January 24, 2019
Someone once told me you need to slow down in order to speed up. But how could that be in a workplace where multitasking is almost expected? Let me explain.
Multitasking is not about piling on the work to the point of exhaustion. Rather, it is about channeling your energy in an efficient and effective manner so that you can accomplish more in less time. To understand multitasking and increase your workplace performance, success and satisfaction, you must first learn to make quick decisions about the sequence and importance of tasks and then proceed to complete those tasks. Here are a few other tips to consider:
- Eliminate distractions – By limiting interruptions and keeping your work area free of distractions (social media included), productivity increases, errors decrease and stress levels are reduced. Your focus remains centered on the task and you’re likely to deliver higher quality work against deadlines.
- Combine similar tasks to work on at the same time – You can lose focus by diving right into tasks without a plan or structure. Grouping compatible tasks allows you to divide projects by urgency and priority.
- Cut the clutter – Deal with paper only once by putting documents in their place. Decide to either place documents in an “action needed” or client file. If they don’t fit into either, toss it.
- Adjust your expectations – If you are overwhelmed by having too much to do within the time committed, determine the most important priorities to complete and reset the deadlines with others.