Multitasking vs. Singletasking

MULTITASKING VERSUS SINGLETASKING
STUDENT INSTITUTION
STUDENT NAME
DATE

Multitasking has been a problem for many people especially during work time, while doing assignments and even at home. These distractions affect how people do their duties. Some of the multitasking things I experience at home when am with my family are; when I am playing with my siblings, I find myself replying to texts messages on my phone. When having dinner with my family I am used to logging into my Facebook and Instagram accounts. Sometimes when we are having a counseling session in the house, and the television is on, I might be attracted to the movies being played. While studying, I will also multitask by eating some snacks which affect my academics. Also, I do my assignment while watching a football match. Sometimes I do my studies while listening to hip-hop music. Also, I can do my assignment while talking to my sister. I study in the balcony while watching my siblings playing on the ground floor.
Some of the recommendations I am interested in is committing to my choices. (Loukopoulos, 2016). I will genuinely commit to my choices and exclude all other demands at that moment by doing one thing at a time and dedicate the current time to it. However, since my days have a tight schedule, I may not be able to single task to accomplish activities for that day. The second recommendation I would be interested in is to practice cluster tasking. I will cluster my activities by giving priority to the important tasks into specific segments of the day.

The problem with this recommendation is that some activities are so urgent and segmenting them will lead to delays or affect my schedule. An example I cannot segment to confine my emails two-three times a day because, I might be expecting my lecturers to send notes through the email so that may end up in delaying the assignments. The last recommendation I would adopt is building fences around my environment to keep away distractions and colleagues. When I am going to class, I should switch off my phone or when I want to do my assignment at home – need to switch off the television and lock myself in the room to avoid disturbance from my siblings. The challenge of this recommendation is that building a fence mostly will limit me getting information example when I switch off the phone when am studying, I might miss a very important call.
The recommendations for minimizing distractions when focusing on various issues is realizing the multitasking myth (Loukopoulos, 2016). Anyone trying to multitask should be aware that multitasking doesn’t exist but may end up in causing delays. Therefore, one should focus on one thing at a time for the best results. Another recommendation is disciplining one’s brains not to be distracted by something else. Single-tasking helps one to get things done. The last recommendation I would give is to say no early and often. This will help someone to be safe from constant interruption and unfinished tasks.
Multitasking is appropriate in some tasks example; reading a newspaper on the reception while you are waiting to see someone. Another case is watching a programme on television while you are queuing to see the doctor. Another multitasking is drinking coffee when you are watching the news. One can also play with a baby while you are still feeding him or he. A student can multitask when he/she is writing some notes while listening to the lecturer.

Reference
Loukopoulos, L. D., Dismukes, R. K., & Barshi, I. (2016). The multitasking myth: Handling complexity in real-world operations. Routledge.