Multitasking and Time Management
Life is filled with many distractions, that we, as humans, must overcome and push through to truly be the successful individuals that we one day want to be. In today’s society there are lots of activities that can hinder our growth as human beings; however, it is how we deal with these activities and distractions that will decide whether we become successful or not. If we can learn to slow things down and focus on one item at a time, we will in turn help ourselves by giving the necessary focus to that particular task or activity. We can also use decision making strategies like Covey’s decision time matrix as a tool to help us figure out what we do now and how we should be productively spending our time.
After reading Sarah Sparks article on multitasking, found on the Education Week website, I now possess the knowledge and intelligence to know that no matter how we as humans try to rationalize it the mind cannot perform multitasking functions. Sparks wrote that this is a proven fact that, “the brain can’t be in two places at once”. However; we can summon the ability to think cognitively and do the best we can with balancing learned behaviors or habits. One situation that I usually found myself in, that is before I had the knowledge I do now, is switching from task to task while cleaning. It used to take me a fairly long time to clean my house because as soon as I began on one task I would walk downstairs and see that something else needed to be taken care of. I would immediately dismiss the task at hand and set out to complete an entirely different thing altogether. I found that it was extremely difficult for me to clean this way because it took me a greater amount of time to finish, having to switch back and forth between items. From this, I can take away that if I actually maintain an order in which the way I clean, I can make my time more useful and highly efficient.
In the article, the author highlights how we as humans are not multi-taskers and how taking on a great amount of tasks can affect our daily performances in life. The author sets out to prove, and does a convincingly good job of it, that as individuals take on more tasks it can be hindering to how well we do those jobs, opposed to if we only took on one of these tasks at a time. It was found that as we make higher value decisions and take on more cognitive tasks then we can handle, it takes the brain longer to develop a decision and reasoning to follow through with that specific act. It was also shown that as humans’ today have become more accustomed to the indulgence and emulsification of texting, Things such as grades, attentiveness, and brain capabilities may also suffer. Those who cannot resist this temptation inevitably cause themselves harm because the seriousness can range from something as little as being distracted from completing a homework assignment or something as serious as becoming pre-occupied on the road, which can perhaps lead to death. (Sparks)
In the Eisenhower Decision Matrix article by Brett and Kate McKay, the authors set out to describe how we can incorporate the four quadrant decision making matrix into our everyday routine, so that we can help ourselves stay more focused on the items that are truly important in our lives. As goal oriented individuals, we must stay focused on what's important in life and do what we can to relieve ourselves from distractions we may come across. In the article a quote from Eisenhower is given as follows, “What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important”. From this, how it pertains to the article, we can take that the tasks we may find important may not always be as time sensitive as we believe and that tasks we may consider urgent may not always be as important as what we think. As cognitive thinkers we must continuously evolve the way we process given situations and tasks so that we can more efficiently complete the things that are actually important to our lives and becoming successful. (McKay and McKay)
After completing my decision time matrix, I found that I ended up spending most of my time throughout the day in both the first and second quadrants. I wasn’t too surprised by this because I know that as a student I tend to be a heavy procrastinator when it comes to completing assignments, therefore, making items that are not particularly time sensitive extremely urgent. I also noticed that I spend an abundant amount of time in the 4th quadrant of the decision matrix. This is also not extremely eye opening to me because I know that when I am usually procrastinating, it’s with useless activities like watching TV, surfing the internet for hours, and hanging out and having a good time.
The decision matrix by Covey, has taught me that I need to change my ways if I want to be successful. From now on I will implement a study schedule into my daily regiment. This will allow me to complete assignments earlier so they will not become too much of a burden in the near future. Committing to a study schedule will not only allow me to become a better student but it will allow me to move towards that all important 2nd quadrant that we should all be spending most of our time in.
Throughout the course of our lives there are certain decisions and tasks we must complete to become successful. However, the key to this success rests in how you manage all aspects of your life. You must take the time to make the right decisions if you want to accomplish the goal you have set out for your life. There is no definite way to make sure you are making all the right choices, but along with tools like cognitive reasoning and Covey’s decision making matrix, you can give yourself a better chance to get everything you want from life and stay focused on the path to success.
McKay, Brett and Kate McKay. "The Eisenhower Decision Matrix: How to Distinguish Between Urgent and Important Tasks and Make Real Progress in Your Life." The Art of Manliness. 23 Oct. 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2014. <http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/10/23/eisenhower-decision-matrix/>.
Sparks, Sarah. "Studies on Multitasking Highlight Value of Self-Control." Education Week. 15 May 2012. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. <http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/05/16/31multitasking_ep.h31.html?tkn=PTWFGpBwR5o7bKrnCvQZswL8Vr+lUoJB+62c&cmp=clp-edweek>.