Communication, extracurricular activities, entertainment... There are countless factors in our lives that we struggle to juggle on a daily basis. Multitasking proves to be the method we often choose to manage these numerous commitments. Research, however, has shown that multitasking is not the best way to get things accomplished; on the contrary, it hurts your productivity. Recent studies have come out that point to negative consequences of multitasking.
In a "Fresh Air" interview on National Public Radio, New York Times technology journalist Matt Richtel outlined many new developments in the study of how multitasking, particularly with regards to technology, affects our lives. According to Richtel, scientists have known for a long time that "multitasking" as we think of it does not truly exist, because the brain can only process on piece of information at a time. When we multitask, our brain is really just switching very quickly between tasks. This negatively affects our productivity and the quality of our work or what we learn.
And according to the article "Study: Multitaskers Bad at Multitasking" from CBSNews.com, a study from Stanford University suggested that people who multitask are not good at ignoring information that is not important. In addition, multitaskers have trouble switching from one task to another. They cannot separate their attention and are constantly thinking of the activity they are not doing.
College presents perpetual opportunities for multitasking, and often it may seem like our only option. If we do not give our undivided attention to our tasks--particularly our education, the most important task--we risk not performing to the best of our abilities and not making the most of college.
So here are a few tips to avoid multitasking while in class and studying:
- Know how you learn and study best
- Try not to bring your computer to class; if you can take notes without it and that is how you learn best, leave the computer in your room.
- If you like taking notes on a computer or need it for class, turn off your wireless Internet. It will eliminate temptation. (And it saves your battery!)
- When studying, go with what works for you. If you need quiet, turn off extra noise (radio, TV, etc.) or go to the library or other quiet spot.
- If you prefer to study with noise, choose things that are conducive to learning: classical music, jazz, movie scores... instrumental is best. Try pandora.com or slacker.com for free streaming music.
- Keep your phone somewhere else: another room, on your bed, in a bag... just somewhere that's not right next to you.
- If you're waiting for someone to contact you about something important, screen your calls and text messages.
- Reward yourself with breaks for television, Facebook, Twitter, etc. If you have a favorite show and have time for it, maybe schedule your studying around that half hour or hour, but no more.
- Don't forget that hulu.com is always there the next time you're free, if you missed something important.
- Remember: School is important. If you really need to focus, you do not have to be reachable 24/7.
