15 Tips for surviving a task explosion
<img src="http://www.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2007/10/grenade.png" alt=""/><br/><br/>A task explosion happens when you are suddenly faced with more tasks
than you are used to. I’ve faced many times where you suddenly need to
handle twice as much work, with twice the pressure. Stress levels rise,
and you might feel about ready to snap.<br/><br/><p>I’ve prepared a survival list of things to do when you get caught in
the middle of a task explosion. Hopefully these tips can help you get a
bit more done, and keep you from pulling the hair out of your head.<br/>
</p>
<ol><li><strong> Stop and Think</strong> - When the explosion hits, you
are probably still reeling from the impact, unsure what to do. Working
randomly is about the worst plan to use, since you may accomplish less
critical tasks when big problems lie in the background.</li><li><strong>Know What You’re Prepared to Leave Behind</strong> - After
you’ve paused yourself, it is time to assess your priorities. Ask
yourself what you’ll need to give up if the time starts ticking down.
Anything that isn’t crucial needs to be pushed back.</li><li><strong> Begin Immediately</strong> - As soon as you’ve decided
what is most important, get working. Some people react to a task
explosion by procrastinating or working on something easy. If that is
your case, plan your next step and take action right away.</li><li><strong> Shuffle Work</strong> - A sudden doubling of your
workload doesn’t give you much time to adapt. When this happens to me,
I make sure I shuffle my work in 60-90 minute chunks so I don’t get
overtired. Shuffling means placing tasks that use different skills
after each other. Do reading tasks for sixty minutes then switch to one
that involves writing or communicating. This will allow you to work
longer and harder.</li><li><strong> Are You Heading for a Nuclear Winter?</strong> - Is
this task explosion temporary or is it going to be a permanent
adjustment. If you think that this explosion might have a long-term
impact, it’s a good idea to assess your life in general. What
commitments need to be dropped in order for you to survive?</li><li><strong> Useful Laziness</strong> - Taking breaks is a good idea
if your explosion will last weeks or months. The key is to make sure
that your rest counts. How often do you plan to relax but end up
wasting your energy on something trivial? Decide what really
rejuvenates you and spend your short breaks doing that.</li><li><strong> Morning Boost </strong>- If you know you have a few
days with mountains of work ahead, sleep a bit earlier and wake up
earlier. When you start your morning early, you are more likely to
begin with full force. That momentum will carry you throughout the day
so by noon you’ve already got your most important tasks done.</li><li><strong> Eat Light</strong> - Digestion eats up a huge amount of
energy (no pun intended). A good way to keep your energy levels high is
to eat water-rich vegetables and <a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/15-tips-for-surviving-a-task-explosion.html#" class="kLink" target="_new" id="KonaLink0" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;"><font color="#3366cc" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 11px; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 11px; position: static;">low </span><span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 11px; position: static;">fat </span><span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 11px; position: static;">foods</span></font></a>. Stuffing your face with a burger and fries is only going to slow you down.</li><li><strong> List Everything</strong> - A mile is only a bunch of
feet strung together. If you list everything that needs to be done, you
will feel more confident that you can handle it. The listing process
helps take the vague, amorphous blob of work and turns it into
bite-sized pieces.</li><li><strong> Unplug</strong> - If the task-explosion injures you,
distractions will finish you off. Unplug the phone, internet or
computer if you don’t need them that moment. The more noise you have to
fight through the harder it will be to focus. Even if the silence is
uncomfortable for the first few minutes, you can speed up to a quick
flow.</li><li><strong> Breakdown Delegation</strong> - If you’re working with
a team, cut the work into large chunks and quickly discuss what needs
to be done in each. Interpersonal communication should only happen when
strictly necessary. Get everyone to stand up if you need to hold a
meeting as that should pick up the pace.</li><li><strong> Reward Later, Work Now</strong> - Find something that
can motivate you for the next few hours. Agree to give yourself a
reward when you finish your work. The reward doesn’t need to be huge,
but even a twenty minute break to do something enjoyable can do the
trick. Don’t give yourself the reward first with the expectation to
work afterwards! You’ve got your <a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/15-tips-for-surviving-a-task-explosion.html#" class="kLink" target="_new" id="KonaLink1" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;"><font color="#3366cc" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 11px; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 11px; position: static;">psychology</span></font></a> backwards there as it will be just as hard to quit procrastinating after you’ve taken a break.</li><li><strong> Find Shortcuts</strong> - Almost any activity has
shortcuts if you look at it broadly enough. Find ways you can cut
corners and get things done faster to keep up with demand. Shortcuts
might not be advisable when you’ve got time to focus on quality, but if
time is against you, do what you need to do.</li><li><strong> Weigh Consequences</strong> - Sometimes you need to
take a little pain to avoid a lot of pain. Look at the consequences for
not following through on different commitments. If you feel you can’t
handle every commitment, find the ones that will give the least pain
and break them. It might be the only way to avoid a huge failure
because you didn’t manage your time.</li><li><strong> Exercise </strong>- Many people, when they face a task
explosion cut exercise first. This might be fine if your explosion
lasts only a day or two. But if your workload overload spans weeks and
months, this will only hurt you. Exercise helps you sustain high energy
levels for working, even if you can only do a 30 minute power workout.</li></ol><br/>
