Multitasking or distracted living?

Multitasking is the mantra of success in today's life. Dealing with a single task at a time is considered a waste of time and a very inefficient strategy nowadays. We now have devices and gadgets that are designed specifically to help us with multitasking. Many mono-functional devices are on the verge of becoming extinct now, for example, wristwatches, tape recorders, and paper maps. Even though there is evidence that shows that we cannot engage in multiple tasks at the same time, all we do is highly inefficient task-switching, but we still insist on multitasking and like to feel that we are good at it. We live in a world where everything is communicated continuously in a virtual world. People have a strong urge to remain engaged in these unending exchanges in the virtual world. This is the basic reason why people feel the need for multi-tasking, they just can't dissociate themselves from the virtual world only to focus on the task in their hand. Unfortunately, people overdo multitasking, that too very carelessly and sometimes dangerously. They indulge in some dangerous habits that are not only dangerous to them but to others also; they use their phones while driving, and some even try to make video calls while driving. Some other common habits include surfing the internet while watching TV, checking emails or SMS on the phone while talking, etc. As mentioned earlier, some of these acts are quite dangerous and against the law but still people do them. The justification offered is that they do this to save time or because they need to respond urgently to every notification they receive on their phone.

Multitasking or quick task-switching can be a really advantageous skill if used properly. Quite often this skill is required in today's competitive environment to avoid the feeling of missing something. Sometimes this habit of juggling too many things at the same time can lead to distraction or loss of focus on the main task, which we are supposed to execute at that particular movement. This distraction can come in many forms, for example, sometimes we get so busy that we don't have time for one-to-one discussion even with our family members. Checking Facebook status or emails or SMS has become such a regular habit that we don't even realize that we do it even while talking with others, in meetings, or even in the theater while watching a movie. Yes, multitasking is good and it can save us some time, and may make us more efficient but sometimes it's better to focus 100% attention on one task especially where our personal attention is required. When we are talking with someone, it's better to focus on the talk rather than surfing on the phone. If we are not interested in talking then it's better to politely excuse ourselves rather than insult the person by not paying attention to what they are saying. One should spend quality time with their family and friends rather than being always busy on their phone or tablet. This has become very important in today's world as everyone is getting busy in their own virtual world. It's important to interact with people around us and discuss issues in person rather than focusing only on virtual interactions. I make some of these mistakes but I try hard not to repeat them and I know how hard it is to stay away from these gadgets yet it is worth trying. People around us do deserve more attention and quality time; every relationship does need an investment of quality time to nurture it and sometimes by doing these things in the name of multitasking we mess up our relationships. Please don't get the impression that multitasking is always bad, as I said multitasking is a nice ability to have, if one can strike a balance then it can be a really useful and efficient tool. The most important thing here is to strike the balance. Anything in excess is bad, so let's hope that in the desire to accomplish more, we don't lose whatever little we already have with us. I am sharing a nice talk by Jennifer Meer on this subject; please listen to it as she nicely explains the phenomena of distracted living with examples from her own life. Sometimes it's better to relax and do one thing at a time and enjoy the process of doing that one task, maybe it is an old way but surely it has its own advantages, give it a try once in a while, I am sure you will enjoy it.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:
1. Distracted Living- Jennifer Meer