Tuesday, October 7th, 2008...11:43 pm
Big Rocks and Little Rocks
I know most of you have heard the illustration about big rocks and little rocks…the one where you have to put in the big rocks first in order to get all the little rocks in with them.
This past month, I had several major projects that came due. This was the culmination of several things that I had put months of work into, and they were all coming due at once.
Needless to say, it was crunch time.
The challenge for my system in this is the fact that I have a lot of little transactions to deal with that come in daily. So if I focus on them first, they tend to consume enough time that I get pinched to get productive work done on the bigger projects. However, those daily transactions cannot be ignored, obviously. So what do I do to make sure it all gets done?
I have to make sure I take care of the big rocks first…then fit the little rocks around the big ones.
First off, and I have written about this before, I make sure I block off time on my calendar (or make an appointment with myself) to make sure I devote undivided attention to both the big things and the little things. The key here is to make sure to limit your distractions. You want as much focused time as possible. Make sure your email either has its notification functions turned off, or is off altogether. You might even want to ignore the phone or take it off the hook. Also, turn off all IM software…or go to a “Do Not Disturb” status. You are not ignoring your customers. And if you properly manage expectations (a topic for another post), this will not be a problem for them.
It is also important to stick to your appointments with yourself. Obviously, there are times that demand adjustment to accommodate the unexpected. However, this should be the exception, and not the rule. You should do all you can to control your workflow. Don’t let your workflow control you if at all possible. When you are up against a deadline, workflow control is more important than ever.
Fortunately, I made all of my major deadlines. This month does not appear it will be as crazy for me. But remember, when you are in a crunch…frame your time for success, limit distractions, and keep a tight control on your workflow.
- Jason
6 Comments
October 9th, 2008 at 11:42 am
I have been having a similar experience the last few weeks. My client load doubled, and I am now responsible for all results for those clients. On top of that, I am developing a better data tracking and organizing system for our company and developing new ways to meet the client needs. The little necessary things can drag on if I start with those, so I try to get enough of the big things in to put a bit of pressure on myself to do the little things in a better time frame.
October 12th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Wow, did this entry stop and get me thinking! It seems an amazing confluence of information has come together for me over the past few months…and, this post pulled a lot of the “oh, I knew that” together.
It’s one of those “BFOs” we experience from time to time…
http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/BFO
Personally AND professionally, I have been experimenting with building time in each day for the BIGGIES while ensuring that from time-to-time I engage with the other “stuff” that has got to be done.
Here’s what I find as my own magic number:
At the end of the day, make a list (yeah, I actually write it down!) of what I did. This acknowledgment of completion exercise is something I’ve done for years…I learned it from a mentor in college, who had me plan for what I was GOING to do, as well as stop to acknowledge what I DID.
Good stuff…
October 18th, 2008 at 6:29 am
Good point made here, I sometimes struggle in prioritising my tasks and generally try to avoid unimportant tasks but it is hard work:-) Making appointments for yourself is a good idea however you have to be committed to getting tasks done and avoid procrastination as much as possible, However this is easier said than done.
Ps: I like the way you mention the reading time for each article, very helpful:-)
X
October 21st, 2008 at 5:01 am
[...] at “Big Rocks and Little Rocks” (Black Belt Productivity), a timely (for me) reminder not to let the unimportant stuff pile [...]
November 26th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Hello Michael, I can see that you’re not posting that often, but I’d like to know if you’d looked at the new (first) issue of the Productive Magazine with your article in it?
http://www.ProductiveMagazine.com
November 30th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Congrats on meeting your goals.
Even though the Big Rocks vignette is dated - I first saw it in Covey’s 7 Habits book - I still use it in presentations because people find the concept so helpful.
Thanks for a useful post.
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