Why is it that multi-tasking is what everyone does but most don’t like delegating? I’d love to hear your opinion.

Let’s share some pros and cons for each.

Multi – Tasking

Pros:  You can get more than one thing done at the same time and it doesn’t take as long. For example, instead of reading a book you could listen to the audio edition while filing or doing chores.

Do one task that multiplies itself. For example, when you post on your blog, set it up to also post on Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks. You save time by posting once.

Cons: You may not be as focused if you’re doing more than one thing at a time. I met another writer who said she read one book while listening to another at the same time and got twice as many books read. I guess it worked for her, but my brain can only focus so much in one direction for best results.

Doing two or things at the same time can cost you in results. Is it your best work? Are these tasks things that can be done together and still accomplish your goal?

Delegating

Pros: You reach your goals and complete projects more quickly if you can delegate at least part of the work to another person.

When developing a new idea or plot line, two heads can be better than one.

Cons: It takes trust in someone else to do a task. Sometimes we don’t trust other people to do as well at the task as we think we can, so we don’t delegate and are crunched for time.

The person you delegated the work to didn’t do it in a timely fashion. You have to be clear when the deadline is for the delegated work.

Most of us do a combination of multi-tasking and delegating. Let me know what you think.