One of my office managers was superb at her role but had one hang-up; she enforced on staff a regime of doing one thing at a time. If she saw someone in the office simultaneously typing and answering the phone, she would take control, perhaps by taking over the phone call, much to the staff member’s irritation. It has application for any email marketing office.

She was of the opinion, and could quote research documents to prove, that, counterintuitively, multitasking reduces productivity as the overwhelming majority of people could only concentrate on one cognitive task at a time. I formed the opinion that she was right, and not only because she could be quite intimidating at times.

If you think my office manager might have a point, then try her methods for your next email marketing campaign. Treat it not as one big task, but a series of smaller ones. Concentrate on each in turn, and by concentrate I mean there should be no distractions, not even music playing in the background. Once one task is completed, move onto the next.

It is probable that marketing generally, and email marketing in particular, will come under pressure over the next, hopefully few, months with all the changes brought on by Brexit and the financial implications of the response to Covid-19. Taken in their entirety, they could seem overwhelming. It is likely that a number of required changes will be revealed at the same time and the temptation to throw up your hands will be equally overwhelming.

Divide your big problem into individual smaller ones and concentrate on each in turn. Small problems can normally be resolved in short time but if there is one which you feel you can’t solve, then put it to one side, not only on your desk but in your mind as well, and move on to the next. When you return to it, it will seem smaller.

Multitasking is, it was proven to me, a sign of poor time management. Splitting a problem is a way of ensuring you make good use of time and your problem-solving skills.