How to multitask efficiently for business growth

Businesses have always searched for new ways to encourage productivity rates to grow. One of these practices was for people to multitask so that they would get much more tasks done and well-timed as well. However, after some time and endless trials, we found that multitasking is inefficient and can be quite limited regarding the outcomes. 

Multitasking is not for anyone and cannot be induced as a working method because, for most people, it’s unsuccessful and can cause more harm to the company. A study has found that multitasking hinders creativity and, if performed under pressure, can worsen the quality of being efficient and fast. However, we have reached this conclusion only after a few years of watching productivity rates drop, not recognising the problem. 

Pressuring employees to multitask in order to reach a deadline faster can be detrimental to your company. Prioritising your worker’s mental health and performance means knowing how to multitask efficiently. Here’s how to do it.

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The costs of multitasking 

A few years ago, multitasking practices were praised by many entrepreneurs. All personal development books were approaching this subject for teaching people to multitask in order to have a better personal and professional life. But as people were adopting this method for a more extended period, we came to realise that multitasking is a myth, and it does not provide the security and success it was glorified for. 

In fact, multitasking comes at a cost that many companies don’t understand. Managers may not be aware that their businesses are losing money due to employees being exposed to interruptions and distractions while multitasking. At the same time, rapidly switching between tasks can lead to impulsiveness and fractured attention since being exposed to too much and diverse information can affect productivity. 

What can be done?

Learning how to multitask efficiently and healthily has so many benefits to your company: tasks are done in a practical, timely manner, employees are relaxed and focused, and everyone knows the steps towards finishing a project. Still, it all begins with leaders building a proper company culture where mental health is a priority and managers know that a stressful environment is toxic. 

It’s true that work can sometimes get stressful in normal amounts when people need to give their best and focus much more than usual. However, prolonged stressful working hours can lead to people quitting, hitting lower and lower productivity levels and becoming unsatisfied with their jobs. Most of the time, managers are not able to set proper expectations regarding their goals, which employees must comply with, which is the leading cause of having to multitask frequently. But what’s the solution? 

Multitasking done right 

Typically, you’d want your team to focus on a specific task rather than expecting them to switch between them. However, multitasking can be done right if you set and respect boundaries, use technology valuably and adopt a master priority list approach. 

Boundaries are essential, and they need to be respected. That means you have to learn how to distribute tasks among your team so that everyone is able to finish their workload without burdening only a few with multiple things on their lists. Knowing your employees’ strengths and weaknesses will help you associate each task with the best worker, according to their skills. 

Next, you need to consider getting the most out of technological features regarding tasks. There may be procedures or methods that are counterproductive because humans rather than computer programs perform them, so analyse what can be improved to enhance productivity. For example, using a Timesheet Portal online will help you manage projects better and deal with accounting and payroll more efficiently so that you minimise the time spent manually completing these tasks. 

Finally, having a master priority list should guide you and your workers into finalising tasks in their priority order. However, if there’s insufficient clarity on which job is the most important, this should be solved as quickly as possible. This takes time to practise because learning how to order tasks depends on your current project. 

When is multitasking good?

When done right, multitasking can improve the company’s performance. For example, multitasking is advisable when dealing with less significant and time-consuming tasks since you don’t need too much mental energy to get things done. It’s also effective when you can pair two similar tasks that complete each other to save time for something more important. 

Multitasking can also increase brain power when you don’t impose timely deadlines. That’s because having a proper interval makes employees feel challenged enough so that they’re giving their best to focus entirely on that task. It also encourages people to have steady work progress, which means they’re not distracted by anything (social media or unimportant emails).

However, before adopting a certain approach, it’s essential to measure productivity levels by:

• Give your employees specific goals to achieve and measure productivity levels based on the output. Provide a supervisor to help them when needed and evaluate the process regularly to track progress;
• Use productivity software programs to measure and calculate the average workload an employee can do during the day;
• Track the revenue and learn when employees are most productive. This is one of the best methods to use because more profit is linked with higher productivity levels;

After getting an insight into productivity, you may devise a plan to improve the company culture, along with all practices and methods. This process might take a while and raise other unknown problems, but as long as you’re not staying in the same place and actively working towards a better environment, the company will thrive. 

Bottom line 

Many hate or praise multitasking, and even if it’s still controversial, it can become a powerful tool if applied correctly. When multitasking is enforced, it may lead to low productivity levels, burnout, and a decrease in profit. However, if you multitask when the project allows it and know what your employees’ boundaries are, your company will have a steady growth process and expand substantially. 

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