Overcoming Overload?

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Posted by MadaboutDana
Mar 12, 2015 at 10:41 PM

So it is, I’d forgotten. I remember reading that this was one of the reasons NoteCase is so fast.

Posted by Pavi
Mar 13, 2015 at 07:33 AM

Hi, I’d like to add my experience to this thread as I have been dealing the the same issues. Both work and family life have been stressful, and I’ve found it hard to focus and prioritize. However, I came up with methodology and software system that has been incredibly useful!

I should probably post about my method somewhere else, as it may apply more to researchers. But I wanted to share the time management application I use:

Watership Planner!

The reason this software is so important in my system is it allows me to plan my projects and tasks in a minimal amount of time, and then tells me what to do next. The auto-scheduling of time based on estimates and prioritization is simply fantastic. It makes you just flow along without using any excess energy on the “what to do now” issue. On the negative side, the price is now $220; however, additional years of upgrades are $49 I think and this needs not be purchased every year. Would I buy at that price? Absolutely, as I estimate that I get at least an extra 1 hour of productivity per day. With the whole of my “system”, I am probably double as efficient.

Just to highlight the key features I have incorporated into my workflow:
- Work strict hours, 7 am - 4 pm, 1 hour lunch/gym
- Block off 7-11 for core project work, schedule meetings, etc. only after this (if possible)
- Focus on one project at a time. Of course sometimes a second project must be addressed.
- Email in two 15 min recurring tasks per day, at 11 am and in the afternoon. Often it takes less time.
- Make a next day task list in the late afternoon, 15 min task but often it takes <5 min
*** Document all work using Zoot when doing it! This becomes very natural and saves huge volumes of time wondering what I did.
- At home, leave the phone and have family time

This system using Watership Planner (and Zoot) has been immensely rewarding. WP has a lot of advanced features I don’t use (ROI, measuring interruptions, etc.). I find that dumping out my tasks into projects and then scheduling the next week frees my mind from worrying about getting things done. I tried using Zoot to manage tasks, and that worked well. But the extra boost from WP actually scheduling them dynamically for me is great. Of course, you can change what you are working on very easily (just click the timer for another task). It took me a few days to get this system off the ground, but now things are going very smoothly.

Best, /Pavi

Posted by Hugh
Mar 15, 2015 at 12:10 PM

Chris Murtland wrote:

.
> >Finally, I think the real productivity killer with overload is the
>increased decision-making overhead. You start to get the deer in the
>headlights syndrome where you can’t do much at all because you’re so
>worried about choosing the wrong tasks at the wrong times. There is
>something to be said for sometimes just cranking through as many tasks
>as possible in any random order (or any order that seems good in the
>moment) rather than spending any time deciding.
>

A colleague at work used to have a sign above his desk that said simply “Just plump”. (I don’t know whether American English has the same usage - in the UK “to plump” can mean “to choose without consideration or analysis”.) “Paralysis by analysis” can be a symptom of overload. Just plumping can be a useful, if temporary, response.

Posted by Paul Korm
Mar 15, 2015 at 05:55 PM

It’s called “Crew Resource Management” (CRM) and is a technique developed after several serious accidents. (Witn advice from NASA, CRM grew out of situations at UAL, a former employer of mine.) Hospitals and other intensive environment where decision making has life-sustaining consequences have adapted CRM. Lists are important in CRM, but communication is more so. Crew (team) members should assess situations, state facts clearly, suggest solutions succinctly, and confirm verbally that leaders and team members heard and understood all of the foregoing. There are a few simple practices in CRM that take careful practice and focus to be successful.

Chris Murtland wrote
> I read something about military pilots experiencing “task saturation” in the cockpit -
>. too many things competing for their attention at once. .
>They overcome this by following checklists.

Posted by Pavi
Mar 18, 2015 at 07:25 AM

As Chris and Hugh point out, “decision-making overhead” was a core cause of my lack of productivity, and this is alleviated using Watership Planner. I get to work and simply start with the tasks that are already planned (according to my earlier setup).

The author, Mark, has designed it to remove resistance to starting/completing tasks, and allow you to be in flow. I find that it works very well for this!

Hugh wrote:

>
>Chris Murtland wrote:
> >.
>>
>>Finally, I think the real productivity killer with overload is the
>>increased decision-making overhead.

>A colleague at work used to have a sign above his desk that said simply
>“Just plump”. (I don’t know whether American English has the same usage
>- in the UK “to plump” can mean “to choose without consideration or
>analysis”.) “Paralysis by analysis” can be a symptom of overload. Just
>plumping can be a useful, if temporary, response.

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