With how quickly the world of digital content production moves, it can be hard to keep up. Roles and needs within businesses are changing quickly, and consumers’ expectations are rising. For many content teams, multitasking may feel like a necessary evil to juggle competing priorities, such as strategy meetings, writing, editing, reviewing, and publishing, under tight deadlines. But while multitasking may seem like a time-saver, it often undermines the very productivity and quality it aims to achieve.
In this article, we’ll explore the types of multitasking that we often see in content workflows, plus why they happen and what makes them counterproductive. We’ll also provide practical solutions to help content teams avoid multitasking, which can help improve editorial efficiency and boost overall content team productivity.
Content professionals often multitask in ways that fragment their focus and slow down progress. Here are some of the most common examples:
Often, these multitasking patterns are unintentional. They typically arise due to resource constraints, a lack of clearly defined roles, or an “all-hands-on-deck” culture that prioritizes speed over precision and encourages people to jump in and work on various tasks whenever necessary.
Although multitasking may seem productive – many hands make the load light, right? – it often leads to context switching. This is a process in which the brain shifts attention between different types of tasks. Each switch incurs a mental cost. According to research by the American Psychological Association, switching between tasks can reduce productivity by up to 40%. In content workflows, that translates to missed deadlines, sloppy copy, and burnout.
When processes are disjointed and unorganized, it reflects in the content. Writers who self-edit or manage feedback can struggle to view their work objectively. Content pieces that get stuck in a loop of feedback rounds get overworked, while other pieces end up neglected.
Imagine a group of people working to clean the kitchen after having dinner together. If each person is bringing plates to the sink, cleaning dishes, putting food away, and wiping the counters, the whole scene might become a little chaotic as people get in each other’s way. Now, imagine one person clears the dishes from the table, another washes them, a third puts things away, and a fourth wipes the counters. Each person focuses on one task, and they complete the job more efficiently.
Many may consider multitasking a skill, but that doesn’t make it a strength. When in-house teams expect writers to also handle editing, the productivity loss is measurable:
By overloading in-house staff, businesses risk weakening their editorial efficiency and ultimately compromising content quality.
Avoiding multitasking doesn’t mean slowing down your team. It means working smarter. Here are some proven solutions to boost content team productivity:
Every content team should have clearly defined roles that align with members’ skill sets:
When team members focus on their role, they can really perfect their craft. This leads to greater content efficiency and higher content quality.
Feedback rounds typically involve multiple stakeholders – such as editors, subject matter experts (SMEs), marketing leads, or clients – who provide input on the clarity, tone, accuracy, brand alignment, and strategic goals of draft materials before final approval. Without a clear structure, feedback can become chaotic and open-ended, which disrupts workflows and leads to multitasking and delays.
To prevent team members from juggling multiple tasks and constantly context-switching, content leads should:
A style guide is a detailed document with guidelines and rules for all the content your business produces. It includes editorial preferences for spelling, word choice, punctuation, grammar, dialect, tone, and voice. It may also detail visual elements, formatting, examples of dos and don’ts, and guideline variations within types of content (e.g., internal emails vs. social media posts). When implementing a style guide:
Outsourcing editing to a trusted partner is one of the most effective ways to reduce multitasking and accelerate timelines. A skilled outsourced editor can work independently from the in-house team and offer deep editorial expertise with a faster turnaround time. Benefits of working with a professional editorial agency include:
This strategy frees internal talent to focus on high-value work.
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While some level of self-editing is inevitable, writers shouldn’t be their own final editors. Here’s why:
The separation of writing from editing ensures each step receives the attention and objectivity it needs so that your brand’s content is top-tier.
The temptation to multitask is real. It may seem like an easy shortcut, but it’s actually a detour. To drive true editorial efficiency and productivity, content teams should avoid multitasking and adopt a role-based workflow model.
Define clear responsibilities within your content team, and don’t assign team members to step outside of their lane to help with additional tasks (within reason, of course). Make sure the content production and review processes follow an organized structure so that pieces don’t get stuck in one phase. And consider working with an outsourced editing team. With Proofed for Business, you’ll have access to a specialized team of editors who will take that one very important task off your hands. Schedule a call today to see how we can help you streamline and enhance your content production.
While multitasking may seem like a strength on the surface, it’s typically a weakness for content teams. Switching between tasks dilutes focus and leads to context switching, which slows down output and increases the likelihood of errors. Over time, multitasking undermines both the quality and efficiency of content production. This creates bottlenecks and burnout rather than streamlining workflows.
Editorial work requires deep concentration and distinct cognitive modes, such as creative thinking for writing and analytical scrutiny for editing. When content professionals have to jump between these tasks, their productivity drops, and content quality often suffers. Focusing on one task at a time ensures better outcomes and a healthier, more efficient team.
Specialized roles allow each team member to work within their zone of expertise, which improves accuracy, speed, and consistency. Writers can focus on storytelling, research, and message development. Editors can concentrate on structure, tone, consistency, and clarity. Project managers can oversee timelines and coordinate feedback rounds. This role-based approach boosts content team productivity and allows for a smoother content workflow from start to finish.
Additionally, when team members aren’t distracted by unrelated responsibilities, they’re more engaged and less prone to errors. Specialized roles support accountability and streamline handoffs, which leads to more predictable delivery schedules and higher-quality content overall.
Yes, hiring an editing agency can actually save money over time – especially when compared to the hidden costs of in-house inefficiencies. A professional editing agency offers speed, consistency, scalability, and expertise that can help prevent expensive mistakes and accelerate content production. Proofed for Business also applies a thorough quality review process, so you can reduce feedback rounds and revisions on your end.
Outsourcing also eliminates the need to recruit, hire, train, and retain full-time editorial staff – an expensive and time-consuming process. Agencies can scale their support up or down as needed, which makes them a flexible, cost-effective solution for both high-volume publishing cycles and one-off campaigns.
Writers should not be the sole editors of their own work. While it’s inevitable for writers to perform light self-editing to polish a draft, a fresh set of eyes should always handle final editing. Often, writers are too close to their content and may overlook structural flaws or inconsistencies simply because they know what they meant to say. They should also dedicate their time to creating content and honing their skills.
Having an in-house editor or a professional outsourced editor ensures objectivity, improves clarity, and maintains your brand voice across assets. Separating writing and editing tasks is essential for strong editorial efficiency and overall content quality.
Pros: Freelance editors can offer flexible, affordable, and expert support when you need extra bandwidth or specialized skills. They’re particularly useful for small teams that lack in-house editing resources or for handling overflow during peak production periods. Freelancers often have diverse experience and can bring new perspectives and best practices to your editorial process.
Cons: Freelance editors may not be available on short notice or may juggle multiple clients, which can affect turnaround times and consistency. Managing freelancers requires oversight to ensure quality control, which includes adherence to your style guide and alignment with your content workflows. For ongoing, large-scale editing needs, a managed editing team or editorial agency may offer more reliability and structure.
With Proofed for Business, you get the best of both worlds: a managed team of freelance editors based around the world and available around the clock.
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