Tips To Manage Multitasking

Project Management / By

As per thought leaders a human brain can handle about 7 tasks at a time. Some tasks can be simply set and forget once the technology is put in motion. Some believe that there is no such thing as true multitasking, but few people can do context-switching very effectively. Depending on the nature of work, it is good if multitasking can involve different types of activities as that is likely to result in greater creativity. Not everyone can switch contexts so easily, but if it has to be done, then you need a better planning. Spend some time to prioritize your work and reduce some of your multitasking. If you are not meeting the timelines then it is an indication that something is not working. If the reason is not being able to multitask effectively then try to find out some other way to accomplish the task.

Some tips to manage multitasking

  • Plan your day in advance, keep a track of your own Lessons Learned at the end of the day. Make a note of next day’s high priority tasks.
  • Do not operate in ‘interactive mode’ – responding to messages and email as they come in. It is recommended to schedule a time slot to check and respond.
  • Its human nature to switch to tasks that are more comfortable over the most important ones. As something comes up, classify it as ‘must do today’, or ‘must schedule’.
  • The real problem is not usually the high number of tasks allocated to you, it is the number of times you switch from one to another. Checking your email after every 30 minutes is an example of a potential inefficiency.
  • If you know that you keep switching between making phone calls and checking emails, just step back to observe your work patterns, and try to find if it can be done differently.
  • Advance or pre planning, helps you to prioritize your tasks.
  • Education and Training, helps you to solve problems in lesser time and in a better way.
  • Focused approach, helps you to know the parameters of the issue and solve the same effectively.
  • Careful listening, allow you to understand better, and take decision quickly.
  • Experience, gives you the required vision, and quick decision making.
  • Passion, allows to love what you are doing, and move forward in high ability.
  • Delegating the tasks, then quick monitoring ,discussing ,short meeting,  could increase your ability to handle more than one task at a time.

It is not easy to do multitasking and working with different projects concurrently. The only method that helps is to stay focused on the things that are important at that time. Prepare an action list and place a target against all the tasks. Document how long it will take to complete with one sentence next to it, followed by why it is important. In case of interruption stay focused on what you are working on and put others aside, but don’t entirely forget about them. Breaking the tasks into smaller subtasks that can be completed faster motivates an individual to keep going.

About Aditi Malhotra

Aditi Malhotra is the Content Marketing Manager at Whizlabs. Having a Master in Journalism and Mass Communication, she helps businesses stop playing around with Content Marketing and start seeing tangible ROI. A writer by day and a reader by night, she is a fine blend of both reality and fantasy. Apart from her professional commitments, she is also endearing to publish a book authored by her very soon.

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