Multitasking has become the crucial skill that everyone is expected to have when venturing into the job market, along with creativity, leadership and negotiation.
The reason why it is more and more valued as a capability is that it allows for the delivery of multiple tasks in a concurrent manner. This means that delays are less expected to occur. With such expectations, chances are the work environment could be nerve-wracking and impose a lot of pressure on employees. In fact, in such setting, employees can be pushed to a stage of total burnout.
While multitasking is praised for increasing work efficiency, some studies suggest that it can actually hinder productivity as there is a large amount of time wasted switching between tasks. In fact one of my favourite books called 'The One Thing' talks about the value of simplifying one's workload by focusing on the one most important task in any given project.
To make the most out of such environments, one needs to develop a set of coping aptitudes that will allow one to minimise if not withhold the pressure.
1. First, one needs to plan ahead
As banal as it sounds, putting down all of the pending tasks on paper or electronically is the first step towards achieving balance in the workplace. In fact, as one enumerates the tasks, one has greater visibility over what needs to be completed. Having laid out the tasks, one can start planning the day and avoid unnecessary stress. As a result, one can assess one's capacity for impromptu tasks.
2. Set priorities
In the face of unforeseen requests, one needs to be prepared to accommodate change. For this, we need to plan ahead the day with certain flexibility. This becomes key to meeting new and unplanned deadlines.
As you put down the tasks of the day, you can start sorting each activity in terms of importance and priority. Once they are categorised, you can identify a timeline to worktowards. Consequently, this will manage to reduce anxiety in the workplace and achieve greater balance.
3. Don't be afraid of saying no/push back
For the fear of being called a 'slacker' or less invested at work, many of us often feel shy to delay a specific task or even refuse projects based on our judgement of the situation. As part of the process of finding balance, it is essential to master the art of pushing back A.K.A. saying no. Being able to push back deadlines and tasks is crucial to managing expectations. As the employee who has greater visibility over what is required is the only one capable of enlightening her/his peers on the feasibility of the requested tasks.
Communicating one's inability to perform a task is vital in setting rules for workload management and delineating personal limits. It should not bring the employee discomfort or shame.
As the employee and his/her peers are working towards achieving the business goals, they have the responsibility of developing mechanisms that will foster an enabling environment. Why? Because no bright employee shines in a "Yes-Sir" setting. One has to have channels through which one can freely express one's incapacity to take on more work load or to agree on the priorities of any given tasks.
4. Accept having little control over specific situations
In some cases, stressing over a specific situation and wanting to control the outcome can be very difficult. When the success factors depend on external factors, one needs to acknowledge a lack of control, so as to avoid imposing high expectations on oneself.
When training your mind to react only when there is something that can be done, one can be liberated of unwanted worrying that can affect the quality of work and life.
5. Disconnect
It might sound simple, but learning to disconnect from work can be challenging when you are constantly under pressure. In fact, when you are caught in the loop of delivering at a high speed and with tight deadlines, stress becomes a habit - a very unhealthy one. This cycle needs to be disrupted. Fortunately, the global system is made in such a way to allow us to have a break every week. In fact, in most large organisations, employees are encouraged to take a mandatory core leave of ten consecutive working days every year to help them disconnect and recharge.
In addition to that during the working week, we are entitled for a break during lunch. This break should not be used to catch up on work. Rather, it should be dedicated to take a breather and recharge energy.
At the end of the day, no situation is indefinitely fixed. We need to learn how to handle circumstances to reach our own goals. Even in demanding professional environments, there are ways to make it more endurable. All we need to do is to stay organised, prioritise work load, say no when necessary and relax.
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By Rola Seifeddine
