When I started to write about multitasking, it reminded me of the famous figure of speech “Jack of All Trades, Master of None”. This refers to people who are involved in multiple tasks but failed to gain expertise in any of them. But the shortened version “Jack of All Trades” is considered as a compliment for a person who is good at fixing things.
The phrase “Jack of All Trades” finds a part in all our lives. But, many of us do not realize this. A very simple example is that what we do every day. Every day, we are involved in a variety of tasks. Some of them are routine while few are different from our routine work. A good example for multitasking is women who are employed. They juggle between their tasks at home and tasks at their work. The tasks carried out in their home are entirely different from their profession.
Recently, multitasking has gained a lot of significance in organizations. Many organizations expect their employees to carry out multiple tasks and take up multiple responsibilities. For example, a person needs to take up multiple responsibilities like programming, testing, digital marketing, sales or any other tasks within their organization.
Another reason for expecting employees to take up multiple responsibilities is to manage the available resources effectively. This is because hiring a new person and training them is time consuming. This also influences the growth and productivity of an organization.
Below is the detailed information about multitasking, benefits and difficulties faced by individuals when they take up multiple tasks:
(1) What is multitasking?
Multitasking is generally referred as accomplishing multiple tasks at the same time. For example, we come across people who talk on phone while driving. This is considered as a form of multitasking as two different tasks are done at a time.
The term “multitasking” has a different interpretation in terms of an organization. In a professional environment of an organization, multitasking is defined as taking up multiple responsibilities by an individual. These responsibilities include not only the area of expertise of the individual but also the areas that are not familiar to the individual. For example, the individual may be a person who deals with sales, but he/she will also be involved in networking.
(2) Benefits of multitasking
Listed are some of the benefits of multitasking
Exploring and learning new tasks: You will be provided with an opportunity to explore and learn new tasks. This way of learning a new task improves your skill set thereby making you a person with diverse skill set. Hiring a person with a diverse skill set always benefits any recruiter.
Exercise for your brain: Taking up multiple responsibilities/tasks is a way of improving your memory power. Since, multitasking is juggling between tasks, you need to remember the responsibilities/tasks you have taken. This provides an active exercise for your brain.
Psychological balance: Performing the same task regularly/single task for long periods of time, can make you slip psychologically into auto-pilot mode. The way of juggling between tasks is a form of proving pleasant experience.
Good Learner: By taking up new responsibilities, you will become an active and a long-term learner. A good learner in turn is a good performer.
Adaptability: You will develop the tendency to voluntarily take up tasks and adapt yourselves to that tasks. This helps you to exhibit a flexible nature.
Leadership skills: Multitasking also will help to improve your leadership skills. A leader is generally a person who has lot of experience. A person who has knowledge about various tasks/different aspects of business has an edge over a person who is skilled in doing a particular task. Most of the leaders would have taken up multiple responsibilities at their initial stages. Hence, leadership is well suited for a person who is capable of taking up multiple tasks.
Improves your time management skills: It is always important to have an eye on the time when we are involved in multiple tasks. While you are doing multiple tasks, you will allocate a definite time for each task and completing it within the stipulated time. This in turn improves your time management skills.
(3) Difficulties faced by individuals during multitasking
Every aspect in our life has not only merits but also difficulties. Similarly, despite the benefits, the individuals are prone to certain difficulties while they are involved in multiple tasks.
First common issue among individuals taking up multiple tasks is their exposure to increased stress levels. This is because variety of tasks are to be performed in a particular time. Hence, it is important to keep our brain at reduced stress levels.
Second issue is lack of focus. When you handle multiple tasks at one time, concentrating on a particular task is difficult. This is because completing the task within a stipulated time gains more importance in multitasking.
Third issue is prioritizing your task. You may be working on multiple tasks which include tasks of various categories such as important, complex, simple and also tasks of least importance. Hence, it is essential to prioritize your tasks and proceed accordingly. It is always better to accomplish tasks which are important and complex first and then proceed towards simple tasks.
(4) Is multitasking good/bad?
Analysing two sides of a coin in any aspect would be useful in making good decisions. Similarly, though being a “Jack of All Trades” is challenging, it is equally interesting.
Nowadays, a person who is “Jack of All Trades” is preferred over “Master of One” by organizations. Keeping an eye on the benefits mentioned above on taking up multiple tasks, it is easy to get rid of difficulties.
Placing aside the difficulties of multitasking, follow these steps to enjoy and make multitasking successful:
- Prioritize your tasks from important to least important
- Do not think about other tasks you have taken up when you are doing one task
- Focus on the current task that you are doing
- Always remember the time within which the task has to be completed
- Relax for few minutes once you complete one task and then shift to the other task
“Nothing is impossible to him who will try”
Alexander the Great
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