Right, it’s time to bust a myth. I recognise I’m opening myself up to criticism here, but I’m ready. You are no good at multitasking.
Please, let me clarify. No one is good at multitasking, and I’ll say, too, that no one enjoys multitasking. How do I know this? Because multitasking is not a thing. It’s a myth. Our brains simply can’t handle more than one task at a time. The term “multitasking” is a smokescreen for a short attention span. Having a short attention span is not a bad thing, but trying to convince yourself that you’re being productive when you’re not… that’s different, and you’re doing yourself a disservice. Once interrupted, it takes the brain, on average, 23 minutes to refocus on a task (according to a study by the University of California). That’s a lot of time wasted, right?
Now, I need to make one thing clear: there is a difference between this multitasking thing and being ‘polychronic’ – having multiple projects on the go at once, being flexible with time management and accepting interruptions as part of life. Some people genuinely love switching hats, changing mental chips and having a variety of tasks to keep each day different from the one before (I can’t think of anyone like that…). But doing two tasks at the same time? Nah. Not if you intend to carry out either with a modicum of accuracy, anyway.
The busyness of a small business owner
Why am I talking about this? Well, as small business owners, we need to wear different hats, whether we want to or not. This is particularly true in the early days, and it’s a necessary evil to get things off the ground and heading on the path to success. There is a huge amount of “stuff” that we need to do, from brand building and social media, to networking, legal paperwork, business plans, content creation, expense tracking, research and more. Then, once we’re up and hobbling, we need to build, maintain and, hopefully, grow.
Juggling conflicting and time-consuming demands is inevitable. But let’s be real: you can’t do everything forever and, more importantly, you shouldn’t try! Not only that, no one has the skill to do everything. NO ONE. The only way to get it all done by yourself is to deny yourself sleep, relinquish your personal life, dive down the Google and YouTube rabbit hole, find half-decent tutorials, try, mess things up, try again, make things worse, get stressed out because after hours of hassle you are still no further forward, and eventually just settle for ok-ish… or, be able to stop time. And if you knew how to do that, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t be busting a gut trying to spin a hundred professional and personal plates in the name of self-employment.
A VA is an investment in you
Luckily for you, there is a solution. While a virtual assistant can’t stop you wasting time, they can encourage you to focus your efforts where they are needed most. Typically, these are the areas of your business that only you know about, the areas which require your specific expertise, or the areas which are private. A VA can also untie the knots of anxiety in your stomach, lighten the burden and solve the problems you can’t. A VA is an investment in your business, but also an investment in you. Don’t underestimate the power a VA has to make things better for you. We want you to succeed, because when you succeed, we do too.
Tips for working smarter
Instead of flip-flopping between tasks, getting distracted and ending up doing nothing all that well, try these:
- batch tasks together to avoid overwhelm;
- make important decisions early in the day OR when you are at your most productive (probably not straight after lunch, zzzzzzzzzzzzz);
- use templates and checklists for more complex tasks to keep yourself on track and consistent;
- put. the phone. down;
- ignore your emails. Trust me, emails are not urgent;
- take regular breaks – the Pomodoro Technique is very popular;
- recognise what you’re not good at and, if possible, outsource those tasks;
- delegate the clutter! Some of us (me!) just LOVE turning something messy into something super-slick;
- contact me to see how I can help you be a more productive business owner!