I, for one, love the idea of making New Year’s resolutions.
I love creating elaborate, sprawling lists on New Year’s day, where I make
several vows to be a better, more productive version of myself. It’s always the
shiny promise of a new year that invigorates me and inspires me to start over
and do better.
This year, one of my resolutions is twofold; unplugging and
single-tasking.
For a while, I always thought that multitasking was better.
I marveled at the ability to juggle multiple tasks at once, to chat on the phone
and simultaneously do homework while filling out a form that was needed for
school.
But over the years, my attempts at multitasking have cost me
both my efficiency and organization. Trying to juggle multiple things at once often
leads to a scattered focus, and I ultimately fail to do any of the tasks to the
best of my abilities. I’ve often found myself draining my attention on what’s
in front of me by doing two things at once without even knowing it. During
class, I’d continuously peek at my email inbox. While doing math homework, I’d
often be distracted by funny videos or texts my friends sent me. While talking
to parents, I’ve found myself glancing down at my phone,
compromising my
attention. This brain slowdown doesn’t just affect me -- research from the
American Psychological Association shows that there is delay in the brain every
time someone needs to switch between tasks or divide their attention between
two tasks.
This year, I want to cut back on technology and media in
order to be more efficient and better at accomplishing what I want to do. I’ll
take notes on paper on class, my computer firmly shut and put away. I’ll
converse with people without longing for the comfort of a cell phone. I’ll
start doing things one at a time. I might be slow at first, but at least I’ll
get things done right that way.
What’s your relationship with multitasking? Do you think it’s
a necessary skill or a means of distraction?
