This App You’re Using Is No Better Than CDROM
Have you seen this one in every hotel?
Control this TV with your phone
The benefit of the app can’t be that it replaces the remote. The remote works just fine. Why do we need to replace it?
If we’re going to build an app, it should be doing more than the remote. It should beat the remote.
The magic of an app can’t be that the same capabilities of the remote are now on a shiny screen!
We already went through that!
That was CDROM in the 90s!
How is that better?
A lot of resources go into technology products and if we’re developing with a lean mindset, this product really needs to justify why it exists.
That product really needs to justify why it took so many developer hours and venture capital.
There are a few times it’s okay to invest in something to achieve “feature parity.”
Feature parity just means that the new thing has the same capabilities or features as the old version.
This can be okay but only under certain conditions, like when it enables you to build more or better future features at less cost or more stability or by using less computer processing hours.
That’s an investment. That’s justified.
Having a lean mindset means that tasks, features, and innovations are all fighting for their lives to stay on your task list.
2 Minute Action
You have a list of things to do?
Great.
Spend 2 minutes right now, going top to bottom.
Everything must fight for its life to stay on the list.
Good questions to ask:
What might happen if I put this off?
What might happen if I never finish this?
Everything That's Holding You Back In 60 Seconds
There's something calling for your attention.It's asking for something important, that you value.It's asking for your time and your focus.It's asking for your energy and your intention.It's asking for those precious limited resources we have.
It's everything.
Well, it's everything but what's important.What's important and urgent deserves your focus and energy.What's important and not urgent also deserves your time and intention.It's those non-essential things, which makes up most of what's out there, that will take up 80% of your resources.
You can't do everything.
So choose what is essential to your life.Yes, you can choose to do this--most people won't.Most people will let their lifestyle inflate to consume their income and then complain that they need more income to pay for their lifestyle.But not you, you're smarter than that.The same goes for work and personal habits.You get to choose what's essential and how to focus your time.Yes, you can.
2 Minute Action:
The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.Take 2 minutes to look at how you've spent your time (work and outside of work) over the last 4 weeks.What is non-essential or not helping you achieve your goals?Take this small moment to delete some non-essentials and commit for a week--not forever--just a week to see how you do.It probably took you only 60 seconds to read this post and form an opinion.It doesn't take much more to take action.
How To Use Trust To Crush Your To-Do List
If you have a pile of to-dos that are sitting, waiting, all with expired due dates and no prioritization . . .. . . just stick with me.
Step 1. Create three columns
Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Done.The Backlog is the space for you to drop undefined, kinda vague tasks that don't really have a clear start or finish in your mind. It's the place for "someday maybe" tasks, and other ideas for things you should do. This list doesn't have to be prioritized and it doesn't have to have due dates on tasks.The Sprint Backlog is the space for your working to-do list. You should keep it to only a list of things you can accomplish in 1 or 2 weeks. This list should be prioritized and you should have an idea of how "heavy" the task is. Since humans are notoriously bad at guessing how much time things will take, I've used point systems and T-Shirt sizes (S, M, L, XL) to gauge task "weight."The Done space is for, you guessed it, stuff you've done. By keeping track of this list, you can see how many tasks (or points) you've accomplished in the sprint period. This will give you an idea of how much you can reasonably get done from sprint to sprint. The obvious benefit of this is that by consistently predicting a feasible workload for yourself, you won't be disappointed or surprised when if you don't get some massive amount of stuff done.Together, these three columns create what's known in Agile Management as the Scrum Board.
Step 2. Prioritize the Sprint Backlog
Use the Eisenhower Decision Matrix if you're having trouble with this step.
Step 3. Delete stuff
Everything on that list should be fighting for it's life to stay there. Your time and attention are the most valuable assets you own. Don't overload yourself with tasks that don't matter!When you don't trust your to-do list to be true or accurate, you stop trusting the one tool that will help you see your priorities clearly. Your most important tool will become less and less useful.When you don't trust your to-do list, you don't get as much done. When you don't get as much done, you stop trusting your abilities.And if you lose trust in your abilities, it's going to take you a lot of small wins to get your mojo back.That's it.
2 Minute Action
You probably can't do all three steps above in 2 minutes, but I bet you can do one of 2 things:
- Delete stuff that doesn't matter. Each task should fight for it's life.
- Schedule 30 minutes on your calendar to run through steps 1-3 today.
It's your life. It's up to you how you spend it.You can keep doing what you've always done, or you can get serious about your output.It's your day.