How do you manage multiple projects at once?

How do you manage multiple projects at once?

I know this is something that people with real jobs do all the time.
But it's something that I'm struggling to wrap my mind around.
I tend to focus on one thing at a time. I have one thing that I'm really focused on each day. One thing that I want to give all my attention to. And everything else tends to fall by the wayside. I realize this is not a healthy way of being, and that life involves some degree of multitasking.

When it comes to household chores and cooking and gardening, and child-minding, I can do all those things at once. But give me 5 projects to manage at once, and I'm a mess.

How do you keep your projects straight?

 

Lists
Outlines, which are basically lists (even my guides are outlines)

No numbers or letters...just bullets (and indents/tabs)

My inbox has only a few reminders, everything else is pulled to a folder.
Same with my computer.

Otherwise it is overwhelming noise. (and confuses others)

The Checklist Manifesto is a good read
Basically summarizes what I've been doing for years. (but examples in medicine, not IT)

I also prefer to communicate face to face. (emails are only for clarity and confirmation)
Because I get a better read for what may be missing or BS.
Banter provokes history and insight (like a good detective)
And I'm able to press on points that may not be absorbed otherwise.

Yeah, I'm a weird IT geek, I like to speak with humans.

 

What a great response!

I must read this book.

 

I enjoyed taking one course over summer session for this reason. I started doing that in high school and continued on through college. It's part of why I was drawn to doing a PhD, the appeal in studying only one thing for years on end to learn it inside and out was highly appealing to me. The skill set required to complete a PhD is entirely different from that of an undergraduate degree. Undergrad involves lots of multitasking. Since you like this mentality, have you ever considered pursuing a PhD?

But as I leave academia and consider entering the work force, I realize this degree of focus is not useful for most career paths.

 

I am an ENTJ, so managing multiple projects at once is my jam. The key is systems.

I wear a lot of hats at my job. To keep me organized on my desk, I use a lesson plan notebook and Post-its. To keep all my stuff organized for different classes, I use Scrivener. Each class has a different folder in my staff drive, so materials I create are divided up by class; then, I lay out my instruction week-by-week and plug in the Word documents in Scrivener. It's actually super cool, and it helps me visualize where instruction is going. I write the gist of my Scrivener stuff down in my lesson plan book. Then, for copies, I have a little folder with different pockets for each class; I just put a printout of the resource I'm using in the designated class slot. I also have a schedule for when I do things, like copies, planning, or grading. Certain days are designated for that activity during my prep. One column of my planning notebook is devoted to a "to do," so if there is something I need to get done during my prep, it's there as a reminder. I also look ahead and say, "This needs to be done by x date." For example, I write my finals two weeks ahead of the end of our trimester, so I have a note in my notebook that reminds me to write my final.

Some of the other stuff I manage is confidential, but again, having a system makes it a lot easier to manage. I label everything clearly, so I know where things are going, and the students know where things go, too.

You might also try the Pomodoro method. It's one I use during my time off to provide structure to the day. It's pretty useful.

 

Thanks, Snowy! Great tips here.
I never thought of applying Pomodoro to my entire work day. That's brilliant.