Aaron Patterson

2/25/16

English 111

Dollieslager

The Truth about Multitasking

      In an article written by Education Week reporter Sarah Sparks, “Studies on Multitasking Highlight Value of Self-Control,” she explains and provides other opinions and studies that multitasking is not what others make it out to be. She provides information from Larry D. Rosen’s research showing that 13-18 year olds use six different types of media simultaneously while outside of school. When attempting to focus on multiple things at once, it is more difficult to give attention to each task than it is to give attention to only one. When tasks get more difficult, it usually means it’s going to take longer to complete it, which defeats the purpose of multitasking. When knowing there are multiple things to complete in a certain time, there is a choice to make whether to attempt them all at once or take it one at a time. When multitasking, or trying to focus on multiple things at once, the brain is going on a loop of the different things that need to be done. When attempting these tasks all at once, the brain will forget parts of another task when attention is switched to another task. When the brain is focused on only one task, there will be no interruption from another task to switch attention. The people who choose to take it one-step at a time will remember more and comprehend at a much better rate than multitaskers comprehend. If I was taking a test and I received a text message, I would switch my attention from the test to the text, pushing my attention in another direction, making it difficult to bring my attention back to the test. The same goes for reading. If I was in the middle of reading an article, a book, or anything that simply required my attention and a call or text arrives on my phone, I am no longer giving attention to what I am trying to read. Which will make it harder to understand when I come back to it because I am still stuck on the same chapter. Stanford University researchers tested preschoolers in what is called “The Marshmallow Test” in which they gave a classroom of four-year-olds one marshmallow and told them they could have it, but if they waited just fifteen minutes to eat it, they can have a whole bag of marshmallows. The students who had the patience and self-control to wait ended up achieving more success than those who ate the marshmallow before the fifteen minutes. They had the self-control to wait because they knew they would get more in the outcome. The results of the marshmallow test was similar to test takers receiving text messages while preparing for a test because the ones who waited to respond ended up with better scores. Multitasking just means juggling different tasks at the same time with a worse outcome.

      Just the other night, I went with a friend of mine to help him change a starter in someone’s car. When we got there, we popped the hood and looked around for the starter. After not seeing it from the top, we jacked the car up and started to look underneath. As we were looking for the part we needed to replace, I received a phone call. I answered and continued to look for the starter as I was talking on the phone and giving my attention to something else. The phone call was a bit less than five minutes, and by the time I hung up the phone, my friend pointed out the starter was in front of me the whole time, but I kept missing it because I wasn’t completely concentrated on finding it. He found it sooner than I because he wasn’t on the phone and his attention was to only find that part. I realized that if I were to have called back later, I would have already found where it was placed and changed it already. I wasn’t really multitasking because I was only giving attention to one of the two tasks I was trying to accomplish. I believe we try to multitask, but it doesn’t end up with the outcome you’d hope and certainly does not complete the tasks quicker. Multitasking only confuses a person rather than helps.

      When a situation is important, it has to do with achieving one’s own goals in life. When a situation is urgent, it has to do with either something that has been put off or something that someone else expects someone to do that could get in the way of them achieving their own goals. To avoid feeling urgency in something that needs to be done, a schedule can be made for when things can and cannot be done. Make sure to leave time in between tasks you need to complete in case something unexpected pops up. You never know when a medical, family, or any type of emergency will occur. Try to get your goals completed first to avoid procrastinating in the future. That way you aren’t punished with feeling you have to rush. When something is rushed, it usually isn’t of the same quality of something that has had time and thought put into it. Sometimes you have to put others to the side and just focus on yourself. People will try to get in the way of your success, all though not always intentionally. Just wanting you to socialize with them on certain occasions will get in the way of your goals if that’s when you planned them. It’s a good quality to just learn how to politely say no. You have other responsibilities and obligations you need to attend to. When your obligations are out of the way, of course, have a life and have fun, but not succeeding in life is not worth having one or two good times when you could have a whole life of fun by knowing you did everything that needs to get done and when something unexpected occurs, you won’t be inconvenienced with putting your responsibilities to the side and having to rush at the last minute.

      As a college student and a father, I find myself in Quadrant one more than any other of the four. Having to go to class, then pick up my son, taking him to doctor’s appointments and caring for his everyday needs, and also fitting homework between it all can be very stressful and hard to fit any extra time in. Jumping between task to task can be very time consuming and feels impossible to fit in any extra time. I feel as I am in both quadrants one and two, all the tasks I complete on a daily basis are proactive activities that need to be done, but in my position they all come almost all at once, but I know that as time passes it will become less stressful as I keep accomplishing my goals.

      In my opinion, I use all my time the way I should, I go to school, make sure my work is complete before I do anything else, take care of my son and have certain days of the week where I can get extra things done, like fix my truck, do household maintenance that needs to be done and extra things. Point being I do have a busy schedule, but all the tasks I get done are in a good order from when these tasks need to be completed. As I progress in life and take care of all my responsibilities when they’re called for, I will work my way into being in only quadrant two.

Works Cited

 Sparks, Sarah. “Studies on Multitasking Highlight value of self-control” May 15. 2012. 29 Feb. 2016 <http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/05/16/31multitasking_ep.h31.html?tkn=PTWFGpBwR5o7bKrnCvQZswL8Vr%2BlUoJB%2B62c&cmp=clp-edweek>

Mueller, Steve. “Stephen Coveys Time management Matrix Explained.” Planet of Success.  09OCT. 2015. Web. 17 Mar. 2016 <http://www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/2015/stephen-coveys-time-management-matrix-explained/>