This past week I found myself working on a lot of parallel tracks all at the same time.

And, I was out of my comfort zone a lot.

But I got a lot done and closed many open loops.

It’s not my default mode because my preferred style of working is single-tasking and deep work, without a ton of distraction. That’s how you create new stuff.

If you are someone who loves creating as I do, then I’d recommend a hybrid approach.

The Hybrid Approach to Multitasking

I propose this because all creators include myself and those I know aren’t in creation mode all the time. They have to do stuff that does not equal creation – like talking to potential partners and providing instructions to assistants.

Where for 4-6 weeks you are in build and create mode and 2 weeks where you are closing loops and doing the ‘manager’ kind of work. Talking to people, closing deals, and signifying contracts – before going in for another 4-6 weeks for single-tasking.

If that is tough for you to pull off then keep 1-2 days a week for multitasking and rest all for single-tasking.

And, if you do work that needs you to be in manager mode and multitask a lot, even then keep an hour early in the day for single-tasking. And, one of the few single-tasking tasks should be to plan your tasks for when you’ll multitask 🙂