Library
Multi-tasking refers to being engaged in two or more different activities simultaneously, typically involving devices such as cell phones, smartphones, computers, and other electronic devices. Many people claim to be able to do as many as four or five things simultaneously, such as writing an email while responding to an instant message (IM) and reading a tweet, all while watching a video on their computer monitor or talking on the phone. Many people who have grown up with computers consider this multitasking a standard way to accomplish tasks, including studying. Even people in business sometimes refer to multitasking as an essential component of today’s fast-paced world.
In the following video, author Nicholas Carr explains why multi-tasking is difficult and interferes with our ability to learn. (Length: 2:39)
“Okay,” you might be thinking, “why should it matter if I write my paper first and then answer emails or do them back and forth at the same time?” It takes you longer to do two or more things at the same time than if you do them separately, at least with anything that you have to focus on, such as studying. That’s true because each time you go back to studying after looking away at a message or tweet, it takes time for your mind to shift gears to get back to where you were. Every time your attention shifts, add up some more “downtime”—and pretty soon it’s evident that multi-tasking is costing you a lot more time than you think. And that’s assuming that your mind does entirely shift back to where you were every time, without losing your train of thought or forgetting an important detail. It doesn’t always.
Another problem with multitasking is its impact on attention span and the way the brain functions. Research has shown that in people who constantly shift their attention from one thing to another in short bursts, the brain forms patterns that make it more challenging to keep sustained attention on any one thing. So when you do need to concentrate for a while on one thing, such as when studying for a big test, it becomes more challenging to do even if you’re not multitasking at that time. It’s as if your mind makes a habit of wandering from one thing to another and then can’t stop.
This page was excerpted from the book Student Success by Mary Shier.
Content by Vancouver Community College Library is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License 