The secret of multitasking comes down to two words: comfortable momentum. For some people this might mean operating at high speed with six activities going on at once — while doing two things at the same time is a stretch for others. It’s all about you and your style.

Parallel Tasks Get Things Done

Simple multitasking begins with two tasks going on at once. Examples:

• Talk on your cordless phone and dust the living room.

   

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• Water plants while dinner is cooking.

Sequence Longest to Shortest Tasks

A second kind of multitasking is “sequencing.” Start with the longest task first and then place the next logical steps right after it. You probably have been doing some of these already, but use them to jump-start other ideas you can implement:

• Start a meal with the item that needs the longest time to cook, such as lasagna in the oven. Add the stovetop vegetable next and a fresh salad last.
  
  
• Start the laundry first thing in the morning. Dry mop the tile or vinyl floors. Dust wood furniture with a feather duster. Switch wash to dryer. Put away paper clutter. Wipe down kitchen cabinets and bathroom countertops. Fold clean laundry.

These scenarios work well if you complete the sequence with all the tools put away and the area cleaned up. If you start tasks but don’t clean up, you are probably engaging in too much activity. Don’t start more than you can complete and clean up.

Generally, one to three tasks are all that we are equipped to handle with ease. For example, if you start your morning by washing a load of clothes, reading the paper, preparing breakfast, calling a babysitter and packing your kids’ lunches while signing their permission slips, you are multitasking yourself into a chaotic morning. Something has to give, and usually it’s you or your family harmony.

Recognize when you’ve reached your limit. Stop right then and bring closure to several tasks.

 

Reprinted by permission. “Simplify Your Time: Stop Running & Start Living! by Marcia Ramsland, ©2006, Thomas Nelson Inc. Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.

 

 

About Marcia Ramsland

Marcia Ramsland is well known as "The Organizing Pro" for her practical skills and tips to manage busy lives. As a national speaker, author and consultant since 1985, Marcia delights her audiences from New York to California with tips and secrets to organize their time, home, paperwork and life. Her tips have been in Woman’s Day and other national magazines, radio interviews and TV. She can be reached through her Web site www.OrganizingPro.com, and her books can be ordered there.