11 Tips for Time Management in a Web Worker World
December 11th, 2006 (9:09pm) Judi Sohn 57 Comments
The Brazen Careerist blog points out “10 tips for Time Management in a Multitasking World.” It’s a great list. My professional career began over 17 years ago. I have only worked in a traditional office setting for the first 6 of those years. Since then, I’ve been based out of a home office. Folks often say, “I don’t know how you work at home…I tried but there’s always something in the house I end up doing that takes me away from getting anything done for work.” I assure you, getting distracted by housework is not my problem. Without feeling that anyone is directly monitoring your activities, it’s way too easy to be distracted by an over-stuffed to-do list and jumbled priorities. How often do you get to the end of your day and feel like you’ve worked so hard and have nothing to show for it? It’s not like anyone saw you slaving away at your desk.
So I present you Brazen’s list, with a web worker twist…
1. Don’t leave email sitting in your in box.
If you are familiar with the Getting Things Done methodology, this is rule #1. If you leave the email sitting in your inbox, you will end up reading it 50 times before you act on it. That’s a waste of time and energy. Touch each email only once. If you can answer it in less than 2 minutes, do it. Otherwise, figure out how much time you’ll need to deal with it, and assign the appropriate action to it. Don’t look at it again until you’re ready to do it. For example, if you need to make a phone call to deal with the email, then put the email in your @calls list and don’t pull it up again until you’re picking up the phone. If the email is simply informative, or there is nothing you will need to do within a short time period, file it.
2. Admit multitasking is bad.
Bad multitasking is bad. Good multitasking is when you break your activities down into discrete steps (in the GTD world, they’re called “actions”) and complete an entire action before moving on to the next one. For example, you get an email from a client asking you to make a change on their website. You need to reply to the client to let him know you’re on it. You need to make the change. You need to proofread or test your work. You need to upload the change to the site. You need to close the loop with the client to let him know it’s done. That’s a single task with 5 actions that have to be done in sequential order. Don’t start the email and then get distracted. Finish the email and send it. Then move on to another action, even if it’s for another task. Projects have phases. Phases have tasks. Tasks have actions. Multitasking in the middle of an action is bad. Jumping around between tasks is not. When you are working at home you are only measured when you produce results. No credit for just showing up. You produce results by completing actions and closing the loop on tasks.
3. Do the most important thing first.
The “most important thing” is so 5 minutes ago. Before I stop working each day, I decide right then what is “the most important thing” for the next day. In the morning, I check email first. Each email is judged against “the most important thing” from the night before. If “the most important thing” is still “the most important thing,” then that’s what is done first. When that action is done, I check email and make sure the next “most important thing” is still “the most important thing” and so on. A web worker doesn’t have someone standing over their shoulder setting priorities. It’s a constantly evolving process that only you can manage.
4. Check your email on a schedule.
I see this all the time and I just can’t agree with it. If you’ve broken up your tasks into actions, then it’s easy to find the time to read email in between completed actions. Follow the rules: if you can get rid of the email in under 2 minutes, do it. Act like your email is a hot potato and it won’t pile up or get in your way. Make sure your “most important thing” of the moment is always at the top. Goodness forbid you miss that 2:30 deadline to get a fax back because you read your email at the scheduled time of 3 pm.
5. Keep web site addresses organized.
Have one trusted system for organization. If you like to copy/paste websites into a Word file, then always do that. If you like to write things down on a pad of paper, then do that only. Don’t have websites in del.icio.us, websites in an email, websites in a file and websites on post-it notes.
6. Know when you work best.
Funny thing is, if you don’t know when you work best your colleagues certainly do. The more you work from home or remotely, the more the people who work with you begin to learn your style. If you are most productive at 10:30 at night, you can bet the email asking you to do stuff starts coming in at 9 pm.
7. Think about keystrokes.
If you’re on a computer all day, keystrokes matter because efficiency matters. “On any given day, an information worker will do a dozen Google searchers…How many keystrokes does it take? Can you reduce it to three? You might save 10 seconds, but over time, that builds up.”
Um sure, whatever. For me the goal is to get the computer to think and move as fast as I do. When my creativity and thought process is flowing, I don’t want to be held up looking for a menu command.
8. Make it easy to get started.
We don’t have problems finishing projects, we have problems starting them…make a shallow on-ramp…I try to break own my projects into chunks, so I am not overwhelmed by them…
Once again: Projects have phases. Phases have tasks. Tasks have actions. Strike that balance between available time and available resources to complete an action. If you don’t have 30 minutes of available time, don’t start an action that will take 30 minutes. You’ll just end up stressed and disorganized. See the mountain as a series of very small steps. Before you know it, you’ll be halfway up. Schedule your time-sensitive actions and tasks for the day first, and then fill in the gaps with actions that have looser deadlines. Make a point of doing at least three non-critical actions a day, and at least one “I don’t want to do it” action a day. Do it anyway. Otherwise you’ll end up procrastinating yourself right up to a deadline.
9. Organize your to-do list every day.
Once a day? Too broad. Every task on your plate has a next action. Keep the list of next actions for every task/project close, and be prepared to reorganize them after every completed action. Unexpected things happen and priorities shift. It soon becomes habit. If you are using Outlook for email, I can’t recommend the Getting Things Done add-in strongly enough. It’s got its bugs to work around, but it’s an incredible tool for filing and processing email into discrete actions.
10. Dare to be slow.
Remember that a good time manager actually responds to some things more slowly than a bad time manager would. For example, someone who is doing the highest priority task is probably not answering incoming email while they’re doing it.
I would argue that it’s not about speed, it’s about priorities and breaking larger tasks down to smaller actions. It may appear that you’re taking a longer time to complete a task, when what you’re really doing is taking bigger gaps between actions.
and let me add an 11th one:
11. Close the loop.
No dangling threads. There is either something you need to do or there isn’t. Decide that quickly. When the task is done, don’t forget the action of getting that task completely off your plate. Send the email, make the phone call, file it. Whatever. When it’s done, it’s done. Get it off your desk. Don’t spend hours working on a task and then let the very last action of a thank you email to the client (or sending the invoice) sit in your to-do list for days.
Finally…don’t forget to make sure you have a few @fun actions in there too. Don’t read that joke from your friend now, put it aside and wait until you really need that laugh in between actions. And then don’t feel guilty for taking the time to read it.
57 Comments Post your own comment
Anne 2.0 » Blog Archive » Welcome to The Newest Contributor at Web Worker Daily, Judi Sohn says: December 11th, 2006 9:39pm
[...] I’m really pleased that Judi Sohn has joined Web Worker Daily. Her first post is up now: 11 Tips for Time Management in a Web Worker World. [...]
tomh says: December 12th, 2006 2:19am
Also in the same vein is the Time Management Manifesto reported on the Gaping Void weblog:
http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/003518.html
Dawn Mular says: December 12th, 2006 3:41am
What a great blog!! I am sharing this with the Telecommuting Professionals Community. There really is a growing trend of telecommuters creating remarkable opportunity.. Happy to find you on this trail!
Dawn
http://linkedin.com/in/dmular
leisa.reichelt says: December 12th, 2006 3:52am
We don’t have problems finishing projects
Eh. I’m the opposite of this. I leap into new projects enthusiastically then struggle to tie off the last few details when other new projects look so fresh and alluring.
I still use lists and ‘rewards’ to get projects finished. That, and a dash of adrenaline.
Nice post. I needed a prod to get back into GTD.
Advanced Technology Products Interactive » Blog Archive » Time management says: December 12th, 2006 4:39am
[...] Anne pointed towards this article on time management from a web worker by Judy Sohni. Good multitasking is when you break your activities down into discrete steps .. and complete an entire action before moving on to the next one. Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
Dan Florio says: December 12th, 2006 7:50am
Suggestion: I turn all my email notifications off. I don’t want to get a pop-up msg in the system tray. I don’t want a little beep going off. When I’m heads down working on a design or code I don’t want to be interrupted or even tempted to go check email. I need to take breaks every hour or so and that’s a good time to quickly see if there’s any email that needs attention.
GigaOM » Ch Ch Ch Changes says: December 12th, 2006 10:15am
[...] In addition to these two fine people, we have added Judi Sohn to our growing team of bloggers. Judi is going to be contributing to Web Worker Daily on a regular basis, and already she is busy making our lives better. She has 11 tips on how to better manage your time. (Judi, mind reading is not part of the job… Seriously!) [...]
Leo Archer says: December 12th, 2006 1:49pm
Time management (or “How to waste time posting tips about time management”)
One of the things I find can be pretty difficult in a multi-faceted world is keeping up to speed on a variety of projects at the same time. As an entrepreneur you often have the choice whether to invest all
simplywired says: December 12th, 2006 8:33pm
This post is helpful!
thanks~
Web geek time management | acidlabs says: December 12th, 2006 10:45pm
[...] Totally seriously, WWD has another excellent post up. This time on time management for us web workers. [...]
Jesse Gardner says: December 13th, 2006 12:06am
Suggestions on successfully using an IM client in your business ventures without going crazy?
Judi Sohn says: December 13th, 2006 4:33am
Jesse, I so know what you mean. And I can’t say that I always practice what I preach, but it has helped me to use my IM client of choice (Trillian) to separate buddies into groups…those that can interrupt me and those that can’t. I can tell by which container is flashing in the task bar whether it’s a “call” I have to take right away or I can ignore it until I’m between actions and I have a second to talk. I can’t turn it off completely. If my boss or someone on our Board is knocking on my door, I have to acknowledge her no matter what I’m doing. I’m not self employed, I work for someone else out of my home office and we rely on IM as our main form of communication throughout the day.
Michael Flessas says: December 13th, 2006 5:26am
Tacitly behind all of the excellent suggestions above is the following principle of mine: Shorten the distance between points A and B where time is also distance to reduce systemic waste.
Jesse Gardner says: December 13th, 2006 6:34am
That’s a great idea… I think I need a better form of notification for Adium (on a Mac). I do have a ‘Clients’ section, but usually when a message comes, it’s a distracting duck that dances on my dock, vying for my attention. (Who doesn’t pay attention to a frantic duck?)
Shaun Stevens says: December 13th, 2006 7:51am
This is superior management advice and counsel .
My grandmother could of told me these tips.
kapsberger19 says: December 13th, 2006 9:14am
http://www.markforster.net/“>Mark Forster’s new book “Do it tomorrow” gives some great ways to follow up on tips 2 and 3.
matthew says: December 13th, 2006 9:17am
Hi Judi, We would like to inform you that your blog has now been added to the Megite index. We kindly invite you to explore Megite’s latest version at http://www.megite.com.
dadan says: December 13th, 2006 10:33am
very interesting .. thank you …
Manish says: December 13th, 2006 10:34am
Great. Just also read Time Management book.
My Blog
xocea » Tips for Time Management in a Web Worker World says: December 13th, 2006 2:56pm
[...] Via Web Worker Daily: The Brazen Careerist blog points out “10 tips for Time Management in a Multitasking World.” It’s a great list. My professional career began over 17 years ago. I have only worked in a traditional office setting for the first 6 of those years. Since then, I’ve been based out of a home office. Folks often say, “I don’t know how you work at home…I tried but there’s always something in the house I end up doing that takes me away from getting anything done for work.” I assure you, getting distracted by housework is not my problem. Without feeling that anyone is directly monitoring your activities, it’s way too easy to be distracted by an over-stuffed to-do list and jumbled priorities. How often do you get to the end of your day and feel like you’ve worked so hard and have nothing to show for it? It’s not like anyone saw you slaving away at your desk. [...]
David says: December 13th, 2006 3:11pm
Oh my goodness…
What is this life if, full of care
We have no time to stand and stare?
– W.H. Davies (1870-1940)
Get your priorities right. Stop working and get on with living. Sooner than you think, your life will all be over and you’ll wish you’d made better use of it than Working For The Man.
David
zaletabakman says: December 13th, 2006 4:06pm
My time management way is much simpler.
I have a list of GOALS - not tasks.
I just keep doing things that are related to my GOALS.
Sometimes they look like tasks - but - they are moving me towards my goals.
So
1) my inbox is full of stuff that I may or may not ever get to.
2) i am some times doing one task that meet to goals. So am I multi-tasking?
3) I always do what I enjoy first or what is the hardest. Depends on the moment.
4) I love hearing from friends - so I respond to e-mail when its a friend.
5) I love google - who needs to store websites?
6) Nice idea. Except I work best in the shower - its screws up the laptop.
7) Man - worring about keystrokes? Get a life.
8) I love the kick of a meeting a deadline at the last minute. I love living life to its fullest. The only real deadline is death - and I plan on being very late on that one.
9) I am trying to destroy my todo list. Just goals and making sure I meet them.
10) I am working hard at working slow. Take my time and think things through and all of a sudden - your to do list disapears.
11) I like that last one. But, make it simple - after you finish eating clean and put the dishes away.
Zale
http://www.zaletabakman.ca
Ryan says: December 13th, 2006 7:52pm
Great tips, thanks
globelovers says: December 14th, 2006 12:39am
agree!
Time Management at Peety-Passion.com says: December 14th, 2006 1:06am
[...] What is time management? Wikipedia describes the phrase as, tools or techniques for planning and scheduling time, usually with the aim to increase the effectiveness and/or efficiency of personal and corporate time use.The Web Worker Daily has developed, 11 Fantastic Time Management Tips: [...]
Quarter-life Crisis « Peteamania says: December 14th, 2006 6:55am
[...] As an active member of the blogosphere I often like to read and contribute to other peoples blogs. Today I was learning how to improve my already amazing levels of productivity by reading 11 Tips for Time Management on Web Worker Daily. A link to a blog called Brazen Careerist caught my eye, being an uber young-professional I thought this sounded right up my street. Whilst reading this blog I came across a new concept: the Quarter-life crisis. To be honest it doesn’t sound half as fun a mid-life crisis, for one it doesn’t involve buying motorbikes and sports-cars or running off with your secretary. Apparently the Quarter-life crisis is becoming increasingly common there’s a good explanation of exactly what it is Wikipaedia. [...]
globelovers says: December 14th, 2006 9:28am
wow,,,quote from wikipedia!
Ben says: December 14th, 2006 10:28am
One thing that helps me stay focused all day:
Exercise in the morning.
ranzakrkdi says: December 15th, 2006 6:00am
Saya prihatin dengan dunia pendidikan saat ini yang menjadikan sekolah sebagai ajang mencari duit. Bagaimana tidak guru2 yang telah di gaji oleh pemerintah menjadi pedagang bagi murid2 nya karena guru2 tersebut menjual buku kepada siswa nya dengan “janji” nanti tidak di ikutkan ulangan semester atau apalah sementara kualitas pendidikan masih lebih baik metode pendidikan zaman dulu karena dapat melahirkan manusia2 seperti habibie sementara sekarang ?//
experienceaurie says: December 15th, 2006 7:21am
these tips can work in any work environment….this is very good stuff. i can certainly apply to the banking world that i am in.
zaletabakman says: December 15th, 2006 8:53am
Here is what I posted on my blog about this.
It got me to thinking about managing my time.
My time management way is much simpler.
I have a list of GOALS - not tasks.
I just keep doing things that are related to my GOALS.
Sometimes they look like tasks - but - they are moving me towards my goals.
So here are my comments on the 11 Tips For Time Management.
1. Don’t leave email sitting in your in box.
My inbox is full of stuff that I may or may not ever get to. Who cares if its full.
See I Love My Delete Key if you need help with this.
2. Admit multitasking is bad.
I agree with this one. I am some times doing one task that meet two goals. So am I multi-tasking?
3. Do the most important thing first.
I always do what I enjoy first or what is the hardest. Depends on the moment. Important is too confusing and can change too often.
4. Check your email on a schedule.
I love hearing from people - so I love to respond as soon as possible. When I am busy I don’t read my e-mail.
5. Keep web site addresses organized.
I love google - who needs to store websites? Ialways wondered what the bookmarks were for. I just type in the fist characters of the website I am interested in and up pops the list in the address bar. Maybe my browser is magical?
6. Know when you work best.
Nice idea. Except I work best in the shower - its screws up the laptop.
7. Think about keystrokes.
Man - worring about keystrokes? Get a life.
8. Make it easy to get started.
I love the kick of a meeting a deadline at the last minute. I love living life to its fullest.
The only real deadline is death - and I plan on being very late on that one.
9. Organize your to-do list every day.
I only have a To Do List on Fridays - getting ready for the Sabbath - lots of things that can not wait (shopping, cooking, and cleaning).
10. Dare to be slow.
I agree on this one. Too much rushing around and anxiety everywhere. Its why the world is getting filled with ADD and ADHD kids. I am learning to take my time and think things through and all of a sudden - your to do list disapears. But thats a long discussion for a personal Blog.
11. Close the loop.
I like that last one. But, make it simple - after you finish eating clean and put the dishes away.
Zale
http://www.zaletabakman.ca
11 Tips for Time Management « Random Mutterings says: December 15th, 2006 2:06pm
[...] http://webworkerdaily.com/2006/12/11/11-tips-for-time-management-in-a-web-worker-world/ [...]
Sai says: December 15th, 2006 11:57pm
I need to follow these advices badly! :D But procrastination is my worst enemy :(, good thing it’s a little slow on my school these holidays. Still, thanks for the great tips, I’ll be sure to keep ‘em in mind when I get into real work one day.
Titusville Toastmasters Podcast » 11 Tips for Time Management in a Web Worker World says: December 20th, 2006 3:04am
[...] How often do you get to the end of your day and feel like you ’ve worked so hard and have nothing to show for it? Specially if you work alone, remotely, or freelancing, you may want to follow some practices to make sure you do you work on timeread more | digg story [...]
smokesignalhomes says: December 20th, 2006 10:08am
I thoroughly agree with this system. It’s helped me quite a bit as when phone calls and voicemails come in about showings and questions and such. I’ve passed this on to many-a-people…
Isaak’s Quick Links - 20 December 2006 | Isaak’s World says: December 23rd, 2006 7:54am
[...] Lists of time management tips - 10 tips for time management in a multitasking worldThere’s never enough time management tips that one can make use of. - 11 tips for time management in a web worker worldA little twist on the previous list from the view of a web worker, someone who works from home. [...]
Time Management: Also Needed in Cyberspace « Business Golf says: December 25th, 2006 9:19pm
[...] Web Worker Daily » Blog Archive 11 Tips for Time Management in a Web Worker World « [...]
Jeff Ventura says: December 26th, 2006 6:40pm
This is actually an *oustanding* list. I will mirror/link to it on my blog.
Well done.
gary noseworthy says: February 5th, 2007 10:12am
Is time spent blogging effective time management, or another of those “black holes” into which much of our time disappears?
handbags says: March 5th, 2007 5:53pm
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Comment améliorer son organisation et gagner du temps ? « ConseilsMarketing.fr says: March 24th, 2007 6:06am
[...] aller plus loin, un site intéressant que je viens de découvrir depuis la lecture de cet article: http://www.WebWorkerDaily.com Voici leur 5 de leurs 10 règles pour gagner du [...]
toscana says: April 15th, 2007 9:52pm
E grande io ha trovato il vostro luogo! Le info importanti ottenute! ))
Time Management says: April 17th, 2007 1:06pm
Quite often multi-tasking is at the expense of quality.
The more complex the tasks, the greater the detriment to quality.
11 Tips for Time Management in a Web Worker World :: Top Blank says: May 10th, 2007 10:05pm
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11 Tips for Time Management « Zale Tabakman says: May 30th, 2007 10:23pm
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Zale Tabakman says: August 17th, 2007 12:23pm
11 Tips for Time Management
11 Tips For Time Management is an interesting article on time management.
It got me to thinking about managing my time.
My time management way is much simpler.
I have a list of GOALS - not tasks.
I just keep doing things that are related to my GOALS.
S…
Why Time Management? « Web Worker Daily says: August 31st, 2007 11:00am
[...] Time Management? Here at WWD, we’ve published almost innumerable tips on time management. We’re certainly not alone in this; there are many resources to help [...]
11 Tips for Time Management in a Web Worker World « Programming News says: October 4th, 2007 4:35am
[...] read more | digg story [...]
Comment améliorer son organisation et gagner du temps ? says: November 14th, 2007 2:14pm
[...] aller plus loin, un site intéressant que je viens de découvrir depuis la lecture de cet article: http://www.WebWorkerDaily.com Voici leur 5 de leurs 10 règles pour gagner du [...]
time management says: January 15th, 2008 4:08am
Very true with point 1, I also find myself flipping between my work and checking email constantly, this wastes a lot of my time daily!
Creating Tomorrow » Blog Archive » 11 Tips for Getting (More) Things Done says: February 1st, 2008 5:44am
[...] extended Web Worker Daily version is here; from that page you can click through to the version by Brazen [...]
Innovative Business Golf Solutions » Time Management: Also Needed in Cyberspace says: February 11th, 2008 1:36pm
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Dr. Tracy Ochester says: February 18th, 2008 8:47am
I also read and enjoyed the “Brazen Careerist” entry and had fun getting your take as well. My mental health blog has a more general entry on time management I hope you will enjoy at http://kctherapist.blogspot.com/.
Francis says: April 14th, 2008 4:34am
I like the idea that managing time is the key to having a fulfilling day.
However, I think that they key is to manage expectations, and the fact is that we all have a problem with creating in our mind’s eye some realism with respect to what we can accomplish in any given day.
The first problem is that most don’t actually create a schedule, and those that do, create unrealistic schedules that are just impossible to follow, and rely on everything going perfectly … which hardly ever happens!
The second problem is that an unrealistic, ideal day leads to a week / month / year of dashed expectations, and a general feeling of un-productivity, regardless of the facts. This feeling is what most all of us are fighting, rather than some objective standard.
This isn’t to say that we should stop having these feelings (we can’t) but we can modify them by giving ourselves more fact-based expectations each day. At least, the, we know that we are fighting expectations vs. accomplishments, versus just feelings based on a vague notion that we should be doing more.
Time Management Tips #1 - Mindset says: June 17th, 2008 2:21pm
[...] 10 Tips for Time Management in a Multitasking World and the same list with a Web Worker Twist. [...]