Multitask While Staying Focused

Matt Obee provides tips for staying productive when context switching

- Matt Obee

I split my time between UX/UI design and software testing, which means that I’m constantly switching my focus between different projects, teams, tools and skills. Context switching like this can be a real problem because it takes time to stop thinking about the previous task and get fully engaged in the next. Research shows that we lose up to 40 percent of our productivity if we multitask because we make more mistakes and take longer to get things done. Fortunately, there are some simple techniques that we can use to manage our time and attention more efficiently, which we will share with you here.

SET A SCHEDULE 

Instead of always trying to relentlessly multitask, reserve blocks of time to concentrate on specific tasks – an hour to write that blog, four to finish those wire frames and so on. I’m a fan of the Pomodoro Technique, which breaks the day into 25-minute chunks, each followed by a five-minute break. After completing four of these ‘pomodoros’, you take a longer 15-20 minute break. Twenty-five minutes is generally enough time for me to make progress on a task and the five minute break is just short enough not to interrupt my flow. You might prefer longer blocks of working time and fewer breaks, so experiment with the possibilities and find a rhythm that works for you.

BATCH YOUR TASKS