Re: how do you manage your project list
Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2014 10:36:39 -0400
Message-ID: <CACH2EDL+Ce+O6LEmy3F8L8Dzt+7oKZGGSi3NxMhR9kWm9p9VVw_at_mail.gmail.com>
I have a few concerns about time management / prioritization systems, often they can't track work done concurrently in parallel, they don't track when you start something that executes for hours but returns results back to you, and they measure activity, not efficiency or effectiveness.
But at least if you're aware you used (e.g.) putty for 3 hours, probably you were doing something in the right direction.
On Fri, Dec 5, 2014 at 1:02 AM, Jeff C <backseatdba_at_gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks Karl that was really helpful. I haven't watche the youtube video
> yet but will. That program ManicTime is amazing! Kind of overwhelming but
> I think it can really help show interuptuions. I was never really
> understood mind maps but I think I will give it another try.
>
> On Wed, Dec 3, 2014 at 10:21 PM, Karl Arao <karlarao_at_gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> I would start with Tom Limoncelli's Time Management for System
>> Administrators, he's got a video presentation here
>> http://youtu.be/XMc7jw38Bxs?t=2m48s that became the foundation on how I
>> manage my tasks
>>
>> Personally I have Goal, Habit, Task, Time Trackers
>> And there are two parts to this: having a system that works for you and
>> being able to instrument that
>>
>> 1) you have to have a *system* on setting your goals and prioritizing
>> your tasks, and this one is a great response from quora
>> http://www.quora.com/Productivity/As-a-startup-CEO-what-is-your-favorite-productivity-hack/answer/Paul-A-Klipp?srid=n2Fg&share=1
>>
>> - now I'm using mindmaps for goal setting and kanbanflow.com for task
>> management which I really like because you can specify swimlanes+colors
>> which makes it kind multidimensional than just a regular calendar
>> - before I just use google calendar for tasks and "goals on track"
>> for goal/habit tracker but I unsubscribed and migrated the entire workflow
>> to mindmaps (I use freemind)
>>
>> 2) you have to have a way of *instrumenting* your time
>>
>> - on my windows VM where I do all my work I have ManicTime installed
>> and this enables me to track everything I'm doing.. automatically without
>> any user input and it can auto tag applications let's say if I open putty
>> the time I spent on that app will be tagged as "Work", and I can see where
>> my time went just by graphing the data
>> https://www.evernote.com/l/ADBlN746vCxDXJykSPwZMT4TFUMQ6xT9oVw
>> - on my mac I have this free version of RescueTime, I like the weekly
>> productivity percentage being emailed every week usually I'm about 68% per
>> week.. If I go below, that means I'm pretty lazy that week. Above that
>> means I was pretty busy
>> - kanbanflow on the other hand forces you to input your tasks + the
>> corresponding time you spent on it. So what I would do is at the end of the
>> day I would export the data and graph it on my tableau dashboard. I just
>> need to open the dashboard I created and it will automatically read the new
>> file and it looks like this
>> https://www.evernote.com/l/ADD5nUeDwrZLpoc87uhpsqdKeHeNvvMPJcI on
>> that link you'll see the entire workflow I have for task management up to
>> visualization
>>
>> Some of these may not work for you, but at least you'll get the high
>> level idea. So a couple of years back early on my career I was learning and
>> coming up with my own systems and using these tools, through the years I'm
>> also improving and hacking it and up until now that helps me getting things
>> done (GTD) and motivated.
>>
>>
>>
>> -Karl
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>> On Wed, Dec 3, 2014 at 6:28 PM, Oscar Ofiana <oj.ofiana_at_gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Jeff,
>>>
>>> Have you checked out Randy Pausch's Time Management lecture? Some of the
>>> ideas presented in it can be a little too detailed and time-consuming, but
>>> the most helpful idea I picked up on was making the TODO quadrant, where
>>> you seperate and prioritize tasks into:
>>> 1 - Urgent and important
>>> 2 - Important but not urgent
>>> 3 - Urgent, not important
>>> 4 - Not urgent, not important.
>>>
>>> Just having this grid on a post-it or on a pin-up board by my monitor
>>> really helped to provide a general map of my tasks and what/when it needed
>>> to be done.
>>>
>>> Hth,
>>> Oscar
>>>
>>>
>>> On Thu, Dec 4, 2014 at 11:07 AM, Jeff C <backseatdba_at_gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Fellow DBA's,
>>>> How do you manage your work load? I am not taking database work load
>>>> but your project list. I don't know about you but I have my projects that
>>>> I need to get done but I also constantly get interrupted by other
>>>> developers asking questions, needing help with a query performance, or they
>>>> mention some data they need from another database and I have to decided
>>>> what is the best way to approach it. I rarely get my projects worked on.
>>>> Do you have some system or tool you use to keep your head straight? I
>>>> used to be the multitasker master but after 10 years and the growth of our
>>>> environment, that is not easy anymore.
>>>>
>>>> Looking for any tips anybody might have.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Thank you
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Karl Arao
>> Blog: karlarao.wordpress.com
>> Wiki: karlarao.tiddlyspot.com
>> Twitter: _at_karlarao <http://twitter.com/karlarao>
>>
>
>
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