{"id":1370,"date":"2016-09-02T17:26:58","date_gmt":"2016-09-02T17:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=1370"},"modified":"2020-09-03T23:57:12","modified_gmt":"2020-09-03T23:57:12","slug":"text-distractions-and-multitasking","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/chapter\/text-distractions-and-multitasking\/","title":{"raw":"Distractions and Multitasking","rendered":"Distractions and Multitasking"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>Learning Objectives<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Define distraction and multitasking, and describe how personal technology may help or hinder your study efforts<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\u201cMultitasking\u201d\u2014doing several things at the same time\u2014has become a common word for describing what many of us\u00a0do every day in the modern world.\u00a0Our busy lifestyles and our ever-present devices\u00a0suggest that many of us have become multitasking experts.\r\n\r\nBut is multitasking real? Is it possible to do several things at the same time? Can we actually check Facebook, watch television, read a textbook, and write a paper at roughly the same time . . . <em>productively?<\/em>\r\n<h2>Switch Tasks = Lose Productivity<\/h2>\r\nEvidence suggests that\u00a0multitasking is not, in fact, possible. Psychology research shows that we can attend to only one cognitive task at a time.[footnote]\"The True Cost Of Multi-Tasking.\" <i>Psychology Today<\/i>. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.[\/footnote]\u00a0What we call multitasking is actually just switching back and forth between tasks quickly. This isn\u2019t necessarily a problem, but we lose time with each switch. The loss may only be one-tenth of a second, but the time\u00a0adds up. Think about your own experience.\r\n<h2>Busy Brains<\/h2>\r\nResearchers have found\u00a0that multitasking increases production of the stress hormone, cortisol, and the fight-or-flight hormone, adrenaline.[footnote]Levitin, Daniel J. \"Why the Modern World Is Bad for Your Brain.\" <i>The Guardian<\/i>. Guardian News and Media, 2015. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.[\/footnote] These hormone-level increases can cause the brain\u00a0to literally overheat, which leads to\u00a0foggy mental processing. So multitasking while studying for a final exam might not be a good idea.\r\n\r\nMultitasking also taxes the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that integrates information. Your capacity for problem-solving decreases with the number of tasks you try to perform\u00a0at the same time.\r\n<h2>Personal Technology: Helping or Hindering Your Study Efforts<\/h2>\r\nThe perceived need to multitask is driven largely by the technology takeover of recent years. Smartphones, email, social networking, Instagram, Twitter . . . all make multitasking seem both necessary and possible. They all require switching in and out of a line of thinking. With these technologies, we face constant information overload and distraction.\r\n<h3>Becoming More Productive<\/h3>\r\nHow can we become more productive with our time and energy, given our tendency\u00a0to multitask? Consider these tips:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Try \u201cbatch processing\u201d: Have set times during the day for checking and responding to emails.<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use concentrated time: Block off time for working on just one task. You may need to turn off your phone.<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do what\u2019s most important first: Make goals for the day and accomplish them. The sense of achievement can\u00a0help you resist\u00a0anxiety-driven multitasking.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nWhat are your thoughts on multitasking? How does it affect your productivity? The following video, from the University of British Columbia, features students talking about multitasking. Does it exist? Is it effective? Listen in, or view the <a href=\"http:\/\/learningcommons.ubc.ca\/students-talk-multitasking\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">full discussion on multitasking by University of British Columbia<\/a>.\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"\/\/plugin.3playmedia.com\/show?mf=1291125&amp;p3sdk_version=1.10.1&amp;p=20361&amp;pt=375&amp;video_id=QStKeI9Bluc&amp;video_target=tpm-plugin-uxpbim9o-QStKeI9Bluc\" width=\"800px\" height=\"450px\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0px\" marginheight=\"0px\"><\/iframe>\r\n\r\nYou can view the <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/College+Success\/Transcripts\/UBCStudentsTalkMultitaskingDoesItWork_transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript for \"UBC Students Talk: Multitasking - Does It Work?\" here (opens in new window)<\/a>.\r\n<h2>Contribute!<\/h2><div style=\"margin-bottom: 8px;\">Did you have an idea for improving this content? We\u2019d love your input.<\/div><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1kRUwIwUFvLcb-YtbHm41Y59yKtaY-Q9WvjeF00zK6G4\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: 600; color: #077fab; text-decoration: none; border: 2px solid #077fab; border-radius: 7px; padding: 5px 25px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.5em;\">Improve this page<\/a><a style=\"margin-left: 16px;\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1vy-T6DtTF-BbMfpVEI7VP_R7w2A4anzYZLXR8Pk4Fu4\">Learn More<\/a>","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Objectives<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Define distraction and multitasking, and describe how personal technology may help or hinder your study efforts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cMultitasking\u201d\u2014doing several things at the same time\u2014has become a common word for describing what many of us\u00a0do every day in the modern world.\u00a0Our busy lifestyles and our ever-present devices\u00a0suggest that many of us have become multitasking experts.<\/p>\n<p>But is multitasking real? Is it possible to do several things at the same time? Can we actually check Facebook, watch television, read a textbook, and write a paper at roughly the same time . . . <em>productively?<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Switch Tasks = Lose Productivity<\/h2>\n<p>Evidence suggests that\u00a0multitasking is not, in fact, possible. Psychology research shows that we can attend to only one cognitive task at a time.<a class=\"footnote\" title=\"&quot;The True Cost Of Multi-Tasking.&quot; Psychology Today. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.\" id=\"return-footnote-1370-1\" href=\"#footnote-1370-1\" aria-label=\"Footnote 1\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[1]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0What we call multitasking is actually just switching back and forth between tasks quickly. This isn\u2019t necessarily a problem, but we lose time with each switch. The loss may only be one-tenth of a second, but the time\u00a0adds up. Think about your own experience.<\/p>\n<h2>Busy Brains<\/h2>\n<p>Researchers have found\u00a0that multitasking increases production of the stress hormone, cortisol, and the fight-or-flight hormone, adrenaline.<a class=\"footnote\" title=\"Levitin, Daniel J. &quot;Why the Modern World Is Bad for Your Brain.&quot; The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 2015. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.\" id=\"return-footnote-1370-2\" href=\"#footnote-1370-2\" aria-label=\"Footnote 2\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[2]<\/sup><\/a> These hormone-level increases can cause the brain\u00a0to literally overheat, which leads to\u00a0foggy mental processing. So multitasking while studying for a final exam might not be a good idea.<\/p>\n<p>Multitasking also taxes the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that integrates information. Your capacity for problem-solving decreases with the number of tasks you try to perform\u00a0at the same time.<\/p>\n<h2>Personal Technology: Helping or Hindering Your Study Efforts<\/h2>\n<p>The perceived need to multitask is driven largely by the technology takeover of recent years. Smartphones, email, social networking, Instagram, Twitter . . . all make multitasking seem both necessary and possible. They all require switching in and out of a line of thinking. With these technologies, we face constant information overload and distraction.<\/p>\n<h3>Becoming More Productive<\/h3>\n<p>How can we become more productive with our time and energy, given our tendency\u00a0to multitask? Consider these tips:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Try \u201cbatch processing\u201d: Have set times during the day for checking and responding to emails.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use concentrated time: Block off time for working on just one task. You may need to turn off your phone.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do what\u2019s most important first: Make goals for the day and accomplish them. The sense of achievement can\u00a0help you resist\u00a0anxiety-driven multitasking.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>What are your thoughts on multitasking? How does it affect your productivity? The following video, from the University of British Columbia, features students talking about multitasking. Does it exist? Is it effective? Listen in, or view the <a href=\"http:\/\/learningcommons.ubc.ca\/students-talk-multitasking\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">full discussion on multitasking by University of British Columbia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/plugin.3playmedia.com\/show?mf=1291125&amp;p3sdk_version=1.10.1&amp;p=20361&amp;pt=375&amp;video_id=QStKeI9Bluc&amp;video_target=tpm-plugin-uxpbim9o-QStKeI9Bluc\" width=\"800px\" height=\"450px\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0px\" marginheight=\"0px\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>You can view the <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/College+Success\/Transcripts\/UBCStudentsTalkMultitaskingDoesItWork_transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript for &#8220;UBC Students Talk: Multitasking &#8211; Does It Work?&#8221; here (opens in new window)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Contribute!<\/h2>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 8px;\">Did you have an idea for improving this content? We\u2019d love your input.<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1kRUwIwUFvLcb-YtbHm41Y59yKtaY-Q9WvjeF00zK6G4\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: 600; color: #077fab; text-decoration: none; border: 2px solid #077fab; border-radius: 7px; padding: 5px 25px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.5em;\">Improve this page<\/a><a style=\"margin-left: 16px;\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1vy-T6DtTF-BbMfpVEI7VP_R7w2A4anzYZLXR8Pk4Fu4\">Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-1370\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>College Success. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Linda Bruce. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Students Talk: Multitasking. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: JWang. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: UBC Learning Commons. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/learningcommons.ubc.ca\/students-talk-multitasking\/\">http:\/\/learningcommons.ubc.ca\/students-talk-multitasking\/<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>UBC Students Talk: Multitasking - Does It Work?. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: UBC LEAP. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QStKeI9Bluc\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/QStKeI9Bluc<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section><hr class=\"before-footnotes clear\" \/><div class=\"footnotes\"><ol><li id=\"footnote-1370-1\">\"The True Cost Of Multi-Tasking.\" <i>Psychology Today<\/i>. Web. 30 Mar. 2016. <a href=\"#return-footnote-1370-1\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 1\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><li id=\"footnote-1370-2\">Levitin, Daniel J. \"Why the Modern World Is Bad for Your Brain.\" <i>The Guardian<\/i>. Guardian News and Media, 2015. Web. 30 Mar. 2016. <a href=\"#return-footnote-1370-2\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 2\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":19,"menu_order":9,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"College Success\",\"author\":\"Linda Bruce\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Students Talk: Multitasking\",\"author\":\"JWang\",\"organization\":\"UBC Learning Commons\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/learningcommons.ubc.ca\/students-talk-multitasking\/\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"UBC Students Talk: Multitasking - Does It Work?\",\"author\":\"UBC LEAP\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QStKeI9Bluc\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"94b4a8cf-50ae-40ad-b0f2-c93a48422069, 98fe36ba-a940-45fa-a84f-952601a8dd61","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-1370","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":19,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1370\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3847,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1370\/revisions\/3847"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/19"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1370\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=1370"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=1370"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=1370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}