Balancing Multitasking and Focus in Creative Projects
- Leia Emeera
- Sep 4, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
In today’s fast-paced world, creatives are often forced to juggle multiple projects. Multitasking may seem necessary for industry professionals, but it can greatly affect the quality and efficiency of creative work. So, in what ways does multitasking affect it, and how can we resolve its issues?
Table of Contents
The Dilemma of Multitasking in Creative Work
People commonly perceive multitasking as a skill that increases productivity—why wouldn’t it, right? Handling multiple tasks at once means that you’ll get work done in half the time it would take to do them individually. However, when done ineffectively, it can lead to multiple issues instead. In contrast, multitasking can lead to human error, wasted time, and burnout, fatal to creative artists.
Multitasking’s Impact on Creativity and Focus
Quality vs. Quantity
Multitasking is typically done in two ways. You often do task switching or pay attention to them at the same time. For example, you might move from one canvas to another or take work calls while writing. When your mind has to jump between two or more things, your thoughts will likely jumble, leading to mistakes.
Consider the earlier example. If you write while on a phone call, you might end up typing the conversation instead of your creative work. Your heart isn’t in your work, which affects its quality. You might spend more time fixing what went wrong.
Cognitive Load
Constantly handling important tasks simultaneously can easily lead to an increase in cognitive load. This can snowball into mental fatigue, impairing creativity, efficiency, and your cognitive ability. Stretching yourself thin without allowing yourself to have breaks might force you into a creative rut. Your efforts to improve output may put it to a halt and cause you to lose the ability to focus.
Strategies to Maintain Focused Attention when Multitasking
But that’s not to say you shouldn’t multitask at all. Everyone’s circumstances are different—you may be in a position where time is of the essence, or you could simply prefer to handle multiple pieces of work at once. So, how can you effectively multitask?
a. Prioritisation
Decide which tasks are urgent and which are important, then arrange them by:
Urgent and Important
Important but Not Urgent
Not Important but Urgent
Not Important and Not Urgent
It helps you feel less overwhelmed since you’ll be arranging work in manageable and logical chunks.
b. Time Blocking
Instead of doing many tasks at once, set specific times for each project. Use a calendar as your to-do list. For example, you could dedicate the time from 2 pm to 4 pm to Project A, and you could reserve another time slot for Project B. It keeps you focused while allowing you to manage multiple tasks in a single day.
c. Batch Processing
This practice groups similar tasks to complete them in one fell swoop. In the context of pottery, this can be the throwing of clay into bowls of similar shapes across projects. Batch processing would reduce the need for the constant switching of contexts, which can otherwise lead to unclear focus and mistakes.
d. Setting Clear Boundaries
You can create clear boundaries between projects in two ways. One way is physical separation, like using different workspaces. The other way is mental separation, such as setting specific times for tasks.
This can help your brain switch between tasks. Different projects need different things from you. So, you must be in the right headspace.
f. Using Tools and Apps
There are many tools for organising multiple projects, including task managers like Todoist, Asana, and TESSR project management software. There are also focus apps to help you, like Forest and Focus@Will. These help establish focus, with effects similar to when you set clear boundaries.
To help you stay focused, you can utilise one of TESSR's project management software features: My Work. With this feature, you can:
Check statuses and due dates to focus and plan your day.
Access the Scene Hub to check on assigned comments, due dates, elapsed time, and more.
Get an overview of all your assigned projects in one place, so you know what's on your plate.
g. Regular Breaks
Regular breaks between tasks or milestones can help you stay focused on a single task and practise mindfulness. You can try using methods like the Pomodoro Technique to allow you to balance work and rest effectively. That technique specifically refers to segmenting work into intervals, where breaks would be sandwiched in between. So, you can keep your mental and physical state at its best performance.
4. Balancing Creativity with Practicality
Flexibility vs. Structure
While this may not apply to every artist, structured workflows can feel limiting to your creativity. But without it, meeting tough deadlines across several projects can prove difficult. A solution for this can be to set a clear framework while leaving space for adaptability. To aid this, you can add buffer time and constant review of your workflow.
Task Delegation
Consider delegating tasks to others if you have multiple projects on your hands. Assistants or team members are there to lend a hand, so reach out before you burn out. Evenly distributed workloads allow for less stress and more focused work.
5. Developing a Personal Workflow
Artists are highly individualistic people, so what works for others may not work for you. Instead, tweak the tips to your preferences and constantly adapt them to the ever-changing circumstances.
Customising Approaches
Experiment with different time management techniques and tools to develop a workflow specific to you and your work style. You might feel like you don’t have time to do this. But remember, if you work inefficiently, you waste time anyway.
Continuous Improvement
Sticking to one workflow rigidly may not work all the time. Due to outside factors or some company’s workflow changes, regularly reviewing and refining the way you approach balancing various tasks is important, as your needs and what is demanded of you constantly evolve.
Conclusion
Organisation, time management, focus and balance are key factors in balancing focus with multitasking. Try different strategies, and you will find a rhythm that works for you. Don’t give up on better outcomes and enhanced productivity by staying in your comfort zone.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
As a project manager, is there a method that could help me better manage multiple creative projects while keeping track of my team?
While the 'traditional' project management method could suffice, the rigidity of it might stifle your creative teams. You might want to try out creative project management with your team and see if it boosts productivity and work quality.
Would this work with 'non-corporate' creative projects?
Yes, art projects in general can be implemented with what we share in this article.
Is balancing multiple creative projects difficult?
It is not an easy task to do, but with the right skills and tools, you will find an easier way to balance the workload.
Author Bio
From Malaysia, Leia Emeera is a writer at TESSR and a published author. She has been putting pen to paper ever since she learned how to, and has an anthology to her name, titled 'Ten'. Leia loves music, games and her beloved labrador retriever, George. She aims to further her studies in English Literature and Creative Writing the moment her gap year ends. 'Till then, you will find her sitting behind a desk, writing with TESSR.
Connect with her on LinkedIn: Leia Emeera
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