Monotasking-Ellie Mintz

I chose listening to a song as my first “monotasking” experience. It was definitely harder than I thought it would be to not just pick up my phone or log on to Facebook. I had forgotten how long it had been since I really listened to the words and meaning of a song instead of just the tune or the beat. I made sure to turn my phone over so I was unable to see if it lit up but I was still surprised by how many times I reached for it to check if I had any texts or calls. Even though it was difficult, I think I need more monotasking in my life and a lot less multitasking. I have a feeling if I tried to focus on one task at a time instead of worrying about everything at once I would be a lot less stressed and get a lot more done in a day. I feel like I waste so much time stressing about the long list of things I need to accomplish in a day that I never truly focus on anything. It seems that nowadays life is more about how much you can get done and how quickly rather than enjoying what you are doing. Efficiency has taken over our lives and become the center piece of society. As a matter of fact, while I told my roommate about this assignment and the concept behind it she texted people back and danced around the room while talking to me. This is a perfect example of the lack of focus we experience every day. Unfortunately, I think the idea of monotasking is appreciated by everyone but in reality it is nearly impossible. Efficiency is too desirable and too necessary to success in today’s society that slowing down at all would put you too far behind. 

Monotasking vs. Multitasking

After watching this video by Paolo Caraini about multitasking verses monotasking I realized that I normally mono task on more important things like homework and I multitask then I am doing things like watching TV.  For me I am easily distracted so I can’t have the TV on while I’m trying to do homework, which is the opposite of my roommate; she prefers to have the TV on while studying or doing pretty much anything. On the other hand if I am just watching TV I almost always have something else going on: texting, checking Facebook, or on Pinterest.

I do normally have my phone with me all the time and will text while I’m trying to do homework. I decided to put my phone up while doing this assignment and have found myself not looking down and wondering if I have a message. By monotasking, it allows me to concentrate more on what I am working on and it allows me to get the assignment done faster. Without the distraction of having my phone with me I can fully concentrate on the post; and I know that without the distraction I will be able to get it done faster.

While I see no problem with multitasking when watching TV, I do think that it is much more efficient to try not to multitask while doing things that you need to focus more on such as reading, driving, cooking, and doing homework. I am glad to be able to say that I am much more of a monotasker than a multitasker, and I think that every once and a while people should try not to handle doing so many things at once. While it may seem more effective, it can actually limit the work that you get done and possibly the effectiveness of what you are doing. 

Darby Jackson Monotasking

I’m not even going to lie, right now I have Spotify opened playing music, my Facebook open with nothing new to see, and my Twitter feed updating every second. Distractions are a huge problem for me. I know I have a problem with them, I haven’t ever denied it. But the fact of the matter is, I haven’t ever really cared. I mean, as long as I can still be a little entertained while doing work, I don’t really care if it takes two hours longer than it should. I actually have an app on my computer that can block certain websites for a certain amount of time to eliminate distractions. I’ve used it maybe twice in the year I’ve had it. And I seriously just got on Facebook and scrolled through my friend’s new pictures she uploaded. I have a problem.

So maybe for this specific assignment I should turn off all distractions to get it done. All my music is now off and Facebook and Twitter is closed. I’m typing vigorously on this Word document. There are also a million other distractions around in Hendrix where I'm doing this assignment. A huge TV is in front of me showing a cheesy Soap Opera show, a girl is eating a delicious looking bagel from Einstein’s, and there’s a really cute guy with a Dunder Mifflin sticker on his computer that just sat down across from me (I think I’m in love).  The point I’m getting at is that there are so many distractions in this world—some controllable and some are not. Even with doing everything in my power to get rid of the distractions on my computer or phone, there are still numerous ones around me. So even though it has taken me a lot less time to get this assignment done without my Facebook, Twitter, and music up, it still hasn’t gone completely smooth. Getting out of the multitasking habit is a long process, but it is possible, and it will save me a ton of time.
            I feel good about what I’ve done though. I was able to finish this blog post quicker than any other one before and now I have time to do some Physics homework before I head to math class. I should probably try this more often. Saving time is a wonderful thing, especially for a college student like me.

Rachel Rogers Monotasking

This assignment actually came at a very ideal time because I have so much I need to get done and I have a tendency to get distracted very easily. The task I chose to do today without getting on my phone or any social networking sites was my homework.  Usually when I am doing homework or studying, every few minutes I will stop and pick up my phone and just mess around and waste time. In the moment I do not see it as a problem but if you sit back and think about it, these little breaks on my phone can make my homework and studying time a lot longer and less productive. I also don’t realize that every time I take a break, when I return to working it takes even longer for my brain to refocus on the task at hand. So as I worked on homework this morning without using my phone or taking any breaks I got a lot done. The flow of things was faster, I didn’t have to stop and think about what I was actually trying to accomplish. With no interruptions homework seemed much smoother. This isn’t to say that it was easy for me to avoid getting on my phone or on social networking sites.  It is almost like habit and instinct to just stop what I am working on and pick up my phone. My brain doesn’t even process what I am doing. This is a problem in and of itself. I feel that monotasking might be harder for me when doing other things though like cleaning my room. Homework and studying is something that has to be done so in a way it is easier for me to just put my phone away and make myself focus because it is necessary. In activities like cleaning my room, there is not like a due date and it won’t affect my grades in college so it is easier for me to get distracted and to get on my phone.

Jake doesn't have MONO

I thought that this particular TEDTalk was interesting. I never really thought of myself of being a monotasker.  I am always on the go, or I always have somewhere to be. To be honest, I am struggling to find a time that I monotask. One  thing that I do on a regular basis that might be considered monotasking is brushing my teeth. Even that is a stretch because I brush my teeth in the shower most of the time.

This trip to the sink, the only task that I was working on was brushing my teeth. I could have done a number of other things while brushing my teeth, but my focus was solely on getting the job done, and doing the job right. There were quite a few distractions that I encountered while brushing my teeth. First off, one of my good friends walked in while I was patiently trying to accomplish the task at hand. He had a crazy story to tell me and it immediately distracted me. I was so focused on what he had to say that I lost my form in my brushing stroke. I had to refocus. He finally left, and I had completely forgot that I had a brush in my hand. By then, the brush was all dry and hard. I had to start all over.

            I honestly think that I am incapable of doing one thing at a time. In the world we live in today, multitasking is a desired attribute to a person or even a product. Everything these days are faster and more productive. Like he was saying in this video, sometimes those do not go hand in hand. I honestly feel that I work better while doing multiple things at a time. I do not have much experience with monotasking but I think that it is a good practice to take into the library and use it while studying. That is the takeaway that I gleaned from this video. Hopefully I will see a drastic  increase in grades while monotasking in the library.

           

Emily Griffin Monotasking

I was very interested in this TED talk and what Paolo Cardini had to say on multitasking and monotasking. I have never thought about the term monotasking before and I find the concept extremely interesting. After taking the time to sit back and think about all of the distractions in my life I agree with Cardini’s ideas. Although multitasking can be a very efficient tool sometimes, we could definitely be more productive throughout the day if we did away with all of the distractions. I know that if I turned my phone off and did not allow myself to look Facebook when writing an essay, I could finish it in half the time. After watching Cardini’s TED talk I attempted to monotask by sitting down and simply listening to a song on my iPod. In just those short three to four minutes my phone went off, my roommate came in the room, and I had the urge to check facebook. I think that with so many distractions available it is very difficult to eliminate them all. It is hard to just focus on one thing and not worry about anything else. For me unless I am asleep, I am constantly thinking about more than one thing at a time. I think that the activity determines how many distractions there are. For example, in class when I am bored I always catch myself checking my phone or looking at Facebook. However, when I am doing something I enjoy, like horse back riding, there a little to no distractions. I think that the world today is in such a rush, that no one thinks they have the time to only focus on one task. If people slowed down and applied the concept of monotasking more, they would be able to live a more productive, relaxed, and meaningful life.

Multitasking v. Monotasking -Seth Rhoden

I was very intrigued by the TED talk on multitasking vs. mono tasking. I myself am an ardent believer in being able to multitask and be responsible for many different things going on at once. However, Paolo presented some interesting points in his talk and some that I think should be taken to heart by us today. One area I definitely struggle with multitasking is honestly a place that I shouldn't be trying to multitask in. Whenever I am sitting at home doing homework, I'll have whatever I'm working on in front of me. Along with what I'm supposed to be working on, I'll have my phone (talking to 2 or 3 people most likely), my iTunes open and the headphones in, my Facebook and Twitter feeds rolling (because honestly we all know they are more interesting to read than our textbooks), and many other distractions along with those. In fact, music is playing right now while I'm typing and I just replied to a text. See? So for my task I decided to turn off the music and put the phone away so that I could finish writing this blog assignment for Ms. Mahoney. It definitely isn't easy to eliminate those distractions because I am a huge lover of music and enjoy listening to it while I do pretty much anything. From a productivity standpoint I think that there is a huge increase in how productive you CAN be without those distractions. The extra tasks I usually do alongside homework can be done also but they severely inhibit the productivity of something you are working on because for example in the five minutes you take reading Facebook posts, you could've been another paragraph or a few more problems along in your work. Now I do believe that multitasking is definitely a necessity in some areas. Anyone who is in charge of a company or responsible for many areas of an organization obviously needs to have good multitasking skills because without them they wouldn't succeed in those areas.