The more you know and are able, the more the demand for you! That’s for sure. But mostly the employees themselves complain about multitasking. It is difficult for them to combine several projects and diverse tasks at the same time. Today we will try to figure out whether multitasking is good or evil?

How do You Work?

Multitasking, of course, is about many or too many tasks at the same time (as you are lucky) within a certain period of time. Let’s take a look at the frequent modes of employment of IT specialists:

• Full-time. The employee is busy 40 hours a week with one project, there are no tasks related to other projects. We love, we respect.
• Part-time. The specialist deals with several projects (usually no more than 3), for each of them a certain number of hours is approved.
• On-demand. A specialist is involved in many projects at once if the client pays for the services. In a regular working week, you can become a member of many projects.

As you may have already understood, multitasking mostly concerns the last two modes of operation.

Why do Employees Complain about Multitasking?

Usually, workers complain about multitasking due to the limited ability to concentrate on a specific task. You need to do everything at once, and the following problems arise:

1. Don’t know where to start
2. Beginning new tasks without completing previous ones
3. I constantly switch to different activities
4. I postpone important tasks that “can wait a little longer”
5. Overtime due to multitasking
6. I completely forget about certain tasks

In general, you can’t cope … It is difficult to do everything at once, the performance drops seriously, the ardor disappears, the very thought of Monday throws into a cold sweat because tomorrow there will be a sprint, deadlines, and a bunch of tasks.

If you have ever been in such a situation, then we advise you to start with time management!

Where to Get the Time?

Oh, so much has been said and explained about time management … But the truth remains unchanged – time management works! If you use it correctly. The main principles of time management:

1. Planning your actions – a clear plan is half the battle!
2. Formulation of clear actions and objectives. Define your tasks and separate them into small local tasks.
3. Fixing tasks is especially important so as not to forget anything for sure! It is better to rely not on your memory, but on entries in notebooks, calendars, diaries, stickers, in general, fix tasks where it is convenient for you!
4. Prioritizing (daily) will help you decide where to start and what can wait. You can also delegate your lower priority tasks, if possible.
5. Focusing on the essentials. Concentrate and do not be distracted by instant messengers, chats, you can just write that you will answer later.
6. Complete tasks to the end, and only then move on to the next task.
7. Rest – reward yourself with short breaks after completing tasks.

Theory VS Practice

Principles without practice mean nothing. You need to figure out the best methods that might work for you. We’ve covered a few tools beforehand, but let’s add a pinch of detail:

1. The calendar. Digital or paper.
2. Notepads, diaries, boards.
3. Stickers with which you can paste over everything in your path.
4. Glider applications.
5. Notes on various devices with reminders.
6. Alarm clocks, timers.
7. Crosses on the palm.
8. Anything else that comes to your mind and may be useful to you.

For example, notebooks help me best of all – after the end of the next working day, I am still “hot on the trail”, so to speak, I plan my tomorrow. I write by hand in a notebook (yes, old school) all the tasks by priority and the next day I have no prostration where to start. Throughout the day, I cross out completed assignments and am glad when I cross out the last.

Know how to say “Sorry, but no”

Let’s say you have already planned your day, fixed all the tasks, and are actively working on the website design. Now you are already halfway there and, say, PM writes to you: “Hi! Listen, do you remember our previous project, the client wants to change the design a little, can you take a look?”. And you look, you are wasting time on this too, but in fact, do nothing and step back from your task in half. In such situations, be able to say “No” and warn that you are currently working on another task, and you will do this later (again, look at your list of tasks and determine when you can proceed to the assignment given by PM).

Does it Really Work?

And how! Only on the condition that these principles are taken seriously and regularly. At first, it may be difficult for you to get used to being systematic, and will be pulled into the previous spontaneity mode – don’t give in! It is very easy to slip into the “I have no time to do anything” mode again, but once consistency becomes your new useful habit, you are unlikely to return to the old way of working. Is it possible to get rid of multitasking altogether? Unfortunately, or fortunately, no. If your work is connected with many projects at the same time, then you just need to learn how to work with multitasking. We in our company are well aware that multitasking is not an easy way of working, so we give our employees a choice and decide which principle works for them! We are always glad to new specialists in our team, if you are looking for your ideal place of work, then go to vacancies page and join!