Multitasking made easy!
Multitasking is a good thing when it’s kept simple. My friend Miranda, has a great way of maximising her time and getting lots done.
Kids in the bath + wiping surfaces and mirror in bathroom.
Two jobs completed in one!
My worktime favourite:
On hold (speaker phone) to Optus + sorting paperwork or data entry
What are some of your successful multitasking tips? What’s been good and what’s been a disaster?
15 comments so far
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I like to clean/scrub/rinse the shower while I’m cleaning/scrubbing/rinsing me! And I tend to clean off bottles of shampoo etc while I’m using them if they’ve gotten scummy.
I am sure alot of readers will be sharing good tips.
Here is my disaster one :-
Driving in between appointments,eating my lunch & returning calls on my cell phone (handsfree ,of course!) all at the same time whilst doing 100 kms per hour in my 4WD.
Never again!
That’s a beaut tip Lauren! I do same, but to save water, I scrub the shower first, then scrub me, then turn the water on and have a rinse fest!
Ouch Lawrence! That’s a scary one, but I am very glad you were hands free!
Hey Lissanne,
LOVE your e-news! Hope you are well!
I love watching a DVD with my kids – they are growing so fast and this probably won’t last long! BUT…there’s always the chores to do…so I combine my ironing with watching a DVD with them. It certainly makes a very boring task fly by and I’m hanging out with my beautiful darlings at the same time! Warm regards, Tracy.
Hi Lissanne,
I too sort paperwork or the like when on hold, that’s why I bought a speakerphone. I also bought a headset to plug into my other phone (a cordless), and I use it to make phone calls while I am doing the ironing or the dishes or anything else that doesn’t require much thought. Another thing I do which isn’t much as multitasking but timesaving is: I leave an extra face washer hanging over the side of the bath which I use solely for wiping over the basin and bath. I keep a spray bottle of vinegar in the basin cupboard and can very quickly use these after cleaning my teeth or doing my hair. It literally takes 1-2 minutes but leaves the bathroom looking rather fresh, great for in between cleans. I also keep a mirror cloth underneath and do the mirror as well.
Hi Lissanne,
I take my PDA to the local park, and read newsletters, or respond to emails, while the kids play. (Ha I saw Madonna King doing the same thing at our local park:)).
Heather Smith FCCA, B.Comm (Accounting & Finance)
BRISBANE MYOB Certified Consultant & MYOB Trainer
http://www.aniseconsulting.com
http://aniseconsulting.blogspot.com
When friends ring I often grab a duster and walk around the house dusting easy to get at places,
or
clean the bathroom mirror.
This is probably more of a timesaver than multi-tasking. I take two laundry baskets to the clothesline. I put clothes needing to be ironed into one, and everything else into the other one. The ironing one goes straight onto the shelf in the laundry cupboard until I get time to iron. I am left with one basket to sort that is much less daunting because it is only half as high! The ironing one is dealt with at night time while I am watching tapes of D rPhil and Oprah.
Heather, I have no idea who Madonna King is, but maybe she’s organised? ;-p
Elaine and Sheryl , they are both FANTASTIC time savers – love your work!
Hi Lissane, I have a portfolio which zips up, and in it I keep a notepad, envelopes, stamps, scissors, pen & chequebook. I file any bills to be paid, school notices that have to be completed and returned, etc in this. When I’m waiting on my daughter while she’s at her dancing class, I then use this time to take care of these things. I have also been known to use the time to clean out my purse and handbag.
Like Heather I also try to use any time I have while the children are playing with their friends at a park, indoor playcentre or swimming pool to do things that are easy to transport with me like labelling my Avon books, catching up on some reading, knitting or crocheting.
I also clean the shower while I’m in it, but still have to find a way to get the kids to do the same in theirs.
Hi Lissanne! Some of my multitasking ideas are;
While the kids are in the bath- I floss my teeth.
Watching Dr Phil- I sort and fold the washing.
In the ad breaks- I get up and change over loads in the washing machine.
If I’m 10 minutes early for work- I clean out my purse or delete old messages from my mobile phone.
While dinner is simmering- I go around the house closing the curtains between each cooking stage.
If I’m waiting for something slow to open up on the computer screen- I tidy my desk.
While my hair conditioner is working in the shower- I exfoliate.
At luchtime at work- I put my meal in the microwave 5 minutes before I start lunch, so it’s peeeeerfect when I go to lunch and I don’t waste any of my precious lunch break!
Happy me!
PS- really enjoying your newsletters, thanks
Louise.
I’m delighted to see that the examples given involve what Dave Crenshaw would call background tasking – where you can indeed do two things at once, because one of them doesn’t require mental effort. Too often people try to do multiple things that do require serious attention – and as Lawrence points out, that can be a disaster.
I’ve pretty much broken the bad habit of handling e-mail while being on the phone to a friend or relative. That person deserves my full attention.
The background tasking I DO continue with – and one I’m sure many people do – is catch up with podcasts I want to listen to while doing my 30-45 minutes at the gym on the elliptical machine, or the treadmill.
Actually I agree with Jeri (Oct 20) – and a recent respected(female) author who said multitasking is a myth! However ironing while watching tele and cleaning the bathroom while you’re in there are acceptable. But if you want to truly listen to someone, don’t try decreasing your ‘to do’ list at the same time – neither will get done effectively!
Jeri, I love that you give email your full attention – I agree with your approach 100%
Louise, I love the early for work clean out wallet… it reminded me of another multitask I perform while in the car at the traffic lights: I clean out the coins from my purse and stash them in the ashtray in the car for parking.
Thanks to everyone for your great contributions!