Jan Yager has the best explanation
I’ve read
on the difference between juggling multiple projects
(something most successful people do well)
and multitasking.
“I have observed
that successful individuals,
whether in the business world
or the creative worlds of writing or arts,
are able to switch back and forth
between projects.
Now this is different from multitasking,
where the tendency is
to try to do several projects
at the same time.
As I point out in my book Work Less, Do More,
in the chapter on multitasking,
what you really want to do is
what’s been called selective attention.
Most of us have to juggle,
one, two, five, 10, or even 20 projects
over whatever time period
it takes to finish those projects.
But — and this is a very important “but” —
the selective attention part is
that when you are working on a specific project
— when you have shifted from project A to project B —
you are completely focused on one project.”
I don’t multitask.
I find it doesn’t work for me.
When I do multiple things at the same time,
I do a shit job on each thing.
I DO juggle multiple projects
(any successful author or project manager
has to learn this skill)
but when I switch to a new task/project,
I switch completely.
Multitasking isn’t needed for success
but do learn how to manage multiple projects.