Should you brush your teeth and comb you hear at the same time or do them separately? What about using your phone while focusing on what the teacher says? Is it possible? Is there any danger involved in doing this? If you happen to think that you are a multitasker, then you will certainly want to read this post.
image was found here
Multitasking is doing two tasks or more at the same time. Many people think that they can multitask. However, doing two tasks or more is almost impossible for your brain to process or do at the same time. It is common among a lot of people, especially college students to try to finish more than one task at the same time. I as a college students used to do tasks at the same time such using my phone while watching Television without caring about the cognitive damage that multitasking can do to my brain.
This questions and concerns has come to my mind when I read about the extra credits on the syllabus where the student can handle his/her phone to the TAs in order to reduce multitasking in the class. This made me realize that multitasking may have some effects on me. So, I did some research about it, as I strongly believe that time management is very important and that multi-tasking can help finish many tasks at the same time but this was not the same idea after I researched the danger of multitasking.
image was found here
So I did some research and this is what I found. According to an article written by Larry Kim, founder of CTO, WordStream, multitasking is not what people often think it is. Your brain is actually switching from doing one task to doing another. However, a small number of people who can actually multitask at the same time, but are not able to do both tasks efficiently. He also says that switching from a task to another very rapidly can also result in serious cognitive damage by forcing your brain to produce more cortisol which can result in you being stressed more often and making your brain feel exhausted. Not to mention that many studies have suggested that multitasking can also cause permanent problems to your brain. So please stop multitasking. It is a bad habit not a skill!!
links and sources
https://www.powerofpositivity.com/5-reasons-to-stop-multitasking/
http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/why-multi-tasking-is-killing-your-brain.html
I thought that your post is very informative because I did not know about the cognitive damage that happens when we try to multitask. I sometimes think that I am good at multitasking but in reality I am not. I found this article about the dangers of multitasking. The article goes into detail about how multitasking can make you slower not faster, you make mistakes, it stresses you out, etc.
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20707868,00.html#it-s-stressing-you-out-0
I thought this post was very interesting and definetely relates to many college students, especially in class. After being in class for 3 weeks, I have noticed many students who will be attempting to listen to the lecture while responding to a text or snapchat. I was not aware that multitasking causes your brain to produce more cortisol. In that case, it is very likely that this is directly related to high amounts of stress and exhausation. You mentioned that multitasking also is hypothesized to have everlasting effects on the brain; I would like to know more about the extents of the repercussions it can have on your body. CNN
(http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/09/health/your-brain-multitasking/) has a great article that describes the effects of multitasking directly on the brain, causing it lose more braincells.
I agree that multitasking is not a skill, but a distraction. In my experience, my best quality work comes from an intense period of hyper-focusing and creative thinking, which would be interrupted with the presence of anything besides my homework playlist. I used to always yell at my little brother for having the TV on, his phone in front of him, and his computer open while doing homework. This common occurrence is why we are known as “the multi-screen generation” in terms of our behavior to multitask. As an aspiring marketing major, I found this article: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/marketing-to-the-multi-screen-generation/ which discusses the research done to better understand how to market to us multi-taskers, the people constantly switching focus between many screens and tasks. I think this is a very interesting addition to your blog, as it takes the issue of multitasking on an individual level and shows how society as a whole is strategizing on how to deal with this common habit.
I was drawn to this post because I am currently doing homework while watching the Pitt vs. Penn State game if we are going to be honest. While I was doing my English homework, I realized a task that should’ve taken me a half hour took me THREE hours. That’s 6x the amount of time it would have taken if I wasn’t screaming at my TV because Penn State is getting killed by Pitt. I wonder if the amount of interest in the subjects makes a difference. For example, if I am more interested in the game than my homework, would that impair me more than if I were equally interested in both tasks? Or do you think multitasking in general negatively affects all tasks equally? Here’s a cool link
I have never been a very good multi tasker before. Before reading your post I always had wished I could manage doing multiple tasks at once once. Prior to reading I now know that it is actually a bad habit and I can be benefitted by avoiding multiple tasks at once. One thing I learned from the post was that we can obtain cognitive damage. I never knew that damage could be caused by focusing on two different tasks. After reading this post I feel I am more knowlegeable on multi tasking and its effects.