Imagine you are sitting in front of your computer, you are composing an important email when your phone vibrates. You stop typing the email to reply to the WhatsApp you just received. Now, where were you? Oh yes, that’s right there was that website article you’d been meaning to read…
Naturally, this is not the best way to get things done, because it is not multitasking it is switch-tasking, so how do they differentiate?
Multi-tasking is when a number of activities are undertaken with a common aim in mind. Let’s say you have a dinner party, then you will need to keep track of several things at once: What you are going to cook and what ingredients are required, where you are going to buy them, how you are going to prepare everything and the timing of everything. Pulling off a successful dinner party would show good multitasking application.
Switch-tasking similarly involves multiple activities however there is not that common focus holding them all together. You’re doing lots of different, unrelated things at once.
Let’s try an example of this - count from 1 to 10 either out loud or in your head. Once done recite A to K of the alphabet. Neither are too taxing, right?
Now try alternating the numbers and letters i.e. “One, A, Two, B, Three C”… and so on. Switching back and forth between these two series makes things much more complex, and naturally takes longer to do.
This highlights that not only can switch-tasking make us more error prone, but more importantly less efficient.
You might go on your phone to reply to a message, then quickly check Instagram, before seeing someone has tagged you in something on Facebook, then the person you responded to has sent you another message, you’re switching amongst all these apps without a common goal.
If you start out on a task with a distracted mind, then naturally you’re much more likely to be distracted when your phone goes off, or you get an email. But in reality neither the internet or your phone is really the cause of your distraction - it is your state of mind.
Utilising techniques such as mindfulness can help you get into a calm and focused state of mind. The need for mindfulness will only increase as technology develops and computers come to have a more significant role in our lives. So where can we find respite from switch-tasking and all over distractions of everyday life?
Take a moment to think about your average workday. What last distracted you from the task you were doing? An Instagram notification can completely derail your concentration. Once you’ve isolated the principal offenders, then take action to limit your actions to those.
Remember, distraction is a choice, and you have the ability to be focused instead!