How do you manage to stay sane when you’re insanely busy? You become a master of multitasking, of course! However, multitasking shouldn’t be about piling on more work to the point of exhaustion. It’s about learning how to slow down and manage your tasks effectively so that you can accomplish more, reduce your stress level, and actually enjoy your work. Here are some tips for multitasking effectively.

• Find your balance. 
  Switching your attention rapidly among projects and people, when done wisely, is stimulating. It adds variety to your day and can help keep you engaged and even increase productivity. However, when the juggling gets out of hand, multitasking can trigger obsessive extremes that become overwhelming and make you inefficient. Strike a balance and find your own comfort zone regarding your duties and obligations. Use your strengths, but also know your limits.
• Know when it’s appropriate.
  It’s vital to recognize when a certain task requires your undivided attention. When your full attention should be on a single urgent or important task, multitasking is not appropriate and will likely affect the quality of your work on the urgent task. Save multitasking for non-urgent tasks. 
• Organize in advance. 
  Being organized is essential to effective multitasking. Before leaving work at the end of the day, list all the tasks to be accomplished the next day so you can hit the ground running in the morning. Prioritize your list and check off each task as you complete it.
• Manage your time. 
  Use a desk organizer to keep track of appointments and deadlines. Make use of a speakerphone or headset to free your hands to do other things while you talk. Stop multitasking and concentrate on a single task for at least 20 minutes throughout the day to allow time to re-energize. Don’t automatically shift your attention to the most recent ‘nanotask’ that crosses your desk.
• Get unplugged.
  Disruptions are inevitable throughout the day, but don’t let cell phones or pagers waste your time. Bundle non-urgent tasks, such as checking e-mails or returning phone calls, and do them at certain times of the day. When you’re in a meeting, unplug to avoid distractions.
• Delegate. 
  Don’t fall into the trap of thinking “I can do it quicker and better.” Learn to delegate, giving specific instructions and setting realistic deadlines. No matter how proficient you are at multitasking, anyone can be a victim of burnout, and it’s also easier to make mistakes when your brain is on constant overload.

With greater workloads, fewer personnel and longer workweeks, the tendency to cram too many tasks into the workday is hard to resist. But do so at your own risk. Unless multitasking is done effectively and when appropriate, over the long term it can create excessive stress, reduce productivity, and take the fun out of work.