Modern people are always busy. We constantly have to complete working assignments, pay the bills, buy kai and visit the doctor's office from time to time. Because of this, we often have to switch between tasks. For example, send out emails to business partners, talk on the phone with new clients or plan a holiday. This kind of stress is not a problem for people who know how to multitask.
Mixing offline and online hinders your ability to multitask
First, you have to create two lists. Write down all the things that can be done offline in the first one. The second list is meant solely for tasks that require an Internet connection. Go online only when it's necessary. For example, you can write an e-mail text without connecting, while Internet access is required for business negotiations via Skype. This way, you get less distracted and more effective at multitasking.
Keep track of everything
Missed assignments keeping you awake at night? Create a list of unfinished tasks and keep it handy. Try to state your tasks clearly. Otherwise, you'll find it hard to complete them. It doesn’t matter how many items are on the list: 100 or 1000.
Update it at the end of a workday. We also encourage you to create lists for different types of assignments. For example, for tasks related to marketing or groceries.
Next, pick assignments with the highest priority levels. Choose 5 critically important things, tasks that can be delegated, and things you can discard. Leave low-priority assignments for tomorrow.
View the list in the morning and check if it has all the important daily tasks. Next, add all of them to your calendar. Check the list during the weekend to make sure that you didn’t forget anything.
Put that smartphone down
Make sure you turn off your smartphone notifications. You can scroll through Facebook and view new tweets when you get back home. All notifications you need should be on your work computer. It's also better to respond to emails from friends outside the office.
Multitasking welcomes a change of pace
Try working on two different projects on the same day and switching between them from time to time. A change of activity allows you to come up with unexpected solutions and free yourself from extraneous thoughts. It's always a good way to distract yourself from monotonous work.
Don’t forget these rules and pretty soon multitasking will become second nature to you.
