Multitasking Vs. Listening: Who Wins?

Many of us believe we are masters at the art of multitasking. However, what you probably don’t realize is that you are terrible at it. 

As we walk around college campuses, work, and enter coffee shops, we see people who are “multitasking” all around us. But what these people don’t realize is that they aren’t actually multitasking at all, they are task-switching.

The few studies across the country including one at Stanford University reveal that the human brain cannot perform more than one task at a time and that it is physiologically impossible to do so.

A great example of this is the lady who attracted national attention for falling into a fountain at the mall while texting. 

The lady who fell into the fountain may have been walking to the mall parking lot to return home. But once she responded to her text message, she switched tasks… and then took an unexpected bath in a mall fountain.

As you sit down to study and then start listening to music, watch YouTube videos, check your email, and watch TV – you are not actually studying at all. Effective multitasking is not only impossible; it is a practice that makes you significantly slower. PBS elaborates on this more in their video: DigitalNation

Multitasking and distractions dramatically hinder our listening ability. Before we become effective listeners, me must first acknowledge that we can only listen by eliminating distractions and focus our complete attention on one task.