Today there is an article in the Washington post about the "risks" of teens multitasking
I am a 38 year-old single mom and as much of a multi-tasker as these teens. I'm a writer and all day I alt+tab back and forth between email, internet, and work--on two side-by-side computers! When I'm home I'm rarely sitting down--I'm cooking and serving dinner while cleaning the kitchen, running downstairs to do a load of laundry, running upstairs to put away clean clothes, then finally, after the kids are in bed, working out while catching up on the show's I've Tivo'd. I’d say that, for the most part, multi-tasking is pretty much a constant for me all day, every day.
Ok, so yes, maybe I have ADHD--or maybe I just need to use every minute of the day as efficiently as possible to get everything done. To me, I'm just not willing to let things slide--I could just have a "something's got to give" attitude and give up working out or cleaning house because I work full time and have kids. But I'm just not willing to do that--to me, if having a clean house and clean laundry and staying in shape means that I wake up at 6, get to work at 7, leave at 3 to get my kids and spend from 3-9 being mom and housewife, then spend the last hour and a half of the day taking care of myself, then so be it.
Multi-tasking does have its downsides: I do feel like I’m on the go most of my waking life and often feel disjointed like a bee flitting back and forth between tasks. I do sometimes give myself a break to try to slow down and center myself--some days I do just let myself skip the laundry and the cleaning and the working out and instead just read a book or watch a movie. It's those times where I do feel the effects of the constant running and doing. Pre-kids and work and divorce and especially pre-internet, I used to be an avid reader; more often than not I am literally unable to sit and read for more than a few minutes without either becoming distracted or falling asleep. I am actively working on regaining the focus and calm that I used to enjoy and I do find it's a constant struggle.
On the whole, though, for teens multi-tasking might not be the worst thing in the world, given that their lives are likely to demand that skill as they progress into adulthood and, in many cases, juggling marriage and kids and career. In today's "have it all" culture, the only shot at coming even close to having it all is being able to do ten things at the same time.
I did have to roll my eyes, however, at the comment that even though kids are making good grades while multi-tasking, they might make even better grades if they were more focused. If the cost of multi-tasking is having "only" a 3.85 GPA then I'd say it's not even worth discussing the "risks."
