Here’s something I’ve recently been doing for myself and it has definitely paid off.
I’m a firm believer in lists.
But lists, especially long lists, get to look a little dogeared after a while.
And when the job is complete and everything on the list is ticked off, the list gets thrown away.
Many work projects and / or tasks are often repeated but maybe only months later.
So next time you come to do a similar task you recreate the list all over again!
That’s hardly Dynamic.
This is taking the list process one step further with some tremendous time saving advantages.
The Hack
You have a long list of things to do to create your next product.
You’ve made your list in the normal way.
Now get yourself a pack of Record or File cards and transpose each item or task on your list onto a card.
One task – one card. Simple.
Check the order of the cards take the first card and put the rest aside somewhere.
Preferably out of sight and out of easy reach.
Now work on that one task until it is complete.
No flicking through to see if there is a task you would rather tackle.
You put them in the correct order remember, so stick to it.
No excuses, no ifs, no buts, just complete the damned task!
The Best Bits…
…the bits that has been working really well for me.
Firstly, notice how long the task takes and make a note of it on the card for next time.
Next, when you hit a snag, problem or get stuck, which you will, and you solve it, make a note of your solution on the card.
If you find a task needs breaking down into multiple tasks then create cards for each task, sort them into order and add them to the others.
Keep out only the one card for the task you are working on. No exceptions remember.
When a task is complete, note the time taken, note any solution or tips for nest time, congratulate yourself and add it to the back of the stack. Now take out the next card / task and work on that exclusively until that too is completed.
And so on…
Reward yourself from time to time!
Why does it work so well?
When you are working on one card / task at a time and only that card is visible you have effectively removed a number of distractions. By keeping a record of time taken, solutions, tips and any short cuts you discover, you are automatically improving productivity next time you tackle something similar. Now that’s Dynamic!