No B.S Friday: This is how I get more done, and stay relaxed while I do it.
I was explaining something to someone the other day and I realise that I do this thing, and maybe that thing isn’t a thing that everyone does. Maybe it’s just a thing I do.
It’s like when I heard that some people have no interior monologue. Those people are living in a completely different universe. I wonder what its like.
Anyway, the thing I do is that I separate scheduling and execution.
That is, I see planning, scheduling and setting deadlines as one activity. And I see doing the tasks as a completely different activity.
And I like to keep them completely separate.
I had presumed that everyone works like this, but then I met someone the other day who plans as they go. Figures out what’s next, then does it, and then as they’re getting those first steps done, they’re also figuring out what to do next.
Planning is something that evolves organically, on the fly.
I’m probably not explaining it well. This approach makes zero sense to me and just sounds stressful.
But as I get older, I realise that more and more of the things I think of as obvious and intuitive, and actually just peculiar quirks unique to little old me.
But anyway, let me explain the logic of how I work, and at least then you can consciously choose how you want to operate yourself.
So for me, I really like to keep a firewall between the planning and the doing.
To me, it actually feels like separate parts of the brain. To move from planning to execution I need to shut-down the planning machine, and fire up the execution machine. And vice versa.
And maybe contrary to expectations, the execution is the easy bit. I actually find execution relaxation.
Planning is the hard bit. That takes mental load. I have to keep all the moving pieces in my head, make sure the sequence of things lines up. I have to creatively work around problems.
I’ve got to build the to-do list.
And I do build a pretty thorough to-do list. When I have big projects going, I have the whole week mapped out in pretty specific detail. Unless it’s part of my routine – breakfast for example – then it goes in the diary, even if it’s something small or something completely unrelated to the project – call mum, check the weather for next week.
But once that schedule is mapped out, and I have a clear idea of what I’m doing each day, then I’ve just got to get on and do it.
And most of the tasks I have to do aren’t that taxing. Send emails, arrange this, deal with that.
But I think what it means, if I can advocate for this method for a bit, is that for a few hours of stress – a small investment in planning – I get many hours of relaxation. Where I know what I have to do and can just get on with it – not worrying whether the projects on track or not.
I think it’s a more relaxing way to be, which means that it’s less of an energetic load on the system. I’m not carrying the stress around. And that means I can get more done.
But yeah, I just thought I’d map this out a bit. Because everyone knows that planning is important, and everyone does do the planning work that’s required.
But for me, I like to keep planning and execution completely separate.
It’s just a more relaxed way to be.
JG.
Jeanne Dums says
How much does it cost to start?
Bill Yankos says
Jon, Planning is HLPS – how long is a peice of string…. and can overcome a Execution.
What rule of thumb, level of detail, cost of detail time, do you apply to Planning so you have time for Execution?
Thanks,
Bill