Graham Chastney (oak-grove)

Procrastination and Pondering

My colleague Charlie asked an interesting question in his post on "Window Watching - Space for My Brain":

As we continue to move towards a 24/7 online, adhocracy based work style (not sure where the lifestyle fits in).  It is important that information workers recognise the need for creating effective brain-only time.  I think there needs to a cultural shift in thinking that downtime (time away) from our connected/online work environments is valuable and useful.

It has me wondering how procrastination fits into this… as Graham has blogged about here in the category My Brain Topic.

I think that the difference between procrastination and "effective brain-only time" is the difference between procrastination and pondering. These two things are different, in my opinion:

• Procrastination are the times when you are filling your time with anything and everything just to avoid doing something. The only thing that you are thinking about is the thing that you really should be doing, but you are avoiding doing it by doing all manner of other things.
• Pondering is when you are doing nothing, or at least nothing that requires your brain to be in process mode. Pondering is something that is very important and can be done in many different ways.

Personally I have two main ways that I ponder; walking, free journaling.

One of the main reasons that I go for a walk in a morning is to ponder. Sometimes I listen to a podcast, but most of the time I walk to ponder.

I also try to free journal. To free journal you sit down with a piece of paper and write whatever it is that you are thinking about. There should be no structure to the writing, no grammar checking, no spell checking, no sense checking, just writing. As I write I find that thoughts spark other thoughts. I don't analyse them I just write them down. As the words are put onto the paper it's like they are released from spinning around my head and make room for another thought.

I always free journal with paper because there is no technology to tell me I have done anything wrong and no way of going back and changing something.

This type of free expression is apparently very good for the brain.

A study was undertaken with older people who were asked this question: "If you had it to do over again, what would you do differently?" and the answers:

• Risk more.
• Reflect more.
• Do more things that would live on after I died.

I think that reflecting and pondering are quite similar.

(My procrastination busting was successful and I managed to get the document finished.)

Technorati tags: Procrastination, Pondering, Reflecting

Procrastination Management

I am suffering from terrible procrastination today.

I have a document that I should really get finished but I can barely look at it without being distracted. It's one of those jobs that I just can't be bothered to do. I know it needs doing, I know it will be better when it is done, but I really just can't get enthusiastic about getting it done.

I'm playing the game of procrastination by avoidance. Most people experience it from time to time:

I'll just do this, and then I'll get around to that document.

I'll just check my emails and then I'll get around to that document. Oh dear, no new ones.

I'll just check on my feeds to see what's new.

Right read them, I wonder if I now have some new emails to distract me. Great a new one.

Right dealt with that, I'll no see if there any more new ones. Oh dear, no new ones.

Wish my phone would ring.

I'll just check on the BBC to see if there is any significant news today.

I'll just have a sneaky check on Facebook.

Slow news day today. I wonder if I now have some new emails to distract me. Oh dear no new ones.

Wish someone would IM me.

I'll just check on my feeds to see what's new. Oh dear no new ones.

Who can I IM for a chat.

I'll just have a sneaky check on Facebook.

I'll just go and make a drink.

and on, and on, and on.

It's time for some procrastination busting.

Here is my technique for procrastination busting.

Finish small achievable task - get reward

A small task is something like: review a section or update a section.

Rewards are things like: make a drink, IM a colleague, read feeds, read email.

I do not allow myself to do any of the rewards things until I have finished the current task.

Before I really know it I have finished the big task, by doing the little tasks.

Simple really.

Off now to get section 1 of this document updated, then it will be time for a cup of tea and then on to section 2.

Technorati tags: Procrastination

Post Holiday = Cold Start

Today is the second time that I am returning from holiday in the last two weeks (I had a week off work, a week at work and then another week off).

Today is, therefore, my second cold start in the same period.

Cold starts are those occasions when you return having been away for a little while. Things have moved on and you haven't.

• Your email has piled up.
• The anti-virus on your machines need updating.
• Some of the software on your machine needs updating.
• More updates on other machines that you use.
• Projects that you were running with have carried on being progressed by someone else.
• Business priorities have moved on.
• Colleagues lives have moved on.
• Of yes, and lots of blog to read.

It's like I'm stood at the side of stream which I need to get back into the flow of.

I used to undertake these cold starts like an endurance competition. It didn't matter how fast the stream was running I was going to jump in and start swimming.

These days I follow a different approach so that I don't feel like I'm drowning.

1. I turn on my mobile and change the voicemail message.
2. I then start my main corporate laptop and start my IM/UM client. I know that if something is urgent the people who need me will chase me. This machine is likely to need some updates and want to be rebooted. I'll delay the reboot until around lunch time so people can contact me in case of an urgent request.
3. I'll then sit down with a piece of paper and write out a list of things that need to be done today (yes, paper). This list will be everything for today. It won't be a week plan or anything like that. It's just today's must do list.
4. The first items on the must do list go something like this:
1. Turn on all machines.
2. Make coffee.
3. Check diary for today.
4. Listen to voicemail messages.
5. Skim read blogs.
6. Skim read email.
7. Talk to colleague - about project x.
8. Talk to colleague - about project y.
9. Talk to colleague - for a chat.
10. Tidy desk.
11. Go for walk at lunchtime.
5. There are a set of things I don't do before I've done all of these:
1. I don't respond to any email.
2. I don't answer the phone from and number I don't recognise.
3. I don't read any documents, slides, spreadsheets.
4. I don't start organising my inbox.
6. Having done each of these things I then sit down with another piece of paper and start to plan the rest of the week.
7. If there happens to be any time left I start to do things on the week plan.

I find that doing things in this structured way allows me to understand fully the priority of the various things. The main thing it does, though, is sort out the wheat from the chaff. If I respond to things too early I find that I am responding to things that are no longer an issue which is a waste of time.

The most important lesson that I am trying to bring out is this:

If there is something really important that needs to be done someone will let me know, I don't need to go looking for it.

BBC Update: Bookmark with:

The BBC has modified its pages to provide a link to some of the more popular bookmark sites.

It's another step into the mainstream for del.icio.us, Digg, reddit and the rest. It also marks the seemingly relentless march of Facebook.

I've just posted a really interesting article about plumbers to my Facebook profile. Nice!

Is this new, or did I miss it being released. It's quite new, I know that much.

 

Technorati tags: bookmarking, del.icio.us, digg, reddit, facebook, bbc

Is this telecommuting bad for my career?

I'm sure it's a nagging doubt for many people who work from home; am I damaging my career by doing this?

NetworkWorld has an interesting article: Telecommute. Kill a career?

Employees who frequently telecommute may damage or kill their chances to advance within a particular career.

Over 60% of 1,320 global executives surveyed by executive search firm Korn/Ferry International said they believe that telecommuters are less likely to advance in their careers in comparison to employees working in traditional office settings. Company executives want face time with their employees, the study said.

That's an interesting statistic, but should I be worried by it? I don't think so. There are a lot of factors to advancing a career:

• Industry Culture
• Organisation Culture
• Geographic Culture
• Personal attitude
• Flexibility
• Relationships
• Role

I think that these all have a far greater impact on my career advancement than whether I'm working in an office or not.

In my personal situation I am daily working with people in more than one location - so who would I go and sit with?

There is more than one person who influences my advancement in the organisation, they are located in different places - so who would I go and sit with?

If I'm required for a meeting, I travel to the meeting.

If I want to speak to someone I see what their availability is by using the corporate IM solution (SameTime), I do this whether I am in the office or working from home.

I have as good, if not better, access to all of the facilities I need from home.

In other words, my assessment is that taking all things into account, where I work isn't an issue.

The report then goes on to talk about the feeling of inclusion and team. I must admit that if there was one thing I would change about working from home it would be that.

In the 2005/2006 National Technology Readiness Survey, released in June, 25% of 1,015 respondents said they have supportive employer telecommuting policies or jobs that would allow work from home. Yet fewer than half of those who could feasibly telecommute would choose to do so more than two days per week, according to the survey by the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and technology research firm Rockbridge Associates.

I think we are increasingly going to see people work from home on occasion, and that it will actually become the norm.

I also think that we are going to see other forms of social interaction that caters for people who primarily work from home. A couple of times a month I meet for lunch with a couple of other colleagues. We primarily talk work but without a set agenda. The main role of the lunch is to interact.

Technorati tags: telecommute, home working

Back from holiday

I'm back from holiday. I've already worked my way through hundreds of emails and thousands of blog posts.

Considering how much information there was I was surprised that there wasn't anything I wanted to write about.

We were in Cornwall and the weather was glorious - so were the waves. I'm still picking bits of sand out of my ears.

Concentrate, Concentrate!

Today is my last day before a break from work and I need to get a couple of things out of the door before I go. So I'm posting this before I start to actually concentrate because I need to get down to it and not be distracted.

This year I have already looked at my brain and what I need to do to maintain its health. This has been mostly good and I've managed to increase my overall energy levels too. I still do things that I know aren't good for my brain, I haven't managed to turn myself into a brain ninja just yet but I'm getting there.

One of the areas where I still struggle is the area of concentration. It's just too easy to all myself to be interrupted and very difficult to create the place of focus. It's not as if I don't know how to concentrate, it's just not something that comes naturally.

Lifehack.org has 10 Tips for Razor Sharp Concentration and today I am going to follow them all.

1. Cut off the noise - the phone is on silent as are all the other distraction. I'm listening to quiet classical music which helps concentration.
2. Structure your environment - my environment is away from distractions, apart from the mess on my desk which I am about to tidy up.
3. Clarify objectives - my next task is to plan the things that I need to get done, and only the things I need to get done.
4. Divide blobs - my planning will be quite detailed because one or two of the things are going to require my concentration.
5. Know the rules - I'm setting the rules on these tasks.
6. Set a deadline - I have a deadline and it's 17:00. I don't believe in working late to get things done.
7. Break down roadblocks - If there are any roadblocks they'll probably need to wait until I'm back.
8. Isolate yourself - I'm working from home today and everyone else is out.
9. Healthy body, sharper mind - already been to the gym and had my fruit smoothie. Unfortunately one of the tasks for today is to meet a couple of colleagues for lunch which will impact my concentration this afternoon.
10. Be patient - not my strongest point, but the planning process helps.

Let's see if it works.

Getting Around the IT Department: User Innovation

The Wall Stree Journal has an interesting article on how to get around the restrictions that the IT department places upon you "Ten Things Your IT Department Won't Tell You". Speaking as someone who effectively works for an IT Department I find this list, and others like it quite interesting.

If you look through this list it's primarilly a list of 10 things that people want to do so they can keep working. These are things that people need to do, and they are willing to take risks to get them done. The IT Department is busy trying to constrain innovation, but the desire to innovate is so strong that people will take the risks to get them done.

We've seen this in IT lots of times before and should have worked it out by now, but we don't seem to have done.

Technorati tags: user innovation, WSJ

SharePoint Building

Microsoft are celebrating a new milestone for SharePoint:

Today, at Microsoft’s 2007 Financial Analyst Meeting, the company reported that its Microsoft^® Office SharePoint^® Server business generated revenue of more than $800 million in fiscal year 2007, due to strong demand for the enterprise- ready, integrated server capabilities of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. This represents a growth rate of more than 35 percent over fiscal year 2006.  

The SharePoint team blog also does some reminiscing:

With these great results, it's time for a little nostalgia and some looking ahead. I have personally been working on and off the SharePoint business since 1998 – anyone remember Tahoe? When we decided to start development on SharePoint Portal Server 2001, it was a big step forward for Microsoft. We were making a big bet that collaboration, portals, content management and enterprise search would become mainstream and gain the same kind of broad acceptance that personal productivity tools such as Microsoft Office had experienced.

It looks very much like another Version 3 Microsoft product is becoming mainstream.

The interesting statistic from those on offer is this one:

“The majority of SharePoint deployments in the survey base of 300 U.S. organizations are currently enterprise-wide (61 percent), with 28 percent of the current departmental deployments expected to become enterprise-wide within the next 12 months,” according to IDC. “This is particularly the case for large organizations, where 51 percent plan to extend SharePoint to an enterprise-wide audience.”

Most deployments are enterprise-wide, but even for those that aren't many are expected to become enterprise-wide soon. Many departmental IT projects do not have a chance of becoming enterprise services because they aren't capable of making that transition because of capability, but more often because of flexibility. Other enterprise projects fail to make an impact on the departments because there is no pull from the organisation who is expected to use the tool. Being able to start from either end and succeed is a difficult thing to do and shows that the product is flexible, but also that people like to use it.

Having a collaborative toolset that people like to use is very powerful indeed.

Having a collaborative toolset that is flexible enough to use at the corporate or the departmental level is even more powerful.

Having a collaborative toolset that is flexible enough to change from departmental to enterprise-wide is even more powerful.

Build some momentum and you are probably unstoppable.

Technorati tags: SharePoint, MOSS, Collaborative Workspace