Friday, November 27, 2009

Multitasking - What is the limit?

My job as a software test lead requires me to multitask every day. I have to manage a team of testers, as well as perform as an individual contributor. At the same time I am working on more than one tasks, writing test case for one project, reviewing test cases for another project, testing for a third project. After my day in office ends, and I reach home, I am again multitasking. I am cleaning, I am cooking, I am feeding my dog, I am checking my mails, I am making sure that everybody in the house is comfortable. But the question that creeps up in my mind is, when I am doing all these tasks together, am I giving 100% to each of my task? Am I as good a manager as I am a tester? Or does the manager takes a step back when the tester wants to perform? When I am cooking a dish, is it my best effort? or it would have tasted better if I didn't have to wash the clothes in the washing machine at the same time?
I want to excel in everything I do. I want to make sure that people cannot point fingers at me. But when I am doing so many things in a day, I may not be focusing on one thing at a time, and mistakes are unavoidable. That worries me. This must be a problem faced by most working women who want to give same priority to their career and family. When my family needs me, I have to shift focus from job, I am afraid that my office considers it as a side effect of hiring a woman for the job. When I have a hectic day in office and do not have any energy left to do the household chores, my family might take it as negligence towards my duties. How do I maintain the balance?
I read an article in TOI which said "Today's woman: The multi-tasking genius". Is it really true? At most times I feel tremendous pressure to keep up with this statement. But at times, I want to shout and say, this is not true. I am not happy that I can multitask. But I have no other choice than to multitask. Shouldn't there be a limit?

2 comments:

  1. While all that is fair, I would expect the same work ethic from a female collegue, and if she is unable to do that, I would expect to move up quicker.

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  2. I didn't say that I don't want to do it. I feel it is not possible to achieve perfection in all of your tasks when you are multitasking. But that worries me since I want to deliver perfection always.

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