I’m Not Great at Multi-Tasking and That’s Okay
During the years I worked as a recruiter, I would hear one
big request from clients all of the time. They needed someone who was able to
multi-task. But I learned, with scientific research to back up
my assumptions, that multi-tasking is not a skill most people have. According to researchers, only 2.5% of Americans can process tasks simultaneously. And it can take 50% longer to accomplish any tasks when
trying to switch attention back and forth.
In other words, our brains are not designed to multi-task.
I know I'm not good at it. And when I have too many things
bombard me at once, I get overwhelmed quickly. So instead, I've focused my
efforts on better ways to prioritize. It's completely okay to say that multi-tasking
is not a skill you have and demonstrate why prioritizing is a better solution
for your brain.
Keep a Calendar
To ensure
all my responsibilities are completed on time, I keep a planner on my desk open
to the current week. I use (and swear by) the Get
it Together with Sarah's Scribbles calendar. The format is similar to
the system I used before with just a notebook.
Take Time to
Refocus
When
too many things come at me all at once the only thing I can do is step back altogether.
I need a moment to consider these things and then assign them each a priority.
If I don't and try jumping from thing to thing in the heat of the moment, all
of the work suffers.
Be Realistic
I
know I can't be all things to all people. I can't do everything I want to do in
a single day. So I try to be realistic about what I can do and manage my clients'
expectations and my own. This applies to my social life as well, where it can
be easy to say yes to everything.
Recharge Regularly
I
have been recharging a lot over the past year. It's easy for things to get
overwhelming right now, so the way I handle it is by retreating and recharging.
I'll admit, I may have hermited more than is generally healthy over this past
year, but I also need time to myself regularly even when things are back to
normal.
You
can feel confident that I will make your blogs a priority when you work with me.
I consistently return quality work on time. Learn more by emailing
me at lmlavoie@gmail.com today.
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