January Resolutions: Finding Time to Unplug

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?