Celebrated for its apparent efficiency,  yet criticized for its hidden costs, the practice of multi-tasking is a double-edged sword. As people grow they navigate their fast- paced lives by doing multiple things at once: brushing their teeth while being on the phone while arranging their hair.

Does this sound like you?

According to an article published by the University of Southern California entitled “Are there benefits of multi-tasking?” :

“A 2021 Frontiers in Psychology study notes that in today’s digital world, multi-tasking between different forms of media is inevitable. As such, learning how to productively multi-task is essential to success in a world where we switch between different media, programs and devices daily.”

Junior Javi Escobar agrees with this.

“I would be able to finish my things quicker and I wouldn’t have to stress about it later on. It also makes me feel quicker with the things that I do daily,” he explained.

Many teenagers like to do multiple things at once with the benefit of time. Even though this may seem perfectly acceptable, the Cleveland Health Clinic has other ideas.

In their article etitled “Why Multi-tasking Doesn’t Work,” the author suggests that when the brain  is constantly switching gears to bounce back and forth between tasks especially when those tasks are complex and require active attention, multi-taskers become less efficient and more likely to make a mistake.

Sophomore Sienna Reid Daughton-Weill agrees.

“When you multi-task, you finish multiple tasks but not to the best of your ability. When you do one thing at a time, you do it better then you would multiple things at once,” she said.

Sophomore Daniel Aguilar thinks multi-tasking is both good and bad.

“If you’re bad at multi-tasking, you’ll mess up both tasks that you’re trying to do. And, if you’re good, then sure; you can do two things at once,” he said.

Multi-tasking is very common nowadays especially among gen Z’ers; although, the concept has been around for far longer.

In the end, many studies show that in the long run multi-tasking isn’t good for the brain or for sharpening skills.