By Julie Heng
The Emery
Huron HS
1st Place
Division 2, News Writing
Bylined Opinion Articles
Oh look, it happened again.
I know I said I’d be dutifully studying, plugging away at my calculus homework before moving on to physics, but once again, the urge to check my phone arose, which led to some gratuitous internet surfing and maybe some popcorn… and so here I am, finally opening my textbook, only a few hours later than I had originally intended. So goes the tale of multitasking and distractions for many of us: switching from screen to screen to screen to screen, refreshing feeds every so often, focus flitting from the task at hand to ever-more-tantalizing prospects, like rage-quittable phone games, endlessly streaming cat videos on YouTube, et cetera.
Yes, it happens to the best of us, but on a daily basis? Together, distractions and multitasking can be a deadly combination. The hurdles these two issues present are overwhelming, especially to teenagers, and they just happen to go hand in hand. In this age of overwhelming technology, even having a phone face up on your workspace could cause many problems.
Common Sense Media reports that over 50 percent of teens feel addicted to their devices. What’s worse is that technology can actually change the way we think, and it’s not necessarily for the better. Using devices has trained us to look up every other paragraph, making 10 pages of reading for the night into a drudging chore. An everyday news briefing becomes a full-length novel.
The bombardment of technology simply puts too much on our brains to process. We resort to short summaries on Sparknotes to fuel our education; we frown when a math problem poses steps a through e. It’s no coincidence that attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has experienced a surge in recent years, parallel to the growth of technology use by children. A study in the journal Pediatrics notes that children and young adults glued to TV and video games are twice as likely to develop ADHD. According to Dimitri Christakis, professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington in Seattle, ADHD is 10 times more common than it was 20 years ago. Well, this only makes sense considering the increase of distracting screentime we all incorporate into our daily schedules.
Research shows that the average students can spend nearly seven and a half hours using screens per day. That amounts to nearly half your waking consciousness! Let’s think about this… you wake up to the sound of your phone, and impulsively check it. You automatically find it in your hand anytime you’re traveling somewhere or have an unplanned moment.
A typical afternoon involves aimless surfing on your laptop or tablet. And the last thing you see before bed? You guessed it. This is a serious epidemic that we need to address—clearly, spending time with nature is not just some meditative tree-hugger advice. It takes effort to filter out a constant stream of notifications and information. Our brains need to slow down so that they can adequately absorb what they need to learn and grow.
As for multitasking, it cannot be stressed enough how limited productivity becomes when one multitasks. Everyone thinks they’ve secretly mastered the method to multitask (me included), but studies from the BBC show that, when multitasking, your brain decreases in functionality by over 40 percent. Juggling several checklists at once clouds mental clarity and, in fact, prompts us to go slowly from one job to the next. It takes an average of 10 minutes to fully “submerge” yourself into whatever task you are working on, and the minute you click or look away, that concentration is broken.
So theoretically, it takes another 10 minutes for you to re-enter that focused zone that you inadvertently veered away from. Sometimes, even listening to music while you study can impede your maximized efficiency. According to USA Today, music with lyrics is especially dangerous because the presence of words and language automatically pulls away your focus into subconsciously decoding and understanding the lyrical message.
Experts say that the best bet, if music is a must, would be classical music. The simple modulations and expected harmonies of Mozart or Vivaldi can propel you along with work. If classical music is not your style, try to find lyricless music from electronic artists or contemporary orchestral movie soundtracks. Of course, another issue arises considering the use of music. Some students argue that listening to music improves their homework focus. If this is true, then I argue that so is the opposite: without music, concentration decreases.
While taking an exam or standardized test, where music is obviously prohibited, will a student accustomed to a certain beat fall out of rhythm? To this point, you must consider their ability to adapt in different situations. I had a friend who once claimed her best study playlist included was composed of her favorite earworms. Her rationale was that she was so used to hearing the familiar tunes that it better grounded her to her work. The truth was probably that she ended up singing along, and the multitasking fundamentally dragged her productivity down. In the end, it comes down to maximizing efficiency.
For most people, that would be turning off the monitors and shutting down the phone screen and making sure there is enough quiet time to allow their brains to relax, one step at a time. Additionally, perhaps it’s time to rethink your relationship with your phone.
After all, how often do you think about pulling out your phone, even if you don’t have a specific purpose in mind to warrant doing so? Does having that comfortable weight in your hand give you a sense a security or promote an unfortunate dependence? It may be necessary to set a few personal restrictions depending on what distractions affect your productivity.
I’m not saying to delete Snapchat or anything, but consider having designated times to send your streaks instead of being hyper-aware of each new notification. Don’t flip from problem to problem across subjects. Try to knock out your homework assignments one by one and intersperse them with breaks if necessary. It’s fine to take a breather as long as you are aware of what to ultimately concentrate on. I’m guilty of everything I write, by the way. I, too, am working on my productivity. (I have this terrible habit of scrolling through gifsets for hours while procrastinating for major tests.) Together, we can all strive to improve ourselves and make the most of our time.