Multitasking has become a part of our lifestyle in this age of super quick solutions. We need to perform multiple tasks at some point or the other, whether at the office or even at home. But we all know that the human brain can focus on only one thing at a time. Thus multitasking can many times be stressful. And, effective multitasking can happen only when we can overcome the stress component.
What are the issues that we could face due to the stress associated with multitasking? First, let’s have a look at some of them, before looking at ways to overcome stress.
Mental Health Issues
When people regularly try to juggle too many tasks at once, they fail to remember. Imagine having to respond to a client over call while attending an important webinar. You would not be able to retain much information from the webinar. Additionally, this process can affect your memory and mental health in the long run.
Other Health Hazards
When there is more demand to get a lot done in less time, stress follows. You may experience an adrenaline rush which instead of reducing the workload, might strain your body, leading to chronic problems like migraines, body pain, heart issues, etc.
Lack of Clarity
While multitasking, the associated stress can make you lose clarity. The tasks that ideally should not take more time end up taking more. This knocks down your productivity, and multitasking brings more problems than solutions.
Affects our Action Plan
We all have daily goals, and our action plan helps us accomplish those goals.. An urgent requirement for multitasking may sometimes affect our original plan and you cannot appropriately execute the action for the goal that you had intended to achieve, leading to stress. Not to mention, multitasking would then lead to bad results.
Demotivation
People who multitask are driven by the motivation to get work done and also ensure the quality of the same. But a stressed mind impacts multitasking negatively, with no motivation to complete the work properly. In fact, if you are stressed while multitasking, you end up doing work the wrong way, which may take more time to rectify.
What are the Ways we could Overcome Stress while Multitasking?
When there is a necessity to perform at work and you don’t want to compromise in quality, here is what you should do.
Organize your Work
Organize your tasks in such a way that you can switch over tasks in between with ease, not losing the focus while carrying out either tasks.
Determine your Area of Expertise
People who are great at multitasking master their forte by combining it with another task. For example, you might have seen operators making data entries while on a call or a driver listening to you while concentrating on the road. These tasks have become their routine that they have eventually mastered. It either takes less of their attention or has habituated them to do them effortlessly.
Stack Related Tasks
As you reorganize your schedule to deliver better performance, remember to stack similar activities for multitasking. For example, club your writing, typing and email work and complete them in say, two hours before moving to the next type of task. Similarly, put meetings and client calls in one basket to be executed one after another. This will take away much stress while multitasking.
Reduce Distractions
Say no to the urge to check your phone or talk to your colleagues in the midst of your work. Break down your schedule into 30 minutes of small blocks where you entirely focus on your work, and then take a 5-minute break to re-energize yourself and break from the routine. This process will help you multitask effectively without compromising the quality of your work, while reducing any stress.
Optimize Your Time
Your work might require you to use your brain separately at separate times. For example, you might be given two projects where one might need your creative abilities, whereas the other might require your analytical skills. Assess when you can work best on your creative projects. For some, mornings and late evenings work best. By optimizing your time, you can do a great job at multitasking.
“The cause of distress is set concepts in the mind that things should be a certain way.”
~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Remove Micromanagement
You want to do it all, and you want to do it well. In such a case, you have to prioritize your tasks. If necessary, delegate small tasks that might be eating up your time to others who are proficient in them. One of the important lessons in multitasking is to reduce junk and shove off micromanaging. Once the clutter is gone, you will feel better and stay stress-free. Of course, a bigger part of delegation is to communicate the tasks effectively so that you don’t have to redo the same.
Meditate
Practicing mindfulness allows you to understand the cause of stress in multitasking. Why are you not performing well? Or, which task is giving you nightmares? When you listen to your mind and act calmly, you will find better ways to multitask without carrying the burden of it all in your mind.
“In the beginning, you may find meditation very boring, but later on, you will find it so addictive. You will start enjoying it.”
~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Use Reminders
Examine your objectives and keep track of what you've accomplished. Taking a look at the completed tasks builds confidence and motivates you to complete the rest. Hence, use reminders throughout the day and strike out what work has already been done for efficient multitasking.
Maintain Work-Life Integration
Our work and personal lives may have separate ways of progression, but we need to align them together for our overall well-being. Multitasking should not increase your stress; instead, use it to work smarter and reduce your work duration without sacrificing your health or work quality. The above tips will guide you to efficiently multitask and develop the art with time. Slowing down and taking one step at a time will increase your productivity and keep your interest growing.
“Be stress-free - keep your body, mind and spirit free from stress. It is not a one-time job; it is something that has to be done over and over again, like keeping your teeth clean; like dental hygiene.”
~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Learn more with us about controlling your mind to efficiently multitask without feeling pressured.