I read this post over on tidbits by Joe Kissel. I liked this article because it expressed the feelings and tendencies of someone with a very similar personality to my own. I also liked his definition of “introvert”:
A common misconception about the word “introvert” is that it means someone who’s shy, withdrawn, afraid of crowds, or lacking in social skills. If you’ve ever seen me give a presentation to a large Mac user group, you’ll surely know that description doesn’t fit me at all! I will happily stand in front of hundreds or thousands of people, give a speech, answer questions, make jokes, and generally take charge of keeping the group interested and involved. If anything, I have a reputation for being long-winded in social situations, telling stories that go off on one tangent after another - and for being among the last to leave. I like people, and I think I’m reasonably competent and comfortable in a crowd of any size.
I strongly agree with the following statement he made in regards to multitasking and chatting online:
Now, I happen to think “multitasking” is a concept that should never, ever be applied to human beings (regardless of personality type), but be that as it may, I can certainly say that I’m easily distracted, and having more than one thing to think about actively at any given time is sure to make me both ineffective and grumpy. Chatting online while also working on another task, therefore, is unthinkable.
I wouldn’t go as far as to say that I’m easily distracted, but I greatly value solitude and quiet when I’m trying to study something.
If you are interested in learning more about my personality, then read the article and you will get a fairly close representation of one aspect of it.