Multi-tasking | A Doubtful Impact to Learning

What do you like, an efficiency way to do and complete many tasks at one go or serially taking longer time but with focus?

This is multi-tasking versus pipe-lining.

While multi-tasking is a very effective way to achieve goals within a shorter time frame and is sometimes used to judge efficiency in work appraisal, is it a suitable technique as far as learning is concerned?

Multi-tasking, as the word implies, means doing multiple tasks at the same time.

What happens to the mind?
What happens to the focus?
How long can a person sustain multi-tasking before quality of work degrades?

Frightening, right?

It may not be so when the tasks at hand are familiar ones. In fact, it will be a pleasure to complete these familiar tasks at one go and at the shortest possible time.

But when learning is the issue, where unfamiliar grounds are all around, multi-tasking and learning different topics at the same time seems to be detrimental.

How to focus into detail with full comprehension when the mind is searching and analysing many information, and converting them into useful knowledge?

Understanding one's learning limit becomes the key element here. While multi-tasking is good, it has its own weakness. The impact it has on learning is doubtful.

Concentration on learning and digesting facts need time and focus. Rushing into matters may lead to wrong understanding that can reveal itself in costly recovery.

When there are many tasks to be completed with pressing learning needs, one solution is to have proper time management and self-discipline.

Go for multi-tasking in work that are familiar in nature or potentially less problematic, while keeping to pipe-lining technique for learning.

In this way, you will have the best of both world, and will be less stressful. You may even find learning a satisfying experience. Practice prudence in multi-tasking.