Did you know that multitasking in the workplace results in $450 billion in lost productivity time each year? Research has shown that focusing on one task at a time is better for efficiency, but multitasking is sometimes unavoidable. If you’re running behind and have to combine tasks, Emily Balcetis, an associate professor in the New York University psychology department has four tips to help you multitask more effectively.

1. Use stress as an asset: Low-stress levels can actually help with cognitive function. Multitasking under pressure prompts our bodies to produce hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline which boost focus.
2. Multitasking and expertise go together: The more experience you have with a task, the better you are able to multitask while you do it. A study by Spanish neuroscientists discovered that the Brazilian soccer player Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior showed more efficient brain activity when multitasking in the sport compared to less skilled players. The takeaway? If you’re going to multitask, do it with activities you’re familiar with and proficient in.
3. Don’t multitask when tackling something new: This goes with the previous tip. If you’re learning something new, devote all your focus to it to truly master it.
4. Catch yourself abandoning tasks. We are often forced to multitask because we are making up for responsibilities we let slide the day or hour before. If you start a project, try to finish it completely before you move on to the next thing to limit the amount of multitasking you are forced to take on. 

Maybe you have two work projects going on simultaneously or you just have to cook dinner and help your child with their homework at the same time. Whatever your reason for multitasking, make use of these tips to help you do so more effectively!