Is multi-tasking hurting or helping overscheduled students?
In a world of smartphones, laptops, tablets, and Bluetooth devices, everyone seems to be multi-tasking in an effort to save time. Living in a society that is constantly busy has led us to value these devices and their ability to accomplish many things at once. But how much are we really accomplishing by multi-tasking? Is it really more effective than doing one thing at a time?
Any university student will tell you that there is simply not enough time to get everything done. The obvious response to dealing with a plethora of assignments, chores, errands, and other jobs is to try to get more of it done at once, juggling many tasks at a time. But another thing that any student can tell you is that trying to study and, say, browse the Internet or watch TV at the same time, is not productive. The key seems to be finding out when multi-tasking is helpful and when it actually hinders productivity. Jim Taylor’s article in Psychology Today tells us that efficient multitasking must involve tasks that require different parts of the brain. So, making dinner and catching up with your roommate is a good idea, but talking to your friends and reading both use the language part of your brain, and the reading will take much longer to finish.
A common mistake that many students make is trying to do many similar tasks at once. Trying to check your email, write a paper, and use social media simultaneously will mean that you are constantly switching back and forth between these tasks. This slows you down because your brain needs time to readjust every time that you begin a different task. Doing one thing at a time may seem slower, but it allows you to give full attention to that task and complete it quicker than if you were trying to do other things at the same time. It also decreases the likelihood of making errors. How many times have you been listening to music and ended up writing the lyrics in your study notes? This is a result of the language area of your brain trying to do too much at once.
Dedicating yourself to only one thing at a time has many benefits. Social media platforms, and our easy access to them, have blurred the lines between work and leisure. This can lead to the feeling of always working, but never getting anything done.
Devoting one chunk of time to just homework and one chunk of time to just relaxation can show us more clearly where our time goes. Social networking while doing homework makes it difficult to decipher how much time is spent actually working, because our work and our internet browsing are so intertwined. Giving yourself a distinct amount of time to relax before getting back to work will keep you refreshed and not over-worked. There are people that claim focusing on a single task for a while allows them to get “into the zone” and become immersed in their work, leading to better results as well as more personal satisfaction.
The next time you are overwhelmed with a long to-do list, try to pay attention to one task at a time – you may be surprised by how much you get done.