Multitasking
Morgan Ivey
ENG 111
4 November 2014
Professor Dollieslager
Many people misunderstand what exactly multitasking means. Many indivisuals believe multitasking means handeling more than one task at the same time; except Forbes writer, Sarah Sparks, states that it is not possible for the brain to be in two places at once. Eisenhower’s decision matrix helps people plan out their time so they can focus on more important task, like getting school work and studying done before hanging out with friends or surfing the web. In the decision matrix, it is broken up into four quadrants, but the second quadrant is where the matrix helps plan and organize thoughts, and that is the quadrant people want to be in.
The article about studies of multitasking by Forbes writer, Sarah Sparks, states that people under the age of eighteen tend to focus on multiple things at once so they do not miss out on anything. Outside of school, thirteen to eighteen year olds use six different media on an average. Mr.Rosen, a researcher, said that those who pay only partial attention to what is going on have problems focusing and understanding fully what is happening. Researchers have proven that the brain cannot take on more than a couple big tasks at a time, and the brain takes longer while a person is multitasking rather than doing an individual task (Sparks). Sparks article talks about how slow the brain responds while multitasking. When a person is driving a car and texting at the same time, the brain responds slower by an entire second (Sparks). The second the brain is not responsive, researchers explain that the front end of the car would be in the back end of the car in front. Similar to the reactant time of a car hitting the back of another car while texting, researchers tested preschoolers using marshmallows to test their self-control to see if the kids could stay by the marshmallow without touching it for fifteen minutes. Similar results were found between the marshmallow test and texting while driving, relating to the amount of time the kids could handle being by the marshmallow and how teens react while texting and driving. Davidson, another Forbes writer, says that people should be taught to multitask because individuals juggle a lot of situations at once, and those individuals should be taught to manage their time by multitasking. "We are well trained to a certain kind of attention: task-specific attention, silent and alone," Ms. Davidson said. "Where in the workplace do we ever do things silently and alone? We live in a connected world" (Sparks).
I do multiple activities during my job at Riverview Gymnastics Center, as a dance instructor. The kids I teach range from three to fourteen, and sometimes things can get out of control. During my classes, I pay partial attention to one ballerina as she goes across the floor doing her skills, while another ballerina will be talking to me. By watching the ballerina do her skills and listening to another ballerina talk, I am able to pay partial attention to see if the ballerina is doing a skill correct and hearing what the other ballerina has to say. Also, during the spring session, Parks of Recreation and Tourism, puts on a big recital for all recreational dance classes. I am in charge of the majority of the classes that are involved in the recital, so that means I am relied on by many people and I have multiples jobs. My jobs at the recital is to make sure all my dancers arrive on time, make sure the dancers are dressed, and make sure they are lined up before it is their time to go on stage. Another task I take on during the recital is that I perform on stage with all my classes, so while I am one stage with my dancers I think about the dance moves along with what class performs next and hope they are lined up ready to go on so the program runs smoothly. Sometimes the younger dancers cry because they are scared or do not want to go on, and since the dancer is mine it is my responsibility to calm her down. While I am calming a dancer down I have to pay attention to the crying dancer to comfort her and line up my other classes. Paying partial attention to multiple obstacles happening around me is a challenge, but I somehow manage my time by focusing my attention on task in an order; meaning I focus on the most important obstacle, then my mind will start to pay partial attention to the less important events around me.
Dwight D. Eisenhower explains how a person can tell the difference between urgent and importance. An urgent situation means a person need to take care of a task right away and are rushed, while importance means a person can take their time to reach a certain goal over a period of time and does not need to be done right away. The mindset of people today is that they are always looking at the now and not thinking about the important things in life, such as long term goals (McKay and McKay). Stephen Covey, a famous business thinker, agrees with the decision of Eisenhower and wrote a book called, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In the book Covey explains how important task are considered important, and why urgent task are urgent. Covey also explains to readers the different quadrants in the matrix, such as, how task can be urgent and important, not urgent but important, urgent but not important, or not urgent and not important. Quadrant one contains task that are both urgent and important. If a person is in quadrant one then they are usually well organized and follow a well-planned schedule. Individuals who fall in the quadrant two category have not urgent but important task, for example, exercising. In quadrant two, individuals look forward to their future and plan it out in a long-term goals. If someone is placed in quadrant three, then they are taking on not important but urgent task, such as, being on the phone and texting. “According to Covey, many people spend most of their time on Q3 tasks, all the while thinking they’re working in Q1. Because Q3 tasks help others out, they definitely feel important” (McKay and McKay). People in quadrant three often focus on pleasing other people with “nice guy syndrome”(McKay and McKay). Lastly, in quadrant four task are neither urgent nor important because those who take on these task mess around and do not always fulfil their task, but instead they may go through social media or shopping all day.
After reading about the four different quadrants by Eisenhower, I need to be mostly in quadrant two of the decision matrix because I have to spend my time doing more important activities than urgent task. I spend a lot of my time in quadrant four, and wasting my time with less important and not urgent activities. Talking on my phone, texting, hanging out with friends when I should be studying for class, and ignoring my responsibilities, such as, oversleeping for class are all examples of less important and not urgent activities that need to be fixed so I can be in quadrant two. Ways I can change from quadrant four to quadrant two are: putting my phone away and out of sight for the amount of time I plan to study for my courses, cut back on time with hanging out with friends till I get all my school work done first, and set more than one alarm on my phone fifteen minutes before I originally plan on waking up. Also, while I am a full time student in college it is very important that I plan out the hours I need to study and do homework by making a calendar and planning out what time or how long I need to stay on a certain subject. Being in quadrant two as a full time student in college will help organize thoughts, plan out the day, and gives more time to think and prepare for any other important events needed to be done.
Multitasking is often misunderstood because people believe they can do more than one task at a time, but that is untrue. When a person is multitasking that means they are able to pay just partial attention to other things happening around them. Multitasking situations can happen whether it being at work, school, or even at home. Multitasking is when a person takes on too many task at once, but the brain cannot focus on more than one task at a time. A way to organize thoughts and ways to plan out time would be to look at the four quadrants of Eisenhower’s decision matrix and strive to be in quadrant two. Quadrant two tells individuals to focus mainly on important task and put them first before adding those not so important activities. I believe every person should learn how to manage time because it will help distress and schedule time for all important task.
Works Cited
Sparks, Sarah. "Studies on Multitasking Highlight Value of Self-Control." Studies on Multitasking Highlight Value of Self-Control. Education Week, 16 May 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/05/16/31multitasking_ep.h31.html?tkn=PTWFGpBwR5o7bKrnCvQZswL8Vr+lUoJB+62c&cmp=clp-edweek
McKay. "The Eisenhower Decision Matrix: How to Distinguish Between Urgent and Important Tasks and Make Real Progress in Your Life."The Art of Manliness. N.p., 23 Oct. 2013. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.
< http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/10/23/eisenhower-decision-matrix/ >