[Cyclefrance]

Multitasking = unitasking, but losts of 'em? I'm not so sure....

Well, let's qualify that by saying /confessing that I get stuffed by multi-tasking because of the type of work I have to do. It's generally managing time-sensitive contracts involving ships - essentially ensuring that elements of the contract are completed at the right time as subsequent activities are dependent upon their proper completion. Alongside of this there are post contract activities which are drawn out exercises requiring detailed and painstaking analysis.

The idea is to create a gap to allow a clear and uninterrupted run at the detailed analytical stuff, but inevitably one or more time-sensitive issues do interrupt. The time seinsitive issues are not always thrown in your face though - they are communicated via email (so you only find them when you stop and check for new emails), or even not communicated at all and only reveal themselves as issues when you go searching for them.

Not a healthy mix and it can all too easily arise that on one single plate I have a half-completed piece of analysis, several fresh emails on different contracts advising that the tasks that should have been completed haven't been (or if they have then unsatisfactorily), and an innocent bit of investigating has uncovered another issue or two that shouldn't be there.

All to easy to try to nibble at them all, and in some ways that's what happens - after prioritising you move the chosen task as far as you can at that time, and then move on to the next one in line - so several tasks are open for some time - that's multi-tasking in my book and needs managing - I know which tasks I need to see completed first and they get the major amount of attention to push for a result/conclusion, but I must still see and get other high priority tasks moving towards a conclusion also. I cannot afford to devote time solely to one task from beginning to end without diversion.