Multi-tasking: Should you even try?
Multi-tasking: Should you even try?
By Honey B. Wackx
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Our culture values multitasking, but many people are not able to do this or do a very poor job in one or more of the tasks when they try. Our normal day-to-day life practically demands we do several things at one time. There never seems to be enough time in a day for some of us to get everything done. Perhaps multitasking is over-rated.
When you watch a teenager doing homework, having several Instant Messenger windows open on their computer, using a cell phone and clicking at War of War craft or some other video game does it look productive? Not to me. However, it might fool some parents initially, or even for a while. Perhaps this is why many students take all day to do homework that could be done in a couple of hours, more or less, if there were no other tasks done simultaneously.
There are significant questions of productivity when we’re trying to do several things simultaneously. There are also questions about the quality of the attention we give to the individual tasks at hand. For example, if you are answering e-mails while you are having a conversation. How good are your listening skills and attention you have in the conversation? How do you feel when you are multitasking? It’s different at different times, depending on what you are doing, who you are talking to, and whether the task at hand requires a lot of attention. Do you feel split and stretched? Is it a peaceful feeling or one of being pulled in a few directions at once? Sometimes it’s real frustrating, while at others it’s no big deal. In either case it’s usually easier to stop one or the other activity at that time.
The simplicity of concentrating on one thing at a time is satisfying and it seems more natural to us. Do you need to do all the things you are multi-tasking? Maybe not. Sometimes we load ourselves with so many things to do we are practically forced to multi-task just to keep up. What is the really important thing you need to get done? If you have homework, do you need to play video games? If you are watching your daughter play tennis, do you need to plan meals for the week and read a magazine at same time? Are we really getting several things done at once when we multi-task or are we just stretching things out because of the inefficiency of multitasking?
Why don’t you allocate one day and do one thing at a time that day. This might be hard to do because of interruptions, but give it a try. See how effective that can be. Psychologically, it is very restful to finish something rather than juggle several things at once. If you only do one thing and finish it you feel more like you’ve accomplished something. Check your own feelings and compare how you feel inside and compare the outcomes. It makes sense to listen to the radio when driving but most of us are doing several things at the same time that each require a certain type of concentration and care. Does that really work? Often it doesn’t work too well. Are we saving time doing a slew of activities all at the same time? Maybe we are losing being in the moment and sacrificing something far more precious?
Copyright © 2007 Honey B.Wackx
Honey B. Wackx is an aspiring author and software developer. She writes many articles for herself and other website owners. One of her favorite interests is hair styling. Another is online dating. Honey B. likes to read bird quotes.
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