Some of my neighbors happen to be so-called soccer moms. They seem to lead hectic lives. They jump into their humongous SUVs as they simultaneously sip coffee from condo-sized extra large Starbuck’s cups, talk into bluetooth connections and back out of driveways like Nascar drivers. They are always in a hurry dashing endlessly from one end of the Valley to another. They pick up dozens of children, deposit them somewhere else, race to the market, shove numerous bags full of food and paper products into the tailgate, race home to put the food away, then rush out again to pick up all those kids, in order to deliver them to their respective homes. They pride themselves on being able to multi-task. Multitasking is now a huge problem. Medical studies have documented many problems and hazards associated with trying to do too many things simultaneously. Single-tasking is the solution.
Research is being conducted to analyze the results of multitasking and the findings are not favorable. Dr. John Halamka, the chief information officer at Harvard Medical School, described a typical incident involving a resident doctor who was given an order to change the dosage of medication being given to a patient. The order was actually for cessation of a powerful blood thinner. The resident began using her cellphone to access a computerized order entry system when a personal text message came through. It was a friend inviting her to a party. She replied and became distracted by the invitation that she forgot to go back to the medication change. Instead of the blood thinner medication being canceled, it was automatically increased per the original order. The patient’s blood became so thin that he required open-heart surgery to save his life. This is just one of several incidents recorded where a competent, intelligent multitasker caused a tragic mistake attempting to complete too many projects at one time.
Multitasking increases the risk of making mistakes. The people who multitask incessantly are less likely to retain information which can hinder their problem-solving skills, creativity and contribute to eroding memory.
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Set-shifting is a way of consciously and completely setting your attention to one task. If you typically wake up and grab a cup of coffee, turn on your computer, read emails, go to Facebook, twitter, read headlines, then go back and forth between these sites often, you probably spend two or three hours on social media and emails. If time and the completion of certain tasks is important to you, it's time to stop multitasking. it is recommended that you spend only a limited amount of time on each, then close down. Do not spend all day on your smartphone either. It’s possible to regain brain fitness, mental agility and memory. Instead of being a "scatterbrain" trying to juggle too many things at a time, you will be able to complete projects at a satisfactory level. Stop and drink the coffee -- you'll have time to speak to people face to face, have an organized, productive life and accomplish your goals in a much healthier way.
