Productivity tricks at work
The quality of work at my job this week has been higher thanks to a couple of renewed workflows I adjusted to my current role. I wanted to share some of these “mind tricks.”
I got my new sand timer (I don’t like the word hourglass, it doesn’t make sense) Tuesday. A big 30-minute glass with a sky-blue sand version of the pomodoro technique, it has two roles. First, it divides my work into 30-minute sessions; this keeps me productive while motivating me to pull through and finish a task as I watch the steady flow of sand getting me closer to a break. Second, it measures how many “sessions” I have in a day, which makes my productivity measurable in units. Having my time tangible like this is a nice boost to creativity I didn’t expect.
My checklists are back as well, and the effect was immediate. I found patterns in my workflow that allow me to automate more tasks mentally and spend time on details. One outcome, for example, is more organized communication with coworkers and adding it directly into each task’s notes rather than replying to endless email threads or chat logs. The details themselves are helpful and would make it easier to find references in the future.
I also started using the Microsoft style guide more often. This guide is generally accepted among technical writers for editing and regulating instructions. Now I have “use” and “do not use” word lists. For example, using “select” over “click” or “tap” when writing instructions for users to choose an option in a workflow, the manual is full of such examples to interact with the UI. I also hope to review our own work guide and add information about visual aids, headings, fonts, colors, etc. Rather than correctness, the emphasis for me is on uniformity.
It’s been a long week. I feel tired but accomplished. I made good progress this week in the right direction, and in turn, this will lead to better work and more quality in my free time.
Good morning!
Todays breakfast sandwich 🥪 is one of my favorites: goat cheese, reddish, brussels sprouts, and mustard.
Have you ever read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress? There’s a catchy phrase there, TINSTAAFL: there is no such thing as a free lunch. I want to suggest TINSTAFM: there is no such thing as five minutes. Any takers?
I tried to get into Stage Manager like all the cool kids for the last two days, but I can’t. The idea is nice, but it’s just so unintuitive. I keep fighting the UI, and I don’t need this level of separation between apps. I’m used to work with virtual desktops.
I picked up The Maid by Nita Prose 📚 at random from the library recommendations (most popular list of fiction). Read a sample, felt the writing is to my liking, and now I’m two chapters in. I think I will enjoy this one.
On my way back from the coffee roaster, I took a detour with my camera. Most of the photos didn’t come out interesting; I now call those “Zoom background” photos. Here are two that I liked. 📷
Anyone has an idea how to quickly scan something to iCloud as a PDF file? I want an independent PDF, not the Notes version.
Currently I go to Files > menu > scan document. I want something quicker and more intuitive.
2024-08-11: Since then, I found an iOS Shortcut that does the above workflow and placed it on my homescreen.
I finished reading: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch 📚 last night. I feel the central idea of this book, multiple parallel dimensions, is discussed too often these days. The story takes it a little further and gives it more of a scientific flavor. The plot is interesting, though cliche and somewhat flat.
Checklists, the me version
A good checklist…
- Breaks down complex known projects (“How do I start this huge task?”)1.
- Shows a clear start and a clear end (has a known goal)
- Goes by order (first A, then B, then C. Not A and then D)
- Contains short steps (the law of three to four words)2
- is NOT time-based (a time of day, how long to do, etc.)
Here’s a good example, my “Rebound” checklist:
- Check ServiceNow (SNOW) for new Tasks
- Check Outlook for current flags/pins
- Check Outlook for new emails to flag
- Check Teams’ activity for chats I’ve missed
- Check Slack
It is a complex project, and I can feel lost starting when I need to catch up with work, and I’m worried I missed something.
It does not show a clear start or end, though those are known: I start not knowing what’s going on, and by the end, I have an idea of what I missed.
Interestingly, order here is not critical, though it is implied by my priorities. Tasks in SNOW are the first to catch up with, then Outlook for flags and pins I tend to use when I can’t digest emails fully and convert them to a doable task.
Then, read emails to search for potential emails that look important and make them into tasks (or respond to emails and ask for more information to determine if there’s a task to do there and what it is.)
Then, Check Teams. People chat me, and I can miss it. Usually, when I receive a chat through Teams directly (someone is giving me a task), I create a task workflow on the spot or create it through our digital form at work (or ask them to do it so I have a record). The case here is not for that; it’s just to catch things I might have missed when I was grabbing lunch or something of the sort.
Lastly, Slack is our announcement medium for outages or similar events, though I usually get the information via Email or Teams first. It’s a good place to check to be aware if something should be made into a website announcement, a mass email, alerts, etc.
With checklists, the longer they are, in a way, the better they justify their use case. The best examples I remember are my checklists for setting up computers manually. Some of those include information that is still relevant today. At the same time though, if a checklist starts to feel tedious and I check certain items off automatically or delete them because they are not applicable, it needs to be adjusted/shortened.
Let’s talk about what checklists are not.
Checklists are not what’s going to make my day a productive one. They are a part of of my toolset, so I have to use them first. Besides, I can’t just make up stuff to use checklists for and hope to feel “productive.”
To reinforce my idea above, Checklists are not a workflow or a knowledge article. Explanations and visual aids do not belong in checklists; they belong in notes associated (and linked) to the list. Why? Because instructions make the checklist long and bloated. It’s also not a good place to find the needed information in the future. Finally, checklists are personal and should be adjusted as such, but information should be basic and accessible to others.
Because checklists are often closely associated with information and remind me of the “whys” of a certain thing, putting them at the head of an information article or a note makes sense, as long as a header or a subtitle separates them.
Footnotes
1 : This means checklists are used for known procedures. Don’t use checklists for new tasks and projects which require more exploration. The brainstorming at the start of a new project is not a checklist. However, familiar components inside a new project (for example, a packing list as part of a trip which in itself is a project) can be checklists.
2 : Checklists sum up information and may follow procedures. If explanations are needed, these should be in the notes below the list. It’s OK to have a whole workflow explained as long as the steps are clear and short in the checklist itself.