Ever wondered why, at the end of your work day, you feel like you've accomplished nothing, even though you performed so many tasks in one day? It's a common reality that many professionals experience, and it most likely is due to you not multitasking effectively.
Multitasking is a skill that, although useful, ultimately reduces productivity and increases the likelihood of accurate quality in work output, with 99% of workplace distractions attributed to interruptions, 76% to colleagues, 70% to noise, 69% related to smartphone notifications, and 31% coming from emails according to Juliety. The brain can only process so many actions, complex decisions, and information at one time.
Nonetheless, it is still a skill highly regarded by employers as a valuable competency in the modern fast-paced workplace, especially if you work in management or leadership roles. So how do you strike a balance between multitasking and being effective at maximizing your productivity without feeling overwhelmed?
The key here is to learn the art of skilled multitasking. A skilled multitasker understands and practices core fundamentals to achieve balance while optimizing the limited time in their work day.
Here are eight of these fundamental practices that you can begin incorporating into your work day:
1. Prioritize
When you are faced with a situation which requires your attention and focus to be split in multiple functions within the same time period, decide what is most important first. Is it really necessary to respond to emails, be present in a meeting, and update a live spreadsheet, all at the same time? Can one of these tasks wait until the meeting is over, or does the meeting really need to happen? Can it be pushed back for another time or carried out via email correspondence? Release yourself from the pressure to overperform and do everything at once. By concentrating on what's most important first, you sharpen your focus and perform better on those very tasks.
2. Say No
Especially if you're a people-pleaser, it's easy to fall prey to the habit of over-commitment. Be realistic about what you can achieve within a given period and don't be afraid to tell a colleague no, or extend their request to a later date.
3. Understand Your Limits
Your past experience should have taught you what you can easily handle at one time, and what would be less manageable. Use this experience to inform your decisions from day to day as you carry out your responsibilities at work. Instead of injuring your health and carrying your work late into the night, for example, consider delegating some of the work to others in your team, or asking your employer for support.
4. Eliminate Distractions
Where possible, switch off your device or turn off notification sounds on your laptop so you don't get side-tracked into unnecessary multitasking. You can even set a status message on Teams, for example, to say "Do Not Disturb" that will alert your team whenever they hover over your name that you are busy, and will prevent you from from receiving calls or messages while on "Do Not Disturb" mode. If you are in the office and there is chatter and commotion around your workspace, relocate your workspace to a quieter area or enclosed cubicle if this is possible.
5. Rule Of Bite-Size
If you absolutely must multitask, only juggle bite-sized tasks that do not require much effort, attention, or focus. Anything complex or more time-consuming should be avoided as it will be virtually impossible for your brain to accommodate so much information at once. If you syndicate smaller tasks together, you may find greater relief and a sense of accomplishment in knowing that more work has been done in less time.
6. Use Buffer Times
In general, introducing buffer times as mini breaks throughout your day can serve as a fantastic way to rejuvenate yourself in between work, regain your clarity of focus, and optimize your performance as a result. This is even more essential when working in a highly demanding role that requires extensive multitasking, as you will need 10 to 15 minutes of breathing space after stretching your brain to perform such intensive work, before moving on to the next item in your calendar.
7. Switch With Purpose
When you need to shift your attention to another task, do it with intentionality. Wait until you have completed some aspect of it (even if it's not all done) before moving on to another responsibility. Otherwise, you may find yourself feeling that you are doing so much but producing so little.
8. Time Management
Start learning and implementing time management tools and techniques to improve your focus and boost your work performance. You may find some of the methods listed in the below article, "5 Time Management Strategies For Managers In The Workplace," helpful as you navigate your duties at your job.
Multitasking is a skill that should be very rarely practiced at work, so far as possible. However when it is called for, doing it with intentionality while applying the above eight strategies will ensure you are able to multitask without feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or burned out.
The original version of this article appeared on forbes.com, posted on October 25, 2023
EXPERD, Human Resources Consultant, Jakarta – Indonesia