Multi Tasking Tips

Multi-tasking Tips (from a girl) A Guide to Workplace Productivity Lisa Phillips

Why Do I Qualify?  Previous life as a Developer  Worked in London as a Graphic Designer  Spent last 5 years in various stages of Management Each role requires a very different level of focus.

The Web Industry  Constant distractions and disruptions

Procrastination  Multitasking and Procrastination are bad mix.  Figure out WHY you’re procrastinating.

Multitasking  With all the disruptions, and volume of work – without proper workflow and time management, people can quickly get overwhelmed with their workload.  This produces poor work, can cause feelings of anxiousness, job dissatisfaction and can compound the issues until it feels as it is all too much to handle.

Lisa’s Pick & Mix™  There are a lot of Multitasking Practices and Time Management Methodologies out there.  Not all approaches work for everyone.  Pick what works for you, & Mix it up a little.

Lisa’s Pick & Mix™  Priorities  Lists  KNOW what you’re doing  Plan  Revise!

Lisa’s Pick & Mix™  Effective Inbox Workflow

Lisa’s Pick & Mix™  The Essentials  Lists - a hand written checklist  Post-It Notes strategically placed

Lisa’s Pick & Mix™  You should always leave work in the evening knowing what you will be doing in the office tomorrow morning.  Planning and Revising  Immediate  This Morning  This Afternoon  Tomorrow  This Week  Next Week

Multitasking Issues  Downsides of Multi-Tasking

Work Efficiency  The are other techniques to ensure that you get work done efficiently:  Only check your emails at certain times of the day.  Turn off your distractions (including your mobile).  No responding to email that you are CC’d in on.  Only work between 8.30 – 5.30, NO other work outside of these hours – this helps you to focus.  Quarantine yourself  Headphones

Time Management  Time Management is a booming business  Getting Things Done  The Pomodoro Technique  Inbox Zero  Remember The Milk

Getting Things Done  Essentially: Know what you need to do  If an item requires action: Do it Delegate it Defer it  If an item does not require action: File it for reference Throw it away Incubate it  Can be overly complex  www.davidco.com

The Pomodoro Technique  The basic unit of work in the Pomodoro Technique™ can be split in five simple steps:  Choose a task to be accomplished  Set the Pomodoro timer to 25 minutes  Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper  Take a short break (5 minutes is OK)  Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break  www.pomodorotechnique.com

Inbox Zero  It’s about how to reclaim your email, your attention, and your life. “Clearly, the problem of email overload is taking a toll on all our time, productivity, and sanity, mainly because most of us lack a cohesive system for processing our messages and converting them into appropriate actions as quickly as possible.” - Merlin Mann - 43Folders  www.inboxzero.com

Remember The Milk  Focuses on Task Management  Reminds you of your tasks via:  Email  Mobile Phone Applications (iPhone, Android, Blackberry)  Google (Gmail, iGoogle Gadgets, Gears)  NetVibes module  Third Party Apps and Services  Dashboard Widgets  Quicksilver Plugin  And many more…

Websites and Apps  Google: Time Management  Google: Multitasking  iPhone App store has an entire category dedicated to: Productivity

In Summary  Figure out what works for you  Try different methodologies  Know what you’re going to do and when  If you’re not sure of what to do next – Ask  Revise your task lists often  Don’t overdo the multitasking  Don’t be put off – I do know guys who are great at multitasking.

Thanks  Google Search and the Internet – for the research help  Flickr, iStockPhotos, Google Image Search – for lending me images  People I have spoken with - friends, colleagues… and girls – for their input  Past workplaces – that gave me so much work I HAD to learn the Art of Multitasking  Web Meetup – for its awesomeness

Multi Tasking Tips

by Lisa Phillips on Feb 25, 2010

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