Limiting Multitasking Online

One way to improve attention is to limit the amount of time you spend each day multitasking online—that is, using multiple forms of technology at once, each of which feeds you unrelated streams of information (Ophir, Nass, & Wagner, 2012). An example of such multitasking is writing a class paper on your computer while also Facebook chatting with several friends, watching TV, playing an online game, and texting family members. Stanford psychologist Clifford Nass has found that habitual multitaskers are extremely confident in their ability to perform at peak levels on the tasks they simultaneously juggle (Glenn, 2010). However, their confidence is misplaced. Multitaskers perform substantially worse on tasks compared with individuals who focus their attention on only one task at a time (Ophir et al., 2012).

Why is limiting multitasking online important for improving attention? Because multitasking erodes your capacity for sustaining focused attention (Jackson, 2008). Cognitive scientists have discovered that our brains adapt to the tasks we regularly perform during our waking hours, an effect known as brain plasticity (Carr, 2010). People who spend much of their time shifting attention rapidly between multiple forms of technology train their brains to only be able to focus attention in brief bursts. The consequence is that they lose ability to focus attention for long periods of time on just one task (Jackson, 2008). Not surprisingly, habitual multitaskers have grave difficulty listening, as listening requires extended attention (Carr, 2010). Limiting your multitasking, and spending at least some time each day focused on just one task, without technological distractions, helps train your brain to be able to sustain attention. To gauge the degree to which multitasking has impacted your attention, take the Self-Quiz “Multitasking and Attention.”