Discussion Forum > "First things first, and second things not at all" (Peter Drucker)
Also, this approach to work has had the unexpected side effect of completely removing the sense of overwhelm! That has always been a chronic issue for me, and it has been surprising to notice that I just don't feel it nearly so much.
I think the key is that idea of focusing on the ONE main thing. When I do the deep thinking about this, to really get clarity about what that one main thing actually should be, it is very energizing and creates focus. I want to get deeply into the work, and see all the other tasks as necessary excursions and distractions. It becomes much easier to say NO to the things that don't contribute to the main objective. Or at least to say, "Hmm, that's interesting - maybe later", whenever some new bright shiny time sink presents itself.
I think the key is that idea of focusing on the ONE main thing. When I do the deep thinking about this, to really get clarity about what that one main thing actually should be, it is very energizing and creates focus. I want to get deeply into the work, and see all the other tasks as necessary excursions and distractions. It becomes much easier to say NO to the things that don't contribute to the main objective. Or at least to say, "Hmm, that's interesting - maybe later", whenever some new bright shiny time sink presents itself.
August 17, 2013 at 1:51 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Reading the other posts here over the last few days, especially the thread on revamping SFv3, I was trying to think how Drucker and Moran's insights into focusing on the "first thing first and others not at all" could apply to the various list-based TM systems.
Maybe a system could be:
1. Set a timer for at least 90 minutes - preferably more. Work on the one most important thing until the timer beeps.
2. Set the timer for 30-60 minutes. Work your favorite list-based system until the timer beeps.
3. Repeat
Maybe a person could work up to this. Start with 30 minutes on focus time, and 15 minutes on list-based system. Then gradually increase the 30 minutes till you get up to 90 minutes or more, and the 15 minutes till you get in the 30-60 minute range.
Maybe a system could be:
1. Set a timer for at least 90 minutes - preferably more. Work on the one most important thing until the timer beeps.
2. Set the timer for 30-60 minutes. Work your favorite list-based system until the timer beeps.
3. Repeat
Maybe a person could work up to this. Start with 30 minutes on focus time, and 15 minutes on list-based system. Then gradually increase the 30 minutes till you get up to 90 minutes or more, and the 15 minutes till you get in the 30-60 minute range.
August 17, 2013 at 1:56 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
BTW, I had gone on a GTD excursion for a bit in the spring. But when I came across Drucker's ideas and then started finding them repeated by Stever Robbins and Brian Moran (and also realizing that the same essential idea can be found in DIT with the "current initiative"), looking back at the GTD approach, just seems to be such a nit-picky, small-detail-oriented way of thinking about one's work. There are just so many freaking moving parts in GTD: inboxes and project lists and next actions and waiting-fors and agendas and contexts and 10,000 - 20,000 - 30,000 foot views. There is some good stuff there, but my goodness, it is so complicated.
I do use some of those things - agenda files for regular meetings; trying to define desired outcomes and next actions; etc. Lots of good ideas. But overall it seems like so much overhead, and I just don't have the two years that David Allen says is the typical amount of time it takes to make the GTD methods into unconscious habit.
Focusing on the one main thing, and keeping the rest on a scrap or two of paper, or allowing some things to sit in my email for a while, is just so much simpler, and I like the results so much more. It has the same agile feel as SMEMA, but with more sustained focus on the results that really matter.
I do use some of those things - agenda files for regular meetings; trying to define desired outcomes and next actions; etc. Lots of good ideas. But overall it seems like so much overhead, and I just don't have the two years that David Allen says is the typical amount of time it takes to make the GTD methods into unconscious habit.
Focusing on the one main thing, and keeping the rest on a scrap or two of paper, or allowing some things to sit in my email for a while, is just so much simpler, and I like the results so much more. It has the same agile feel as SMEMA, but with more sustained focus on the results that really matter.
August 17, 2013 at 2:00 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Seraphim, I'm delighted that you've find a process that is working for you. I absolutely love the 12-week year concept and time blocking. I hope I have made strides toward less overwhelm in the rest of my life with the time recipe I'm testing this week.
August 17, 2013 at 2:02 |
Melanie Wilson
Melanie Wilson
Yes, Melanie, and thanks for the review you did of 12 Week Year, I found that book through your blog http://www.psychowith6.com/
August 17, 2013 at 2:04 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
More Experts (or at least Famous Productivity Writers) who agree:
Mark -- MIT.
Zen to Done -- Big Rocks and MIT's.
Covey -- Big Rocks. Roles and Goals. First Things First.
Agile Results -- Three Things for each time frame.
FlyLady -- Weekly Home Blessing Hour. Only an hour for floors and general tidying; focus on the high-impact jobs, like vacuuming traffic areas. Save the detail work for zone time.
Weren't you the one who had several hundred (almost a thousand) things on his list at one point? Definitely overwhelming.
I'm slowly working in the same direction, but have too many projects that need little-and-often that I don't want to set aside.
Mark -- MIT.
Zen to Done -- Big Rocks and MIT's.
Covey -- Big Rocks. Roles and Goals. First Things First.
Agile Results -- Three Things for each time frame.
FlyLady -- Weekly Home Blessing Hour. Only an hour for floors and general tidying; focus on the high-impact jobs, like vacuuming traffic areas. Save the detail work for zone time.
Weren't you the one who had several hundred (almost a thousand) things on his list at one point? Definitely overwhelming.
I'm slowly working in the same direction, but have too many projects that need little-and-often that I don't want to set aside.
August 17, 2013 at 4:52 |
Cricket
Cricket
Melanie,
I've found longer posts are more likely to ask for the Captcha -- and suspect that's why I don't see several of my own longer attempts.
I've found longer posts are more likely to ask for the Captcha -- and suspect that's why I don't see several of my own longer attempts.
August 17, 2013 at 4:53 |
Cricket
Cricket
I've learned myself always to keep a copy of my longer posts as I go along in case the system loses them.
August 17, 2013 at 17:15 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
Seraphim, please keep us posted on how you're doing.
Cricket, I realized today what happened. I had entered the captcha, but apparently not correctly and I didn't re-enter one.
Mark, thanks for the reminder. I've been doing this lately now because it isn't just captchas that cause a problem.
Cricket, I realized today what happened. I had entered the captcha, but apparently not correctly and I didn't re-enter one.
Mark, thanks for the reminder. I've been doing this lately now because it isn't just captchas that cause a problem.
August 21, 2013 at 18:44 |
Melanie Wilson
Melanie Wilson
Cricket, if you spend too long writing a reply, the session will timeout and ask for the Captcha. What I do when this happens is to flip to another tab and login again, then return to the post and resubmit it, at which point it posts correctly. I don't enter the Captcha because that would cause the post to be treated as anonymous instead of posted by my account.
August 21, 2013 at 20:35 |
Deven
Deven
Cal Newport talks about how to "go deep" in one's work - another variation on this same theme!
http://calnewport.com/blog/2012/11/21/knowledge-workers-are-bad-at-working-and-heres-what-to-do-about-it/
http://calnewport.com/blog/2012/11/21/knowledge-workers-are-bad-at-working-and-heres-what-to-do-about-it/
August 22, 2013 at 6:50 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
A quote from one of his related posts: "We should not treat deep work as just another scheduled task to check off our lists. It should be made, instead, the center of our efforts to lead a Good Life."
http://feedly.com/k/14LRE4P
http://feedly.com/k/14LRE4P
August 22, 2013 at 6:52 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Hi Seraphim
"It should be made, instead, the center of our efforts to lead a Good Life."
It's that supposed to be the point of everything we do? When we don't do it, it totally ruins our mood and sense of self. I think that's what conscientiousness does 24/7. Your reactions to your thoughts and actions either agree that you're on course or give lousy feedback to get you back on course asap! LOL! Again, I don't see this as time management. It's simply conscientiousness at work. You'll definitely know whether you're on course or not! LOL! To be frank, sometimes I'll stay on course not to always actively acknowledge my values but to simply avoid the experience of guilt or shame of not measuring up to what I am. Temptations teach you more quickly than mindlessness. I've been guilty of both. Willful neglect always hurts worse. LOL!
"It should be made, instead, the center of our efforts to lead a Good Life."
It's that supposed to be the point of everything we do? When we don't do it, it totally ruins our mood and sense of self. I think that's what conscientiousness does 24/7. Your reactions to your thoughts and actions either agree that you're on course or give lousy feedback to get you back on course asap! LOL! Again, I don't see this as time management. It's simply conscientiousness at work. You'll definitely know whether you're on course or not! LOL! To be frank, sometimes I'll stay on course not to always actively acknowledge my values but to simply avoid the experience of guilt or shame of not measuring up to what I am. Temptations teach you more quickly than mindlessness. I've been guilty of both. Willful neglect always hurts worse. LOL!
August 22, 2013 at 17:15 |
Learning as I go
Learning as I go
I've done 1st 1st and 2nd never for a while, and the result is great progress on some things and a great mess everywhere else.
But now I'm still going by the dashboard view I presented before and I think that in conjunction with notes could be sufficient for managing oneself. It helps in reviewing priorities and aligning activities to goals.
I'm presently studying the Lean Startup model of business which goes like: write down what you think will work in a business, all the aspects of that business, and then focus on figuring out for real which aspects work and which can be improved. Do this by talking to people and by research and by trying things.
I think this can also be applied to life, and it starts by focusing on what you think is important and what you should do. Like in business, life is transactional not material; thus the focus is how you connect with other people, etc.
I'm still inclined to an autofocus for everything I have to do, albeit using a deliberately short list focusing on the key priorities with a dash of other necessities. High level thinking is needed to pick the right kinds of things.
But now I'm still going by the dashboard view I presented before and I think that in conjunction with notes could be sufficient for managing oneself. It helps in reviewing priorities and aligning activities to goals.
I'm presently studying the Lean Startup model of business which goes like: write down what you think will work in a business, all the aspects of that business, and then focus on figuring out for real which aspects work and which can be improved. Do this by talking to people and by research and by trying things.
I think this can also be applied to life, and it starts by focusing on what you think is important and what you should do. Like in business, life is transactional not material; thus the focus is how you connect with other people, etc.
I'm still inclined to an autofocus for everything I have to do, albeit using a deliberately short list focusing on the key priorities with a dash of other necessities. High level thinking is needed to pick the right kinds of things.
August 23, 2013 at 0:14 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu wrote:
<< But now I'm still going by the dashboard view I presented before >>
Where can that be found?
<< the result is great progress on some things and a great mess everywhere else >>
I am not advocating spending ALL of one's time on the top focus item. Just MOST of it. It works well for me only because I have regular blocks of time on my calendar that I call "Buffer Time" which I use for clearing email and clearing one-off tasks. This frees me up to focus during the Focus Time, knowing that the odds and ends will get taken care of.
<< But now I'm still going by the dashboard view I presented before >>
Where can that be found?
<< the result is great progress on some things and a great mess everywhere else >>
I am not advocating spending ALL of one's time on the top focus item. Just MOST of it. It works well for me only because I have regular blocks of time on my calendar that I call "Buffer Time" which I use for clearing email and clearing one-off tasks. This frees me up to focus during the Focus Time, knowing that the odds and ends will get taken care of.
August 23, 2013 at 2:07 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
August 23, 2013 at 2:18 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
Maybe the important thing is to identify where our 'quality time' is and how best to use it, which itself needs some quality time and introspection.
As for whether to have one main initiative or not, ISTR Jupiter who posts on here from time to time has quite a few projects on the go, and worked out a good approach to keeping on top of them.
But going back to finding the best system, one of the main problems of tweaks or super simple approaches may be they're another example of the dreaded 'curve fitting' :-) , a well known problem in the field of investing and trading.
This means the approach is unknowingly optimised certain set of circumstances, but then things change and it becomes useless, or worse! :o
As for whether to have one main initiative or not, ISTR Jupiter who posts on here from time to time has quite a few projects on the go, and worked out a good approach to keeping on top of them.
But going back to finding the best system, one of the main problems of tweaks or super simple approaches may be they're another example of the dreaded 'curve fitting' :-) , a well known problem in the field of investing and trading.
This means the approach is unknowingly optimised certain set of circumstances, but then things change and it becomes useless, or worse! :o
August 25, 2013 at 21:28 |
smileypete
smileypete
smileypete - very interesting observations about curve fitting! I've been thinking about my new "first things first, second things not at all" strategy and how it relates to Taleb's concept of "Antifragility". If you're not familiar with Taleb's works ("Fooled By Randomness", "The Black Swan", "Antifragility", etc.), he talks about curve-fitting a lot, and how easily broken it is.
In "Antifragility" he talks about how most positive-action based approaches to making decisions or pursuing tasks are very easily broken and often cause more harm than good. In other words, we look at the world and the environment and think we must "do something". But often our actions create more problems than they solve. He speaks especially in terms of large organizations and government -- where a single decision can have repercussions that impact millions of people.
"Ten Steps to Getting Rich" rather than "Just Make Sure You Don't Go Broke"
"101 Ideas for Time Management" rather than "Focus Means Saying No To Everything Else"
He looks at several different domains and how the true experts in many fields are the ones who simply know what path NOT to take - they are the ones who have learned how to say NO and who are very cautious about taking positive action, or attributing success to positive action. Sometimes positive results just happen by themselves, and are not at all related to the our positive actions that we think brought about the results.
So how does this relate to "first things first and second things not at all". I think it relates, because it does not try to optimize for the best possible result. It chooses one main task from many possibilities, and focuses on that for a time. It leaves all the other opportunities untouched, not trying to balance them in any optimal way.
If you happen to chose the wrong task, or the task was a mistake and took you backwards, it's not a big deal, you can now focus on correcting it, or just ignore it and move on to whatever will bring the best value.
If you are juggling many balls, and you drop one, it can upset you enough that you drop all of them.
In "Antifragility" he talks about how most positive-action based approaches to making decisions or pursuing tasks are very easily broken and often cause more harm than good. In other words, we look at the world and the environment and think we must "do something". But often our actions create more problems than they solve. He speaks especially in terms of large organizations and government -- where a single decision can have repercussions that impact millions of people.
"Ten Steps to Getting Rich" rather than "Just Make Sure You Don't Go Broke"
"101 Ideas for Time Management" rather than "Focus Means Saying No To Everything Else"
He looks at several different domains and how the true experts in many fields are the ones who simply know what path NOT to take - they are the ones who have learned how to say NO and who are very cautious about taking positive action, or attributing success to positive action. Sometimes positive results just happen by themselves, and are not at all related to the our positive actions that we think brought about the results.
So how does this relate to "first things first and second things not at all". I think it relates, because it does not try to optimize for the best possible result. It chooses one main task from many possibilities, and focuses on that for a time. It leaves all the other opportunities untouched, not trying to balance them in any optimal way.
If you happen to chose the wrong task, or the task was a mistake and took you backwards, it's not a big deal, you can now focus on correcting it, or just ignore it and move on to whatever will bring the best value.
If you are juggling many balls, and you drop one, it can upset you enough that you drop all of them.
August 26, 2013 at 3:18 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
"Must do something" reminds me of so many fields...
Agreed -- dropping one ball of many can be upsetting. I try to label my balls as "must keep in the air" and "drop this one first". This season, though, I'm going to crack down on balls that can be dropped. Leave those safely on the ground and finish the ones that can't be dropped!
One of the newish programming paradigms, maybe Agile or Extreme, says, "Fail early and fail often." Zen to Done, and Agile Results both suggest focusing on one habit each month. A month of focus is long enough to give it a good test, as opposed to a bit of time here and there. It's short enough that you don't spend too long going in the wrong direction.
Agreed -- dropping one ball of many can be upsetting. I try to label my balls as "must keep in the air" and "drop this one first". This season, though, I'm going to crack down on balls that can be dropped. Leave those safely on the ground and finish the ones that can't be dropped!
One of the newish programming paradigms, maybe Agile or Extreme, says, "Fail early and fail often." Zen to Done, and Agile Results both suggest focusing on one habit each month. A month of focus is long enough to give it a good test, as opposed to a bit of time here and there. It's short enough that you don't spend too long going in the wrong direction.
August 29, 2013 at 18:51 |
Cricket
Cricket
"We rightly consider keeping many balls in the air a circus stunt. Yet even the juggler does it for only ten minutes or so. If he were to try doing it longer, he would soon drop all the balls." -Peter F. Drucker, The Effective Executive Cf. http://www.brian-rossi.com/branded_pdf/THE%20EFFECTIVE%20EXECUTIVE.pdf
August 30, 2013 at 16:50 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Hi Seraphim
People managing several projects in tandem aren't actually doing them all at once! Any kid from the age of 12 on is taking six courses at school and many are subjects that he/she has absolutely no reference base. On top of that, they have other interests and passions. People on jobs are running many projects sort of concurrently on top of outside interests. They schedule or somehow plan to keep them all current and can have great results with all of them. I think if a kid can do it, so can an adult. How about people who go to school plus have demanding jobs, community service, political activism, church groups, maintaining musical, artistic pursuits, community theater, involved with their children's school affairs, etc. I think most people keep more than one project running well. The trick to do well with all of them is a combo of caring enough to make sure it's successful and fulfilling and have some sort of planning/strategy that works for you. If a prepubescent kid can do it, we certain can and do it as well.
I'd die of boredom if I only had one project to focus on...Everybody is different. Some people like to dive into one thing at a time. That doesn't mean that they can't successfully focus on more if they want to. In fact, many people thrive on keeping several projects going concurrently. It's not like I'm writing with one hand, painting with another, holding a power saw with one foot while doing keyboard shortcuts with the other foot. We're not actually doing all the projects at the same time! LOL!
People managing several projects in tandem aren't actually doing them all at once! Any kid from the age of 12 on is taking six courses at school and many are subjects that he/she has absolutely no reference base. On top of that, they have other interests and passions. People on jobs are running many projects sort of concurrently on top of outside interests. They schedule or somehow plan to keep them all current and can have great results with all of them. I think if a kid can do it, so can an adult. How about people who go to school plus have demanding jobs, community service, political activism, church groups, maintaining musical, artistic pursuits, community theater, involved with their children's school affairs, etc. I think most people keep more than one project running well. The trick to do well with all of them is a combo of caring enough to make sure it's successful and fulfilling and have some sort of planning/strategy that works for you. If a prepubescent kid can do it, we certain can and do it as well.
I'd die of boredom if I only had one project to focus on...Everybody is different. Some people like to dive into one thing at a time. That doesn't mean that they can't successfully focus on more if they want to. In fact, many people thrive on keeping several projects going concurrently. It's not like I'm writing with one hand, painting with another, holding a power saw with one foot while doing keyboard shortcuts with the other foot. We're not actually doing all the projects at the same time! LOL!
August 31, 2013 at 1:10 |
Learning as I go
Learning as I go
Seraphim, I get what you're saying. I will be doing a review of The 12 Week Year soon and I've confirmed what I suspected--I can only focus on one major project/endeavor/life change at once. Anything that requires a lot of focus seems to need to be singular for me.
Learning, I have to be doing multiple things for variety. I can't stand just doing one thing. I get bored! But when it's something that requires a lot of my focus, it seems that no matter how hard I try, I can't succeed in more than one of those. I can work out and write blog posts and take on a new endeavor because I can do the first two with very little mental effort. But otherwise, I'm in trouble. Funny this was being discussed, because I was just realizing this about myself.
Learning, I have to be doing multiple things for variety. I can't stand just doing one thing. I get bored! But when it's something that requires a lot of my focus, it seems that no matter how hard I try, I can't succeed in more than one of those. I can work out and write blog posts and take on a new endeavor because I can do the first two with very little mental effort. But otherwise, I'm in trouble. Funny this was being discussed, because I was just realizing this about myself.
August 31, 2013 at 2:30 |
Melanie Wilson
Melanie Wilson
Grr. Lost my post. One of these days I'll learn to write in a separate document and save it.
Deven, I think we're circling the same point from different directions. We'll have a good view of several sides. I agree, if we're only allowed to work on the Focus list, then to work on something we need to add it, and the list grows. Seraphim's idea of "buffer time" would work for that.
Last night, I added two more things to the typical day, sigh. Story learning (one story a month for performance), and "odds and ends". So I'm up to 10 blocks per day. Recipe for failure.
Wailing and whining and gnashing of teeth. I was looking forward to a standard routine each day, with a predictable energy flow. I'm writing up a system to try this fall, and will put it in a separate thread.
Learning, pre-pubescent kids manage multiple projects because they all have short deadlines. Looking at my kids' classmates today, very few can manage a multi-week project. Each project stage is under a month. Homework is due in a day or two. Even when I was in university, no project lasted longer than four months.
As for adults who juggle multiple projects? I don't have their brain. Most of my projects without external deadlines slip. I'm not thriving on keeping all my no-deadline projects active. I feel surrounded by unfinished work. I'll gladly put up with a bit of boredom for the promise of getting some of the optional ones done! Besides, there are still all the projects with deadlines and meetings and correspondence to keep life interesting.
Deven, I think we're circling the same point from different directions. We'll have a good view of several sides. I agree, if we're only allowed to work on the Focus list, then to work on something we need to add it, and the list grows. Seraphim's idea of "buffer time" would work for that.
Last night, I added two more things to the typical day, sigh. Story learning (one story a month for performance), and "odds and ends". So I'm up to 10 blocks per day. Recipe for failure.
Wailing and whining and gnashing of teeth. I was looking forward to a standard routine each day, with a predictable energy flow. I'm writing up a system to try this fall, and will put it in a separate thread.
Learning, pre-pubescent kids manage multiple projects because they all have short deadlines. Looking at my kids' classmates today, very few can manage a multi-week project. Each project stage is under a month. Homework is due in a day or two. Even when I was in university, no project lasted longer than four months.
As for adults who juggle multiple projects? I don't have their brain. Most of my projects without external deadlines slip. I'm not thriving on keeping all my no-deadline projects active. I feel surrounded by unfinished work. I'll gladly put up with a bit of boredom for the promise of getting some of the optional ones done! Besides, there are still all the projects with deadlines and meetings and correspondence to keep life interesting.
August 31, 2013 at 3:02 |
Cricket
Cricket
I think there may be a terminology issue here.
I think Drucker's emphasis on a single major focus at any one time is akin to Mark's idea of a single current initiative.
Out of context, Drucker's quote may sound like he's saying to do ONE thing with no other distractions or tasks, and do it continually till it's done. But in the context of the actual book from which the quote is taken, it is more clear. He talks about all the projects, interruptions, meetings, emergencies, phone calls, recurring tasks, etc., that fill our days if we let them. People can still get a lot done working just in that realm.
The main point of the book, though, is that the MOST effective people carve out time blocks where they allow no interruptions, and use that time to focus deeply on the ONE most important thing that needs their attention. In rare cases, maybe some people can alternate effectively between TWO (but he thinks that's rare and should be considered an exception).
It reminds me of what Mark wrote about the "Current Initiative" in DIT. You can use your "Current Initiative" to take a new project and get it up and running. Once it's up and running, it needs minimal attention throughout the week to keep it going - you can manage it from your task list or your calendar. So you move on to something else for your "Current Initiative".
In practice, I get plenty of variety from all the meetings; pile of projects that each need 30 minutes to an hour or two to complete; clearing my email; requests for help; etc. Actually, I am strongly attracted to "The Inbox-Driven Life" -- you can really get a lot done if you manage all your inputs well, and it can even impress people how much you get done.
But ultimately I found that "The Inbox-Driven Life" is a fallacy. The really important things that I know I need to work on -- the ones that need deep thinking and strategic focus -- arise from deep reflection and then deep focus on making sure those things get done. Those things don't appear in my inbox. I need to force time away from all the bustle, so I can do that thinking and that sustained focused work.
"Inbox Zero" is a useful tool, but by itself does not result in "Contribution Large".
Since I've adopted Drucker's approach, I am almost getting addicted to my "strategic focus time". I used to mark it on my calendar as "tentative" and move it around or break it into pieces if someone requested a meeting during that time. But now I block it out on my calendar and make it non-negotiable. I find that I can still attend the meetings that I need to attend. But I like that focus time SO MUCH, and now I don't know how I could do without it.
It's also been a revelation of what "little and often" can mean. I used to treat "little" as five to twenty minutes, repeated several times per day. And I could get a lot done in those little snippets of time, and keep things moving forward. But on the main focus work, "little" needs to be more like 1.5-3 hours, repeated many times per week. For the more important focus work, this seems to be a much better rhythm.
I think Drucker's emphasis on a single major focus at any one time is akin to Mark's idea of a single current initiative.
Out of context, Drucker's quote may sound like he's saying to do ONE thing with no other distractions or tasks, and do it continually till it's done. But in the context of the actual book from which the quote is taken, it is more clear. He talks about all the projects, interruptions, meetings, emergencies, phone calls, recurring tasks, etc., that fill our days if we let them. People can still get a lot done working just in that realm.
The main point of the book, though, is that the MOST effective people carve out time blocks where they allow no interruptions, and use that time to focus deeply on the ONE most important thing that needs their attention. In rare cases, maybe some people can alternate effectively between TWO (but he thinks that's rare and should be considered an exception).
It reminds me of what Mark wrote about the "Current Initiative" in DIT. You can use your "Current Initiative" to take a new project and get it up and running. Once it's up and running, it needs minimal attention throughout the week to keep it going - you can manage it from your task list or your calendar. So you move on to something else for your "Current Initiative".
In practice, I get plenty of variety from all the meetings; pile of projects that each need 30 minutes to an hour or two to complete; clearing my email; requests for help; etc. Actually, I am strongly attracted to "The Inbox-Driven Life" -- you can really get a lot done if you manage all your inputs well, and it can even impress people how much you get done.
But ultimately I found that "The Inbox-Driven Life" is a fallacy. The really important things that I know I need to work on -- the ones that need deep thinking and strategic focus -- arise from deep reflection and then deep focus on making sure those things get done. Those things don't appear in my inbox. I need to force time away from all the bustle, so I can do that thinking and that sustained focused work.
"Inbox Zero" is a useful tool, but by itself does not result in "Contribution Large".
Since I've adopted Drucker's approach, I am almost getting addicted to my "strategic focus time". I used to mark it on my calendar as "tentative" and move it around or break it into pieces if someone requested a meeting during that time. But now I block it out on my calendar and make it non-negotiable. I find that I can still attend the meetings that I need to attend. But I like that focus time SO MUCH, and now I don't know how I could do without it.
It's also been a revelation of what "little and often" can mean. I used to treat "little" as five to twenty minutes, repeated several times per day. And I could get a lot done in those little snippets of time, and keep things moving forward. But on the main focus work, "little" needs to be more like 1.5-3 hours, repeated many times per week. For the more important focus work, this seems to be a much better rhythm.
September 3, 2013 at 16:57 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Here's a great example of how focusing on one course at a time, it's possible to finish a 4-year college degree in one year.
http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/mit-challenge/
http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/mit-challenge/
September 3, 2013 at 17:14 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Your Drucker post brings to mind the 4 Hour Work Week - tangentially. If you redefine your work hours, you can divide them into two compartments (A) I'm doing ordinary work. All the little things I need doing I get done. (B) I'm doing extraordinary work. I'm not doing any ordinary work.
Let (B) be your current initiative, your single major focus. Now, back to the start of this post: Squeeze (A) down towards 4 hours. You might never get there, but the more you can compress it, the more time you have for what really matters for you and your position.
Let (B) be your current initiative, your single major focus. Now, back to the start of this post: Squeeze (A) down towards 4 hours. You might never get there, but the more you can compress it, the more time you have for what really matters for you and your position.
September 3, 2013 at 21:53 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
Yes, Alan, that's exactly where I'm trying to go with all this.
September 4, 2013 at 2:26 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Hi all
Maybe I'm not very articulate but I've been talking about the 90" scut cap for YEARS so that I can fully invest my mind when I work on my projects. The scut cap is all the recurring and one off maintenance of meeting my normal responsibilities. I can't always fit it into 90 minutes, but the idea helps me to keep it to a minimum. You can spend hours and hours in your email, perfecting your computer and paper filing system, message system,etc. The 90 minutes is a framework to keep my efforts tight and effective. I'd rather spend my time on my projects. My favorite part of DIT is the CI. This is every day without fail. I like having several projects to juggle.
Cricket, everybody is different. Everybody's experiences are different. I'm just saying that I've always kept many interests going and I always complete the ones worth completing. I just have a quirky brain. Ever since I was young, I always liked having many projects, goals, etc. It was my way to avoid boredom. Boredom always got me into trouble. LOL! It wasn't really an option. As an adult, I've quit jobs that were too boring. I still have trouble with boredom. I know that my brain is different. Most people are more graceful when dealing with boredom. I can't handle it well. I'm too curious and too impatient. I'm not wrong. I'm just different. Many people have the same challenge.
re: school. I think learning different subjects,developing your talents, athletic abilities, rehearsing for a recital, writing a paper, preparing for a gallery exhibition, training for competitions, etc take longer than you're suggesting. I'm sure schools have different curriculums. Children also choose pursuits other than in the classroom. I think you're grossly underestimating what young people can do and how disciplined they can be if they are curious and encouraged to develop their learning skills, how to choose and complete projects, etc.
Also, you were able to do your dissertations in less than 4 months including research, revisions, etc? Kudos to you!
Maybe I'm not very articulate but I've been talking about the 90" scut cap for YEARS so that I can fully invest my mind when I work on my projects. The scut cap is all the recurring and one off maintenance of meeting my normal responsibilities. I can't always fit it into 90 minutes, but the idea helps me to keep it to a minimum. You can spend hours and hours in your email, perfecting your computer and paper filing system, message system,etc. The 90 minutes is a framework to keep my efforts tight and effective. I'd rather spend my time on my projects. My favorite part of DIT is the CI. This is every day without fail. I like having several projects to juggle.
Cricket, everybody is different. Everybody's experiences are different. I'm just saying that I've always kept many interests going and I always complete the ones worth completing. I just have a quirky brain. Ever since I was young, I always liked having many projects, goals, etc. It was my way to avoid boredom. Boredom always got me into trouble. LOL! It wasn't really an option. As an adult, I've quit jobs that were too boring. I still have trouble with boredom. I know that my brain is different. Most people are more graceful when dealing with boredom. I can't handle it well. I'm too curious and too impatient. I'm not wrong. I'm just different. Many people have the same challenge.
re: school. I think learning different subjects,developing your talents, athletic abilities, rehearsing for a recital, writing a paper, preparing for a gallery exhibition, training for competitions, etc take longer than you're suggesting. I'm sure schools have different curriculums. Children also choose pursuits other than in the classroom. I think you're grossly underestimating what young people can do and how disciplined they can be if they are curious and encouraged to develop their learning skills, how to choose and complete projects, etc.
Also, you were able to do your dissertations in less than 4 months including research, revisions, etc? Kudos to you!
September 4, 2013 at 8:27 |
learning as I go
learning as I go
Hi Seraphim
I understand what you mean about little and often but I don't think Mark meant it as a means to handle everything! Little and often helps to get past resistance. It can also be used to use spare moments in the day than than fill it with busyness. I considered it a revelation! I always thought that I had to do things straight through start to finish. Little and often helps me to break down the boring work or how to wriggle out of being stalemated on a project. I also liked DIT in that you could work your will do list however you wanted to. Little and often helps me tremendously to prevent shuffling my feet when it comes to doing the scut work. LOL! A huge benefit I got from little and often was learning that I didn't have to do everything perfectly to consider it completed. Mark's little and often helped me to pare down my time spent on keeping to my responsibilities. I'm sure that you can surmise that I really am a huge fan of the principles of DIT. It really helped me tremendously.
I understand what you mean about little and often but I don't think Mark meant it as a means to handle everything! Little and often helps to get past resistance. It can also be used to use spare moments in the day than than fill it with busyness. I considered it a revelation! I always thought that I had to do things straight through start to finish. Little and often helps me to break down the boring work or how to wriggle out of being stalemated on a project. I also liked DIT in that you could work your will do list however you wanted to. Little and often helps me tremendously to prevent shuffling my feet when it comes to doing the scut work. LOL! A huge benefit I got from little and often was learning that I didn't have to do everything perfectly to consider it completed. Mark's little and often helped me to pare down my time spent on keeping to my responsibilities. I'm sure that you can surmise that I really am a huge fan of the principles of DIT. It really helped me tremendously.
September 4, 2013 at 8:57 |
learning as I go
learning as I go
Learning, I didn't have dissertations and such. Engineering at Waterloo is very much broken into 4-month chunks. The longest project was a single research and/or design paper. That involved finding a professor to supervise, then four months of ignoring it while on work term, then four months of work.
My kids just started grades 7 and 10. None of their school projects have lasted more than 6 weeks. You're right about outside interests. Those were my first long projects. However, many kids don't do them, and the ones my kids are in rarely show them the plan more than the next few weeks of the plan.
I agree with the 90 minute cut-off for scutwork. I'm just not good at following it.
I'm like you in that only one project for an entire week would be intolerable. However, I have several projects for other people, so I'm not bored at all. The challenge is with projects that are just for me, or that have no firm deadline. Part of my problem was skipping from one to the other. I spent more time switching than doing. I will be great to finally finish one! Also, by keeping them all somewhat active, I wasn't making the hard decision to drop any. Deciding which ones to put most into hibernation was hard enough!
My kids just started grades 7 and 10. None of their school projects have lasted more than 6 weeks. You're right about outside interests. Those were my first long projects. However, many kids don't do them, and the ones my kids are in rarely show them the plan more than the next few weeks of the plan.
I agree with the 90 minute cut-off for scutwork. I'm just not good at following it.
I'm like you in that only one project for an entire week would be intolerable. However, I have several projects for other people, so I'm not bored at all. The challenge is with projects that are just for me, or that have no firm deadline. Part of my problem was skipping from one to the other. I spent more time switching than doing. I will be great to finally finish one! Also, by keeping them all somewhat active, I wasn't making the hard decision to drop any. Deciding which ones to put most into hibernation was hard enough!
September 4, 2013 at 14:55 |
Cricket
Cricket
" Engineering at Waterloo". Interesting that I might have been your classmate. Except that I elected not to go to Waterloo nor take engineering, though I had been accepted.
September 4, 2013 at 15:45 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
Hi Cricket
LOL about wanting to learn, do and enjoy everything! I used to keep my projects manageable because I used to live out of a calendar. Having an overview quickly brought me to my senses about what I could handle. Because my brain and body isn't capable of using the calendar method, Mark's DIT was very helpful. CI and a projects queue keeps things manageable. (Of course, my squirrelly brain is always in overtime thinking of things I want to try.) Every season, I cull my notes. That allows me enough time and distance to decide what's actually worth doing. I must face the fact that I won't live long enough to learn everything that "could" interest me. LOL!) DIT's Commitment vs Interest was especially helpful learning how to cull my lists beyond the obvious hare-brained ideas. The difficulty is narrowing down a list of potentially exciting viable possibilities. It always causes me stress even though I know that my time and abilities are limited. LOL!
If you want to guarantee finishing projects, maybe you can start with the principle of CI. You decide how you'll use it. I usually use it to either get a project started until it has legs of it's own or to ensure that I complete a project that I don't like but is necessary. I also use the CI slot as a testing ground. Sometimes I find that I don't like a project that I chose as an optional pursuit. CI can be used for anything that you want to commit to everyday without fail. It's not a literal rule. It's a principle to keep to.
I was lucky about school in that I was segregated from the class because I couldn't learn linearly and when I was bored my behavior disrupted the class. I'd either fall asleep when the teacher bored me. (They stretch out learning to an ungodly slow pace. Maybe it's easier on the teacher doing that way. It was hell on my attention span.) Or....I'd get restless and unknowingly beat the desk with my pencil practicing drum stick maneuvers, patterns, etc, start humming, etc to music in my head, start drawing or get in trouble distracting other students.....
The good part was that I was never bored again. I'd get the text books and the teachers's guide. I could complete the boring crap quickly and focus longer on subjects that interested me. Using the teacher's syllabi for the courses helped me to learn how to organize and progress by the semester or the year. My dad also taught me how to choose subject for papers, outline, research, etc. Every Saturday, he'd check my progress on the paper. It was great fun to indulge in my curiosities and also how to organize how to learn systematically at my own pace. For me, an overview is the magic key to learning quickly. I hated sequential learning.
What was initially a huge embarrassment turned into a huge blessing. It taught me how to learn according to both my strengths and my weaknesses. It also taught me how to self-direct. I'm also sure that the teachers were quite relieved not to have me falling asleep or distracting the rest of the class! LOL! College was a breeze because it was simply a continuation of learning and planning at your own pace. I would have done anything to be able to learn linearly like the other students and not go nuts with restlessness when the teacher was unbearably slow and boring. I caught a lot of ribbing because I didn't learn with the rest of the class! LOL! My brother had the same problem. That's why I think that some of it is genetic. It was a real PITA in my younger years. I was lucky that my teachers accommodated my different learning by isolating me rather than expelling me! LOL! I suppose that they knew that I was an earnest student but my brain was too quirky to withstand boredom. Ultimately, I was lucky although I was embarrassed about it. LOL!
Also, I like timelines to measure milestones. Teachers do that. They just don't show it to the students......unless they are troublemakers like me! LOL!
LOL about wanting to learn, do and enjoy everything! I used to keep my projects manageable because I used to live out of a calendar. Having an overview quickly brought me to my senses about what I could handle. Because my brain and body isn't capable of using the calendar method, Mark's DIT was very helpful. CI and a projects queue keeps things manageable. (Of course, my squirrelly brain is always in overtime thinking of things I want to try.) Every season, I cull my notes. That allows me enough time and distance to decide what's actually worth doing. I must face the fact that I won't live long enough to learn everything that "could" interest me. LOL!) DIT's Commitment vs Interest was especially helpful learning how to cull my lists beyond the obvious hare-brained ideas. The difficulty is narrowing down a list of potentially exciting viable possibilities. It always causes me stress even though I know that my time and abilities are limited. LOL!
If you want to guarantee finishing projects, maybe you can start with the principle of CI. You decide how you'll use it. I usually use it to either get a project started until it has legs of it's own or to ensure that I complete a project that I don't like but is necessary. I also use the CI slot as a testing ground. Sometimes I find that I don't like a project that I chose as an optional pursuit. CI can be used for anything that you want to commit to everyday without fail. It's not a literal rule. It's a principle to keep to.
I was lucky about school in that I was segregated from the class because I couldn't learn linearly and when I was bored my behavior disrupted the class. I'd either fall asleep when the teacher bored me. (They stretch out learning to an ungodly slow pace. Maybe it's easier on the teacher doing that way. It was hell on my attention span.) Or....I'd get restless and unknowingly beat the desk with my pencil practicing drum stick maneuvers, patterns, etc, start humming, etc to music in my head, start drawing or get in trouble distracting other students.....
The good part was that I was never bored again. I'd get the text books and the teachers's guide. I could complete the boring crap quickly and focus longer on subjects that interested me. Using the teacher's syllabi for the courses helped me to learn how to organize and progress by the semester or the year. My dad also taught me how to choose subject for papers, outline, research, etc. Every Saturday, he'd check my progress on the paper. It was great fun to indulge in my curiosities and also how to organize how to learn systematically at my own pace. For me, an overview is the magic key to learning quickly. I hated sequential learning.
What was initially a huge embarrassment turned into a huge blessing. It taught me how to learn according to both my strengths and my weaknesses. It also taught me how to self-direct. I'm also sure that the teachers were quite relieved not to have me falling asleep or distracting the rest of the class! LOL! College was a breeze because it was simply a continuation of learning and planning at your own pace. I would have done anything to be able to learn linearly like the other students and not go nuts with restlessness when the teacher was unbearably slow and boring. I caught a lot of ribbing because I didn't learn with the rest of the class! LOL! My brother had the same problem. That's why I think that some of it is genetic. It was a real PITA in my younger years. I was lucky that my teachers accommodated my different learning by isolating me rather than expelling me! LOL! I suppose that they knew that I was an earnest student but my brain was too quirky to withstand boredom. Ultimately, I was lucky although I was embarrassed about it. LOL!
Also, I like timelines to measure milestones. Teachers do that. They just don't show it to the students......unless they are troublemakers like me! LOL!
September 4, 2013 at 16:48 |
Learning as I go
Learning as I go
This week, the CI is catching up from the summer. Every area of my life, except time with the family, has a huge backlog. One day at a time. Most areas need a bit every day to avoid burnout. I'll be back on track by the end of next week.
Yes, teachers, at least in grade school and early high school, in our area, still go ungodly slow. It's one of the downsides of "no child left behind" and not letting kids repeat a year, even if the kid wants another crack at the material before the next stage. They teach to the lowest level, and the average kid is happy to meet them. It's still better for our family than home schooling, although I've been tempted -- until the kids get home and refuse to do the simplest bit of housework.
I love learning on my own schedule, but also enjoy sequential learning planned by an expert. For many subjects, I do a bit of both. (I'm forever reading ahead, then going back to fill in a gap.)
The Knitting Masters group on Ravelry has a wide variety of members. Some have PhDs. Others never finished high school. It's great watching them panic over the essay, then after a day in the library come back all excited, with two more books to track down to fill in some holes and more information than can possibly fit in two pages.
Unfortunately, many of my kids' teachers aren't able to keep to a schedule, and most of them don't mark the intermediate stages. One of them routinely asked, two days before a month-long project was due, if they were done their research yet. (To be fair, on one of the research days the library was double-booked, but the school assembly was predictable.)
My early teachers were like your father. We had to finish our early research, outline, extra research, draft and final by certain dates, and hand each stage in to be marked. That training has served me well, although I don't follow each stage formally.
Yes, teachers, at least in grade school and early high school, in our area, still go ungodly slow. It's one of the downsides of "no child left behind" and not letting kids repeat a year, even if the kid wants another crack at the material before the next stage. They teach to the lowest level, and the average kid is happy to meet them. It's still better for our family than home schooling, although I've been tempted -- until the kids get home and refuse to do the simplest bit of housework.
I love learning on my own schedule, but also enjoy sequential learning planned by an expert. For many subjects, I do a bit of both. (I'm forever reading ahead, then going back to fill in a gap.)
The Knitting Masters group on Ravelry has a wide variety of members. Some have PhDs. Others never finished high school. It's great watching them panic over the essay, then after a day in the library come back all excited, with two more books to track down to fill in some holes and more information than can possibly fit in two pages.
Unfortunately, many of my kids' teachers aren't able to keep to a schedule, and most of them don't mark the intermediate stages. One of them routinely asked, two days before a month-long project was due, if they were done their research yet. (To be fair, on one of the research days the library was double-booked, but the school assembly was predictable.)
My early teachers were like your father. We had to finish our early research, outline, extra research, draft and final by certain dates, and hand each stage in to be marked. That training has served me well, although I don't follow each stage formally.
September 4, 2013 at 19:12 |
Cricket
Cricket
Hi Cricket
You're probably correct about many kids not minding less work. Almost all of my crowd were academically inclined so that also influenced my interest in school. My parents didn't show any interest when I was young. I did well for my own sake and to fit in with my crowd. Our school encouraged athletics, the arts, volunteerism as well as academics. They wanted their students to be well rounded. It was great because if offered a range of interests and pursuits. I wanted to learn everything! LOL!
I was in a great school system. I lucked out. Teachers didn't last if they weren't effective and engaging their students. My mom had more than one fired! LOL! It wasn't until I went to college before I encountered so many students who were content to not learn much and just barely skate through. I suppose the schools offered a better wage to attract better teachers. And in my day, kids were failed and expelled. It's sad but kids got a lot of guff for it. Many of them became successful enough as adults. Some people just aren't good with learning the institutionalized school methods. I was just plain lucky that I never got suspended or expelled. My saving grace was always getting high marks. I'm sure that some of those teachers would have loved to expel me because of my terrible attitude and deportment. * blush *
You're probably correct about many kids not minding less work. Almost all of my crowd were academically inclined so that also influenced my interest in school. My parents didn't show any interest when I was young. I did well for my own sake and to fit in with my crowd. Our school encouraged athletics, the arts, volunteerism as well as academics. They wanted their students to be well rounded. It was great because if offered a range of interests and pursuits. I wanted to learn everything! LOL!
I was in a great school system. I lucked out. Teachers didn't last if they weren't effective and engaging their students. My mom had more than one fired! LOL! It wasn't until I went to college before I encountered so many students who were content to not learn much and just barely skate through. I suppose the schools offered a better wage to attract better teachers. And in my day, kids were failed and expelled. It's sad but kids got a lot of guff for it. Many of them became successful enough as adults. Some people just aren't good with learning the institutionalized school methods. I was just plain lucky that I never got suspended or expelled. My saving grace was always getting high marks. I'm sure that some of those teachers would have loved to expel me because of my terrible attitude and deportment. * blush *
September 4, 2013 at 20:14 |
learning as I go
learning as I go
p.s.
Sometimes my well meaning father went overboard. A seven or eight year old kid doesn't need to learn how to write a paper, use the dewey decimal system, use proper procedure for footnote, etc. I think his purpose was to teach us to develop interests. I loved doing the papers and learning whatever I could from him but it wasn't well received by all my siblings. I told Dad that unnamed siblings weren't happy with expanding their horizons using that method. Dad was a natural introvert. He couldn't see that most people don't live as richly in their heads like he does. I have siblings that never read unless forced to. LOL! He meant well for everyone. But I was the only kid who enjoyed it. LOL!
Sometimes my well meaning father went overboard. A seven or eight year old kid doesn't need to learn how to write a paper, use the dewey decimal system, use proper procedure for footnote, etc. I think his purpose was to teach us to develop interests. I loved doing the papers and learning whatever I could from him but it wasn't well received by all my siblings. I told Dad that unnamed siblings weren't happy with expanding their horizons using that method. Dad was a natural introvert. He couldn't see that most people don't live as richly in their heads like he does. I have siblings that never read unless forced to. LOL! He meant well for everyone. But I was the only kid who enjoyed it. LOL!
September 4, 2013 at 20:20 |
learning as I go
learning as I go
So what are "first things"? My suggestion: peace, love, happiness. So these should be my main goals.
The main method: develop a flexible mind...
http://zenhabits.net/flex/
The main method: develop a flexible mind...
http://zenhabits.net/flex/
September 16, 2013 at 14:49 |
michael
michael
Hi Michael
I wouldn't consider character traits as first things. They are ongoing because they are your character traits. It's a natural part of who you are so you don't need to turn it into a goal .....unless... you're still in the process of developing that value which will naturally become a character trait. You'll know when it's actually a character trait when you don't have to think about it. It will show up in your thinking, your actions, your reputation....
btw, thanks for the 10th step epiphany! It has actually helped me tremendously!
I wouldn't consider character traits as first things. They are ongoing because they are your character traits. It's a natural part of who you are so you don't need to turn it into a goal .....unless... you're still in the process of developing that value which will naturally become a character trait. You'll know when it's actually a character trait when you don't have to think about it. It will show up in your thinking, your actions, your reputation....
btw, thanks for the 10th step epiphany! It has actually helped me tremendously!
September 16, 2013 at 15:47 |
Learning as I go
Learning as I go
michael -
I would see "peace, love, happiness" more in the category of the ultimate vision you want for your life.
In the context of this thread, the "first thing" is the main thing that you need to move your life or your work forward. So, if the main objective of your work is "peace, love, happiness", then the "first thing" would be whatever you need to do now (and probably over the next week or month) to make significant steps toward that vision.
The idea is to think deeply about the one focused area of work that will bring about the result you want to see.
Maybe the "first thing" is to think more deeply and get more clarity about what that vision really means to you -- specifically, concretely, in real life.
Maybe you already have a clear vision, and many ideas how to achieve it. Then you should think a bit more deeply about those ideas, and decide on the ONE idea that you want to actively work on, for the next 1-3 weeks (or whatever cadence makes the most sense for you). Once you've made the progress you want to see, then decide what's next, and focus on THAT.
In my experience with this approach, the cadence depends on how long you can really sustain focus without starting to doubt you've made the wrong choice. For example, I cant commit to a single year-long focus project, because while that project is in flight, so many things can be changing, it's likely the original definition of the project won't be valid anymore. But it's pretty easy to commit for a few weeks -- it fits the cadence of my work better.
That's basically what this "first things" method is all about.
I would see "peace, love, happiness" more in the category of the ultimate vision you want for your life.
In the context of this thread, the "first thing" is the main thing that you need to move your life or your work forward. So, if the main objective of your work is "peace, love, happiness", then the "first thing" would be whatever you need to do now (and probably over the next week or month) to make significant steps toward that vision.
The idea is to think deeply about the one focused area of work that will bring about the result you want to see.
Maybe the "first thing" is to think more deeply and get more clarity about what that vision really means to you -- specifically, concretely, in real life.
Maybe you already have a clear vision, and many ideas how to achieve it. Then you should think a bit more deeply about those ideas, and decide on the ONE idea that you want to actively work on, for the next 1-3 weeks (or whatever cadence makes the most sense for you). Once you've made the progress you want to see, then decide what's next, and focus on THAT.
In my experience with this approach, the cadence depends on how long you can really sustain focus without starting to doubt you've made the wrong choice. For example, I cant commit to a single year-long focus project, because while that project is in flight, so many things can be changing, it's likely the original definition of the project won't be valid anymore. But it's pretty easy to commit for a few weeks -- it fits the cadence of my work better.
That's basically what this "first things" method is all about.
September 16, 2013 at 16:25 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Cricket:
<< My early teachers were like your father. We had to finish our early research, outline, extra research, draft and final by certain dates, and hand each stage in to be marked. >>
That is not just good practice for teachers; it is a basic skill for all good delegators.
http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2008/7/17/top-10-tips-on-how-to-delegate.html
<< My early teachers were like your father. We had to finish our early research, outline, extra research, draft and final by certain dates, and hand each stage in to be marked. >>
That is not just good practice for teachers; it is a basic skill for all good delegators.
http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2008/7/17/top-10-tips-on-how-to-delegate.html
September 17, 2013 at 11:15 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
Agreed, those are good skills for delegators, but most of the people I delegate to object. Pre-teen, teenager, and adult volunteers. Sigh. I try to keep it under their control. "In my experience, this will take two weeks the first few times you do it, and the week before the deadline I'll be very busy, probably too busy to help."
With the kids, it's a matter of enforcing the schedule so it becomes routine. They're welcome to come up with a new schedule, but if it fails, then it's back to mine.
With the kids, it's a matter of enforcing the schedule so it becomes routine. They're welcome to come up with a new schedule, but if it fails, then it's back to mine.
September 17, 2013 at 21:47 |
Cricket
Cricket
@Learning as I go re:10th step epiphany
Thank you for the compliment. I've recently come to a better understanding of it which I'll share
It seems best to envision how one will feel with the goal being complete but not to focus on the end, but focus on the steps that are going to bring you there - it helps keep determination on track and stabilizes commitment and discipline to what your heart wants
Thank you for the compliment. I've recently come to a better understanding of it which I'll share
It seems best to envision how one will feel with the goal being complete but not to focus on the end, but focus on the steps that are going to bring you there - it helps keep determination on track and stabilizes commitment and discipline to what your heart wants
September 20, 2013 at 21:51 |
michael
michael
Hi Michael
I, too, rely on the "WHY" I want to bother doing something that causes me such negative effort. It's usually to simply get a responsibility over with. You're correct. That is so relieving unless it's one of those never ending "whack the mole" responsibilities. If I feel extremely high resistance, I do better to stay short sighted with the actual steps. Like I stated in the example. For the first while, I focus on whatever step I'm on until that 10th step. Otherwise, steps 1-9 will be far more effortful if I allow step 10 to sully my mood. LOL! I hate to admit it but whenever I'm doing dreaded work, I ONLY think what DONE feels like and the step I'm on. I'm like the city horse who wears blinders so that the traffic won't spook him. LOL! If I enjoy the work, I love savoring it to the full even when I get stuck. It's a challenge:not a chore. There's no logic involved here but it works for me. LOL!
I, too, rely on the "WHY" I want to bother doing something that causes me such negative effort. It's usually to simply get a responsibility over with. You're correct. That is so relieving unless it's one of those never ending "whack the mole" responsibilities. If I feel extremely high resistance, I do better to stay short sighted with the actual steps. Like I stated in the example. For the first while, I focus on whatever step I'm on until that 10th step. Otherwise, steps 1-9 will be far more effortful if I allow step 10 to sully my mood. LOL! I hate to admit it but whenever I'm doing dreaded work, I ONLY think what DONE feels like and the step I'm on. I'm like the city horse who wears blinders so that the traffic won't spook him. LOL! If I enjoy the work, I love savoring it to the full even when I get stuck. It's a challenge:not a chore. There's no logic involved here but it works for me. LOL!
September 20, 2013 at 22:05 |
Learning as I to
Learning as I to
Seraphim, finished with the 12 Week Year. http://www.psychowith6.com/can-the-12-week-year-help-gtd/ It wasn't a rousing success, but I don't think the fault lies with the approach (with one exception). How many goals are you working on?
September 21, 2013 at 1:22 |
Melanie Wilson
Melanie Wilson
Melanie - I read your blog post. I think it confirms Drucker's idea that for most people, there should just be one goal at a time. That's currently what I'm doing. There's always lots of other things going on, besides that one goal -- but I try to deal with all those things during the "buffer time" and treat it as a necessary evil.
September 23, 2013 at 17:53 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Seraphim, I'm glad that our experiences are the same because it confirms that I need to stick with the one goal. I find that at the beginning of the 12-week period, I'm disappointed that I can't tackle more than one thing, but it doesn't mean that at all. It means that you can give one big project/goal your focus and you can devote whatever time you have left over to anything else you choose. Having three significant goals means that if anything else comes up, I have no time to address it.
September 26, 2013 at 20:49 |
Melanie Wilson
Melanie Wilson
The details vary. Drucker (Effective Executive) says to block out time on your calendar, at least 2-3 blocks of time per week, and at least 90 minutes per block. Use that to focus on the one thing that is of primary importance. Ignore the other things - their priority will change over time and also as a result of your work on the number 1 priority. Use the rest of your day for meetings, interruptions, and the other odds and ends that must be done. He recommends blocking out time in the middle of the day, and bookmarking the days with any required meetings (i.e., schedule meetings for the first and last timeslots of the day, leaving the middle as an uninterrupted block of time, as much as is practical).
The Twelve Week Year takes the same idea but gets much more specific. The most basic change is scheduling several "buffer blocks" throughout the week: 1 or 2 blocks every day, 30-60 minutes each, for handling email, other inputs, and required side tasks. It also has a lot more ideas about exactly how to map out your strategy and what you will focus on during your focused time.
These basic ideas are working really well for me. I schedule my "strategic time" in the middle of the day, every Monday Weds and Friday, 2-4 hours of time. I also schedule a "buffer block" for 30 minutes around 10 or 10:30 AM, and an hour from 4-5 PM. Looking ahead for a week, I adjust the blocks as needed to accommodate required meetings. This leaves a little time on M-W-F, and plenty of time on T-Th, for ad-hoc meetings and other tasks that come up.
This has all somehow freed me up from keeping lists -- or at least, it reduces the size and prominence of the lists. I mainly have 1 or 2 sheets of 8x11 paper that I keep in my shirt pocket with a pen, and scratch down anything I need to remember, or write down thoughts and plans. During "buffer time" or "empty" time (nothing on the calendar), I go through these sheets, take action as needed, scribble some more notes, or whatever. When I'm done with a sheet I just throw it away. I feel very nimble with this.
I also make minimal use of Outlook email and tasks for work, and the Mailbox app on my iPhone for personal stuff. I deal with this during "buffer time" or "empty time". Or while waiting in line at the store or whatever.
The key has been blocking out the strategic focus time, and using that to work on the most important thing, the thing that is most pressing and will bring the most important results. The first few times I blocked out that time, I wasn't sure what the most important thing was, so I spent the time doing some hard thinking about what I should be doing that would bring about the most important results. This has been GREAT.
Scheduling the "buffer time" has been important, because it frees me to focus during the strategic time. If I didn't have the buffer time scheduled, I'd be worried that I wasn't keeping current with my email and maintenance and stuff, and that would distract me away from the strategic time.
I'm not sure if you can call any of this a "system" but it sure has been helpful.