Multi-tasking. The Wave of the Future?

by Kirk Miller

In our Getting the EDGE course, we speak extensively about the downside of multi-tasking; even the negative effect it can have on our health and well-being. As a father of two daughters, it is especially alarming to see that multi-tasking seems to be the wave of the future, as opposed to showing any signs whatsoever of slowing down.

I recently sat at a restaurant with my 14-year old daughter and her friend. I sat bewildered, watching my daughter’s friend, not only eat and have a conversation with us, but all the while texting back and forth with multiple friends at the same time. She was proud of the fact that, in school, she is able to text friends while in the classroom with her phone in her pocket. She is part of the “MySpace Generation.”

In an effort to better understand what is going on with my daughter and her friends, I picked up a book called “Me, MySpace and I: Parenting the Net Generation”, by Larry Rosen, PhD. In the book, he goes into the topic of multi-tasking in great detail. He describes one evening sitting in his daughter’s room, watching her not only doing homework with an iPod on, but also manage 8 IM windows open on her laptop, while also checking her MySpace page.

We reference an article in our Getting the EDGE course that describes the damaging effects of multi-tasking on IQ. In light of this, one can only shudder to think of the effects all of this multi-tasking will have over time on the MySpace Generation. Culturally, multi-tasking seems to be not only here to stay, but gaining momentum. Keeping the EDGE reminds us to prioritize our tasks into single actions that we can execute single-mindedly, giving our full attention and focus to that single task. We still get everything done, but in a peaceful and relaxed manner.