This is Steveer Robbins. Welcome to the get it done guys quick and dirty tips to work less and do more.

Managing a project can be enough of a challenge, but what do you do when you have to manage two projects at the same time?

Listener Don wrote in,

Hi, Steveer. I've recently been promoted to team lead at my call center job.

They made me the leader of two teams that work on completely different projects.

How can I organize my to-do list and time management to make sure both teams get what they need?

Ah, Don, welcome to the 21st century.

Juggling a dozen of things at once is just what we do.

Unfortunately, our brains weren't really built for that.

So today, let's explore

how to juggle. You didn't say what your call-centered teams were in charge of, so common sense

suggests that one team is doing outbound telemarketing for Grandma Cuddle's Daycare Center,

while the other is taking inbound orders for Audrey II plant food. Most owners just don't have

the stomach to do the dirty work when it comes

to satisfy the desires of carnivorous plants. The problem is thrashing. Juggling multiple projects

is hard because of thrashing. You start designing a script extolling the virtues of Grandma Cuddle's

daycare. You're brainstorming a synonym for cattle prod, but you can't focus. The whole time

your brain is worrying about Audrey II food inventory levels. And then, when you concentrate on Audrey II inventory, your brain

worries about cuddles filling her classes. She gets angry if classes aren't filled to capacity,

and she's not cuddly when she's angry. You can't bring your full brain power to bear on

either team because you're trying to do both at once.

But paradoxically, you can manage both at once by creating a clean separation between the two.

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