What if you could make the most out of your time at work?
Many people don’t get that much done at work because they are focusing on just completing one task at a time. For these people, it’s easy to look at the remaining tasks, shrug, and say that tomorrow is another day.
However, by mastering multitasking, you can become more productive at work than ever before. Ready to begin your multitasking journey? Keep reading to discover how to get started!
1. Make a List of Goals
If you want to become a better multitasker at work, the first step is quite easy. You need to write down a list of goals at the beginning of the day that you intend to focus on all day.
In principle, this is very similar to creating a “to-do” list for yourself. It’s always satisfying to scratch items off the list after you have completed them.
However, there is another chief purpose for writing a list of goals, and that is for you to determine how long each task will take.
2. Planning Out Blocks of Time
To some degree, you can treat becoming a better multitasker like completing a math problem. For example, let’s say you work eight hours a day. Once you write down your list of things you need to complete, you’ll know how long, on average, you have to complete each task.
However, not every task is going to take the same amount of time. Some will take less than the average and some will take more. That’s why we recommend returning back to your list of goals and planning out blocks of time. For example, you might split an hour into two 25-minute chunks with two different five-minute breaks (more on the need for breaks later).
Psychologically, it is easier for you to focus on things in these shorter intervals, and it’s very exciting to complete each task. First, though, you need to figure out which goals are more important.
3. Prioritizing Your Goals
When you first sit down to write out your list of daily goals, you are likely not writing them down in any particular order. It’s fine to write everything down just in the order it occurs to you, but before you can really get to work, you need to prioritize those daily goals.
The most basic way to organize your tasks is to first determine the most important task. After that, you may complete the remaining tasks in any order.
A more advanced way to prioritize goals is to split them into three categories: high priority, medium priority, and low priority. Such a priority list can help you plan out your blocks of time.
Incidentally, it’s fine to devote lesser time to low-priority goals. If needed, you can always complete those tasks on the following day.
4. Remove Distractions Whenever Possible
One of the best ways to multitask is to remove distractions. However, in a work environment, it’s impossible to remove all the distractions, so you should focus on the things you can control.
For example, you can’t keep people from calling or messaging your cell phone, but you can silence the volume and turn off your notifications. This will help you focus on the task you are working on without getting distracted every few minutes.
If you work in a call center, see if you can turn the ringer off on your work phone and rely on the light instead. As long as you aren’t missing any calls, canceling this noise can make you more productive.
Speaking of canceling noise, check with your boss about whether you can wear headphones when working on certain tasks. If you want to cancel out things like coworkers talking, noise-canceling headphones are best, but you can combine any pair of headphones with YouTube channels of white noise to turn any remaining noise into a background.
5. Begin Combining Similar Tasks
What do you think is at the heart of multitasking? It’s all about combining similar tasks so that you can work on multiple goals at once.
Usually, there are two main ways to do this. The first method is to focus on tasks that are all part of the same project (effectively letting you work on multiple elements of one project at a time). The second method is to focus on related tasks (effectively letting you focus on the same kinds of things for multiple projects).
If you focus on tasks for the same project, try to overlap certain things whenever possible. For example, someone might be able to juggle writing social media posts and marketing emails for the company at the same time. That’s because they require the same core marketing skills.
If you are focusing on multiple projects, you may just want to do similar tasks at the same time. For example, if you need to write out three different Excel reports in a day, you can focus on them at the same time instead of at different parts of the day.
No matter the method you use, you can eventually train your brain to multitask!
6. Taking Breaks and Checking Your Goals
At first, the idea of planning out breaks may seem a little silly. After all, if you’re trying to get multiple things done at once, shouldn’t you be taking fewer breaks?
Actually, no! Taking small breaks keeps you motivated by keeping your mind from getting tired. You can stretch your legs, grab a drink or snack, or even just sit there and relax. No matter what you do next, you’ll have more energy and focus.
This may go without saying, but always check back in on your different goals. This helps make sure your multitasking is successful by keeping you on track and on schedule.
Put Your Multitasking Skills to Work at the Best Call Center Today!
Now you know the best ways to multitask at work. But do you know where you can put your multitasking skills to their best use?
Here at Seguros Confie, we are always looking to find hard workers who know how to multitask. To begin the next stage of your career journey, all you need to do is apply today!