Someone walking for exercise is not letting their mind get the health benefit if they are typing feverishly on a blackberry. Similarly, one cannot possibly drive safely if one hand is driving and operating the turn signal and attention is spent on the phone conversation versus what is taking place on the road.

At work, many people may try to manage every detail of every project but multitasking jeopardizes that, too. Our minds were not built to take in and spit out this much information in such quick spurts. It’s imperative that we learn how to focus on one thing at time so that each project gets its deserved attention. Just because we can do a million things at once, does not mean we should.

Multitasking and over-scheduling go hand-in-hand in sabotaging an individual’s focus and energy. People work best if they work on one task through completion instead of juggling many things at once. Nobody truly enjoys chaos. Even if you are not the most organized person in the world, there are tricks that can be used to help you manage your work day, your personal life and more.

One thing at a time:

Forward Your Phone - Let your voice mail serve as a personal assistant taking messages for you. Personalize your voice mail to explain that you are in the office today but busy with a project and unless it’s urgent, you’ll get back to them in a couple of hours. Provide instructions on what to do if it is urgent. If it’s internal, you can suggest they swing by your office. If it’s external, perhaps they are given permission to call your mobile or pager.

Setting this up in advance will allow you to concentrate on what you are working on without the interruptions which are, majority of the time, non-urgent. Consider this strategy for the other ways you are reachable like instant messaging. Utilize the status options so that it can alert co-workers and clients where you are, when you’ll be available to speak or when you plan to get back to them. You have the power to do things differently and to share this knowledge and know-how with those around you. Before you know it, you’ll find you’ve successfully unearthed the “organized you!”

Turn Off Your Email - We’ve all been there. Your inbox is completely empty, you step away for lunch and there are 50 plus new emails (many as reply-all conversations that you do not necessarily need or want to be on). Reading and answering emails all day long is a part of multitasking. Instead of inviting the constant interruption, block out an hour or two per day to plow through the list. Plan it when you can devote attention to it.

If the thought of not checking emails sends shivers down our spine, consider email management a project to tackle sooner versus later. For example, unsubscribe to e-mails that offer no value to you. If you are spending too much time deleting emails that you no longer read, it’s time for a clean sweep. Log out of your email so that you are not distracted by new message alerts. Use your out-of-office alert to communicate when you’ll be free to respond as well as how to find you if this really is urgent and relevant to the project you are currently working on.

Tune Out - Whether you are sharing an office space with others or working alone, it’s important to find a way to turn off the outside noises and distractions so you and plow through your work pile. Project managers are natural problem solvers so if a nearby conversation warrants a solution, chances are you are going to stop what you are doing to help others with their challenges. Outside noises can also disrupt your concentration. A car honking outside or a dog barking can all alter your thought process if you are not accustomed to tuning things out.

One great solution to quieting your environment as well as your mind is to listen to low frequency music which will enable you to be in a state of relaxed focus and your most productive. To be in a state of relaxed focus, your brain waves need to be operating between 12Hz and 20Hz frequency. Below 12Hz frequency is associated with very relaxed states of consciousness and sleep. Above 20Hz frequency is associated with increased stress and anxiety. It is easy to get your brain state above 20Hz: one cup of coffee will do it for most people as will trying to do multiple activities simultaneously.

A simple rule of thumb is that classical music is good for creating an environment of relaxed focus whereas fast beating heavy metal rock or rap music creates an environment where it is difficult to focus. You can get a small stereo system or even an iPod with a little speaker system with classical music to put your sound space into a relaxed focus mode. The website www.bwgen.com even has sound wave files you can download that will more narrowly entrain your brain waves―but you have to listen to those on ear phones and they are not good for getting a whole group into a state of relaxed focus.

The Task at Hand - I have found that you can in fact get your projects done faster (and better) if you commit yourself to one task at a time, focus on it intently for a short duration (two to four hours) with the intention of finishing it. After all, your main goal is to manage projects on time, in budget that meet your customers’ needs. You cannot do that if you are in two places at once.

Maintain a state of relaxed focus and pay close attention to how you are scheduling your day and consciously creating your environment. You’ll finish the race faster if you take it one step at a time.

Michelle LaBrosse is the founder Cheetah Learning and an international expert on accelerated learning and project management. In 2006, The Project Management Institute selected Michelle as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in project management in the World, and only one of two women selected from the training and education industry.