I am embarrassed to admit that despite knowing that multi-tasking isn’t a great idea (if the tasks you are switching between are both cognitively demanding), I have still been trying to do it anyway.
This dawned on me recently, when I realised that on any given day of the week, I was (at least in my head) trying to juggle progress on many projects in a single day.
Now granted, that might not be multi-tasking in the strict sense of trying to run two tasks at the same time. It has been more of a ‘multi-projecting’, where I was working from the base assumption that it was possible to move all my projects (which are growing by the day) each a little bit forward each day. Eventually I had to admit that assumption wasn’t holding up in real life.
For months, I’d wake up each day, with the same intention. That intention was to move all projects forward a little – progress on multiple fronts. Pretty early in the day that would start to feel overwhelming. I’d then resort to answering emails (of which there are always plenty) and writing lists as a way of faking progress. Very few actual projects were showing any real progress.
So, I am trying something different and thought I’d write about it here. Not because I think I’ve discovered some kind of magical life hack, but just because writing helps me organise my thoughts, and there is always the miniscule chance that it might help someone else.
So, what am I doing different?
Simply put, for the last couple of weeks, I have set just the one focus area for each day. For example, today was about VMH. Monday was about data collection at my work. Tuesday was about preparing a workshop on writing with a colleague.
Other tasks got done on those days (e.g. emails, meetings, one-off requests etc), but any free time on those days was dedicated to just the one focus area. On most days I’ve had at least 2 hours to give to my project of choice.
It is early days, but I am pleased to report that these last couple of weeks have been more enjoyable and I feel like I am getting things done again.
A few observations about the process thus far.
First, it is taking me at least 90 minutes of working on a project (one full ultradian cycle) to feel like I am making any progress. Because some of these projects are complex, it takes me that long just to get my bearings, set some goals and build some momentum. No wonder I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere when I was trying to fit multiple projects on a single day. On a ‘multi-projecting’ day, each project was getting 1 hour at best. Not enough time for me to even catch my mind up to the status of the project.
Second, on days where I just have the one project focus, my mind feels clearer and lighter. I don’t feel like I need to juggle multiple projects in my head at the same time. I wake up knowing what I am going to work on. Any time I am interrupted during the day, I know exactly what I am going back to afterwards. I am giving my mind permission each day to just focus on just one thing. My mind seems happier with that arrangement.
Third, I looked at how many work projects I had and how many days of the week I am willing to work (5) and started to map days to projects ahead of time. This forced me to consider how many projects it was reasonable to keep. I am using a criterion that all projects have to get at least one day per fortnight – 10 days, 10 projects. Time will tell if this is a reasonable number.
Fourth, this method doesn’t mean removing the other things we have to do in a given week. I still go to meetings, check emails, answer requests etc. But I know exactly what to return to after those have been completed.
I don’t know whether this strategy will work long-term. Many life hacks have a honeymoon period in which it is all fantastic, but don’t last the ravages of time. But I am happy with the early signs and happy also that I feel like I have some momentum again, after feeling stuck for quite a while.
For those of you who are juggling multiple projects, how do you ensure you are making progress on all of them?
Dr Gareth Furber 