Categories
Tips

Tips for maximising productivity during the workday

In today’s fast-paced work environment, maximising productivity during the workday is essential for success. However, with constant distractions and competing demands, it can be challenging to stay focused and productive. In this post, we’ll discuss some tips for maximising productivity during the workday.

  1. Start with a plan One of the best ways to maximise productivity during the workday is to start with a plan. Before you begin your day, take a few minutes to review your schedule, prioritise your tasks, and create a to-do list. This will help you to stay focused and ensure that you’re working on the most important tasks first.
  2. Set specific goals In addition to creating a to-do list, setting specific goals for the day can also help to maximise productivity. Make sure that your goals are measurable, achievable, and relevant to your overall objectives. This will help you to stay motivated and focused throughout the day.
  3. Minimise distractions Distractions are one of the biggest barriers to productivity during the workday. To minimise distractions, turn off your phone, close your email inbox, and avoid social media and other non-work-related websites. If you work in an open office environment, consider using noise-canceling headphones to block out noise and stay focused.
  4. Take breaks While it may seem counterintuitive, taking breaks throughout the workday can actually help to increase productivity. Taking short breaks every hour or so can help to reduce fatigue, improve focus, and prevent burnout. During your breaks, take a walk, stretch, or engage in another activity that helps you to relax and recharge.
  5. Prioritise your most important tasks It’s easy to get bogged down in low-priority tasks and spend too much time on them, which can leave less time for the most important tasks. To avoid this, prioritise your most important tasks and work on them first. This will help you to stay focused and ensure that you’re making progress on the most critical projects.
  6. Use the right tools Using the right tools and software can also help to maximise productivity during the workday. For example, using a task management tool like Trello or Asana can help you to stay organised and on track with your goals. Similarly, using software that automates repetitive tasks can help to save time and increase efficiency.
  7. Manage your time effectively Effective time management is essential for maximising productivity during the workday. Set specific time limits for tasks, and try to avoid multitasking, which can actually decrease productivity. Additionally, consider using the Pomodoro Technique, which involves working for 25 minutes and then taking a 5-minute break, to stay focused and maximise productivity.
  8. Stay organised Staying organised is another important aspect of maximising productivity during the workday. Keep your workspace clean and clutter-free, and make sure that everything you need is within reach. Additionally, organise your files and documents in a way that makes it easy to find what you need quickly.
  9. Get enough sleep Finally, getting enough sleep is essential for maximising productivity during the workday. Lack of sleep can lead to decreased focus, fatigue, and decreased productivity. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep per night to ensure that you’re well-rested and ready to tackle the day ahead.

In conclusion, maximising productivity during the workday requires careful planning, effective time management, and a focus on minimising distractions. By starting with a plan, setting specific goals, minimising distractions, taking breaks, prioritising your most important tasks, using the right tools, managing your time effectively, staying organised, and getting enough sleep, you can maximise your productivity and achieve your goals. Remember to be patient with yourself and don’t expect to see results overnight. It takes time and effort to develop effective productivity habits,

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Psychology

Multitasking Myths: Why Focusing on One Task at a Time is More Efficient

In today’s fast-paced world, we are constantly bombarded with information, tasks, and expectations. To cope with the demands of our personal and professional lives, many people resort to multitasking, believing that it’s the ultimate solution to improve productivity and efficiency. However, numerous studies and research have shown that multitasking can actually hinder our ability to focus and complete tasks effectively. In this blog post, we will debunk the myths surrounding multitasking and discuss why focusing on one task at a time is more efficient.

Myth 1: Multitasking Leads to Increased Productivity

One of the most common misconceptions about multitasking is that it increases productivity. The idea is that by working on multiple tasks simultaneously, we can accomplish more in the same amount of time. However, research shows that our brains are not designed to handle multiple tasks at once, and multitasking can lead to a decrease in overall productivity.

When we switch between tasks, our brain experiences what is known as “attention residue.” This means that a portion of our attention remains on the previous task even as we move on to the next one, reducing our cognitive capacity for the new task. This constant switching between tasks can lead to more errors, slower completion times, and increased stress.

Myth 2: Some People Are Natural Multitaskers

Many people believe that they are natural multitaskers and can handle multiple tasks at once with ease. However, studies show that only around 2% of the population can truly multitask effectively. These individuals, known as “supertaskers,” have a unique ability to process information from multiple sources without a decline in performance. For the rest of us, attempting to multitask only leads to decreased efficiency and increased stress.

Myth 3: Multitasking is the Only Way to Keep Up in Today’s Busy World

With the constant stream of information and tasks in modern life, it’s easy to feel like multitasking is the only way to keep up. However, the reality is that focusing on one task at a time can actually lead to better results, higher productivity, and lower stress levels. By prioritizing tasks and concentrating on each one individually, we can improve the quality of our work, reduce mistakes, and finish tasks more quickly.

The Benefits of Focusing on One Task at a Time

  1. Improved Focus and Concentration

When we focus on a single task, our brain can fully engage in the process, leading to higher levels of concentration and better overall performance. This deep focus allows us to think more creatively, solve problems more effectively, and complete tasks more efficiently.

  1. Increased Productivity

Focusing on one task at a time allows us to complete tasks more quickly and with fewer errors, as our brain isn’t constantly switching between tasks and trying to juggle multiple sources of information. This can lead to increased productivity, as we’re able to accomplish more in the same amount of time.

  1. Reduced Stress

Multitasking can lead to increased stress levels, as our brain struggles to keep up with the demands of multiple tasks. By concentrating on one task at a time, we can reduce the cognitive load on our brain, leading to lower stress levels and a more enjoyable work experience.

  1. Better Work Quality

By dedicating our full attention to a single task, we can ensure that the quality of our work is higher. This is because we’re able to catch errors and make improvements more easily when our brain isn’t divided between multiple tasks.

Tips for Focusing on One Task at a Time

  1. Prioritize Your Tasks

Create a list of tasks you need to complete and prioritize them based on importance and deadline. This will help you identify which tasks require your immediate attention and which can be scheduled for later. By focusing on your most important tasks first, you’ll make the most efficient use of your time and energy.

  1. Eliminate Distractions

Find a quiet, comfortable workspace where you can minimize distractions. Turn off notifications on your devices, close unnecessary browser tabs, and consider using productivity tools like website blockers to help you stay focused. If possible, let others know you’re working on a specific task and ask them not to disturb you during that time.

  1. Set Specific Goals

Establish clear, specific goals for each task, including what you want to accomplish and by when. This will help you stay focused and motivated, making it easier to concentrate on one task at a time.

  1. Use Time Management Techniques

Consider using time management techniques like the Pomodoro Technique, which involves working on a task for a set period (usually 25 minutes) and then taking a short break. This can help you maintain focus and prevent burnout while working on a single task.

  1. Break Tasks into Smaller Steps

Break larger tasks into smaller, manageable steps. This can help you maintain focus and motivation by giving you a clear path forward and a sense of accomplishment as you complete each step.

  1. Delegate When Possible

If you have too much on your plate, consider delegating tasks to others when appropriate. This can free up your time to focus on the most important tasks that require your unique skills and expertise.

  1. Reflect and Adjust

Regularly assess your progress and make adjustments to your approach as needed. If you find that you’re still struggling to focus on one task at a time, consider trying different strategies or seeking advice from others who have successfully adopted this method.

Conclusion

Multitasking may seem like an efficient way to tackle the demands of today’s busy world, but in reality, it often leads to decreased productivity, increased stress, and lower-quality work. By debunking the myths surrounding multitasking and adopting a single-task focus, you can improve your concentration, productivity, and overall well-being. By prioritizing tasks, eliminating distractions, and using effective time management techniques, you can train yourself to focus on one task at a time and reap the benefits of increased efficiency and success.

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Tips

Strategies for managing meetings and conference calls

Meetings and conference calls are an essential part of business communication. However, they can also be a source of frustration and inefficiency if not managed properly. In this post, we’ll discuss some strategies for managing meetings and conference calls effectively.

  1. Set clear objectives
    The first step in managing a meeting or conference call is to set clear objectives. Before the meeting, define the purpose of the meeting and what you hope to achieve. This will help to keep the discussion on track and ensure that everyone is working towards the same goal.
  2. Create an agenda
    Once you have defined the objectives of the meeting, create an agenda that outlines the topics to be discussed and the amount of time allocated for each item. Share the agenda with participants before the meeting so that they know what to expect and can come prepared.
  3. Invite the right people
    Inviting the right people to the meeting or conference call is essential for its success. Make sure that you only invite those who are necessary for the discussion and decision-making process. Inviting too many people can lead to a lack of focus and increased inefficiency.
  4. Use technology
    When it comes to conference calls, technology can be your best friend. Use tools like video conferencing software, screen sharing, and chat functions to help participants stay engaged and on-task. Test the technology beforehand to ensure that there are no technical issues that could derail the meeting.
  5. Stick to the schedule
    One of the biggest challenges of managing meetings and conference calls is staying on schedule. Start and end the meeting on time and ensure that each topic is discussed within the allocated time. If there are items that cannot be discussed within the allotted time, schedule a follow-up meeting or assign someone to take ownership of the task.
  6. Encourage participation
    Encouraging participation from all participants can help to keep the discussion lively and engaging. Allow everyone to have their say, and make sure that everyone has an opportunity to contribute. If someone is not participating, try to draw them into the discussion by asking for their opinion or input.
  7. Keep the discussion focused
    It’s easy for meetings and conference calls to get derailed by off-topic discussions. To keep the discussion focused, politely steer the conversation back to the topic at hand if it strays off-topic. This will help to ensure that the meeting stays on track and that everyone is working towards the same objective.
  8. Summarize the key points
    At the end of the meeting, summarize the key points and any action items that were identified. This will help to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that there are no misunderstandings. Send out a follow-up email that includes the summary and any action items that were assigned to ensure that everyone knows what is expected of them.
  9. Evaluate the meeting
    After the meeting, take some time to evaluate its effectiveness. Ask yourself if the objectives were met, if the discussion was productive, and if the meeting was well-managed. Use this evaluation to improve future meetings and make them more efficient.

In conclusion, managing meetings and conference calls effectively requires careful planning, clear communication, and a focus on achieving objectives. By setting clear objectives, creating an agenda, inviting the right people, using technology, sticking to the schedule, encouraging participation, keeping the discussion focused, summarizing key points, and evaluating the meeting, you can ensure that your meetings and conference calls are productive, engaging, and efficient.

Categories
Psychology

Overcoming Procrastination

Procrastination is a common problem that affects many people, whether it’s in their personal or professional life. It’s the act of postponing tasks or delaying action, often due to feelings of anxiety or lack of motivation. The problem with procrastination is that it can lead to increased stress, decreased productivity, and a lower quality of work. However, there are strategies that you can use to overcome procrastination and start getting things done.

The first step in avoiding procrastination is to understand why you’re doing it. Are you feeling overwhelmed by the task at hand? Are you unsure of how to begin? Do you find the task boring or uninteresting? By identifying the root cause of your procrastination, you can start to develop strategies to overcome it.

One effective strategy is to break tasks down into smaller, manageable chunks. If a task feels too overwhelming, it can be difficult to know where to start. By breaking it down into smaller steps, you can begin to work on it one piece at a time. This can also help to make the task feel less daunting and more manageable.

Another strategy is to set specific, measurable goals. When you have a clear goal in mind, it’s easier to stay focused and motivated to complete the task. Additionally, setting a deadline for yourself can help to keep you on track. It’s important to be realistic when setting deadlines, as setting an unrealistic deadline can lead to increased stress and procrastination.

Another important strategy is to eliminate distractions. Whether it’s your phone, social media, or email notifications, distractions can make it difficult to focus on the task at hand. By eliminating distractions, you can increase your focus and productivity. You can try turning off your phone or using apps that block social media sites during specific times of the day.

It’s also important to manage your time effectively. By using a calendar or schedule, you can better plan your day and ensure that you’re using your time efficiently. Prioritizing tasks and focusing on the most important ones first can also help to increase productivity.

It’s also important to take care of yourself. Procrastination can often be a symptom of stress or burnout. By taking care of yourself, you can reduce stress and increase your motivation and focus. This can include getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and eating a healthy diet.

Finally, it’s important to remember that it’s okay to ask for help. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or uncertain about how to complete a task, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Whether it’s from a colleague or a mentor, asking for help can often lead to new ideas and perspectives that can help you to overcome procrastination.

In conclusion, procrastination can be a difficult problem to overcome, but by understanding the root cause of your procrastination, breaking down tasks into smaller steps, setting specific goals, eliminating distractions, managing your time effectively, taking care of yourself and asking for help when needed, you can start to overcome procrastination and increase your productivity. Remember to be patient with yourself and don’t expect to overcome procrastination overnight, it’s a process that requires effort and determination.

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People

Effective Delegation

Effective delegation is a critical skill for any leader or manager. It allows you to assign tasks and responsibilities to others, freeing up your own time and energy to focus on more important matters. However, delegation is not always easy, and it requires a certain level of trust and communication to be done effectively. In this blog post, we will discuss the basics of effective delegation, including the benefits and challenges, as well as some best practices for successful delegation.

The benefits of delegation are many. First, it allows you to focus on the most important tasks and responsibilities that only you can handle. Second, it allows you to leverage the skills and expertise of others, which can lead to greater efficiency and productivity. Third, it helps to develop the skills and capabilities of your team members, which can lead to a more engaged and motivated workforce.

However, delegation also comes with its own set of challenges. One of the biggest challenges is trust. As a leader or manager, you need to trust that the person you are delegating to will be able to complete the task or responsibility in a timely and effective manner. This can be difficult, especially if you are used to doing everything yourself. Another challenge is communication. You need to clearly communicate the task or responsibility, as well as any deadlines or expectations, to the person you are delegating to. Finally, you need to be willing to let go of control, which can be difficult for some people.

Despite these challenges, effective delegation is essential for any leader or manager. Here are some best practices for successful delegation:

  1. Clearly define the task or responsibility. Make sure that the person you are delegating to understands exactly what is expected of them, as well as any deadlines or expectations.
  2. Choose the right person for the task. Consider the skills and experience of the person you are delegating to, as well as their interests and motivations.
  3. Provide support and guidance. Be available to answer questions and provide guidance as needed, but also give the person you are delegating to the space and autonomy to complete the task.
  4. Check in regularly. Keep in touch with the person you are delegating to, and check in on their progress. This will allow you to address any issues or concerns that may arise.
  5. Provide feedback. Give feedback on the person’s performance, and help them to identify areas for improvement.
  6. Reward and recognize good work. Recognize and reward good work, it will increase the motivation and productivity of the person you delegated to.

In conclusion, effective delegation is a critical skill for any leader or manager. It allows you to assign tasks and responsibilities to others, freeing up your own time and energy to focus on more important matters. However, delegation is not always easy, and it requires a certain level of trust and communication to be done effectively. By following the best practices outlined in this blog post, you can ensure that your delegation is successful and helps to develop the skills and capabilities of your team members.

Categories
People

How to say “No”

One of the hardest things in time management is dealing with the demands on your time that come from others. Many people follow the pattern of saying yes to everything, becoming overwhelmed, then reacting angrily when people ask them to do more.

What follows is my take on the best way to say no, leaving you to focus on the most important things, without burning too many bridges or causing bad feeling.

The main reason you need to be able to say no to others is that your priorities will never perfectly match everyone else’s, and you will never be able to achieve your goals if you aren’t able to make time for your priorities. If you cannot say no, other people will govern your priorities forever.

Take responsibility

It is hard, but the first thing you must do is to take responsibility for managing your own time. Until you can do this, you will be at the mercy of others. Remember that you don’t have to say yes to anything.

I have often found it all too easy to fall into the trap of blaming a boss, clients, co-workers, or family members for my over-busy schedule. In reality, I need to accept that the reason I am too busy is because I have agreed to too much, either deliberately by saying yes to things, or passively by not having the courage to say no.

Know your workload

Knowing your own workload is the first step to being able to say no to requests. If you don’t know how your time is allocated then you won’t know what you are able to say ‘yes’ to.

You can do this by using a “points” system as described in a previous post, or with another time management system of your choosing.

Don’t commit without thinking

The right response when someone asks you to take on a non-trivial task is : “Let me take a look at it”. You first need to figure out how big a job this is before you can commit to a timescale. Too often it is tempting to simply say yes without properly reviewing your schedule and the size of the task. Don’t let others pressure you into a quick response!

Give the other person options

Rather than just saying ‘no’ straight out, it can be good to give the other person options. This works particularly well if the other person is your boss, and the majority of the tasks on your plate have been given to you by them. You can say “I’m really happy to take on task C, but which would you like me to stop working on, task A or B”. It may be that the other person simply doesn’t realise how much you have on, and what the implications will be of giving you more work.

Explain your reasons

Rather than just saying no you can explain why. For example you could say that you have certain deadlines to meet, and that you have carefully prioritised your work. If this person is your boss, you could give them options as described above, otherwise you can suggest that they speak to your boss to escalate the issue and have them make a priority call.

Instead of saying ‘no’ say ‘later’

One very simple way to deal with these issues is to simply schedule the work for a later date. Rather than refusing, simply tell the person that you can help them at a particular time and date. As long as you know your workload (see above) this should be straightforward. If you do this, be sure to keep your commitment, as this will build trust with the other person and give them confidence that they can rely on you when you promise to do work later on.

Use positive language

If you need to say no to someone, try to avoid framing it in a negative way, or implying that they are unreasonable for asking. They have a right to ask you to do something, and you always have a right to say no. Try and empathise with their need for whatever it is they are asking, remember they are probably under pressure as well, and use the strategies above to come to a positive solution that works for everyone.

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Reviews

Review – Freedom

For the last few days I have been trialing a service called Freedom (freedom.to) which blocks distracting apps and websites based on various criteria that you can configure yourself.

I used to use a similar tool called K9 Web Protection, which was intended for use as parental control software, but this was ultimately bought by Norton and shut down a couple of years ago.

Freedom works by creating “sessions”, which are periods of time in which distracting websites will be blocked. You set a time period in which you do not want to be distracted, pick a category of sites or apps you want to block, and click start.

The interface is very easy to use. You install the native application on every device you want to control, and then either start sessions in the app or through the web interface, where you can specify which devices you want the session to apply to.

Freedom comes with two built in block lists “All websites” and “Distracting websites”. You can edit these or create your own, either by category (e.g. sports, social media, news, etc) or by specific domains. You also have the option to whitelist certain sites, for example I block social media, but I whitelist Whatsapp.

Overall I think freedom is an excellent tool for blocking distractions. You do have the ability to end sessions and override the block (something you could stop in K9) so it still requires some willpower, but should be sufficient for most people. I can only speak for Windows/Android users as I have switched away from Apple devices in the past year, but I understand the iOS support is now good, and uses Apple’s network APIs to block URLs through a local VPN.

Categories
Tips

Top time hacks #1

This week I thought I’d put together a list of useful tips and hacks that have helped me make the most of my time. Of course, this isn’t just about getting the maximum amount of working time out of your day – the main objective here is to allow you to be as productive as possible while you’re working, so that you have more time for the things that are most important to you

Make calls while on the move

If you make a lot of phone calls as part of your work, consider making calls while you’re moving from place to place. There’s not much else you can do while walking or driving so this is a good opportunity to make use of otherwise dead time. Obviously it goes without saying that you should use a hands free device if you’re calling while driving, and should only do this if it is safe and legal to do so.

When I was running a covers band, if I had a long car journey I would queue up a list of agents to call in my phone and call them one by one over the course of the journey. I often had dozens of relatively short phone calls to make and this was a good way to get through them in a situation where I knew I would have privacy.

Utilise commuting time

Related to the above, but this is more if you’re using public transport. When I go into the office I normally spend about an hour each way on the train, time that in the past I would have spent scrolling social media. These days I normally get my laptop out and do an hour or so of work before I get in. The fact that there are fewer people trying to contact me at that time (and having no phone signal on the train) helps as well. Going in a bit earlier to make sure you get a seat is well worth it. At the very least, it’s a good chance to read or listen to something useful or uplifting.

Get an ad-blocker

Ad-blockers for your computer or phone are really useful for reducing wasted time from distractions. After all, the whole point of ads is to divert your attention. If you’re a little more technical, you can also use these browser plugins to block certain parts of web pages that aren’t necessarily ads, but that are still distracting. I use stackoverflow.com in my work as a software developer, and it’s really useful, but the sidebar on the right with “popular” or “related” articles is a perennial time drain, and so I’ve blocked it from ever appearing.

Unfortunately I haven’t found any really good mobile ad-blockers as iOS and Android make it pretty difficult or impossible for developers to create browser extensions, so you normally end up having to download a separate browser, which is often more hassle than it’s worth.

Distractions are a topic for a whole other post, but I’d highly recommend removing anything from your daily routine which diverts you into time wasting or just plain negative behaviour.

Know your personal peak times

I’m a morning person, and I am much more creative and productive in the morning than in the afternoon. I know that if I start work at 7:30 and finish at 5 then I’ll get a whole lot more done than if I start and 9:30 and finish at 7. For me, the morning has the added benefit that fewer people are online and I get fewer Slack and email messages before 9am, so not only am I at my most alert, I’m also at my least distracted. For me the afternoon is the worst time, so if at all possible I’ll try and get out to do a bit of exercise or schedule meetings during this time so that the interaction with others can keep me engaged.

Maybe for you the afternoon is where you do your best work, or the evening. It obviously depends on the nature of your work and family life, but try to tackle your toughest problems when you know you will be in your best mental state

Order things online

One thing that baffles me is that people still do grocery shopping in a large physical store, which usually involves driving there, pushing the trolley around looking for things, queuing, unloading the trolley, driving home, etc. You’re looking at a couple of hours of your life spent on doing something that would take 15 minutes if you did it online. The cost of delivery is usually between £1 and £4, which is more than outweighed by the time, effort and petrol of going to the shop yourself. The only genuine argument against that I’ve heard is that you can pick the specific fruit and veg that you want if you go to the shop yourself, but frankly this is almost never a problem with online shops, and even if you get the occasional dodgy cauliflower, it’s easily a price worth paying for the time you’ll get back.

Get off social media

Controversial possibly, and it does depend on whether you use it for work or if you derive any real personal enjoyment from it, but for most people social media is pretty much a waste of time. If you’re keen not to sever the connection entirely, I would suggest posting the odd thing on Facebook or Instagram when you’ve got some genuinely interesting life event that people close to you will want to know about, and not idly scrolling more than 5 minutes per day at the very most. Keep LinkedIn for when (and only when) you want to look for a new job, and get rid of Twitter entirely, unless you’re a celebrity.

In fact, get rid of it even if you are a celebrity.

Categories
Planning

Weekly planning – Part 2

One of the things most people find really hard is estimating how long things are going to take. How often have you promised to “squeeze something in before the weekend” and find yourself writing an apologetic email the following Tuesday about how you still haven’t round to it.

The reason for this is that, unfortunately, human beings are manifestly terrible at estimating how long tasks will take.

What we are much better at (or at least less hopeless at), is estimating the relative size of tasks relative to each other. This is one of the basic principles of the Scrum project management methodology, and it’s something that is widely used for managing teams of people.

I have found it is also useful to take this approach when managing my own time.

The system works by assigning a size to each task. You can do this in a number of different ways – tasks can be small, medium, large, etc, or you can assign a points number.

My personal preference, and the approach recommended by the creators of Scrum, is to use the Fibonacci sequence: 1,2,3,5,8,13,21, etc – where each number in the sequence is the sum of the two preceding ones.

The advantage of this is that it helps overcome the natural deficiencies we humans have in telling the difference between two large tasks. It is almost impossible to estimate the difference between a 13 and 14 point task, but much easier to tell the difference between a 13 and 21 point task.

It is important to say that this will never be an exact science, but that is OK. In rating tasks as 21 that you believe are only slightly bigger than a 13, you are a) overcoming the fact that you are probably underestimating the larger task (due the reasons stated above) and b) even if you are in fact overestimating this task then you are simply giving yourself much needed contingency for all the other tasks you will inevitably underestimate.

For example, lets take the (semi-fictional) to-do list from my last post and try to assign points to the items:

Personal & Family

  • Arrange my wife’s birthday – 8 points
  • Make a budget – 8 points
  • Make a dentist appointment – 1 point

Main job

  • Create the slides for the project status update – 5 points
  • Plan the strategy for the tech team next year – 13 points
  • Do the database migration – 13 points
  • Fix bug in customer support system – 3 points

Freelance

  • Send invoices to client – 1 point
  • Build the new contact page on client’s website – 3 points

Band

  • Learn new songs – 8 points
  • Cold call agents and ask to be put on their list for future gigs – 5 points
  • Send set list for next gig – 1 point
  • Record demos – 13 points

DIY

  • Re-hang the bathroom door – 5 points
  • Paint the baby’s room – 13 points

Lets imagine I start the week thinking I can do all these things. That’s 100 points in total. I’ve prioritised them so I focus on planning my wife’s birthday, planning next year’s strategy, and cold calling the agents. That’s a total of 26 points – looks like my capacity isn’t anything like what I thought it was!

This might seem like an extreme example but that level of unwarranted optimism is not actually that uncommon. Many projects take three or four times longer than planned, and most of us have had things on our to-do lists for years that we never seem to get round to.

After you do this for a few weeks you will likely start to see a pattern emerging in terms of the number of points you manage to get through in any one week. You can then use this average to estimate how much stuff you are really able to get done in any given week, stop over-promising, and generally live a less stressful life.

It’s as simple as that… kind of.

There is a load more that could be said about this, and I would highly recommend Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland. He goes into detail about how people really work and how this applies in project management. Essentially I’ve simply lifted the “story points” aspect of his work and tried to apply it to personal time management

Next time – avoiding distractions and procrastination.

Categories
Planning

Weekly Planning – Part 1

Weekly planning and reviewing has been one of the key things that has helped me in using my time effectively. The following is a summary of the process that I use each week, you may be able to use or adapt it for your needs.

Start by listing the categories of tasks that you need to get done, for me that’s

  • Personal & family things
  • My main job
  • My freelance work
  • My covers band[1]
  • DIY and general house jobs (always seem to be loads of these)

List them as headings in a rough order of priority, and then make lists of tasks under each heading. For example:

Personal & Family

  • Arrange my wife’s birthday
  • Make a budget
  • Make a dentist appointment

Main job

  • Create the slides for the project status update
  • Plan the strategy for the tech team next year
  • Do the database migration
  • Fix bug in customer support system

Freelance

  • Send invoices to client
  • Build the new contact page on client’s website

Band

  • Learn new songs
  • Cold call agents and ask to be put on their list for future gigs
  • Send set list for next gig
  • Record demos

DIY

  • Re-hang the bathroom door
  • Paint the baby’s room

Once you’ve done that, you can organise them in the following grid:

 UrgentNot Urgent
Important  
Not important  

This part is taken from the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, which I would definitely recommend, but briefly there are 4 groups or “quadrants” here:

Important and urgent

These are crises which need immediate attention – you may not even get a chance to add these to your weekly list because you might need to drop everything and act right now. For example, if my server goes down and all my client’s sites are offline I would need to fix that right away.

Important but not urgent

This is the one you want to focus on ideally. These are things which no one is hassling you to do, but which will make a big difference to your life and goals. In my list above this would be things like making a budget, planning next year’s strategy, and cold calling new agents. No one will hold me to a deadline for those things but if I do them I can be significantly more effective

Urgent but not important

This is where I (and probably most people) tend to get stuck. The main things that fall into this category are things that other people want you to do, but which aren’t true priorities. These can be hard to avoid if they come from your boss – but it’s infinitely easier if you have a clear idea of how you’re spending your time. More on how to track this in a future post

Neither urgent nor important

Basically things that you do when you’re procrastinating – social media is a big one, also watching stuff on YouTube, constantly checking email, TV, video games, obsessively organising your desk, inbox, or the files on your laptop.

What is important?

Essentially it’s up to you. Some people ask “If I follow this strategy, won’t I just spend my time doing boring stuff and never having any fun?”. Quite the opposite – I’ve listed examples above which are in line with my priorities, but if social media is genuinely important to you then it obviously falls within the important category.

Importance and urgency are obviously not binary. Some things are more important or urgent than others. Planning the team’s strategy would by my most important task in my job out of the things listed above, but the database migration is also important. Interestingly, the database migration is probably more urgent, and if I wasn’t using this strategy my instinct would be to do this first, but when I order my priorities I can see that while it is important, strategic planning has to come first.

Sometimes importance depends on context. I actually really like watching TV, but I’m mainly looking at this planning from a work context so I’ve listed TV in the fourth group above, as if I was watching it during the day then that would be a massive waste of time. But planning my work time using this process allows me to do things like watching TV when I finish work, because if I’m productive during the day I don’t need to work into the evening

One thing I find really helpful in determining what is important is to look forward three years and think about what I would really like to have accomplished. Then I can look at my list and think about what will take me towards that goal, and what would take me away from it. You can also do the same thing looking back: i.e. what did I do three years ago which has really moved me forward, and what has made no difference, or even negatively impacted me. I took the decision in 2016 to almost completely cut out all social media, purely because I realised that my life has not been improved in the slightest by all the time spent scrolling on Facebook. If I hadn’t had a Facebook account for the previous three years, would my life be any worse? Absolutely not, and I was spending at least half an hour a day on it, so logically it had to go.

Once you’ve organised your priorities into the grid, you can plan out what you’ll do each day, putting the important things into the schedule first, rather than starting with the urgent ones.

Part 2 of this post will be about how to be better (or at least not completely terrible) at estimating how much you can realistically do in a day, and how to say no to everything else.

[1] In real life I’ve put the band on hold indefinitely but for the sake of this exercise lets imagine it’s still a thing