Here’s a video of the right way to get projects going and keep them going:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k44uoVm0lPI
- First, get one project up and running properly
- Take necessary action to keep on top of project
- Then get the next project up and running properly
- Take necessary action to keep on top of both projects
- Then get the next project up and running properly
- Take necessary action to keep on top of all three projects
- Repeat until you have reached the maximum number of projects you can keep on top of
- At that stage you either have to stop adding more projects, or remove old projects to allow for new ones.
Note the priority is always to make sure the existing plates are spinning properly before adding a new one (though in the video the performer is deliberately adding a bit of drama to keep the audience engaged).
How can we actually do this in practice when we are dealing with real-life projects rather than spinning plates?
We can use a rotational list method. This one is designed for use with a notebook and pen/pencil. I’m sure it can be adapted for electronic use, but I haven’t as yet tried to do so.
I emphasize that this is an experimental method, which I haven’t tried out fully myself yet. You are welcome to have a go, but don’t expect polished perfection!
It has two phases: I - Build-Up; II - Control.
Phase 1 - Build-Up
;)
Click image for full-size
Start with two tasks and write them on the first two lines in your notebook. Work on them on turn. When you finish a task, cross it off the list if it’s done for good. But if is a recurrent task leave it where it is.
When you’ve finished both tasks, add another task. Rotate back through both the previous tasks (if they’re still there) to make sure nothing new has come up for them, and then work on the new task. Once there’s no more work left on any of the tasks already entered you can enter another new task. Check back through the old tasks for anything new that’s come in and then work on the new task.
Proceed in this way adding a new task every time you’ve cleared any work on all the old tasks. If there’s any work left outstanding, then you can’t add a new task. You have to keep rotating through the list until all the work is cleared.
You will probably find that your list grows very quickly at first and then slows down considerably. Once it’s grown to the point that you are having trouble getting your work done quickly enough, you are getting near the limit of how much work you are capable of doing. That means you can’t take on much more work without endangering the work you have already got on your list. You are at liberty to remove any task at any time to reduce the workload, but you can only add a new task (or restore an old one) when there is no outstanding work.
Phase 2 - Control
;)
Click on image for full-size
So far we’ve only talked about what happens when you have work in progress on one or more tasks at the end of a pass through the list. This is quite normal and nothing to worry about, but while it’s in effect you can’t add any more tasks.
However there are two ways in which you may actually fail at doing a task:
1) You may come to a task and, without any satisfactory reason, decide you don’t want to do any work on it at that time. If this happens the task has been failed. Satisfactory reasons might include wrong time of day, wrong weather conditions, necessary pre-condition not met, work task during leisure time (or vice versa). Unsatisfactory reasons include not feeling like it, high resistance to task, pressure from other more urgent tasks, low energy.
2) You fail to get a task completed in time for a deadline. This applies even if the deadline is self-imposed. Again the task has been failed.
At the end of a pass in which one or more tasks have been failed, the number of tasks on the list has to be reduced by the number of tasks which have failed. The tasks removed do not necessarily have to be the tasks that failed.
Note that this is not a punishment for failing a task, but a way of consciously reducing your workload control so that you can get back on track.
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