Multi-tasking myth

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Wed, 2008-03-26 21:28

Multi-tasking myth

Who said women are good at multitasking? I'm in sleepy Sussex for a 1 week intensive driving course and am 9hrs (one quarter) of the way in. Can do the gear thing and the brakes and clutch and position in the road etc. but doing them all at the same time is what gets me. I may have a more male brain but then my spatial awareness is too awful for that too be true... I keep steering to close to the kerb/ parked cars! And then every now and again my entire brain just seizes up ... a bit like my old IBM notebook when I loaded Windows XP onto it (new software onto old and in my case damaged hardware spells trouble)!

This is the most difficult thing I have ever had to do. I've not struggled this much with something since A level chemistry (and having breezed through remmedial chemistry at University I realise that was only due to the teaching quality at my ghastly comprehensive).

I admit though, it did start to get easier and become instinctive towards the end of today and it is rather satisfying when I make a leap of progress. I reckon by tomorrow arvo I will be able to drive! I will get this cracked. My brain is very tired though!

Thu, 2008-03-27 00:46

Foster

All this while on the wrong side of the road... I don't drive on any side of the road - it's safer that way for me and those in my path. Don't really miss cars, though. Good luck, Jude.

Thu, 2008-03-27 14:12

Yan2

"Who said women are good at multitasking?" No idea, but it's pretty much agreed by everyone that you're all crap behind the wheel, lol Good luck. It all seems to slot together rather quickly once your brain has dealt with the nerves, etc. Oh dear! I think I ruptured my pomposity.

~It's a maze for rats to try, it's a race for rats to die.~

Thu, 2008-03-27 16:51

poetjude

Yeah I've pretty much got it now! And the brain-freeze doesn't happen much any more. Started on my manouveres. I have 18 hours of lessons between now and Monday (test day in hilly Hastings) to get the polish on the whole project. jude "Cacoethes scribendi" http://www.judesworld.net

Thu, 2008-03-27 20:19

Yan2

"I have 18 hours of lessons between now and Monday (test day in hilly Hastings) to get the polish on the whole project." It'd help if you studied in English, Jude. Typical you: always in at the deep end.

~It's a maze for rats to try, it's a race for rats to die.~

Fri, 2008-03-28 22:27

brooosh

I feel your pain Jude. I found learning to drive incredibly and impossibly difficult. Even though I passed at 17 I had to log up hundreds of hours with my Dad before I mastered it. At one point I really thought I'd never make it and was ready to give up. Even though today driving is like second nature to me I've never forgotten the trauma of trying to co-ordinate several actions at once while not crashing into anyone. It really is just a case of lots and lots of practice. Keep at it and you'll be OK. Another thing that helped me was after every lesson with the instructor I immediately sat down with a notebook and wrote down everything that he'd said and I'd done wrong. And then I made sure that next time I got those things right. Good luck.

Sat, 2008-03-29 12:34

poetjude

Today was a bit better but I have to make drastic improvement in the next 9 hours of driving otherwise there's no point taking test... I do something that would fail me every 5 mins at the moment... Still, that brain/pedal connection is tentatively established now and I can drive albeit badly! If I don't take test next week, I'll only need a few more lessons when I get home ... the worst is over! I couldn't have done it in weekly lessons at I don't have the patience to take three months to get to where I am now after 5 days! jude

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