Due to recent technology, different generations of people have learned to multitask to be

able to keep the pace of their run-on lives. This has been made easy through this

technology which allows people to keep up with the events around them, while offering

fast and brief answers to questions. This rapidity has not only been beneficial for keeping

up with the latest information available but has, in turn, limited the ability of people to

simply contemplate or look beyond the picture. This “laziness” is not in terms of actions

but rather of the cognitive abilities of the young generation. Studies show that people

who have gotten used to multitasking, have not been able to perform as well in cognitive

abilities (i.e. tests, art expression, memory…) as people who have their entire focus on

the matter. This is not only seen through technology but is also applicable to the

environment in which people perform. Maggie Jackson, in her paper “A Workmanship of

Risk: The Craft of Thought in an Age of Speed and Distraction”, talks about these issues

and points out that this is not a new phenomenon but has rather been seen before and is

more likely to grow with the great array of distractions that are now readily available. She

also offers different ways to strengthen focus abilities. Technology has played a part in

the distraction of youth from the real world, and the utilization of technology has allowed

people to lose attraction, contemplation, thinking deeply, and room for error and

refinement of ideas without external help (Jackson).

Body:

The main ideas that were discussed revolved around how multitasking in this era has led

to a depreciation in the ability too focus and give time to develop and refine thoughts to

come up with sound conclusions and creations of our own (opinions). The ideas

discussed were chronological and sensible. One of the things that were brought into light
was how multitasking in this generation is to be feared as it leads to the disorientation of

thought, the inability to focus, conclude and store in memory, and the poorer performance

in everyday tasks. Another topic that was discussed was the verticality of thought, which

is roughly translated to the building and refinement of thought. This was introduced

through the concept of slow thinking, giving examples of artists, sculptors, and great

thinkers who took their time in developing their ideas and creations and came up with

masterpieces that we baffle at in present days. To achieve proper focus and thought

development, people must learn how to think with their eyes being wide open. This

means that people must slow down their process of thinking. By doing this, and giving

time to contemplation, they will learn to see things in different angles, and focusing on

novel perspectives and insight. To be able to cultivate the ability of building thoughts,

certain focused environments have been designed without distractions to utilize every bit

of attention and focus that people possess (Jackson). This is called the Montessori method

which defines as creating a proper environment to encourage proper capacity production

and capability and is used in schools and workplaces alike (targeting children and people

of young adult age) (Fundacion Argentina).

Moreover, daydreaming was discussed as being some sort of mental sketchbook which

people need to utilize more often. Daydreaming is like noting down ideas and editing

them overtime. Except that daydreaming allows people to do this editing in a shorter

time-frame. The spacing effect was also one of the topics that were discussed. It is the

concept of forcing certain delays in learning. This trains the memory and allows the

person to memorize more effectively and store information in their long-term memory

rather than their short-term memory (Jackson).

The types of evidence used to employ the main ideas that were given were based on case-

studies (as in the students performing on a test in different classroom settings), real life

examples (as the general cross-sectional examples given from day-to-day life), and facts

(as the example of Freud that was mentioned and elaborated on). Personal experience was

also used as the writer reflected on what she practiced, learned and achieved.

The writer followed a chronological and elaborate pattern whereby she gave examples of

real life, illustrating the problem, and then gave solutions while giving room to further

studies to conduct later on. There was a clear outline of abstract, introduction, body

paragraphs, and conclusion as well as ending with questions that wrap up the topic while

giving change for further research. The structure that the sentences were written in and

the vocabulary used were easy to read, clear, well defined, right to the point, and easy to

understand. Moreover, the tone of the writer was serious and casual at the same time.

Meaning it was professional, well equipped with references and sources, and was also a

reflection on personal experience, making it easier for the reader to relate.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the article “A Workmanship of Risk: The Craft of Thought in an Age of

Speed and Distraction” by Maggie Jackson is a well written article that positively

correlates with the fact that technology has played a part in the distraction of youth from

the real world, and its use has allowed people to lose focus on ideas without external

help. Recommendations to the author would be to generalize this study and help people

understand this phenomenon and try to work with the proposed solutions. This would

give credibility to the writer and would benefit the people who have not been able to read

her work as the information would a matter of public discussion.

References:

Maria Montessori. The Montessori Method. Fundacion Argentina.Maria Montessori.

https://www.fundacionmontessori.org/the-montessori-method.htm

Jackson, Maria. A workmanship of risk: The Crafting of Thought in an Age of Speed and

Distraction. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1144467.pdf