Knowing that you have a lot of tasks that has to be done is something that can slow you down. I have how ever experienced that if you write down a list of tasks you’ll quickly move forward.
On this list you write down anything. Even the smallest of tasks – these are in fact the most important ones.
For me to get things done I start of with the easiest tasks, those that are the quickest to get you going. When I start working following the list I quickly comes into the “tasks at hand” mode, and that is when you can start working on the heavier operations on your list.
You should try and organize your task list so that you can take breakes. So you task list could be organized like this:
- Easy task
- Not as easy
- Not easy
- Break
- Easy task
- Not as easy
- Not easy
- Break (lunch?)
- Easy task
- Not as easy
- Not easy
- Break
- Easy task
- Not as easy
- Not easy
An easy task is something that you can get done in a short amount of time, and should be a task that does not psyche you out. It is only on the list to get you started.
The reason for me to break it up like that is because after a break it can be hard to start up again, especially if there is a “not easy” task at hand. You can of course put a “Not Easy/Hard” task after lunch (after an easy-task!) so that you can brag about this tough job you are about to start after lunch. Also. The brain is in a better shape after a good meal/break.
Also: When you are working on your tasks, don’t use Twitter, Chat/IM-software or any other Online applications. Stay focused on your task and save those distractions for your break. Don’t let your breaks last to long. If you smoke it’s quite easy to jail the time because you’ll get back to your workstation when you finish up your smoke. For non-smokers (like myself), set the break to be no more than ten minutes. According to some, you spend quite a lot of minutes to get back into work mode after a break, or after being interrupted.
I have also used this technique when doing my sport – BMX Freestyle. My sessions always started with doing the easy tricks, then working towards the harder stuff. In sports terminology I believe they call this warming up.
It is also a good idea to set a goal for the day. If you are a developer, such a goal could be to fix ten bugs, implement a new feature or writing documentation. When doing BMXF I tried to have a goal to set one trick at least 10 out of 10. Another goal could be to learn a new trick (sometimes a big task!).
There are far smarter people than me who has written articles on how to get things done. Check out the links below.
Links:
www.davidco.com
www.43folders.com
How I get things done (Video on Vimeo by Jon Larkowski)
ideamatt.blogspot.com
Erlends experiences (in Norwegian)
Disclaimer: I have not read any books on how to become more productive. The blog post above is written based on personal experiences.
