Multitasking makes you less effective. If you are e-mailing and texting all the time, you should be concerned about your productivity. Multitasking frequently occurs when you are working remotely.
Of course, all the tools we use for electronic communication are necessary and helpful but sometimes, perhaps, we considerably overuse them and thus they become more a distraction and a hindrance. Here are some tips from the management-issues.com website for those forced by circumstances into multitasking.
1) Turn off notifications
You know that little sound you hear each time you receive an e-mail? Try cancelling all such alerts. At least get rid of those audio alerts that are definitely not necessary for your work. Cancel them and avoid them: they only create stress and disturb you. Being distracted all the time is no good for either your mental health or work productivity.
2) Assess your priorities when replying to messages
Sometimes if your response is expected to supply your counterpart with some valuable information, you will need to spend a little time on it. Very often you simply cannot provide a clear, cohesive and exhaustive answer on the spot, especially if you are working on some other task at the time. You should ask yourself whether what is needed is a fast reply or rather a high quality response. In the latter case, invest some time and effort in your answer.
3) Keep colleagues informed
If you are using an instant messenger app, don’t be afraid to use status updates. Let colleagues know what are you currently working on so they can adjust their expectations: if they know you are busy at the given moment, they won’t be angry with you for not firing back an answer within the next five minutes.
-jk-