There are often times where we may need to balance different activities and projects, large and small, over the course of a single day. Many of us, myself included, have problems maintaining the level of focus needed to complete any one task in one fell swoop. We keep pushing and demanding ourselves to work harder; we become frustrated when we find ourselves going in circles or going anywhere to escape when we do not have enough focus to do good work. When motivation is high, but attention is short, tension starts to creep in.
When I work with patients who have short attention spans or ADD or ADHD, I recommend adopting a flexible approach towards work. One method I suggest is toggling between tasks. The general idea is to switch back and forth between two or more tasks. For instance, you may find yourself needing to print out a lengthy document contained in many files and needing to write a summary of your ideas about the last book you read. You may feel resistance to doing both of these tasks, especially since you have to do them both by the end of the day. Instead of bemoaning why (oh why) you did not leave yourself more time for the tasks, figure out how to speed up getting started on either of the tasks and continue from there. So here's what toggling these tasks might look like:
- Print first three files of lengthy document. Collate the papers.
- Quickly jot down notes of your most important thoughts about the book you read.
- Print three more files of the lengthy document. Continue to organize the papers.
- Arrange your notes on the book into a brief outline for the summary essay.
- Print some more files. Find yourself feeling relieved to be getting this printing done.
- Begin to put your thoughts about the book into paragraph form, aiming to get at least two paragraphs done. Give yourself 30 minutes to complete this first writing piece. Keep your working energy balanced by knowing that you will be taking a break soon.
- Continue this toggling until both projects are completed.
You can also use toggling when you are writing one piece of work. (I just came up with this idea as I was struggling to link different parts of this post together….) There is no hard-and-fast rule that when you are writing you must write from the beginning of the piece to the end. If you're not inspired to write in one section, hop down to the next one or the one after that and keep on writing. Follow where your writing energy takes you. It's easier than trying to wrangle your energy when it's taking you in other directions.
Toggling is a way to cope with feelings of strain and difficulty in your work. When your creativity and focus wane, shift over to the next project, keeping yourself in work mode rather than rushing off to do errands or to surf the Web. This takes some planning, but keeps different parts of you in flow and active. At the end of the toggling effort, both tasks will be done and you will likely feel less drained than if you had focused solely on one task, completed it, and then repeated the process for the second task. It's a win-win.
What projects can you tackle through toggling today? What will you do with the leftover energy you have when you are done working?
