Juggling Too Many Things... Try This

Instructional Designers typically juggle multiple projects at a time and they often resort to simultaneous execution of more than one task or process at a time (known as multitasking). It's a popular concept often employed with the intention of boosting productivity. However, research indicates that multitasking is not as efficient as people believe. It can lead to cognitive overload and reduced productivity, as the human brain is not well-suited for switching quickly between complex tasks. This continual shifting of attention can lead to errors, decrease in work quality, increased stress, and often takes longer to complete the tasks as compared to if they were done sequentially.

So, how do you get more things done without constantly overloading and dropping the ball? Time Boxing a strategy also known as time blocking, time batching or chunking, is considered more effective. This approach involves dedicating specific chunks of time to a single task or similar tasks to increase efficiency and productivity. By focusing on one task at a time, the brain can leverage its full capacity and attention to the task at hand, reducing errors and improving the quality of work. It also aids in maintaining mental clarity, reducing stress, and improving overall productivity. This strategy is particularly beneficial in managing large, complex tasks, as it breaks them down into manageable units of work, enabling better focus and efficient use of time.

Here are some tips to using chunking to for managing time and maintaining focus on specific tasks. Here's a potential strategy that an instructional designer might use.

• Task Identification and Prioritization:?Start your day by identifying and listing out all the tasks that need to be accomplished. Prioritize them based on their importance and deadlines. Steps on Office365:

·????????Open Microsoft To Do and create a new list for the day.

·????????Add all tasks that need to be accomplished in the list.

·????????Prioritize them based on their importance and deadlines by using the importance flag.

• Time Allocation:?Estimate the time needed for each task and write it next to the task in the list. For instance, dedicate two hours for course design, one hour for content creation, etc. This will depend on the nature and urgency of the tasks.
• Task Execution (Varies):?This is when you work on the tasks. During these time boxes, focus solely on the task at hand. Try to eliminate any potential distractions. Steps on Office365:

·????????Open your Outlook calendar.

·????????For each task in your To Do list, create a new event in your calendar.

·????????Assign the estimated time for the task to the calendar event.

During these time slots, focus solely on the task at hand. Outlook can be set to automatically set your status to "Busy" during these times to help avoid distractions.

• Breaks: Don't forget to schedule short breaks between tasks in your Outlook calendar to give your mind a chance to rest and reset.
• Flexibility Box: Keep an hour or so in your calendar as "Flex Time" for unexpected tasks or tasks that may take longer than expected.
• Review and Planning: At the end of the day, review the tasks that were completed in your To Do list and mark them as done.

Move any unfinished tasks to the next day's list.

Finally, open your calendar and plan out your time boxes for the next day based on your updated task list.

By utilizing the features of Office 365, you can implement a time boxing strategy that can help manage your time, maintain focus on tasks, and increase productivity. It's important to remember that this is a flexible schedule, and it can be adjusted according to your needs and the demands of your job. The key is to try to stick to the time boxes as much as possible.