Multitasking and the Social Worker

An essential part of being a social worker is multitasking.  You are expected to juggle phone calls, emails, meetings, home visits and surprise visits to the office all with ease and grace.  You are not supposed to show frustration or tiredness for trying to keep up with the relentless pace.

Oftentimes you are supposed to keep about twenty things floating around in your head at once and if you forget a deadline, don't worry, someone will IMMEDIATELY remind you.  And believe me, your work ethic, professionalism and commitment to the job will be questioned if multitasking efficiently is not your strong suit.  Since overall: absent minded people need not apply in the field of frontline social work.

Everyone quickly develops their own system to multitask including creating reminders on your computer, writing to do lists and so on.  Once you have a system that works for you and that you are comfortable with DO NOT let others change your system because it's different from theirs.  As long as you are able to get your work done in a timely fashion stick to it.  I have seen some social workers comfortable with a ton of papers on their desk while others have them all neatly filled.

Multitasking also includes trying to schedule breaks in between meetings with clients so that you have time to check messages and handle any paperwork that needs to get done.  When you first arrive at the office, prioritise what is most important to complete that day and get those done first thing as it is inevitable that emergencies will come up during the day and derail your perfectly planned schedule.

The worst thing about multitasking is if your supervisor says you MUST attend a certain meeting, or get a report done RIGHT AWAY when you had other things scheduled.  If you honestly do not believe you can fit everything in as a result without losing your sanity then reschedule less important meetings.  It is ok and you should not feel bad about not being superwoman/superman.  It is better to have breaks during the day where you can actually breathe and think then to rush from one thing to another and appear like a chicken with it's head cut off!

And sometimes multitasking just does not work.  You may need a paper day and it is perfectly alright to let the non-emergency emails and phone calls slide.  And if someone truly needs to get a hold of you because of a pressing emergency then they will find you.  Remember, when you set boundaries for yourself regarding your time and what you can handle, not only will your coworkers respect you more, but so will your clients.