getting things done - tips & tricks
Post on 08-Feb-2017
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GETTING THINGS DONETIPS AND TRICKS
Brian Frank@bfrank
Product Manager, Palm VP of Product, Timeful
“[Brian] is a *machine* of execution, getting more done in a day (in priority order) than almost anyone I’ve met.”
- Leading Tech Exec
GETTING THINGS DONE
PROVEN METHODS
▸ Establish Rituals
▸ Do the ‘Hard Thing’ First
▸ Delay Reading Email
▸ Avoid Structured Procrastination
▸ Protect Your Most Productive Time
▸ Schedule Yourself First
▸ Ban Meetings - At Least for One Day
▸ Run Effective Meetings
▸ Schedule Others - And Be Nice
▸ Clearly Articulate Your Rules
RITUALS
GETTING THINGS DONE
RITUALS ARE POWERFUL
▸ Focuses your mind
▸ Makes you consistent
▸ Set you up for a ‘good day’
▸ Tip: Write the 3 things you need to get done that day right when you walk into the office.
DO THE ‘HARD THING’ FIRST
GETTING THINGS DONE
‘EAT A LIVE FROG FIRST THING IN THE MORNING AND NOTHING WORSE WILL HAPPEN THE REST OF THE DAY’ - MARK TWAIN
▸ You’re prepared to do the difficult stuff
▸ 85-90% are most productive first thing in the morning
▸ Getting the hard thing done makes you feel better
▸ Tip: Schedule chunks of a hard, multi-day project first thing in the morning
DELAY EMAIL
GETTING THINGS DONE
EMAIL IS A ‘TIME SINK’
▸ There’s ALWAYS going to be plenty of email first thing in the morning
▸ People are conditioned to pick up their phone after waking up. Resist! (If you can’t, ‘triage’)
▸ It’ll be there when you get to it, and we have periods of low productivity where checking email is the perfect task
▸ Tip: Schedule time to do email in your ‘low productivity’ time - after lunch, end of day, on the train
AVOID STRUCTURED PROCRASTINATION
GETTING THINGS DONE
TO DO LISTS ARE EVIL
▸ They’re a record of everything you WILL NOT get done
▸ You intermingle simple things (‘schedule meeting’) and hard things (‘work on project’)
▸ You set yourself up for Structured Procrastination
▸ Tip: Prioritize & say ‘no’ to things on your To Do List - its liberating and helps you focus on whats important
PROTECT YOUR MOST PRODUCTIVE TIME
GETTING THINGS DONE
WE HAVE RHYTHMS
▸ Most people are most productive in the morning
▸ People are less productive after lunch and later in the day, but NOT just before the end of the day (special case)
▸ You work better when you have ‘commitments’
▸ Tip: Learn what times you’re most productive, and schedule your tasks into those slots (ON YOUR CALENDAR!)
SCHEDULE YOURSELF FIRST
GETTING THINGS DONE
NATURE ABHORS A VACUUM
▸ If you don’t schedule yourself, someone else will (‘time thieves’)
▸ People fail at large projects because they don’t actually account for the amount of work that will go into it
▸ So we ‘cram’ at the last minute, which produces lower quality results
▸ Tip: Block off key times in your schedule, and be ruthless about keeping them for yourself
BAN MEETINGS - AT LEAST FOR ONE DAY
GETTING THINGS DONE
MEETINGS ARE THE ANTI-THESIS OF PRODUCTIVITY
▸ When you have to get something important done, having clear time on your schedule to do it is critical
▸ Meetings end up breaking up the day, and you avoid getting into ‘flow’
▸ Meetings are often not run properly (we’ll tackle that next)
▸ Tip: Agree with your team on a ‘meeting free’ day
RUN EFFECTIVE MEETINGS
GETTING THINGS DONE
MEETINGS OFTEN DON’T YIELD TANGIBLE RESULTS
▸ We schedule 1hr long meetings because our calendars do that by default
▸ There’s VERY few meetings where you actually need an hour
▸ And every meeting should have clear objectives and outcomes set upfront
▸ Tip: Book 30 min meetings, have a clear agenda, and do them standing up
SCHEDULE OTHERS -BUT BE NICE!
GETTING THINGS DONE
WE’RE ALL VERY BUSY
▸ When dealing with others (investors, partners, customers) make sure you are the ‘leader’ on getting it scheduled
▸ Recognize that everyone is busy, and you have to be flexible on scheduling - so give several options that work for you first
▸ Don’t rush meetings onto the schedule - better to be prepared and have a successful meeting
▸ Tip: ‘I’m happy to get that on our schedule, how’s these days/times …’
CLEARLY ARTICULATE YOUR RULES
GETTING THINGS DONE
RULES ARE A WAY OF MAKING PEOPLE CONFORM TO YOUR PLAN
▸ We are inherently rule-driven creatures
▸ Rules are instilled in us at a very early age
▸ We feel guilty when we break peoples’ rules
▸ Tip: Make rules about days/times for meetings - i.e. - ‘I have to take all my meetings before 4:30pm, because I need to get home for dinner with my kids/spouse.’
TIME IS YOUR MOST PRECIOUS AND SCARCE RESOURCE - YOU ONLY HAVE SO MUCH, AND YOU CAN’T MAKE MORE
Dan Ariely, Behavioral Economist
GETTING THINGS DONE
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