Transitions (from one task to another)

Transitions – the ability to stop one task and start another task
If you think transitions are a challenge for you, then it’s time to put on the detective hat and ask some deep and specific questions to achieve resolution.

Are you having trouble stopping the task you are currently working?

Are you having trouble putting away the items in an organized fashion?

Can you find the items you were recently working with when called to do so?

Is your desk cleared and organized enough to work effectively?

Do you notice the time that has elapsed while working on a project? Can you break away if needed?

Have you decided when to stop the project (before beginning each work session)?
Is it that you have trouble starting the next task? Is this unique or always a challenge to start the next task?

Are you overwhelmed with starting the next task, after clearing your desk from the original task?

Do you have trouble transitioning from one project to another of the same type, or is it to projects of a different type?

Planning will help to execute your projects and maintain transitions. You may notice that you don’t decide before starting a project the duration of time you will commit to working on the project. One solution may be a timer to help to queue the brain that the time allotment for this phase of the project is coming to an end. You can set the timer for 15 minutes prior to ending the project for the day; this will allow the brain to start winding down. You can begin to clear your head, make notes on where you are in the project and put it away for another day. Next you can allow yourself 15 – 20 minutes to move, walk around, go get the mail, grab something to eat and get ready for the next task at hand. Often the brain requires some time between one task to another. This time can also be spent with some quick movement of the body…pushups, sit-ups, jumping, skipping… Sometimes music helps or some breath exercises or just a few examples.

Here is a story that illustrates some points: This weekend, one of my “Life Make – Over Clients go together. We cleaned her garage. This was a large task that she and I undertook in the summer heat. We decided before going out to the garage that we would spend one hour on the project before transitioning into a break. We decided our total time today would be two hours of work and then we were done. We set the alarm on her cell phone for 60 minutes and started in one corner. When the alarm went off, we transitioned into break and lunch. After cooling down for two hours, we were able to transition back into work mode and spend another hour cleaning and organizing. At the end of this time, the project was completed and we worked within our time constraints. We were able to start the project with specific time set, we took breaks to clear our minds and nourish our bodies, we cleaned up the tools we used and completed the projected within the specified time frame. If we hadn’t completed the project after our time limit of two hours, we would have put away the tools and set another date to complete the project. The key here wasn’t to complete the project, it was to get started, transition to a break, stop at the allotted time and know that progress was made.

Your first line of detective work is to notice where the problem begins, realizing it could be at more than one point in a project. When thinking about transitions it’s finding out about your work habits and where the bottlenecks in the processes lie. Once you find the bottleneck, you will be on your way to discovering strategies and solutions.