Read This If You're Waiting For Something
In the "productivity" or "project management" world, things you're waiting on are called dependencies.
In the "productivity" or "project management" world, things you're waiting on are called dependencies.
You're dependent on someone's work to get done so you can start your own.
In complex projects, you may have multiple dependencies--which means even if some of them are ready on time or ahead of schedule if ONE of them is late, your start time is late.
Based on this, you can easily guess that the fewer dependencies you have, the faster you can go because you're in more control of your start/finish times.
One of the reasons startups move so fast is because there are fewer departments, fewer regulations or requirements, and often, fewer stakeholders weighing in.
Faster doesn't always mean better, I'm just pointing out a real-world example, here.
The point is, that whatever you're doing, you may be waiting on dependencies that you have no control over and you might be waiting on dependencies that you can remove.
Distinguishing and scrutinizing dependencies are the skills we're developing, here.
2 Minute Action:
What are the things you're waiting on to finish or even start?
What would happen if you went ahead without them?
If you're a surgeon and you're waiting on the blood-type of your patient, you should probably hold off until you have it. The stakes are high.
For most other scenarios, the stakes aren't very high and you might find that you can get to your goal faster if you eliminate dependencies or if you work in parallel while they're in progress.
So, in 2 minutes, find a dependency you have and challenge it.
Make it fight for its life to stay a dependency.
Your work depends on it.
[TOOL] Evernote Vs. iOS Notes
I just caught myself looking at a comparison review of Evernote and the iOS Notes app.
I pay $8/month for Evernote and I have been for years.
But I’ve noticed that I haven’t really used Evernote over the past few months. I had exclusively been using iOS Notes.
That money is being wasted!
But why?
Evernote has always been better.
- Evernote could record your voice and save it as a note.
- Evernote could scan your whiteboard notes and make THOSE searchable.
- Evernote could upload everywhere and do everything.
Over the past few years, they built more apps, more extensions, and more features.
Scannable. Skitch. Web Clipper. And many others.
It became a brain.
And then . . . I realized I didn’t actually want a brain.
I wanted a note taker.
The number one feature that mattered to me was how quickly I could get my notes app launched so I could capture my thought.
That was it.
None of those other sexy features actually mattered!
iOS Notes has fewer features, looks less sexy, and doesn't scan anything.
But it does what I need it to do.
What a lesson about productivity and business!
It’s so easy to get distracted by features and extensions and compatibilities.
It’s harder to focus on the minimum viable feature.
The one thing that actually solves the problem.
Time to unsubscribe to Evernote.iOS Notes wins!
2 Minute Action
If you could only get one thing done today, what would it be?
What other things will definitely happen and impede this from getting finished?
Is this one thing dependent on anything else (like someone else’s work) to get done?
How can you get around it?
Just thinking like this for 2 minutes will make all the difference in actually checking things off.
Focus like this makes you immune to distraction.
And if you fall into the vortex of sexy app features (like I just did), it’s this learned habit of thinking that will get you out.
A Surefire Way To Never Achieve A Goal
I recently heard someone report on a project they were working on."Today, I'm working on this," they said. "I'm getting there."This is the kiss of death in the Agile framework.It's not specific, it doesn't give you any new information, and it doesn't tell you when it will be done.It's easy to see that it's a pretty useless sentence.So why do so many managers accept this from their teams?There are probably a lot of reasons. There's a lot going on, it's a long process and takes time, there are many variables in the way, it's not something tangible we can just measure or chart.The truth is that these are all excuses for lazy project management.
The truth is that this is usually the cause of one of two things:
- A conscious or non-conscious desire to avoid accountability. OR
- A vaguely defined goal or objective.
Let's break this down for a second.A vague goal would sound like "losing weight" or "speaking better Spanish."A clearly defined goal would sound like "losing 10 pounds by March" or "having a 30-minute conversation with a native speaker."
So where's the breakdown?
The secret is in the "-ing."It's the tell-tale symptom.There's no clear beginning or end. You can't check off the box.You're not sure where it starts or stops.It's the trouble with all gerunds.They used to be verbs, but now they're nouns.They used to be actionable, but now they're just there.This means that goals, progress reports, and project plans should all paranoically scan for "-ing" before finalizing.If you have one, it will likely end in an uncomfortable or unhappy failure.
2 Minute Action:
Here are the 3 questions I ask my team every, single day.Take 2 minutes and ask yourself:What did you accomplish yesterday?What will you accomplish today?Do you have any dependencies (things you're waiting on) to get these done?What are the impediments that will stop you from checking off these boxes?By focusing on what boxes are checked and which ones aren't you can avoid falling into the trap of eternally "working toward" something that may never have a finish line.Pro-tip: if your impediments are "not enough hours in the day" or "not enough coffee," you need to step back and look at your process/goals/expectations/standards. You might have a disaster right in front of you.