Multitasking: a new definition fit for a new generation

Working at the Advocate, as I do, you consider a wide range of people your peers. All ages, all demographics – people straight out of high school, to adults going back to school. I suppose that’s community college in a nutshell. But here, you truly get to know them better – they become peers, co-workers, and friends.

Me being 20 years old, sometimes there’s a generational gap in perspective. Even more so, if you consider the drastically different culture I was raised in compared to, say, baby boomers (you know, our parents). The other day, I was working collaboratively with a peer at the Advocate, and we were discussing attentiveness; he was expressing how he couldn’t understand how some of his peers in classes were so tuned out from the teacher. I agreed, for the most part. Except, well… I’m also like those students. I totally will tune out the teacher to do whatever it is I need to get done, and then tune back in when I need to.

I know that’s frowned upon. I know. But, as I tried to argue to my buddy during the conversation, multitasking is sometimes a valuable function.

He didn’t get it. I distinctly remember him saying, “You’ll change your mind when you get older.”

So, let’s take a pit stop here to explore multitasking in itself. Don’t go wagging your fingers yet, even my editor has already tried to tell me what I already know: Multitasking is physically impossible. It has been proven that your mind can’t focus fully on two separate tasks at the same time. Minds just don’t work that way, apparently. However, I’m working off the cultural definition of the word. What I really mean when I say it, is “divided attentions.” Like scrolling through Facebook on your laptop while you sit in front of the TV. I call it “culturally learned ADHD.” If I’m only doing one thing at a given time, I honestly get bored.

See, my theory is that people such as myself, who were raised in the dawn of the Internet with 700+ channels of TV, have this habit ingrained into ourselves. We’re always on our phones, laptops and TVs at the same time. And it’s supposed to be bad – all the adults tell us it is. Or is it just different?

Older generations were often raised on the idea of “one task with your full attention and devotion creates a quality result.” I beg to differ, because you know who produces quality results often? This gal.

I think when it comes down to it, it’s a matter of different values. I understand the value of dedicated focus, don’t get me wrong. I’m sure one day when I’m halfway through my life I’ll get to a point where I want to slow down and live at a leisurely pace, but until then I’ll stay as I am.

You’ll see me spending my nights doing work, checking my Facebook and watching Rick and Morty for the rest of my life. After all, we’ve only got so much time in the day and too many things to accomplish in our lives. Agreed?