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| Saturday, April 19, 2008 |
| Stop Multitasking, Start Getting Things Done the Right Way |
Multitasking: Good or Bad?
If there is one thing women are most noted for, I believe it would be the mastery of the art of multitasking. Multitasking somehow integrates itself into the lives of women making them super human beings in the process.
One great example of this comes from a story from a guy colleague of mine while we were on the topic of S.O.P. (s3x on phon3). He said that he saw something about a woman and a man doing S.O.P. After a closer look, it showed how the woman, while engaging in the said task, was also ironing clothes as well! A classic case of great woman multitasking.
Although admittedly, it is not just women who master multitasking. These days, everybody pretty much knows how to multitask. And they are pretty good, too! With the continuous development of technology and all the things in this world, there seems to be so many things that one can do in just a couple of minutes. For example, checking your emails while chatting, while browsing some social networking website, while doing research for something, while balancing a baby being on the lap while feeding him or her, and singing. What?? You don't think that's possible? Of course, I know this to be true. I am THAT person in question. And I think it is just wrong. That is why I am trying to change it.
Though it seems like a great way to get a lot of things done, at the end of the day, I feel like I have been dragged through every room of the house. That happens on most days. There are days, though, that I don't feel too tired. Perhaps my body has adjusted to the multitasking.
One thing at a time.
After all things considered, I realized that it is best to do just one thing at a time. That way, you can work your absolute best, and concentrate more on what is being done at hand. Scheduling the things that must be done is indeed a good idea. I am trying real hard to do this. Somehow, I find myself almost always short of time. And then these would be the moments where I wish I would be able to have 36 hours a day.
Doing things one at a time allows you to sort out your activities and plan them carefully. Something I need to do. It is most definitely going to be an uphill battle, but from the bottom of my heart, I think this is for the best. God knows, perhaps this is what I needed all alone.
Indeed, the great PoohBah knew a lot when he told me when I was a n00b that burn-out should be
Introducing GTD (Getting Things Done) by David Allen
Have you ever heard of GTD? I have. I've known about this for a year or so now, but I have never been able to put it into practice. I've read a lot about it, but procrastination is indeed a curse, and it has put my goal of learning this into the back seat. All the more that I need to learn it now.
So I renew my goal of learning GTD. I got the following from Wikipedia in hopes of sharing it with you, too. In case you're one dove-tailing person like moi. Read up about this more and let's see what happens. So anyway, here is the process of GTD, and a step towards organization (still under GTD).
Process
When processing a bucket, a strict workflow is followed:
* Start at the top.
* Deal with one item at a time.
* Never put anything back into 'in'.
* If an item requires action:
* Do it (if it takes less than two minutes), OR
* Delegate it, OR
* Defer it.
* If an item does not require action:
* File it for reference, OR
* Throw it away, OR
* Incubate it for possible action later.
If it takes under two minutes to do something, just do it immediately. The two-minute rule is a guideline, encompassing roughly the time it would take to defer the action formally.
Organize
Allen describes a suggested set of lists which can be used to keep track of items awaiting attention:
* Next actions — For every item requiring attention, decide what is the next action that can be physically taken on that item. For example, if the item is, "Write project report," the next action might be, "Email Fred for meeting minutes," or, "Call Mary to ask about report requirements." Though there may be many steps and actions required to complete the item, there will always be something that needs to be done first, and this step should be recorded in the next actions list. Preferably, these steps are organized by the context in which they can be done, such as "in the office," "by the phone," or "at the store."
* Projects — Every open loop in one's life or work which requires more than one physical action to achieve becomes a project. These projects are tracked and periodically reviewed to make sure that every project has a next action associated with it, and thus can be moved forward.
* Waiting for — When an action has been delegated to someone else, or when one is waiting for some external event before a project can be moved forward, this is tracked in the system and periodically checked to see if action is due, or a reminder needs to be sent.
* Someday/Maybe — Things to be done at some point, but not right now. Examples might be "learn Chinese," or, "take diving holiday."
So! Let's get this multitasking out of our system and embrace the Art of organizing and getting things done!!
Cheers!!!
Labels: getting things done, good finds, improvement, multitasking, opinion, personal matters, productivity, tips, women |
| posted by Ann @ 12:28 PM
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| About Me |
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Name: Ann
Home: Philippines
About Me: even when she has fairy wings on, this girl is anything BUT dainty. perhaps the size, the weight, and the personality alone are just too much for her to be considered delicate, prim, proper, and refined. this girl with the mud smudged cheeks has been down on the ground one to many times. these times forced her to be tougher, smarter, and more savvy than she has ever been. perhaps she will always be, never dainty.
email me: neverdainty [at] gmail [dot] com
See my complete profile
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