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On Multitasking

January 29th, 2024 (about 1 year ago) • 3 minutes

During work, I got a pleasant (at least to me, I think it's a good trait) comment from my colleague, saying that I am good at multitasking and he was asking how I managed to context shift often. Here's my answer to his questions.

How I came to be like this?

  • I like to be a busybody and explore what other people are doing and just dive right in. I think this is a good way to learn and also to help others. But be wary that this will take up your time.
  • I like to read. I read a lot of things that goes on around us, so I can piece the necessary context to come up with a solution to the problem.
  • I get bored fast. I can't stay on a single problem for too long since I will lose focus and start to think about other things.

How I am managing it?

  • Work on small piece of things at a time. That way, if I am blocked I just leave and work on something else. Most of the time, my brain is working on part time mode where I am thinking about the previous problem in the background. And most of the time, I get the solution while working on other problems. The brain is a miracle.
  • Delegate tasks. Working in a team meant that you don't need to do everything your own, start to share tasks and both of you can have some time to rest.
  • Manage time. Do the things that are pressing first then only be a busybody.

Warnings

  • I noticed that multitasking is bad if I need to do something that require creative outputs like writing, designing, etc. During this time, I like to focus on a single task and get it done.
  • High risk situation. Don't multitask if the thing you are doing have huge impact! For example, if you are doing a deployment, don't do anything else. Just focus on the deployment and make sure it is done correctly.

Note that this may not work for you if you have a strict boss and everything is measured. I am lucky that my manager allows me to do this because he understand who I am and how I work. As long as I don't burn myself out and I stick to my deadlines, he is fine with it.