We’ve all heard the phrases “little and often” and “bite-size chunks” and many of us understand the importance of breaking thing down into smaller pieces to make the information or the task easier to do and/or understand. But when it comes to your business, do you work on one project at a time, or alternate between a few?

If you are a starter-finisher and prefer to work on one project until it is completed, then this is probably not for you. But if you like the variety of working on different tasks, then I think it’s time you embraced the art of nibbling.

Nibbling is not to be confused with multi-tasking or continuous snacking. It is simply working on multiple projects or tasks over time, but not all at once. For example, you may start some client work, reach a logical point to stop and then pick another project for another client and work on that for a while.

There are many advantages of working on multiple projects at once. In my opinion, the main one is that by nibbling away at multiple tasks you will be able to progress each one and be able to give accurate timings for completion. Furthermore, you will avoid the element of surprise, keep fresh and focused and give yourself an opportunity to step away from something if you are struggling with it. You can then return to it with a fresh pair of eyes or some new ideas.

Nibbling does not mean you should simply flit like a butterfly every five minutes from one job to the next – this clearly isn’t a sensible use of your time. But by selecting a logical break in a project, perhaps when you’re struggling to progress something effectively, and switching to a different task can work very well.

I like to think of myself of as frequent nibbler. It certainly works well for both client projects and internal tasks. And I believe this is one of the reasons for Pixooma’s consistently high-quality and responsive service, which is a recurring feature of our Google reviews.