This is becoming a truly must-have skill for work or study, which is worth dedicating more attention to. Here are a few pieces of advice on how to multitask more effectively.
Set priorities
Doing several tasks at once doesn’t mean doing anything in any way. In order to truly multitask effectively, it is first crucial to plan ahead and set your priorities correctly. This allows you to distribute your time and effort in a way to have your work done well and on time. This means for example if there’s an important meeting looming, but you need to review an important report before it while also answering urgent emails from your colleagues – activate your internal multitasking mode and set less urgent tasks aside.
It is also important to group tasks based on their nature and difficulty. This should make transitioning from one task to another far easier. Try not to do very different tasks at the same time – it will be difficult to concentrate and process a vast quantity of different information and you will lose much time.
Quality over quantity
Performing several tasks at once is not a goal in and of itself. Multitasking is only meaningful if it helps accomplish your planned work faster and better. Thus, when you undertake multiple tasks at once, it is important to ensure that the work results and quality won’t suffer. This means that when you are writing an email and reviewing data on an Excel sheet at the same time, it is important to stay attentive and distribute attention equally between the two tasks. Otherwise, instead of completing work faster, you might have to dedicate twice as much time to fix mistakes.
Avoid distractions
When performing a couple of tasks at once, a person’s concentration is stretched close to its limit, and so, if various external stimuli begin to compete for your attention while you multitask, it could be difficult to achieve good results. As such, when you are working seriously, it is worth turning off or muting all unnecessary correspondence and messaging, postponing reading newsletters or browsing through social media notifications. Sometimes even the clutter on your table can prove distracting, which means that it is worthwhile to create a workspace where you could easily focus and not get distracted.
Don’t forget to rest
When you are focused on performing a variety of different tasks, it is not hard to get embroiled in constant messaging and email writing, filling in budget lines or preparing presentations, completely forgetting to stop and rest. Nevertheless, resting is essential for even the greatest masters of multitasking. As such, in order to avoid burnout and loss of productivity, it is important to regularly step away from the screen, get a breath of fresh air, and dedicate time to peaceful reflection. Even a ten-minute break can help you return to work with far more energy and a refreshed mind.
In our rapidly changing and rushed world, multitasking often becomes inevitable. However, it can also prove beneficial – completing different tasks and transitioning smoothly from one activity to the next will prevent your brain from getting bored, which will help ensure greater motivation when working or studying, as well as greater enjoyment of what you are doing. Thus, it is definitely worthwhile to learn well how to do multiple tasks at the same time and secure the tools for the job.
Obtain the equipment for multitasking
Effective multitasking is unimaginable without the help of contemporary technologies and especially the always handy smartphone. A survey commissioned by Samsung last year showed that 69% of people use their smartphones for multitasking, with this number rising even further (to 78%) among those in generations Y and Z.
Devices designed for multitasking can definitely help increase productivity at work or when studying and allow you to easily juggle multiple tasks at once. Smartphones with the option to expand the screen size can serve this purpose. For example, the Galaxy Z Fold2 model has a foldable screen, which allows the comfortable use of three different app windows at once that can be arranged to suit your needs.
This article was edited by expert copywriter and proofreader Vicki Leigh. Find out more about her professional writing and editing services at twoflowercactuscreative.com
