My Project : Multi Tasking And Retaining Knowledge

When talking about multi-tasking, there are always several detriments available to list. To illustrate this, the author of, “How to Do One Thing at a Time” cites classical examples of harmful multi-tasking activities such as using the phone while driving or chatting with a friend while writing an e-mail. To reinforce his point of view, the author links his claim to the opinion of scientists that affirm that, because of cognitive limits in our brain, doing tasks simultaneously often ends up with mediocre results. However, as society forces us to deal with several different responsibilities in a short period of time, multi-tasking can be an efficient way to relax while also finishing minor chores faster.

Figure what would be the best resources to use for the topic, this could be a projector, toys, photocopies, flashcards, etc.

To begin with, multitasking creates a great deal of stress and pressure for the individual. When someone is bombarded with many tasks it becomes overwhelming to try to handle them all at one time. Tugend explains that doing routine tasks are easy to multitask, but once more “cognitive thinking” is used it becomes impossible to be able to focus on both at once. Attempting to can easily cause

For example, it is physically impossible for your brain to do multiple assignments simultaneously. According to Karen Bradley, the brain “switches gears, which takes time, reduces accuracy, and inhibits creative thought” (Document D). Therefore, the brain is less efficient working on multiple tasks than working on them sequentially. By rapidly shifting between different gears in your brain as you multitask, you are wasting time and prolonging the job. What should take you an hour to complete, will take you twice as long to finish when you multitask.

Now trust me, that’s not very efficient. In the case of multitasking your brain is like a computer. I know, the same thing that very well causes you to be unproductive does the samething to itself. WHen you begin to run to many programs on your computer it actually slows down and may even crash causing any of the work you may have done to go down the drain. Similarly, by multitasking, you actually make it harder for yourself to stay on task as a part of the brain called the striatum has to burn more oxygenated glucose, causing you to lose focus and be more tired than before. Explain more thoroughly with

Many people take pride in the fact that they can multitask. A study “Task Switching” conducted by Monsell concluded that multitasking, or switching

Multitasking, “shifting focus from one task to another in rapid succession,” everyone does it. Whether it is answering a call while writing an email, texting at a stoplight or talking to someone while checking Snapchat or Facebook, multitasking is a normal part of most people’s everyday lives. Reading “Multitasking Can Make You Lose...Um...Focus” by Alina Tugend has really made me realize how much I multitask. It also made me realize no matter what I think, I am not as good at multitasking as I think I am. I believe that the author made some very convincing arguments against multitasking, how it affects society and how common it is.

In this modern era, it has become commonplace to try and accomplish as many tasks as possible as quickly as possible in order to be more efficient. With the help of technology, many believe that multitasking is becoming a required and helpful skill. Multitasking is actually a detrimental habit. Multitasking divides a person's concentration in order to attempt to complete multiple actions. Even though in the end the tasks are all finished, the quality of the finished task and the time required to finish all the tasks makes multitasking very inefficient. In addition, this division of concentration is causing many people to not pay attention. For most, multitasking is a disadvantageous skill that should not be encouraged as a valid

If you take a moment to look back at a time you have tried to multitask, you would probably realize that you were not making much progress and was getting frustrated more than gettings the task done. With multitasking comes stress and

I loved these articles because they give me scientific proof on why I do not do my chores. The next time my mom yells at me for not doing my chores I will show her the scientific proof, which will probably get me in more trouble, but it’s worth a try. These articles were very surprising for me because I did not expect people to document things like how teencagers are lazy and are risk takers. Parents these days, especially mine, think that I simply choose to be lazy but that is not true at all. According to the articles, teens cannot multitask because of cognitive limitations. The part of the brain that is responsible for multitasking continues to until late adolescence. Finally, something I can show to my parents on why I am so lazy and I am not choosing to disobey them. I am just not fully developed yet and cannot multitask until I am older.

As the Baby Boomers and Generation X start to retire, age, and eventually pass away, a new generation is on the rise. Generation Y, or the millennials, are expected to make up 46% of the workforce by 2020 (Miller). This new generation, ranging from the 1980’s to the early 2000’s, is unlike any that has come before with the introduction of technology in the Digital Age. 1 in 3 millennials said they would prefer social media freedom, device flexibility, and mobility in the workplace over a higher salary (Miller). They will be natural web-marketers and add a whole new dynamic to the office: multitasking…efficiently. Some may say that multitasking does not exist or in fact is counterproductive, but this new generation has something to prove.

Hook: Everyone thinks that multitasking is good for the brain and that everyone should want that skill. Well unfortunately studies proven by scientist at the institute in Paris Santé et de la Recherche Médication found that the brain splits into two, basically splitting the attention. It was said that at the most someone can do two things at once depending on the ease of the tasks. The reason being for this is due to the two frontal lobes of the brain designed to help someone with tasks.

4). It is very difficult to do “two complex tasks” at once (Paul 5). For instance, doing email and listening to the phone. These tasks diverts the mind due to which people do not focus properly on them and results in lower efficiency. Multitaskers omit much information and it takes time to refocus on both of them. Therefore, “Efficiency can drop by as much as 40%” (Atchly par. 2). Peter Bregman mentions that in the reality, “the more you multitask, the worse you are at it” (519). It means that multitasking decrease the ability to think and focus after switch task. Multitasking not only affects the quality of the work…, … it can affect the brain’s gray matter , which is associated with memory, decision making and more” (Vito par. 8). Hence, multiple tasks results in the poor productivity.

Human brains are not hardwired for the simultaneous performance of tasks, rather they can only allow for switching between different tasks (Herman et al as cited by Kirschner and van Merrienboer, 171). What appears to many observers as a generation of youth appearing to be good multi-taskers is really just a population switching between tasks or a generation of learners caught up in the “butterfly defect” (Kirschner and van Merrienboer 171), an unending loop of clicking on links and hyperlinks while never finding depth or value in new knowledge. Switching between tasks can lead to inefficiency in each task and possible errors. “It has been broadly shown that rapid switching behavior, when compared to carrying out tasks serially, leads to poorer learning results in students and poor performance of tasks” (Rogers and Monsell, Rubinstein et al as cited by Kirschner and van Merrienboer 172).

Taking on many tasks at the same time can be something very hard to do for some and something others can easily exceed at. Throughout our day we like to take on more then one task at a time to finish something faster or to minimize time but research has shown that task switch can cost us time.