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tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 07 12:04 pm Post subject:

Behemoth wrote:

how do you cope?

Not very well. I tend to tackle tasks based on how much I want to do them, luckily I have the ability to work accurately and quickly under pressure so manage to meet most deadlines. Also not bad at multi tasking, it doesn't bother me if I'm working concurrently on 4 or 5 major projects (like now).

Fee

Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 15922
Location: Earth

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 07 12:12 pm Post subject:

Yeah, I work on multiple projects at the same time. For example, now, while I'm doing some graphics in Photoshop for one project, I think I might aswell do bits for another while I'm here...until the Mafia Grafia gets in the way (see, there's an example of non-important, urgent, well, urgent in a certain sense

taking precedence).

I'm a big list-maker. I now have one overall to-do list, which is a Google homepage sticky (highly recommended!).

Like tahir, I also tend to do tasks based on how much I want to do them. I make lists, but I didn't say I completed items on the list in order

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46244
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 07 12:20 pm Post subject:
i do urgent and important then wait and see which box the others move into therefore i only do important and urgent , however urgent can be planning ahead and doing before it is last moment ( or worse too , late )

Stacey

Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 8380
Location: Kernow

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 07 1:01 pm Post subject:
I make lists and lose them. I then spend half a morning looking for the list and then when I find it decide I don't want to do anything on it anyway.

hedgewitch

Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Posts: 5834
Location: Daft wench GHQ

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 07 1:16 pm Post subject:

I'm learning to love lists. I have multiple projects too and was wasting too much time batting around between them and not being very productive. I've started to block out the week with urgent things, then get on to important that will become urgent when that lot are done.
Part of me hates the lack of freedom, but another part is just relieved to not have so much on my mind. I find doing one thing at once then moving on to the next thing really works for me. This probably sounds daft to anyone else, but my brain has a habit of thinking of many things at the same time and I find this exhausting when I have a lot of different tasks on different projects to get through.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28238
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 07 1:31 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

Behemoth wrote:

how do you cope?

I really hate multiple projects, much prefer to obsess in a single tracked fashion.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 07 1:33 pm Post subject:

jema wrote:

I really hate multiple projects, much prefer to obsess in a single tracked fashion.

That's my failing. Give me one big project and I just sort of seize up, I like to dip in and out of things, otherwise I become really bored and somewhat ineffective.

hedgewitch

Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Posts: 5834
Location: Daft wench GHQ

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 07 1:35 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

jema wrote:

I really hate multiple projects, much prefer to obsess in a single tracked fashion.

That's my failing. Give me one big project and I just sort of seize up, I like to dip in and out of things, otherwise I become really bored and somewhat ineffective.

Agree on this one, Tahir. I like to say I can manage many challenges. My partner says I have the attention span of a gnat.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28238
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 07 1:39 pm Post subject:
I guess in business in particular, and small business doubly so, you have to work very hard at if not fixing your weaknesses, at least to make them non critical by working hard at them.

hedgewitch

Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Posts: 5834
Location: Daft wench GHQ

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 07 1:45 pm Post subject:

I agree Jema. I have said before, but I will say again that I am very lucky to be working with my partner as we make a good team and seem to be able to do what the other one finds difficult. I couldn't, for example, have handled the financial side at all when we first set up.

I am learning as I want to understand and be a part of the decision-making on this side too, but I just don't have the skills to be on my own in that area.

We also have a useful split on obsessing on detail and big-picture thinking. This moves things along nicely too. Left to myself I'll concentrate on the detail and not give a thought to 12 months ahead.

Barefoot Andrew
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 21 Mar 2007
Posts: 22780
Location: In the 17th century

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 07 2:12 pm Post subject:

The problem with lists is when you start making a list of the different types of lists on the go....

I can relate to the various scenarios discussed here: sometimes I'm focused on a single task in hand - possibly at the expense of others, other times I'll happily switch from task to task and have several on the go if the need arises.

As for prioritising... hmm, not very good at that if I'm honest: quite able to deal with the urgent stuff, but sometimes an important but not urgent job will get shunted down the list - when that point in time would be a favourable time to tackle it - because I don't fancy it

Blacksmith

Joined: 25 Jan 2005
Posts: 5025
Location: Berkshire

Posted: Sat Jul 07, 07 1:09 pm Post subject:
With my full time job, we have planned maintenance on machines on 6-2 shift, "If down do" job lists for quiet times on machines and the "fire fighting" breakdowns. There is lots of paper work and lists involved, but this is only used to keep management in a job, "All production meetings are inversely proportional"

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28238
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sat Jul 07, 07 1:17 pm Post subject:
Well I have just finished another of those tasks which probably should have been done a year ago and when I think about it could well account for a few % in lost business terms Lists would probably have helped, though I am not a great fan of them. But at least with a list, issues may be more "In your face".

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sat Jul 07, 07 2:00 pm Post subject:

I love lists. Partly it helps me concentrate on whatever I'm supposed to be actually doing, by ensuring I will remember to do other things at other times. Mostly it means I can procrastinate things I don't really want to do!

Seriously, though, I am very easily distracted, and can only concentrate on one thing at a time. I can work on multiple projects, but only if I have listed what needs doing in relation to them, otherwise things I'm not supposed to be thinking of keep popping into my head. If they're listed (or I list them) I can just carry on, confident that I will take care of them later. Oh and I have a goldfish memory!

toggle

Joined: 30 Dec 2006
Posts: 11622
Location: truro

Posted: Sat Jul 07, 07 2:03 pm Post subject:

Stacey wrote:

I make lists and lose them. I then spend half a morning looking for the list and then when I find it decide I don't want to do anything on it anyway.

the more i know, the more i'm sure we are secretly twins

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