Save Time With Multitasking

Multitasking is a great way to save time. It's one of the principal techniques of the field of time management, which is famous for getting you to read magazines while brushing your teeth and other... unusual things. Sometimes it's possible to go overboard with multitasking. However, used right it can be a very powerful tool in your life.

Who Is Multasking For?

Multitasking is for people who have a full timetable and who value their time, most of all. Whether you should have a full timetable all the time is another matter. I'm just starting to really fill my days up with work and activities that I really enjoy, so I'm starting to understand those people who want to save 5 minutes by multasking their dental hygeine. This article, in fact, was written on my netbook while travelling on the metro. But I wasn't always like that.

Multitasking is also for people who just hate getting bored. When you're walking around, or doing the dishes, or some other uninvolved task, you want to find ways to pack more stuff into that time.

How To Save Time With Multasking

If you want to know, how to save time with multitasking, I want you to be honest with yourself first and answer this question.

Do you value your time?

If you spend large amounts of time doing something which is largely purposeless such as surfing the web or watching dumb shows, then you don't value your time. (Watching a show which you really like because you need the recreation or inspiration is fine. But watching whatever trash just because, is not valuing your time).

There is nothing intrinsically negative with not valuing your time. I think that if you become conscious of the fact that you don't value your time it might mean that you'll want to work on that. But then again it might not, and that's fine too. What not valuing time means, though, is that there's no point trying to use time management techniques or multitasking. Why? Because you'll just be spinning your wheels.

If you use a time saving technique when you are still wasting your time with pointless things, it's like taking vitamins while still eating burger king burgers. There's no point in making a nominal “improvement” when you're still not tackling the problems which are holding you back the most. For someone just starting out in productivity, it's worth getting to the root cause of why you waste time and are unproductive before you try special time management tricks like multitasking to save time.

For many people, they just aren't motivated to do anything special with their time. To really get to the point where saving time with multitasking maskes sense, you need to get to the point where you are really excited about what you are doing. That requires the self-knowledge to know what drives you, and of course the bravery to do it. This probably means being self-directed, as most jobs don't provide a good outlet for the expression of life purpose. (See this article for more: Life Purpose)

Now that that has been said, let's get into the time saving multitasking tips you came to this article to read.

Time Saving Multitasking Tips: Audiobooks

One of my favourite time table multitasking tips is to listen to audiobooks while doing various tasks. I can listen to an audiobook while washing the dishes, cleaning the house, or cooking a meal. It's also good when I'm out, either on the metro or walking to some place. I stick up posters to get clients for my business, so I need a good audiobook to pass the time.

If you want to try out audiobooks to see how they can save you time, I recommend you check out this link with which you can get a free audiobook and a cheap trial subscription to Amazon's audiobook service: Free Audiobook From Audible

It's best to have an MP3 player to listen to audiobooks so that you can listen to them in all sorts of places and while doing tasks that would require the sound to be very high if you were playing them on any other machine.

To read more about audiobooks, check out: The Benefits Of Audiobooks

Time Saving Multitasking Tip #2: Take Advantage Of Your Time On The Metro

When you're travelling at any point, whether it's a commute to work or a walk to the shops, this is time which you could use for something else than just thinking or worrying in your head.

I like to use walking or commuting time, if nothing else, for meditating. Meditating is a great way to increase many different levels of wellbeing, particularly mental clarity and emotional positivity.

Eckhart Tolle defines meditation as being in the present moment. When you're walking to some place, or sitting in the metro, or whatever else, try to become conscious of your breathing and move into the present moment.

For more information about meditation read the modern classic, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

Other things you can do with your time on the metro include:

• Read a book

• Listen to an audiobook (better as you can do it as you walk too)

• Write or do other work on your laptop (netbooks are especially good for this)

• Play games on miniature games consoles or your mobile phone

• Eat some fruit or vegetables to get in extra vitamins (it's almost impossible to overeat on these foods – I sometimes eat 4 kg of oranges as a meal, for example).

• Study something – you can learn words of a language as you don't need to spend a lot of time on each word, so distractions aren't a problem

• Write in a journal

• Fill in papers

• Talk to friends

Etc.

Time Saving Multitasking Tip #3: Multitask While Eating

When eating you can often do plenty of things besides just eat. It's been traditional for a long time for mealtimes to be a time of connecting with family. If you don't live with a family it can also be a great time to connect with friends. If you would otherwise have a social life apart from your meals, why not combine a social life with your meals?

This is especially important for me as I work alone. So I often have to think especially about arranging a lunch with a friend instead of doing it alone at home.

You can also make use of your eating time by listening to an audiobook, or if it's the right sort of food you can eat while working. Smoothies are great for this, as are foods which can be eaten with your hands without getting your hands dirty such as fruit or nuts. You can also drink a juice, which can be a healthy way of getting in a little satiety while your attention is directed elsewhere.

Time Saving Multitasking Tip #4: Do Compatible Things Together

If you have to go to the shop, leave the task off until you have more than one reason to get out of the house (or go to that particular place). When you can get more than one thing done with the same trip, you are saving a lot of time.

As I mentioned I stick posters up for my business. When I do so, I try to be going somewhere as I walk and stick the posters up, so I can take advantage of the trip to get something done. Or when I need to go somewhere I stick up posters on the way.

I've also found I have a literal urge to write. So I decided that instead of wasting time on a forum as I used to, I'd spend that same time writing articles for Hubpages which I could get paid for.

I also found that working at home was a bit lonely sometimes. So instead of focusing just on my home businesses I started an English teaching gig so that I could be face to face with people and get some contact.

Try to get as many things done with the same action as possible.

Multitasking

So that was my article on multitasking and time management. I hope it's been of value to you. If you want to read more stuff by me, check out my website: Lightworkers. You can also read more stuff by me by clicking a link in the sidebar on this article. Thanks for reading!