and MDK playthroughs and eating food and vaping and thinking about what Im doing with my life all at the same time.

 

[One Eyed Willy]

Professionally, I'm an engineer so like 20 things at once. At home, I do everything in my power.. everything, to do as least as possible and not even focus on 1 thing. Maybe GAF and drinking a beer.

 

[zeemumu]

Multitasking kinda messes you up down the line so I've started avoiding it.

But 3, depending on what they are.

 

[Tom Nook Sawyer]

One. Barely.

 

[water_wendi]

At first i though the number was low. Like listening to something and gaming. Then i realized that just when im relaxing. When im at work im doing 3-4 things constantly while half of them rotate out with new problems. Often im like this while working a line of customers.

 

[old]

My standard evening routine is to play Overwatch with my friends, while listening to ASMR videos from youtube in the background, and watching tv episodes from hulu on my second monitor...all at the same time.

 

[Stormthehouse]

Depends on the activities.

My job requires me to listen and then repeat what i'm hearing in a specific tone of voice. Depending on how fast what i'm listening to is going I can sometimes start doing a ring puzzle as well but if it is medium to fast pace I gotta focus a bit.

 

[Engell]

1 to 3 depending on the task at hand.

 

[TalkingToast]

I can listen to podcasts or audiobooks while doing virtually anything, except for reading, writing, or having a conversation with someone else.

Seems insane to me that you can read a book and listen to a podcast and not just totally lose one of them, that would feel like a superpower.

 

[How About No]

Like 0.63 things

 

[Jack The Nipper]

People can truly only focus on one at a time. If your actually paying attention to it.

 

[DoomGyver]

Never half-ass two things.

Whole-ass one thing.

 

[MisterNugNug]

Working in a kitchen, quite a lot.

THIS.

I have a grill, a saute station a "sally", the line cooks next to me, the server or expo at the pass and the tickets on the rail.

 

[Dynomutt]

3 or 4.

I've had Netflix playing in one window with a Double Toasted Review in another while listening to American Gods on Audible and surfing NeoGaf on my phone...

 

[danthefan]

Give actual proper attention to?

1 thing. Just like everyone else.

 

[Big Nikus]

I scrolled down to answer and literally forgot what the OP was about.

Spoiler

To be fair it's almost 8am and I haven't slept

 

[Gromph]

Honestly? thinking 0.

Automatic pilot... a lot.

 

[KO Traveling Hobo]

One on a good day.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

With just my human brain? 1 to 2 things max if I want them actually done to an acceptable standard.

With a computer for the sort of work I do? Perhaps as high as 5-6 things simultaneously in a rush or scale down to 2-3 for quality controlled tasks.

 

[CoyoteSpitfire]

Between 0 and 1.

 

[kunonabi]

I used to watch TV, listen to music, play a game, and hold a conversation at the same time when I was teenager. As an adult, I typically don't do more than 2 two things at a time.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

I'll game and do other shit, not an issue. If it's a movie or show though, I'm a bit more resistant to a divided attention, but I guess it would also depend on what I'm watching.

 

[Andrew Korenchkin]

11 things half assed.

 

[Affeinvasion]

Don't ask me. Ask my wife.

 

[Nivash]

I usually do stuff like play mobile games and watch TV at the same time - or listen to music and read - so maybe two or three things at a time. For entertainment, that is.

As far as as productive multitasking is concerned, the answer is one task. That goes for the rest of the you too. Multitasking is a myth. People don't do two tasks at the same time, they simply switch between them rapidly (it's more than actually named "switch tasking") and typically end up being a way less productive than if they've done them sequentially, because they keep losing focus.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/creativity-without-borders/201405/the-myth-multitasking

The same thing is active when you multitask for entertainment, obviously. It just doesn't bother you, because the entire point of a lot of entertainment is to distract.

 

[Conciliator]

i can pay attention to all things simultaneously

 

[televator]

One... if I try hard

 

[Creaking]

I can do something purely visual while listening to something else and processing it pretty well. I used to do a lot of drawing and listening to audiobooks, for instance.

 

[StayDead]

Due to the line of work I'm in I'm often working and focusing on about 6 different tasks at once.

At home I'd say I can probably do 4-5 things at the same time.

It also helps that I play a lot of fast paced RTS games.

 

[TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared]

4 I guess?

 

[Dazza]

Really only one task at a time but I can task switch pretty rapidly

 

[Possumowner]

.......Oh look a cloud ☁️

 

[SugarDave]

I often struggle to concentrate on one thing, let alone multiple. If I'm just sat somewhere doing nothing or walking through town, I become hyper-aware of pretty much everything around me and can keep track of several conversations or people, but if I'm trying to actually do something then it needs my full attention.

Especially with reading or writing, I need to basically be in a silent room.

 

[Hours Left]

So ma