Today’s employees are under more stress than ever before. A recent Harris Interactive poll found that one-third of workers ages 25 to 39 feel burned out by their jobs. Additionally, doctors are seeing more stress-related illnesses than ever before, including anxiety, depression, insomnia, adult ADHD, backache, and migraines. In fact, primary care physicians report that between 70% and 90% of patient office visits are precipitated by underlying emotional stress.

So what is causing all of this turmoil? Over the past 10 years businesses have become lean, mean machines by reducing personnel and increasing the workload on those who remain on the job. An increased workload forces the worker into multitasking, which may be effective for a short period of time, but over the long term, causes excessive stress.

In the business world, multitasking is a must-have skill for any employee, yet most workers feel they are being asked to do too many tasks. Why do we see this disconnect between the workday realities and the workers’ perception? Because people have never learned exactly how to multitask. That’s right, multitasking is a learned skill. By learning how to multitask efficiently, you can dramatically reduce your workday stress, increase your productivity, and enjoy your work once again.

The Keys to Multitasking Success
Contrary to popular belief, multitasking is not about “piling on the work” to the point of exhaustion. It’s about training the brain to channel energy in an efficient and effective manner so you can accomplish more in less time. And believe it or not, one of the hallmarks of learning to multitask is to actually slow down to accomplish more.

Following are some techniques that will help you mentally slow down so you can finally learn how to multitask and master this essential business skill.

Practice how to multitask
Whether you’re learning how to play the piano, use a computer program, or multitask, practice is essential to mastering the skill. Why? Because practice makes something seem routine, and when something is routine, it’s no longer stressful. Look at all the things you do in a day. Pick a few routine tasks to start with. As you master doing multiple routine things, then move on to slightly more difficult tasks. Gradually work up to the number of tasks you normally do.

During this process, remember that learning takes time. Very often people jump into a new role or responsibility without gradually gearing up their workload. Then they wonder why they feel stressed and can’t multitask effectively. So if you want to do all the things you do each day in a more efficient manner with less stress, take a step back and teach your body and mind how to work up to the productivity level you desire.

Know when a task requires undivided attention
Switching brain channels (focus) repeatedly actually reduces your memory recall. Think of your brain as a computer. If you are working within multiple programs and have numerous windows open on your screen so you can quickly jump from program to program, you may find that your computer has a higher tendency of locking up. That is, when you have fifteen windows open at once on your computer, and you attempt to pull up your word processing document, it’s not uncommon for your computer to run slowly or to totally freeze up, often causing you to lose all the data since your last “save.”

The same thing happens in your brain. When you’re performing multiple tasks that require your undivided attention, your brain gets overloaded, as it can only process information from one channel at a time. Therefore, do not multitask if the assignment requires your full attention. Once that urgent or detailed task is complete, then you can go back to doing the other tasks you normally do. This step will save you lots of rework, as you’re more prone to make mistakes when your brain is overloaded.

Use a tool to help you multitask
To avoid taxing your brain, write down items you can refer to quickly. For example, if you have a list of items you need to refer to often (such as pricing or shipping information or keyboard shortcuts) put the list next to your phone or computer for quick access. Not only will others think you are brilliant because of your amazing ability to rattle off information, but you won’t have to waste brain energy on such mundane information.

Allow your mind to reboot
Shift multitasking to single tasking throughout the day to allow your mind to reboot. The human brain uses more energy than any other part of the body. As such, it needs constant replenishment. Rest is one of the key components to increasing personal energy and productivity. So every two to three hours, stop multitasking and allow yourself to do just one thing for fifteen to twenty minutes. At the end of this rest period, you’ll feel refreshed, alert, and ready to tackle more tasks—and you’ll do so with fewer mistakes than if you plowed through your tasks without this re-boot period.

Take a brain break
Most employers offer their full-time staff a lunch break and two fifteen minute breaks throughout the day. Do you take yours? Most people do not, and as such, they’re not giving their mind a true break from the stresses of the day. Use break time to walk around the building, sit outside, or just close your eyes and meditate. Do whatever you like during these fifteen minutes to clear your head and give your brain a rest. If you really can’t afford a fifteen-minute break in your day, then turn off your mind as you walk to the water cooler or restroom. Give your mind some kind of total break from the workday tasks. To function at peak levels on a consistent basis, regular breaks are essential.

Do More with Less Stress
Multitasking is a part of our world. If you want to succeed, you need to learn how to multitask so it doesn’t overwhelm you and cause unnecessary stress. By simply slowing down and working up to the performance level you desire, you can multitask effectively and increase productivity. Simply put, learning how to maintain your highest level of mental functioning is your key to multitasking success.

credit: www.amanet.org

Sheryl Kara Sandberg was born in August 28, 1969 in Washington D.C, to a Jewish family. She is an American technology executive, activist, and author. She is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Facebook and founder of Leanin.org (also known as the Lean In Foundation). In June 2012, she was elected to the Board of Directors by the existing board members, thus becoming the first woman to serve on Facebook’s board. Before she joined Facebook as its COO, Sandberg was Vice President of global online sales and operations at Google, and was involved in launching Google’s philanthropic arm Google.org. Before Google, Sandberg served as Chief of Staff for United States Secretary of the Treasury Lawrence Summers.

Sheryl’s family moved to North Miami Beach, Florida, when she was 2 years old. She attended North Miami Beach High School, where she was “always at the top of her class”, and graduated ninth in her class with a 4.646 grade point average. She was sophomore class president, became a member of the National Honor Society, and was on the senior class executive board. She taught aerobics in the 1980s while in high school.

In 1987, Sandberg enrolled at Harvard College. She graduated in 1991 summa cum laude Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor’s degree in economics and was awarded the John H. Williams Prize for the top graduating student in economics. While at Harvard, she co-founded an organization called Women in Economics and Government. She met then-professor Larry Summers, who became her mentor and thesis adviser. Summers recruited her to be his research assistant at the World Bank where she worked for approximately one year on health projects in India dealing with leprosy, AIDS, and blindness.

In 1993, she enrolled at Harvard Business School and in 1995 she earned her MBA with highest distinction. In her first year of business school, she earned a fellowship.

In 2012, she was named in the Time 100, an annual list of the 100 Most Influential People In The World according to Time magazine. As of June 2015, Sandberg is reported to be worth over US$1 billion, due to her stock holdings in Facebook and other companies.

After graduating from business school in the spring of 1995, Sandberg worked as a Management Consultant for McKinsey & Company for approximately one year (1995-1996). From 1996 to 2001 she again worked for Larry Summers, who was then serving as the United States Secretary of the Treasury under President Bill Clinton. Sandberg assisted in the Treasury’s work on forgiving debt in the developing world during the Asian financial crisis.

When the Republicans gained the US Presidency in November 2000, Sandberg left her job. She then moved to Silicon Valley in 2001 and joined Google Inc., serving as its Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations from November 2001 to March 2008. She was responsible for online sales of Google’s advertising and publishing products as well as for sales operations of Google’s consumer products and Google Book Search.

In late 2007, Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and chief executive of Facebook, met Sandberg at a Christmas party held by Dan Rosensweig. Zuckerberg had no formal search for a COO, but thought of Sandberg as “a perfect fit” for this role. In March 2008, Facebook announced hiring Sandberg away from Google for the role of COO.

After joining the company, Sandberg quickly began trying to figure out how to make Facebook profitable. Before she joined, the company was “primarily interested in building a really cool site; profits, they assumed, would follow.” By late spring, Facebook’s leadership had agreed to rely on advertising, “with the ads discreetly presented”; by 2010, Facebook became profitable. According to Facebook, she oversees the firm’s business operations including sales, marketing, business development, human resources, public policy, and communications.

In 2012 she became the eighth member (and the first woman) of Facebook’s board of directors.

In April 2014, it was reported that Sandberg had sold over half of her shares in Facebook since the company went public. At the time of Facebook’s IPO she held approximately 41 million shares in the company; after several rounds of sales she is left with around 17.2 million shares, a 0.5% stake in the company, worth about $1 billion.

In 2009 Sandberg was named to the board of The Walt Disney Company. She also serves on the boards of Women for Women International, the Center for Global Development and V-Day. She was previously a board member of Starbucks with a $280,000 annual salary, Brookings Institution and Ad Council.

She released her first book, Lean In: Women, Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, co-authored by Nell Scovell and published by Knopf on March 11, 2013. It is about business leadership and development, issues with the lack of women in government and business leadership positions, and feminism. As of the fall of 2013, the book sold more than one million copies and was on top of the bestseller lists since its launch.

Sheryl Sandberg has been ranked one of the 50 “Most Powerful Women in Business” by Fortune Magazine:

On the list of 50 “Women to Watch” by The Wall Street Journal. Sandberg was named one of the “25 Most Influential People on the Web” by Business Week in 2009. She has been listed as one of the world’s 100 most powerful women by Forbes. In 2014, Sandberg was listed as ninth, just behind Michelle Obama.

In 2012, Newsweek and The Daily Beast released their first “Digital Power Index”, a list of the 100 most significant people in the digital world that year (plus 10 additional “Lifetime Achievement” winners), and she was ranked #3 in the “Evangelists” category.

In 2012, she was named in Time 100, an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world assembled by Times.

Her book, Lean In was shortlisted for the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award(2013).