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Essays on multitasking and its effects
Essays on multitasking and its effects
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I read the article “Multitasking Can Make You Lose… Um… Focus” by Alina Tugend. (The Norton Field Guide, p. 714-718) The article explains the effects of multitasking too often. Many people feel the need to multitask to get things done during one day, but multitasking is shown to be distracting. There are certain times where it is good to multitask, but there are also times that people should focus on only one thing at a time, especially if it is an important task or conversation. Although many people say that multitasking needs to be done in order to accomplish everything they need to, it is possible to make life less stressful by prioritizing tasks that need to be done and not focusing on less significant things at the same time.
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Alina Tugend uses research in the article from Edward M. Hallowell who says, “Multitasking is shifting focus from one task to another in rapid succession. It gives the illusion that we’re simultaneously tasking, but we’re really not.” (Tugend, 2008, par. 4) Multitasking does not allow people to give their full attention to one thing, so tasks can easily be done incorrectly or with half-effort when multitasking. The article also says in a 2001 study published in The Journal of Experimental Psychology, they found, “the participants lost time when they had to move back and forth from one undertaking to another, and that took significantly longer to switch between the more complicated tasks.” (Tugend, 2008, par. 18) Changing in the middle of a task can not only cause complications in the completion of the task, but it can waste valuable time as well. Throughout the article, Tugend lacks to inform the readers of causes of multitasking, this may be because she wants the readers to agree with her viewpoint. It is obvious that the author thinks that too much multitasking is not beneficial, so including possible causes of
Gleick says in his article that by the time Michael Hartl “heads for the bathroom…each morning, he has already got his computer starting... And then, as he runs to breakfast, he…[dials] into the campus computer network, and then gets his web browser started so he can check the news while he eats. ‘I figure I save at least two or three minutes a day…” While Michael is trying to get his computer ready at the same time he is getting ready for the day, he has the potential to rush himself through his hygiene activities which could lead him to not fully completing them. As humans we always want the extra moments in our days to stretch to the maximum that they can, even if it means that we have to cut something else in our day short. We like to be able to say we did more because it gives us a boost in our ego for the day. Doing more multitasking in our days does not always mean we did do more. Switching back and forth between tasks could also take up more time than to stick to one task until it is fully done. When we multitask we have to continuously change the way our mind is thinking and what our body is doing. This could take more of a process to repeatedly get started rather than maintain a single thought on a topic and continuously let it
In the article, “Multitasking Can Make You Lose…Um…Focus,” Alina Tugend centralizes around the negative effects of multitasking. She shows that often with multitasking, people tend to lose focus, lack work quality, have an increase in stress, and in the end she gives a solution to all these problems. Tugend conveys her points by using understandable language, a clear division of subjects, and many reliable sources, making her article cogent.
Today we live in a society where everything is seconds away from us. With the advances and affordability of quality technology, you would be hard pressed to find someone without a smartphone, laptop, or tablet, possibly all at the same time. Because of the accessibility we find that, in our tech-savvy culture, multitasking has not just become an art form of sorts, but rather an expectation. In the article “Multitasking Can Make You Lose…Um…Focus,” Alina Tugend sets out to explore the idea that although multitasking appears to show productivity, it could be doing the opposite. Throughout her article, Tugend uses studies done by neurologists and psychologists to show how in a world that sees multitasking as an expectation it has actually made us less efficient. She proposes, through studies, that although you might be working on multiple tasks it is as if you’re playing tennis with multiple balls (Tugend, 725).
On May 3, 2013, The New York Times had posted an article discussing the poor effects that can happen to the brain if you are multitasking and being interrupted. There have been claims from numerous Universities suggesting that multitasking can deaden our brain. Sullivan and Thompson give us the insinuated results that if one wishes to accomplish two or more tasks at once, they will not reach the maximum capacity of success that the brain offers to them. Research on this topic has been minimal so the authors decide to investigate more on this epidemic (Sullivan and Thompson).
Performing well in at certain tasks and retaining information both require a high level of attention. Multitasking requires that this attention be divided amongst different tasks. As a result, the some of the attention used for a certain task must now be used for other tasks, which affects the factors needed to complete it. Referring to an experiment that was discussed earlier, Wieth and Burns (2014) stated that even with the reward, the promise of incentive could not override the limits of people’s attention. Retaining information requires undivided attention. The key word is ‘undivided.’ According to this experiment, it is nearly impossible to have the same high level of focus while working on multiple tasks that a person would while working on one task. Once someone has reached the end of their attention span, their performance begins to falter. In a final experiment involving media multitasking and attention, Ralph, Thomson, Cheyne, and Smilek (2014) stated that multitasking can lead to mind wandering and lapses in attention, which distracts people from their tasks. These results show that once their attention is divided, it can lead to distractions and difficulty completing different tasks. It is difficult to complete one assignment while focusing on several others at the same time. Multitasking affects the attention needed for a task, which can affect everything
Humans are creatures that spent more time looking for the distraction from work than actually working. Humans are naturally easily distracted and need something to help us focus on the tasks at hand. Two stories that clearly reflect this are "Stopping by Woods on a snowy evening" by Robert Frost and "Effort by Distraction" by Josephine Miles. In Frost 's story, it shows how humans are easily distracted so we need something so push us forward the goal in mind. Mile 's poem supports this by explaining on how humans focus more on trying to distract themselves than actually working and paying attention. My artifact extends the meaning of my poem because it analyzes how humans are naturally lazy and how we need to push ourselves to continue working.
Popular singer and actress, Monica Denise Brown, once said, “Multitasking is part of my everyday life”. This quote is not powerful in any means, just simply true. Everybody multitasks, it it part of daily life. However, an author, Alina Tugend, wrote an article titled “Multitasking Can Make You Lose Umm… Focus” where she discusses many aspects and sciences behind the negatives of multitasking. Within the article, several different points are covered that show the reasons that people should not multitask.
According to The Dangers of Multitasking, the downsides of multitasking outweigh its upsides (Davies 39). Multitasking students can miss many necessary information that they really need to pass tests and understand lessons when they multitask during the lectures, which causes them to get a low grade on their tests. “Many experienced multitaskers have experienced an unexpected thing when, for example, their e-mail service was disabled for a period of time. They discovered that they were actually more productive during that period of time” (Multitasking 758). That means that multitaskers are more productive when they concentrate on one task; so students will do better on tests and in school in general, if they quit or cut back on multitasking during classes. Moreover, “The human brain works more efficiently on a single task and for sustained rather than intermitted or alternating periods of time” (Multitasking 758). So, this does not mean...
In Source D, Karen Bradley writes about how multitaskers are constantly shifting focus and activities. This is an important ideology as it addresses the fact that multitasking is just a myth. Researchers proved this when they did a study on measuring tasks and switching between two. They found that between switching tasks, they all seemed to lose time. This proves that multitasking doesn’t make a job easier per say, and it just complicates the mind.
It will always have a negative effect on individuals, no matter how good they think they are at multitasking. Once people get distracted from something they lose the cues and information that is in their head. By losing the cues information it will never make it to users working memory, create stress, and make it hard to concentrate and process information. Too much information will get rid of the important information that they actually need to know. Distractions are caused by sound and sight.
Multi-tasking is doing more than one task at a time and the average human will, in some way or form, do this throughout the day and many times without even knowing they are doing it. For the purposes of this exercise, I am multitasking by working on this exercise, watching a movie on the television, listening to music, and keeping up with lunch on the stove. Multi-tasking is a must in order to survive and is as easy as being able to breath, eat, think, and walk at the same time. Many jobs as well as raising children involve being able to multi-task. My job as an Army paralegal causes me to do many things at once and be able to keep track of many actions coming in and going out of my office. If I lose focus for a moment in these tasks, it
One of the main reasons that multitaskers multitask is because that you get your stuff done well quicker, but getting your stuff done that well while dividing your attention is one-hundred percent bogus. “Studies have shown that people are more successful at processing information from short-term memory to long-term memory when they are paying strict attention to the task at hand.” This shows inefficiency and that you are probably better off remembering the material if you pay full attention. The Washington Post conducted an experiment and the groups director Michael Robb found something that is fascinating. “Multitasking is a problem in a couple of ways” one of the problems itself was “Multitasking can decrease your ability to get things done.” This explains that if you multitask you're more likely not to finish studying for a test that you do not understand or a homework assignment due first thing the next morning. Most peoples’ excuse for multitasking is that it makes you happier they say “Studies show that while you multitask it eases your stress” though honestly not understanding what you are doing in class will not make you happier and lowering your grade is simply not worth
The popular belief that multitasking is efficient, and the new-age generation is hard wired for multitasking, is highly misguided. Truth is, effective multitasking is an oxymoron. It’s not uncommon to see a person texting while walking down the street, listening to music while doing homework, or staring at a computer screen with multiple tabs and windows open. It’s hard not to multitask, given the amount of work people have to do and the non-stop information being thrown at them. People will do it as a force of habit; they think it will help them accomplish more tasks in a shorter time period. More often than not, they find it being the complete opposite. The brain can only process one activity at a time; instead, it switches gears, which takes time, reduces accuracy, distracts, and hinders creative thoughts. So, the real question should be: is multitasking actually worth the time? No, multitasking negatively affects people in all aspects of their life.
Multitasking can affect the society everyday life. You can lose focus while multitasking because you're doing more than one thing at a time. Being focused on one thing can help but doing other activities can affect you. I've read the book “The Multitasking Mind” by Dario D. Salvucci Niels A Taatgen and he discussed some effects on multitasking in our daily lives. Also Mr. Dario gave some examples on how to use and learn multitasking.
Multitasking is a growing trend in today’s busy world. People seem to be constantly doing many things at a time and enjoy doing so. Walk down any street here in Boston and you can observe people multitasking everywhere. People are on social media while walking, posting while eating and even texting and driving. Dzubak describes multitasking as an “individual’s engagement in discrete tasks that are performed in succession” (Dzubak, 2007).