4 ways to multitask and stay organized at work

July 1, 2024 12:00 PM

Man facing computer screen with calendar, graf and meeting

Regardless of what kind of work and personal responsibilities you have, staying organized is the best way to accomplish everything.

Few know this better than Akua Konadu, who, in addition to working as the associate community content manager at clientflow platform HoneyBook, runs her own media strategy and content company, and also hosts a podcast. To manage all of these roles while keeping her well-being intact, Konadu uses a combination of tech tools, scheduling strategies and wellness practices.

"Systems aren't sexy, but they are key to running both a sustainable business and life," she says. "I can focus on me as the employee, then as the host of The Independent Business Podcast, but then I can also transition smoothly to [being a] business owner."

By designing her workdays around certain tasks, allowing AI tools to handle administrative busywork and staying up to speed with the needs of coworkers and clients, Konadu is able to successfully balance whatever her busy days entail, and offers these four examples to help others do the same.

Customize your workweek

Rather than juggle all of her different roles each day, Konadu has found that breaking her week into "theme" days is most efficient. For example, Mondays are for meetings and prepping for her podcast, while podcast interviews take place on Tuesdays. She uses Wednesdays to research and focus on content building.

"When you are shifting in-between tasks, it makes it harder to be more productive," Konadu says. "Naturally, things always come up, but it's really helpful to create that space so I have that dedicated time to give my best to each thing."

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Practice direct communication

Part of Konadu's scheduling is around the needs of her team members and clients — availability, the projects they're working on, and other things that impact her routine. By being aware of their deadlines, vacation time and other obligations, she can factor these things into her work schedule accordingly.

"Be overly communicative — that's always been very helpful, because things come up," she says. "I always just try to respect people's time, respect their work, respect their craft. As a business owner I have to adapt and change course. We'll figure it out, we'll move forward, and that's OK. I'm busy, but I'm definitely not the only one."

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Schedule time for yourself

As busy as life gets, it's essential to set aside time to relax and reset. In addition to putting time off on her calendar, Konadu finds breaks during normal weeks, and while she's traveling for business, she tries to stop and enjoy small moments by herself or with friends.

"One of my things is to break bread with people and have these meaningful conversations that refuel and rejuvenate me," she says. "I also love to listen to a podcast or affirmations and go for a walk, or work out. [I] feel more confident and more excited about the day, and when things don't necessarily go as planned, [I] have a much better mindset of being able to adapt and adjust as needed."

Automate everything you can

With the help of AI tools like ChatGPT, Konadu is able to draft and schedule email responses, create her calendar for the week, and even meal plan, saving her valuable amounts of time to devote to other work tasks or herself.

"There are tools out there that can help you automate to make things a lot easier, especially now, with AI at our fingertips," she says. "I can tell ChatGPT, 'I'm a person with two businesses, and I work full time, and you are a virtual assistant.' I give it its title of what I need to do, and it gives me a schedule. People ask, 'How are you able to do everything?' I have systems in place. I always ask myself — in my business, in my life — what can I automate and what can I delegate?"