I’ve been hearing about multitasking for many years now. The interest in the term started around the time computers came into our lives and workplaces. The general consensus was that, not only was more efficient to multitask, but it was also really cool to be able to do several things at the same time.
It turns out that there are some problems with multitasking. The constant shifting from one point of attention to another seems to lead to more mistakes than concentrating fully on each task individually. At least, it does for people who are not gifted at it.
At the same time, the younger you are, the better you are likely to be at multitasking. Take my grandson, for example. Since he’s been staying with us, we have noticed that he cannot seem to accomplish anything one task at a time. He plays videos, watches Youtube, and works on his homework all at the same time. We might complain if he didn’t maintain his 4.0 GPA. As it is, how can we say anything? It seems to work for him.
As for me, the closest thing to multitasking in my life as a teenager was listening to music while I did my homework. I loved to do it, but even that was difficult for me and I had to focus and concentrate on the work so much I barely heard the music. Usually, I ended up turning it off before long so I could get my homework done faster and start grooving with my tunes.
Even as I’m writing this, the house is quiet and the only sounds I hear are the tap-tap-tapping of my fingers on the keyboard and a slight whishing from a table fan. I want to be a kid or at least one of those special adults my age who have taken to this trend of multitasking. I want to, but I cannot be what I am not.
So I say: Hooray for those of you who can do it! In the meantime, I will be writing my blog posts, novels and anything else I write in the quietest environment I can find. Thank goodness my chosen profession gives me that option.
So, is multi-tasking great for everybody? I think I can say with certainty that there is at least one 50-something woman out here who is better off doing one thing at a time. Oh well, you can’t be great at everything!
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