TED Talk of the Week: Forget Multitasking, Try Monotasking

In our fast-paced world, multitasking is a gift. More power to the people who can juggle a toddler while cooking dinner, replying to a text and watching TV. But in this TED Talk of the Week, Paolo Cardini challenges that ideal.  

As a product designer, Cardini tries to address problems about the way we live with creative designs. That’s why he’s working on a series of phone covers that hide parts of the front screen, limiting the applications the user can access as a means to “downgrade our super, hyper-mobile phones into the essence of their function.”

Have you ever found yourself answering an SMS or googling a recipe, all while trying to have a conversation with a friend on the phone? Cardini’s MONOphone front cover will bring you back to the basics. Or maybe you’ve found yourself skimming through emails and checking Facebook, while trying to listen to music. The MONOShuffle front cover lets you focus on the task at hand.

This two-minute clip showcases Cardini’s designs (and impressive moustache), and will have you thinking twice about multitasking.