There Is No Such Think As Multitasking
Like many students, you probably take pride in getting a lot of things done at once. You want to study for exams, get your homework done, work on projects, and check your phone all at the same time. Multitasking isn’t what you think and I’ve gotten to understand this pretty well. There is no such thing as multitasking.
Here’s Why
It isn’t a real thing.
As much as we might like to think that our brain is like a computer, it really isn’t. We have one brain. One processor. We can actively think about one thing at a time. We do not have the ability of parallel processing and multithreading that computers do to accomplish several things at once.
It might seem like you can multitask because you’re trying to do several things at once but really you are just rapidly switching back and forth between tasks very quickly. You never give one task your complete attention and because of that, that task suffers, as do every other task you try and do during that time.
What you understand is multi-tasking is actually a myth broadcast by the technology world to make excessively scheduled and stressed-out people feel productive and efficient. People think that it’s something to brag about. “I got so much done today!” And maybe you did but it wasn’t because you multitasked.
What about Actually Doing More Than One Thing?
Our brains can only delegate out a certain amount of attention and productivity at once. So what about when we actually do two things at once? Like walking and eating. Anybody can walk and eat at the same time. These are things that are so ingrained on our brain that we don’t think twice about them.
Multitasking is when you engage in two or more tasks simultaneously but only if two conditions are met. First, one of the tasks must be so well learned as to be automatic such that no focus or thought is necessary to engage in the task.
Second, the tasks must involve different types of brain processing. For example, it is easy is read effectively while listening to classical music because different parts of the brain are engaged in reading comprehension and music processing. However, it is difficult to retain information and listen to music with lyrics because both tasks activate the language section of the brain.
What you’re doing by reading different engineering books or enrolling for multiple courses at the same time is not multitasking but serial tasking. Instead of engaging in multiple tasks simultaneously, you are in fact shifting from one task to another in rapid succession.
Why you Shouldn’t Multitask in your Studies
The truth is that multitasking is actually holding you back. It has been proven to be less effective and efficient. A number of studies have demonstrated that if you shift focus from one task to another, that transition is neither fast nor smooth. In fact, there is a lag time during which your brain must wrench itself from the initial task and then switch onto the new task.
When you multitask, you’re at high risk of making mistakes and remembering items. Multitasking makes you take a longer time completing a task that requires complete focusing like studying.
The benefits of not multitasking are quite spread out and laid out. Focusing on one task at a time increases your productivity and performance. As a student, it is important to complete one class or activity first before diving into another. The best way to be efficient and get the most out of your studies is to follow through on one thing until it is done. Only then should you move on to the next thing.
F.O.C.U.S.
The key word is FOCUS — Follow One Course Until Success.
This can have a lot of different meanings depending on how you apply it, but it holds true to all of them. Don’t start studying for your statics exam until you have finished studying for thermodynamics. Maybe not completely, but don’t do one question here, one question there, one question back here, and so on. Set dedicated time to one subject before you move on.
This can be hard to do, especially if you have both exams in the same day. So even during study sessions, focus on just one course. When you feel you have gotten sufficient value from studying, take a break, and move on to the next subject. For engineering, this means that you fully understand one concept first before moving on to another.
The Pareto Principle
If you have not heard of the Pareto Principle or the 80/20 rule, I’m about to blow your mind. The Pareto Principle states that 80% of your output comes from 20% of your input. So 80% of how you do on exam came from 20% of your studying.
Don’t believe it? Think if during those several hours you studies, you only worked on the most important problems. The ones you knew would be on the test. Think if you didn’t check your phone all the time, get distracted by Facebook, or try to snack while you studied. Instead, just hit the top 20% of topics you know you need to do and you will get better results.
It can be a difficult concept to truly grasp but in the couple years I’ve started applying it to my life, productivity has went way up. Combine this with our FOCUS acronym, and you can do some pretty impressive things.
Conclusion
Multitasking gives the illusion of productivity but in reality, it is a detriment to productivity. When you multitask, you perform multiple duties at the same time but fully focusing on none of them. The only sure way to productivity and efficiency is to focus on one project at a time while avoiding distractions until it is completely done before moving on to another. As an engineering student, designate a significant effort and time to complete one course or class or project first then move on to the next one.
There’s no such thing as multitasking. Like Steve Jobs said, “Be like a postage stamp…stick to one thing until you get there”.
