Multi-Tasking: Boon or bane!

This week’s topic is about an extremely often used term that most of us have heard over & over in our discussions with our managers & colleagues alike – Multitasking. It has become a way of life in the current world – you find it at work, at home and most of us probably do it even without knowing it. Obviously, it is a much revered skill at the workplace, especially today. But, there are many recent studies that diss multitasking as being a productivity & quality killer too and when I read a piece about it in a website recently, it got me thinking and eventually led to it being my next article topic!

Let me begin by stating my opinion on the topic: multitasking can easily be honed and polished into a fine skill by us but there are some nuances to observe and follow. But how do we define multitasking? Does it mean doing several things at the same time? Does it entail juggling several jobs or assignments? Does it mean having diverse skills and making optimum use of them? Is it really a productivity & quality killer? Here are my experiences. Read on.

Myth 1: Multitasking leads to workaholism, burnouts

Popular perception as well as general surveys point to the fact that multitasking could lead to workaholism and even burnout. They also say this happens to be directly proportional to the number of hours spent at office or at work. And the pace of your professional life. I've been lucky to play many roles in my career (refer earlier articles) and day 1 of every role has always been like the first day in school/college on a subject that's being introduced to you anew! Fluid Mechanics comes to mind or even French in my 11th STD.

The reason I called myself lucky is that multi-tasking has always been thrust on me - learn, operate, execute, deliver, build relationships, make decisions etc. I never have had a choice. And this does require insane working hours. But, how is this fueled? That burning fear (also called ambition, aspiration among other names) in your belly to succeed and deliver - in today's context it's also survival! In my experience (repeated many times over), I've never felt burnt out (although the work is definitely intoxicating - does that make me a 'workaholic'?) because I know that once I master what I need to know, the discipline that I show will become behavior. And when that hits (my goal is usually 6-8 months after I get into a role), it's bliss!

Most professionals tend to create their own antidote to this menace called 'racing against the clock' syndrome and not rush to do too many things. While I've been through various roles, a lot of my colleagues feel very strongly about sticking to one and digging deep - and it has worked wonders for them. Value addition to the same job could be a form of multi-tasking. You can learn to deliver immediate requirements and move on to others while playing the same role. You may manage more than just one project/task; deliver a particular project/task to the clients & stakeholders; document the handling of such a project/task to the management, create clear & necessary quality documents and do many add-ons that enhance your deliverables and skill potential.

I have 2 friends that are worthy mention here - one who worked with me in at the very beginning of my career. While most of us started out as line-engineers, he was allocated to Procurement and he stuck on to that to become a SME and leader. He now heads procurement for a Fortune 500 company globally! The 2nd started out as a trainee in a central government manufacturing unit and is now Chief Engineer of the unit he started in 25Y ago and recently delivered one of India's prized achievements! I remain immensely proud to call them my friends and draw inspiration continuously.

For some, multitasking involves "effective time management," striking a balance and finding your own comfort zone. And the aptitude and agility you show to learn and master things quickly act like steroids to boost your growth. For others, the sheer passion of involvement or enjoying the fact that "you can make oneself more useful and do many things and attend to various needs at varying levels" adds to one’s sense of job satisfaction.

Myth 2. Multitasking is not for you

Yes, that makes all the difference - you are unique and so are your needs, wants and interests. The job you hold, the amount and kind of responsibilities delegated to you, the number of hours you can spend and the quality of work you can deliver. Your strengths and limitations, your ambitions and needs: You choose how much, how fast, how often and how many. You need to learn to improvise and innovate. You need to do some sharp planning too.

I remember vividly when I was asked to helm a role that was an amalgamation of 4 different roles. Essentially, the business head wanted 'one neck to choke'. The role was not 'official' - in the sense that there was no reporting relationship of 3 of the 4 roles into me. But however, I was to be held accountable for outcomes for all. It was daunting at first but it was multi-tasking heaven (or hell, however you fancy it). The learnings of 4 different roles & functions while focusing on delivering a singular outcome for the business was one of the most fulfilling periods in my career.

The effect was very similar was when I was handed a role that had teams from the US (apart from India) report into me. It was a different level of multi-tasking - I literally had to forget my day job (which involved India) and get into a completely different mindset when I spoke to my US teams as the nuances of the work there was different. Imagine a situation where I'd quote what happened in a similar situation in India (or the US) to my US (or India) team and they'd retort - "but boss, the situation here is a totally different animal"!! I compartmentalized very quickly to avoid "Agni Natchatram" type situations (sorry for the very Tamil movie reference - it's essentially where the father of 2 protagonist brothers from 2 different mothers cross-refers them frequently and it forms a funny story arc). Is that multi-tasking? - you bet, it is! Was it worth it? Of course, and it has helped me immensely. Today, in the role I play there are 5 distinct functions & outcomes to be delivered; some bordering each other and some matrixed across. My previous adventures in taking up roles that needed multitasking has made this look a lot simpler than it actually is.

We can sometimes be a little lazy about our responsibilities and get away with it. But what does it say about your job and your role in it? Honestly, no one is really happy doing the same thing over and over again and getting paid for it at the end of the month. Some of us need more out of our work. Multitasking at your current role/level leads to other roles/levels and that is a natural progression. The 'challenge' factor keeps you going. You can do other things and do them well.

There is another kind of multitasking where your family, social life and private moments jostle with each other to find their own time and space. Sometimes I wish I could clone myself and be present at several places at the same time. At other times, the horror of the very idea of doing the 'same old boring' thing keeps you on your toes and your fingers in many pies! This forced WFH situation has provided all of us multi-tasking opportunities. I've seen myself/colleagues/friends/family juggling more than what we all used to earlier - from new hobbies to starting fitness routines to cleaning to learning cooking and what not! All this in addition to an entire full workday that we all used to complain was not enough to do everything there was on our plates!! In a way, the situation and the resultant multi-tasking has created a lot of memories - private & professional - that we will surely cherish when we look back on these times when the current situation blows over!

In Summary...

You might find yourself constantly having to choose between 'this' and 'that'. One has to be tactful, of course. But honesty is the key to doing more than one thing and being present in more than one place at the same time. Don't miss the opportunity to do something new, stretch yourself into all available avenues to contribute and most of all don't be afraid to take risks and do something new - you will surprise yourself how much more competent and capable you are than you previously thought.

It is you who has to make the choice. There are no right answers but just being or feeling busy doesn't really mean you're working to your potential. On the other hand, you will feel a sense of achievement & satisfaction if you master the art of multi-tasking and the feeling of doing many things will allow you to learn and feed that learning into your interests & aspirations and help achieve them!

Until next week, folks! Take care, stay safe.