Thanks to Jacqueline for another comment in my last post about Multitasking and Focus:
“…Perhaps it is not so important whether you multi-task or not but what is important is the quality of focus, which may be best served with resting the brain from time to time.”
Those who know me through my blog, e-course and other writings, will know that I am passionate about self-care and the idea of giving yourself the things that really put you in top form.
We all know on some level or another that we have to keep ourselves healthy, fit and well in order to continually succeed in whatever we decide to apply ourselves to. Yet quite often, with busy people in particular, we put other commitments first, and sometimes our own needs fall to the bottom – or completely off – the list.
As multitaskers generally tend to be busy people, I wonder if this affects us even more?
I guess the danger is that we focus on the tasks at hand, and fill our diaries with ‘getting things done’. When the chance of a break presents itself in one role or project, we may well be inclined to take it as opportunity to press ahead on another front.
An exercise I often do when coaching small business owners is to look at the different roles they play within the business, e.g. CEO, sales and marketing, product delivery, admin and financial control, etc. One that often gets neglected, especially by solopreneurs, is HR – or as I like to call it, looking after your superstar workforce, by which of course I mean you.
Just as in a corporate organisation, the HR department would be responsible for the needs of their workforce – from training and personal development to environment and welfare – we also have a responsibility to ourselves, to make sure we are well rested, fed and watered, and nurture the qualities that make us really good at what we do.
So what are your key qualities that make you really good at what you do? Is it your creative streak, blinding inspiration, attention to detail or – in my case as a mum – sense of humour? And what do you need to do to nurture those qualities? It could be something active like training or connecting with inspiring people, or simply creating a quiet space to rest and recharge, or more than likely a mixture of both. Of course the added fun for multitaskers is that you may have different qualities for different roles, or then again there may well be an overlap.
I guess what I’m saying is that effective multitasking is as much about what you don’t do as what you do, and equally what you do for yourself as for others.
What do you think?
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