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“Nearly one-third (30%) of young people say they either talk on the phone, instant message, watch TV, listen to music, or surf the Web for fun “most of the time” they’re doing homework.”
We all think multitasking or doing many things at the same time is cool and pretty efficient way of getting things done; especially so if we have limited number of hours to do it in. Older generations often do not understand this tendency of the younger generation to for example, listen to music while studying, or watching TV while writing that essay. They dismiss it as distracting activities that shows that you aren’t concentrating on the task at hand and eventually leads to loss in productivity and efficiency. The younger generation fights back saying that in spite of these ‘distractions’, they are more productive and efficient than the older generation was and the numbers surely show that. But is there an iota of truth in the older generation’s observation?
A recent cover story in Time magazine mentions:
“Decades of research (not to mention common sense) indicate that the quality of one’s output and depth of thought deteriorate as one attends to ever more tasks.”
“Kids that are instant messaging while doing homework, playing games online and watching TV, I predict, aren’t going to do well in the long run.”
“The breadth of their knowledge and their ability to find answers has just burgeoned…but my impression is that their ability to write clear, focused and extended narratives has eroded somewhat.”
I wouldn’t let the older generation say, Ah-ha! See we were right, you are no better than us and would in fact add that admittedly the attention to detail and focus needed to finish a certain task has waned but that hasn’t come at a loss of quality. We cannot say that, today’s kids are less smart and doing work of an inferior quality. Distractions have definitely increased, just like I have to check the email that pops up in my GMail Manager, at the cost of taking my eyes off writing that paper. But I tend to resolve such issues by devoting writing time to an offline state – away from the Internet. I do all my research when I am plugged in, either download the stuff I might have to reference or simply keep the browser tabs open. It has worked wonderfully so far and couple of such focused hours is far more productive. Although this might work for me, it might not for you and that is perfectly okay. For example, some people require deathly silence to read whereas I need a minimum amount of activity around me so that I can let my eyes wander for a break in reading. A short burst of concentrated reading has worked better for me.
Listening to music has evoked sharp reactions. Right from Olympic athletes who are plugged into their iPods right until they begin competing to the same dude who requires deathly silence, listening to music as a secondary or tertiary activity has mixed reactions. Choice of music can alter opinions. Is classical music more conducive than hard rock? Personally, I prefer music that I don’t sing along too or get engrossed in (well, duh!). Just like eyes, your mind needs a rest too and it is worthwhile to ‘listen’ to the music that is playing in the background. Wait for that song to get over and then get working again.
See, things need not be black-n-white regarding multitasking. All it needs is a little customization. If you rather not multitask, that is fine too. Hopefully, you manage to fit everything you gotta do in those 24 hours.
by Patrix | on Wednesday, March 22nd, 2006 at 9:11 pm | 
Education, Society Culture, World Wide Web . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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March 22nd, 2006 at 11:09 pm reply
P, I agree… multitasking has just become a way of life and work for me… I think it started when i fell in love with the whole idea of ‘windows’ - basially looking at different things at the same time - including maybe a project report I am working on!
and I do believe it when young people say that they work better while musltitaksing…
but what is scary is this dependence on techology - or devices - “by the time many kids get to college, their devices have become extensions of themselves, indispensable social accessories” (time)
like the textually article say - mobile are shrines to self image. ouch.
March 22nd, 2006 at 11:14 pm reply
Charu, I fear the over-dependence on technology too. Admittedly, it makes life a lil bit easier but the times I start getting withdrawal symptoms when I haven’t checked my email or my blog, I start to fear. The more I resist, the worse it gets. And I hardly qualify as an Internet generation. The kids must be worse and they don’t even know it.
BTW one more post on ‘mobile manners’ coming up soon.
March 23rd, 2006 at 11:02 am reply
[...] Wrote this sometime late last year while I was busy writing some grants. Not sure why, but I never posted it and eventually it’s topical significance was lost. Finally posting this today after reading a somewhat related post on Nerve Endings Firing Away, which briefly talks about multitasking and writing habits. Although the specifics are no longer true, the general point is still valid. [...]
March 23rd, 2006 at 11:04 am reply
Patrix,
Fortunately, my mom used to listen to the radio while she studied and my dad read somewhere that soothing music actually helps people concentrate while studying! So I was spared all those lectures ! I think parents should try to educate kids more on time-management rather than dismissing them on multi-tasking.
Anyway, good point about how everyone differs in the way they approach reading and writing tasks. I see many people working on their papers/thesis in the bustle of a coffee shop - whereas I find people around me distracting when I am writing (or even reading)- music yes, but conversations no.
Your post reminded me of an old draft on ‘resisting web-temptations while writing’, which I had written up partially but never got around to posting. After reading this, finally posted it today !
Cheers,
BP
March 23rd, 2006 at 11:45 am reply
Bongo, you are lucky to have parents who had tinges of Gen Next characteristics :) My dad simply flares up if we are caught reading (even pulp fiction) in front of a TV or with the music on. He won’t let his office staff use their cell phones or listen to their walkman while at work even if they are doing their job well. I tried reasoning with him but it doesn’t work.