Life has changed and time has become the most precious commodity. Time is limited and wants are unlimited. In 24 hours one is expected to achieve many things which include rest and recreation. Managing time productively is key. In most professions therefore, particularly in communications life is a juggle of deliveries. Chasing one goal is not enough, managing several priorities in a day successfully is the mantra of the day. This is called multitasking. How do you develop a multitasking mindset?
Master the art of time management
There are multiple demands and yet 8-10 hours of work life everyday. If you are a leader, you have your own workload and then your team’s workload to manage. And then there are contingencies. You need to understand the essence of time management to deliver priorities effectively. You have to understand the value of time. Today in many professional services firms, clients are billed according to time spent on their work based on the seniority of the resource working in the team. Using every minute of your working life productively and in the right direction can ensure that your multitasking is effective. You will need to work extra hours sometimes but if this becomes a habit, you will loose the valuable practice of work- life balance. Stress creeps in and eventually you become less productive.
Plan your work and work your plan
Be organised. Distribute work effectively. Most of the work we do is part of our planned work for our client. There are goals that need to be achieved and tasks that are broken into months, weeks and days. Start your day with your do list. Follow your do list as much as you can so that what is really needed to be done is completed. Priority setting is critical. Each task has a priority and a time based deadline. In professional services, quality of work is primordial but completion of the task in the planned timeline is critical for maximum impact. However flexibility is important too to adapt. We live in a dynamic world today. Everything changes all the time, nothing is written in stone!
What kind of mindset do you have?
We are all born with various mindsets. You might have heard people saying that ” His nature is like that” or ” She has that nature”. It’s about how you are wired. People therefore find it easy to do something or find it difficult to do something. To develop a multitasking mindset you must be disciplined and focussed by nature. Not everyone can juggle. It needs a natural disposition to do so. If you are not focussed you need to to develop the skills to focus and concentrate. There are mental exercises which help you to focus. Multitasking means completing several tasks with complete focus. Luckily, the human mind is adaptable and you can consciously change and become who you want to be.
Keeping track of progress simultaneously
Multitasking requires you to simultaneously keep track of progress of multiple tasks. This actually dovetails back to your most important and critical resource – time. The best example is that of a pilot in his cockpit. He flies the aircraft keeping track of critical parameters yet handles air pockets, contingencies and weather changes! However, the biggest satisfaction of a pilot is landing at the destination safely and parking his aircraft for his passengers to disembark. You will feel a sense of deep achievement when you end your day after multitasking and completing all your tasks for the day successfully.
You get better by the day
Like anything you do in life, the more you do something the better you get at it. Look at running as a passion or even your workout. When you start everything seems difficult but in a few months you become a natural at it. Your real satisfaction then becomes raising the bar each day and achieving perfection. Enjoying the results of your dedication and hard work.
” The key is not to prioritise what’s on your schedule, but schedule your priorities” Stephen Covy
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