Free Essay

Multitasking

In:

Submitted By stephAVILA
Words 1710
Pages 7
Stephanie Esquivel
Susan Cooper
English 101
5 Oct. 2015 Multitasking In a generation where multitasking has become a part of our lives, I like many others have become drawn to that lifestyle. These days it’s rare to find someone who does not multitask and isn’t able to multitask very well. Multitasking for me is helpful when the amount of work I need to get done increases. From being in school full time and also having to run a house it takes much of my time and being able to multitask effectively makes my day easier. I think multitasking is great when it comes naturally, for some it might even be an advantage. Although some might believe that splitting your attention into different jobs causes work quality, I think it all depends on the task and what requires more attention. For me it’s all about time management and how my day is split and what my priorities are. I’m married and although school is important my husband comes first. Before it was so much easier to get home, eat a hot pocket and wait till my mom got home to cook but that’s not my life anymore and I get home to do what she did and what everyone takes for granted. My multitasking is caused by my busy schedule and the thing I most want to get to at the end of the day is my family and for that reason it’s just easier for me to get multiple things done at once. Multitasking at home means I can get more things done at a certain amount of time. At home I can wash dishes while I cook and also watch TV. Although I may not be completely focused on the TV I can get the dishes out of the way and also get started on either boiling or frying something. Being able to get the dishes out of the way makes it possible to have time left over after wards when I have less dishes to wash. I am able to do several things at a time without doing anything wrong. In Claudia Wallis’ article “The Multitasking Generation” she states, “automatic actions like walking or chopping an onion can be easily done while thinking about other things, although the decision to add an extra onion to a recipe or change direction in which you are walking is another matter” (Wallis 181). I think Claudia Wallis tries to explain that things that are simple or just come to someone are easy to manage while “multitasking” unless you’re doing it in a way you are unfamiliar with it. I think that washing dishes while watching TV and cooking are just things that are “highly practiced” and don’t require a lot of attention. If I wanted to really pay attention to the TV while cutting or frying something, now that I would really regret because my attention isn’t on the knife or the hot stove. So although the multitasking part of it is effective I think focusing on the thing that needs more attention should work best. A lot of people my age might not understand this but when you get married or live on your own I think it’ll be easier to understand. Having kids or a husband or just different responsibilities than the rest makes multitasking a must. Multitasking also keeps me occupied since I am a very impatient person. For instance when I get my laundry done I can’t just sit down and wait I constantly have to be doing something and it’s just a habit in my generation to just carry technology. I’m able to get on my phone or my laptop and get some things done without any disadvantageous as some non-multitaskers might say. I don’t have to have my full attention on the washer to do my laundry right or just anything else that’s not hard to do. I can write a paper and not worry that it’s going to “affect” my laundry, I can be able to read my emails without doing anything wrong because I’m doing another task. I personally think that these are basic things someone else can do without doing anything wrong whatsoever. A lot of it comes from habit and how multitasking works for everyone and for me I always seem to be doing something it’s just a habit to have to a cell phone or tablet and always be on it when I can. Being in school makes it much harder for me to multitask because I need to really focus on what really matters. I can’t divide my attention between various things when I’m doing work or in a lecture. I don’t necessarily multitask when it comes to my school work but rather time manage it. I tend to focus on things that need more attention and that I struggle with in class. My biology class takes more time away from me so for me to get my less stressful classes out of the way gives me more time to really focus on that class. In doing that I have to both research and do the work at the same time. Doing research separately takes more time than doing it when I’m applying it to my work. “Multiskaing” in that situation in my opinion doesn’t affect my learning I just do what works with my schedule and what I think works best for me. I never thought that at my age I would be married and have to get used to it so quick. For me to be in school full time makes me feel good about myself and being able to multitask just makes my day easier when it comes to my school work. In Claudia Wallis’ article “The Multitasking Generation” she says, “By the time many kids get to college, their devices have become extensions of themselves, indispensable social accessories” (184). I think that this is true and that a lot of this generation has just become really reliable to their cellphones and tablets and just technology in general. Everywhere you go you see someone on their phone and for me it has become a problem. I tend to always be on my phone and it affects the relationships I have with people. I tend to be completely focused on my phone and I am unaware of my surroundings. I constantly check my phones and for what? I don’t really know. I go to the movie theater and all I see is everyone on their phone and for me it’s a wakeup call on how ignorant we are. Multitasking as well I think people do not focus on what they really should be focusing on because of technology. I also have this problem I can be writing a paper or reading and constantly have the habit of going on Instagram or Facebook and my concentration and my thoughts on what I was doing are all gone by the time I get back to it. I do not necessarily multitask because I want to, for me it’s a matter of time. Throughout the day I feel as if my day just doesn’t have enough hours to get everything done. I have to be able to do multiple things at the same time so I have time to do my homework and read and be with my significant other. I don’t have the time to sit and do nothing when I can easily check something off my list for the day. In “The Multitasking Generation” Wallis says, “…so many kids lead highly scheduled lives that leave little time for old-fashioned socializing and family meals” (184). So yes I like many other kids my age have a schedule that drive much of my multitasking. I have to multitask to be able to have family meals and be able to have left over time to socialize with others. A lot of it has to do with who we are becoming, most of the people that multitask are adults who live busy lives and I think most people my age are just getting accustomed to that way of life. It makes things much harder because you’re not used to doing everything else your parents did for you. The implications multitasking has brought to my behavior have been very eye opening for me. I noticed that I’m not very aware as I should be of everyone else around me. I don’t socialize as much as I should I keep to myself and my phone. Since I tend to rush with what I’m doing I don’t spend the time to actually engage myself with what I’m doing , I miss out on something I might really enjoy. Also I think it does affect the way I learn in the long term, I won’t benefit from school if don’t put the time into it. I think I perform better when I focus on one task but I try to just rush over it just so I don’t have to do it anymore. I think a lot of students do this because of how overwhelming school is for some of us. It might also have to do with technology, there is so much we can do now that it just comes to us naturally to be on your phone or watching TV while you do homework or anything else. I believe that in order to be with your loved ones and have a social life there has to be some type of multitasking involved. I think we all do it in some sort of way and it can be an advantage. Multitasking is inevitable in this generation. Technology is not going to go away and neither are the distractions. Time is also precious and I think that it’s great to make the most out of it. Life is short and if you have to cut corners it’s alright at some point. I myself do it and I will continue to multitask if it means I have time to be with the people I love and to do what matters most.

Work Cited
Wallis, Claudia. “The Multitasking Generation”. Nexus A Rhetorical Reader for Writers.Ed. Kim Flachmann and Michael Flachmann.Boston: Pearson, 2015.178-185.Print

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Multitasking

...should ask ourselves is, what’s multitasking and how is it related to teenagers and students? Multitasking is defined as “the ability to accomplish multiple tasks in the same general time period by engaging in frequent switches between individual tasks” (Konig et.al. 2005). This definition helps us to support our question that multitasking is necessary to teenagers and students. Teenagers and students are part of daily life that requires productivity from them and this will call in for a multitasking. Students and teenagers are surrounded by multiple tasks that all require their attention, and considering the time frame this will not be that much possible. Also at times multitasking will not be that much encouraged due to the fact that when multitasking we tend to divide our attention between the two tasks and thus overwhelming our thoughts which may lead to poor results on what we intended to do. To get much out of multitasking we need to reap the benefits while minimizing the drawbacks. Benefits of multitasking come in handy. We are able to do attend to different types of tasks simultaneously in a given time frame and jumping to others which require our attention, thus saving more time. Multitasking helps the student to switch between different sort of assignments and this prevents boredom and increases our creativity through brainstorming for the other project while doing the other. This becomes more inspiring and keeps us in need of more. Multitasking enables us to use our extra...

Words: 626 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Multitasking

...Saunders MAO 203 Multitasking Skills and knowledge Multitasking Skills and knowledge Alex Saunders MOA 203 April 15, 2016 Multitasking Have you ever heard of multitasking and what it is? Well today we will look at the positive and the negative side of it. Multitasking means ability to complete more than one task at the time with the best ability you can. An average person multitasks every day without even knowing. I am sure that as you are reading this paper you have some apps or tabs open on your computer or even possibly have a phone next to you that just can’t stop buzzing, that is an example of multitasking with everyday tasks and challenges that come our way. Did you know that many professions use multitasking and able to handle it with extremely important documents. According to Dr. Travis Bradberry, ”You’ve likely heard that multitasking is problematic, but new studies show that it kills your performance and may even damage your brain”. (Bradberry, 2014) No worries, practice makes it perfect, at least that’s what we were thought since young age. Most research on multitasking tell us that is ineffective. Often switching between two tasks divides our focus and depletes our mental resources quicker. This leads to a greater risk of making a mistake and less quality work overall. Multitasking is especially ineffective if we are juggling between tasks that use up very similar resources in our brain. However, there is a certain kind of multitasking called task-layering that...

Words: 796 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Multitasking

...Page 1 of 2 Multitasking – “the ability to do several different things at once” Nowadays, people prefer to divide people in two groups; people who masters to multitask, and those who can’t. Almost everyone place themselves in the former group, thereafter they put the rest of the people in the latter. But of course most people are lying. I personally take advantage of multitasking daily to a certain extent, yes, practically all the time – in a certain level. And my perception of multitasking is the same as http://www.google.no/ ‘s perception on what multitasking is; it’s simply to have the ability to do several different things at once. But something that should be mentioned here is that no one can really multitask. It's when we think we're multitasking; we're only jumping from one thing to another. This way of doing things is addictive and can of course eventually cause us difficulties among our ability to concentrate. With other word; it is physically impossible for a human to do two things at the same time. Then, I don’t mean that it is completely impossible to do two things at the same time; such as talking while walking, or smiling while dancing. No, I mean that it is impossible to multitask - to do two things at the same time - as long as the two things that should be done at the same time, requires a lot of concentration and attention to be done correct. I guess you yourself are able to distinguish between which tasks that requires a lot of concentration, and which requires...

Words: 351 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Multitasking

...grows more advanced. Multitasking is something that is done worldwide and is normally looked at as something that has only negative effects on us humans and our bodies. There are also studies that bring out good results from multitasking. All in all people need to continue to research multitasking, it definitely has its ups and downs, but it could be harmful to us as well. There are a lot of people who have found many negative effects from multitasking. It may have many negative effects, but believe it or not there are some good things that come from multitasking. In some ways multitasking could hurt our performance, but we do it out of habit because it makes us feel good. While multitasking often gets a bad reputation, new research says simultaneous addition of different types of media may help us perform a specific task. Recently, the harmful side effects of multitasking have surfaced. The main so called negatives relate to instant messaging, music, web surfing, e-mail, online videos, games or social network. Research has showed multitasking can cause damages during certain mental tasks involving task switching, attention, and memory, both in the laboratory and in real-life situations. This type of impairment may be due to the fact that multitaskers pay attention to numerous sources of information available around them, without sufficient focus on the information in front of them. Although multitasking is frowned upon today, many of us are multitasking right now and don’t...

Words: 418 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Multitasking Tool

...Have you ever attempted accomplishing multiple tasks all at once and lose focus on what you were doing? Are you listening to music, shouting at your siblings or children, online shopping, checking emails, and texting friends and wondering why you’re still stuck writing your first paragraph in your essay for an hour now? Multitasking may seem like a simple tool to use to accomplish numerous tasks at once; however, that essay may have already been completed if you were to simply focus on one task at a time. Is all the multitasking even worth it at this point? Multitasking can be a wonderful tool in certain people’s eyes, but it can be deleterious to the task at hand. “Multitasking Can Make You Lose…Um…Focus” is an article written by Alina...

Words: 637 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Multitasking Persuasive Speech

...Click, click, tap, click, click, tap great English is finally done now I can start my art project and look up good pictures for Sarah and my presentation in Computers, wait I forgot what is it called when you do two different things at one, wait I got it, it is MULTITASKING!!! I am gonna look up things about Multitasking… Wow multitasking is interesting, but I think it is non-effective because of all this negative stuff I am finding out about it... Multitasking is not effective because our brains on multitasking aren't nearly as good as we think they are. Let's say you're working on an activity over here, on the right side of the brain, and suddenly you're trying to multitask another activity, like talking on the phone. You're not actually...

Words: 427 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Multitasking Research Paper

...I have mixed views on multitasking. In today’s environment I feel it is critical for an individuals to be able to perform multiple tasks at the same time. Yes I am aware that it is not possible to physically be doing multiple task at the exact same time. There have been multiple days where I am working on numerous tasks roughly at the same time, multiple emails come through to my attention seeking information on the shipping status of orders. Although I cannot actually look into these request all at the same time I do however pull all the needed files required for all the questions at the same time while at the file cabinet, and at the same time I will answer and help my coworkers and there are even times that I need to complete a transaction....

Words: 365 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Multitasking

...Hypothesis 6 Multitasking: 6 Methodology 6 Task 1 (Sudoku Puzzle): 6 Task 2 (Word Puzzle): 7 Experiment 1: 7 Experiment 2: 7 Experiment 3: 7 Results and Findings 8 Interpretation 9 Are women better at multitasking? 10 Conclusion 10 APPENDIX 12 References 16 Executive Summary The question that is under consideration is whether multitasking is good and how it affects performance. Initially a survey was floated for the students of Indian institute of Management Bangalore which was done to get a general perception about multitasking among the MBA graduates. We found that a majority think that multitasking improves productivity. To validate this we conducted experiments in which subjects were made to do two tasks under three different conditions. In the first experiment, subjects were made to perform the two tasks sequentially, in the second they were forced to switch between the tasks and in the third they were free to do in their own way. Results of the experiments show that the performance was better when the tasks were scheduled (Experiment -1) than during multitasking (Experiment- 2). However, the performance was no better when the subjects were free to do the tasks as per their will (Experiment-3). Also, women are perceived to be better multi-taskers than men but the results did not show any significant difference for the same. Aim Multitasking is at the heart of today’s workplace. To understand COLLEGE’s perception towards multitasking we conducted...

Words: 3701 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Multitasking Report

...Steven Marshall Psychology 101 3/1/2016 Multitasking My thoughts on multi-tasking before this course was that it was alright depending on what you were doing. I use to have a job in the military where you had to multi-task. I was checking people in and out of the barracks, running reports, answering phones, and answering questions. I had to use divided attention quite often. When I was by myself I thought I handled myself well but when someone was working with me there tended to be quite a few less mistakes. Sometimes multi-tasking is necessary but try to avoid it whenever at work or school. If I had the time I would always check my work for errors. I am not a very good at multi-tasking because I get distracted very easily. When I study for an exam I have to have focused awareness. " In this state, we are wide awake, fully alert, and completely engrossed in the task at hand" (Nevid, 2015). Usually when I am driving I am listening to music or thinking about what I am going to do next or planning for something in the future. I occasionally eat while I am driving which has almost led to a couple of accidents. I try to keep all my focus on driving and not get distracted behind the wheel. The only thing I really do now is talk to God. If it is dangerous I have been able to keep my focus on task. One of my most distracting things is face book. I check it everywhere. I am checking it right now as I am writing this. I am really hooked and have to work on it because at times it consumes...

Words: 493 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Multitasking Research Paper

...Have you ever wondered if multitasking is good for your brain? Do you ever wonder if social media has a part in multitasking? Multitasking can be effectively be done by teenagers. My reasons are multitasking is good for the brain, people on media are better at multitasking, and cognitive strategies use more efficient plans. First reason why multitasking can be efficiently done by teenagers is that, multitasking is good for the brain. Chinese researchers have found that multitasking in the 21st century style can be good for the brain. This suggests that it can be good for the brain but that's probably for chinese people. But chinese people found that multitasking 21st century style can't be good for the brain. This shows that multitaskers...

Words: 385 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Summary Of The Myth Of Multitasking

...After reading “The Myth of Multitasking,” I found multitasking to have a negative impact on the quality of how work is done. Rosen expresses many reasons why multitasking has a negative impact on today’s individual. When it comes to a 21st century average adult, being busy is just how it works, which is why we feel so pressured to multitask all the time. Though in this day and age, deadlines are always around, it doesn’t give us an excuse to allow ourselves to do inefficient, low quality work. Even without the pressures of society, multitasking still is not the way things should be done. Rosen expresses many reasons why multitasking has a negative impact on today’s individual. From her many sources about multitasking, to how she approached...

Words: 691 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Technology and Multitasking

...Multitasking and Technology We all go through it, there is too much to do and not enough time to do it. Our days are like this more often than not. I’m a single mother of two young boys; I always find myself picking up someone from one event and taking them to somewhere else. Life is a constant challenge to be one-and-a-half places at once, doing two or three things at once. As I go through my day I find myself doing two or three things at a time, multitasking, as I believe as they refer to it, often with the use of some type of technology I have: my IPod, phone, or mini laptop with me all the time. When I work out, I keep an eye on my crawling infant son, as I use the DVD player and talk to his dad on the IPod. Other times I cook dinner, while helping my other son with his homework, and maybe check an email or two, and look up a recipe…well that about sums up the idea hectic life style for most people. What I’m actually doing is a series of tasks one at a time and switching constantly between them. The problem with serial tasking is that it leads to lower quality and less productivity. The rice came out a little overcooked, I think I might have sent the wrong email to the wrong person, and we’re still working on the homework. If concentrating on one thing at a time, I would have had a better chance to do more tasks correctly. Technology’s influence on us is greater than ever before; we are ever connected by cell phones, laptops, television. We spend time checking social...

Words: 2496 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Multitasking Persuasive Speech

...your phone. You stop your homework to look at that message, but then your attention shifts to changing the music on your phone because it’s not the mood you’re in. And trust me, i know the problem, but i’m here to tell you as a teen just like you, why “multitasking” is the real problem. First, multitasking seems plaint. When you think you are multitasking… you’re not- it’s actually slowing you down and creating another distraction. I’m saying: it’s going to take longer because we have to remind our brains what we are working on. When you are switching tasks, it slows you down, when you think you are going faster… funny huh? Lets even think about when you listen to music when you're working on your homework that is due the next day for math class. When you listen to music your brain can't focus on both at...

Words: 499 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Multitasking Argumentative Analysis

...The word multitasking connotes a way where a person can complete many tasks successfully in little amounts of time, where in reality “someone can do two things at once, but they can't focus effectively on two things at once” (Keller 3). Despite what many believe, it can be demonstrated that multitasking is terrible for the brain. While some argue that it’s beneficial to multitask, research proves that it’s detrimental to focus on many tasks simultaneously. A person wishing to increase the amount of free time they have will argue that multitasking allows you to combine tasks and get the job done faster. Many who support multitasking will say “rather than doing one thing after the other, a person can combine tasks so they can more quickly get everything done (Source 3). However rather than...

Words: 552 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

The Myth of Multitasking

...Behavior The Myth of Multitasking Steven Woods Brown Mackie College – Northern Kentucky Since the mid-1960’s multitasking has been one of the defining buzz words of the business world. However, most people think that they are great multitaskers, especially if you have been seeing success in your business and personal life. Yet, how do you feel at the end of the day? Tired? Stressed? Are you losing sleep time because you need more time to get those last few things completed? Are you spending more time at work, because you just cannot get them all done in eight hours? If you answered yes to any, or all, of these questions then you most likely suffer from the effects of attempting to multitask. The reality of our human world is that we are not physically or mentally capable of completing more than one complex task at a time. Let us start by defining the term multitasking. Merriam-Webster defines multitasking as: “The ability to do several things at the same time.” (1) The American Psychological Association (APA) defines multitasking in a similar fashion, but also adds the term “switch” at the end. The addition of the word switch actually tells us volumes about the true nature of multitasking. Studies show that multitasking is actually the human mind switching from one task to another. (4) In general, the switch takes only fraction of a second to complete. This quick switch gives us the allusion that we are performing more than one task at a time, thus multitasking is accomplished...

Words: 1279 - Pages: 6