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Diary of a multitasking madwoman
TOC Executive Editor Amy Carr attempts to get even more out of her busy workday with a little focus and a whole lot of professional organizational help.
Wednesday
8:19am Catch the Metra with 45 seconds to spare. Kick myself for being so early.
8:30am Mind is racing with thoughts of all I have to do today. As usual, I resist writing any of it down for fear it will eat into “me” time on the train. I like to ease into my day, but it’s not always an option.
8:40am Screw it. Have to work on the train anyway to finish my edits of this week’s features. Where’s my pen?
9:15am Arrive at TOC. Deliver my edits of next week’s features to Features editor and start working on an e-mail I need to send out in advance of 10am conference call with New York and London.
9:30am Not sure I’ll get this e-mail out in time due to constant interruptions. I’ve already stopped writing three times to troubleshoot, and now I’ve totally lost focus. Dash off an abbreviated version just to get the conversation rolling.
11am–noon I glance at the four to-do lists scattered across my desk but get distracted by new e-mails coming in.
Noon–2pm I should really edit that overdue guide text, but first I need to go talk to the publisher, and the production director, and our art director…and the five section editors who stop me on my way back to my desk.
2pm The growling in my stomach is more distracting than the YouTube video playing in the next cube over. I grab a salad and eat it at my desk while checking my e-mail.
3–5pm I’m slammed all afternoon: meetings, phone calls, e-mails, brainstorming sessions, problems with the upcoming issue. And no progress on the edits I need to make to the guide. I’ve added four things to my to-do list and subtracted one. I think it’s time to bring in a professional.
6pm I call Molly Boren of Simplicity Works Organizing. Boren is an organizational whiz. I fear she’ll think I’m a multitasking nut job, but she doesn’t judge. Instead, she cautions me: “You’re 20 to 40 percent less effective when trying to do two things at once. It’s the same effect as being high.” And a hell of a lot less fun. Boren and I spend an hour on the phone discussing my “problem” and possible solutions. By the time we hang up, I’m ridiculously fired up about unleashing Amy 2.0.
Thursday
9:15am First order of business: Get rid of my multiple to-do lists and start using the online organizational tool Toodledo. I get the Toodledo iPhone app and download the widget so I can use it at my desk. Boren wants me to have a master list of all my to-do tasks and a daily list of the things I’m going to do that day. (“It’s so important and tricky to give yourself manageable goals,” she says.) The widget lets me hide all my non-daily tasks so I don’t feel overwhelmed, and it makes a cool green check mark every time I finish one.
10am I turn off my e-mail notifications. I check it often enough anyway without all those distracting reminders.
1–2pm Boren says it takes 15 to 30 minutes to regain focus after an interruption. Since there’s no place in my office I can work without any interruptions, I am going to schedule a weekly one-hour off-site appointment with myself…starting today. I grab my printouts of the upcoming issue and a few other tasks and set off for a super productive hour!
2:30pm I get the e-mail reminder I sent to myself telling me to reassess my daily list to adjust for any new issues that have come up.
3pm I’ve hit a stumbling block. Boren wants me to stop using so many notebooks. We agree I can have four, each labeled with a different subject matter. I can handle that but then notice I’ve got papers and folders that aren’t organized. And I’ve got notes that I reference in all my old notebooks. I look at my chaotic desk and feel overwhelmed. Boren agrees to come over the next day to help me organize my space. She says she’ll talk me through it, offer hands-on help and leave me with a clear plan for reaching organizational nirvana.
4pm I’m in the middle of something but an editor interrupts with an instant message. I’m inclined to deal with it now, but it’s not a pressing matter, and I’ve been coached to try to limit avoidable interruptions. I explain that I’m wrapping something up and promise to respond within the hour. How easy was that?
6pm Time to catch the train. I take a final glance at Toodledo and can’t believe it. I’ve marked off everything on today’s list except one item: organize desk. No worries; that’ll come tomorrow.
Molly Boren is available for on-site or telephone organization consultations at sworganizing.com or 773-915-3537. Rates begin at $150 for 3.5 hours of telephone consultation.
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