Editor's Note: Multitasking Made Simpler

OK, I'll admit it. I've become one of those people who doesn't just multitask all the time, but gets really antsy if I'm not doing so. It's nearly impossible for me to listen on a conference call without checking E-mail, cleaning up my office, and, well, um, writing this column. I seem to have six documents, Web pages, Acrobat files, E-mail responses, travel schedules, etc., going at one time. If I don't, I feel I'm behind. And while I find myself many times on my cell phone while I'm making a stop at my local coffee shop, it's comforting--and exciting--to me that I'll soon be able to have wireless Internet access from there as well (something many of you might already be able to do).

Yes, I know, I know, some people are going to tell me that technology has made us all anti-social, over-worked, stressed-out beings. But that's only if you let it. I relish the opportunity to sit in the coffee shop or outside in a park on a nice day (not like the snow-filled ones we're experiencing on the East Coast right now, mind you) and get some work done or communicate with friends or finish a project.

And fortunately, there are several movements afoot that will make that more of a reality. For one, there's a tremendous amount of activity in the Wi-Fi space, highlighted last week by a new venture between IBM, AT&T, and Intel (see p. 18). On top of that, there are plenty of useful and inexpensive (heck, cheap!) tools on the market that can make us all more productive (see p. 30). So, between what's here today and what's just over the horizon, we can all find ways to do more and do it better.

Stephanie Stahl
Editor ([email protected])

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