As I was putting away my gold earrings, slipping into pajamas, prepping my nighttime routine, and reflecting on the day–I came to realize that I do indeed accomplish a lot in a single day for work, blog, and my personal life. The concept of multitasking has a pretty bad reputation among productivity enthusiasts and mindfulness coaches. Research shows that our brains are incapable of handling too many tasks at once and that multitasking can reduce productivity overtime. When I was living in London, my life often felt like a marathon between home, work, blogging, and just trying to live my youth to the fullest. Eventually, I saw diminishing returns and came to realize the importance of cutting back on juggling too much at once. Less is more, after all.
How I Multitask Effectively to Maximize My Day
The simple truth is that if we want to lead a more purposeful life, we’re going to try to multitask. So, is multitasking a good or bad habit? I think it’s about how you use it to maximize your day. I use multitasking to maximize my day when I need the motivation to do a mundane task that doesn’t require much thinking. The reason why I prefaced this post answering if multitasking is good is because I know it’s not for everyone and to share how I maximize my day–a good amount of it is through multitasking. So, here’s how I maximize my day!
Place time limits on social media apps
Do you find yourself scrolling on TikTok for hours? This happened to me countless times when I promised myself an early night. The worst is when these social media black holes happen during the working day in the middle of the week. There are several mobile apps to limit your social media usage and I’ve written more about how to stay off your phone if you’re struggling with a wider issue.
Listen to the news during morning workouts
I prefer to workout in the mornings after a leisure 30 minutes in bed to start my day. My early mornings are reserved for quiet time, but then get the day going by listening to New York Time’s The Daily and NPR’s Morning Edition podcasts. They’re quick snippest of what’s happening in the world. If I have time to read the news in the mornings, then I’ll do that–you can read more about what I read every day.
Eat lunch and watch an educational video
Working for home has got me working around the clock. If I don’t add taking a lunch break on my calendar block template, it’s safe to assume I would never take it. One thing I noticed is that I was eating my meal in 15 minutes, so I started using that time to watch an interesting YouTube video or a Masterclass lesson to learn something and slow down my eating.
Call friends as I get clean and/or organize
The tasks that I usually can’t find the motivation for are cleaning and organizing. I’ll sometimes use this time to pop in my Airpods and call up a friend I need to catch up with. A good chat is a great way to make the time go by and in my opinion, get the cleaning done!
Listen to audiobooks as I do simple tasks or personal admin
Running a blog means you’ve got a lot of little tasks to do like updating graphics or fixing links. I like to keep a list of simple tasks and personal admin things I need to do and try to batch them for evenings or Sunday afternoons. They’re easy to get through when you’ve got a good audiobook on! I’ve had Scribd for a little over a year now and love that I can access a ton of great books for just $10 a month–sign up now for 2 free months of Scribd.
Self-care as I watch TV
If you know me well, you know that I don’t often watch TV. I’ll try to give myself one evening a week where I don’t do some extra work or personal admin and take better care of myself. I’ll turn on the TV and either do a gua sha facial massage, a hydrating face mask, or give myself a manicure. Most of you already do this, but it’s honestly the simplest way to maximize your day when you have a long Netflix queue and limited time on your hands.
Now that you’ve seen how I maximize my day, let me know how you maximize your day!
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