Time Management and Focus

Content may be king, but its cousin Information has gone slumming and is now available to all.

Having too much to do has become the norm, so how do you contend with that in addition to the information overload? Constant e-mails, meetings, tweets, blog posts, etc.--all necessary for you to stay on top of your job/industry and all vying for the limited time you have. How is one to manage?

Contrary to common belief, multitasking is not the way to go; focusing on one task at a time is. If you try to do everything, you will invariably make mistakes and not do anything to the best of your ability. Instead, choose a system of prioritizing and devote x amount of time to a given task. For example, if you have to read a long report for a meeting the next day, spend an uninterrupted half an hour; or better yet, pick a natural stopping point. When you get to that point, take a break and quickly check e-mail then go back to the report until the next stopping point. This will allow you to be more efficient and thorough in your task since you will not be dealing with distractions.

So similar to my previous post where I advised, based on reading StandOut, that it's best to focus on your strengths and not try to be good at everything, I am now advising to focus on your present task and not try to do everything. What does the common theme mean? Although our world may be getting more technologically able and automated, we as humans are still programmed to focus and until someone can figure out how to reprogram our DNA, we may as well make the best of it instead of fighting it--and failing.

Repetition

Although repetition is a good thing when it comes to education and positive feedback, it is a bad thing when it come to work and productivity.

So let's do an exercise together. Is there something you find yourself doing over and over again at work? If not, keep reading so that you can help your neighbor or spouse; if yes, answer these questions with that task in mind.

1. What is the purpose of this task? (This is to ensure it's not just busy work and must be done.)
2. Are you the best person to do this task? (This assumes you are in the position to either delegate this to others and/or discuss a reassignment with your boss.)
3. Can any steps be automated? Can any steps be batched? 
4. Can parts of this task be shared or even left out, without decreasing its value?

Let me share two examples with you, to better illustrate what I'm getting at. Please note that for both these examples, they were determined to be of value and could not be reassigned.

Two jobs back, there was a report I had to run for my boss every two weeks, and she was a stickler for formatting. Since our database outputted ugly Excel reports, I would spend a lot of time centering, bolding, etc. After a few weeks, this drove me so crazy that I took the time to record a macro. Thereafter, Alt-A would do four formatting steps in one simple stroke. It took me a few tries to get the macro nice and tight, but it was well worth it.

Another example, at that same job, were the forms my staff had to fill out for each project. Ideally these forms would have been outputted from our database, with all the project data already there, but this unfortunately was not possible at that point. I therefore suggested a master Excel grid, with the shared project data on the first tab and carried over to the remaining tabs where new information was to be filled in. (Although many thought this was a great idea, they felt it would be too complicated and another approach was taken).

Neither of these examples require a degree in rocket science, nor is my approach the only solution to removing the inefficiency inherent in these repetitions.

So next time you find yourself repeating steps, stop and think it through--or even talk it through with your boss or peers--and then put that extra "found" time to good use.

Improved Workflows: Schedules and Systems (Parts 2 and 3)

Since I was asked to write about this for Publishing Perspectives (original article can be found here), I am copying the remaining two parts below for your convenience.

Step Two: Schedules

Before you go down the “speed to market” route, here are a few things to consider:

1. Is this actually good for the business? In other words, will this help you sell more books? I remember a Director of Marketing telling me that books released before six months weren’t given enough time for “sell-through” and therefore the timing wasn’t good for business.
2. Do you have the resources to shorten schedules? There’s an inverse relationship between speed and cost/quality. So if you want it faster, and still want to maintain quality, you’ll have to pay more and/or bring on more resources — which also means more money. Is this worth it?
    
So instead of aiming for shorter schedules because asked to and/or someone thinks it will improve profits, sit down with all departments involved and discuss the following:
3. How long does each department need for their part of the process? Add a small buffer since things will get delayed and/or mistakes may happen. Discuss all the different types of products/workflows.
4. How long do the authors need — realistically — to do their part? Again, add a small buffer since most authors have a “day job” and getting back to you is not their priority.
5. Are there any conferences or other events where books or bound galleys will mean appreciable sales?

Take all the above and create standard turnarounds for each product type and a system whereby rush schedules need sign-off by people in the position to decide whether the rush makes business sense or not.

Step Three: Systems

Although some companies will have more to invest than others in systems, the following tools are the minimum needed for a proper functioning workflow:

1. File management system: Whether on a network drive, in the cloud, or outsourced, every company needs a clearly defined naming convention and place to save all documents and files. Imagine not owning your content and having to track it down every time something is up for reprint? Imagine not knowing where the latest version of an important form is located — or which version to use?
2. Title Management System: At the minimum, project details and schedule should be shared. If a company cannot invest in a large system, Excel, Project, or Access can be used. If there is money to invest, there are systems that can be bought or built that can provide much more functionality.
3. Content Management System: In this day and age of digital and repurposing of content, it is vital to have a repository for this content. Authors can be allowed to write directly into the CMS, searches can be run to see what you already own on any given topic, and cross-media publishing and updates can be done more easily.

There is obviously more to a good workflow than just the above, but these are the common denominators I’ve seen and which are still necessary even when dealing with new media.

Improved Workflows: Aligning Expectations (Part 1 of 3)

Although there is no one workflow that will fit all products and purposes, I have decided to write about the three problems that, in my experience, happen across products and companies. There are far more than three things necessary for an efficient, streamlined workflow, but these three will give you a head start. You can contact me for more.

Let's start at the beginning: aligning expectations. For a project to be completed on time, on budget, and as expected (e.g., high quality), it is imperative that everyone involved be aware of its parameters, deadlines, components, etc. from the get-go. Surprises may be pleasant in your personal life (or not), but they are a disaster when it comes to getting work done.

Below are a few suggestions to avoid these nasty surprises:

• Contracts: All department heads should own the boilerplate language that affects their function and any variations or change to the boilerplate must require their sign-off. It is not enough to ask their approval as you pass them in the hall or supposedly by phone--it must be documented and clearly signed-off.
• Author Guidelines: Create easy to read, brief author guidelines outlining the entire publishing process and send these to the authors with their contracts and a cover pages summarizing the highlights. Stress what he'll need to do, when, and in what format. The editor should follow-up to ensure the author has at least read the summary and understands what is expected.
• Product and Workflow Type: In this day and age when most publishers have a combination of print only, print to digital, digital only and many other variations, it is important that everyone know exactly which of these categories any given project falls under so that they can plan and execute appropriately.
• Communication Alert System: Even when expectations are aligned up front, changes sometimes occur; it is therefore important to have a system in place whereby these changes get communicated to all appropriate parties. If you have a workflow management system that can automate this, great; if not, create e-mail distribution lists and clear guidelines as to who sends out which alert.

Part 2 will deal with schedules, the next "pain point" in many workflows.

Process Improvements: Learn from the Repeats and the Gaps

Many of us find ourselves doing something that doesn't make sense, just because that's the way it's been done. Either it's the way you were taught to do it--either at home or on the job--or it's the way you taught others to do, but for whatever reason, it's no longer working.

What's the quickest way to fix this? Study these two areas for ideas on how to improve this process:

1. Where do you find yourself repeating either your steps or other's steps? Redundancy is a dreaded word in more than one way and is also just a waste of time. If you're repeating your own steps, take the time to sit down and figure out how you can avoid this. If you're repeating someone else's steps or they're repeating yours, sit down with them. (If you're doing this because you're a micro-manager, read my next post.)
2. Where are steps being skipped and/or communication seems to go awry? Again, sit down with all those involved and figure out who is responsible for doing what and until what, or communicating what and to whom, so that these gaps do not continue.

Process need not be difficult and the simpler and more straightforward you keep it, the better. Read Faster Cheaper Better: The 9 Levers for Transforming How Work Gets Done by Michael Hammer and Lisa Hershman for more ideas.

Have you had to improve a process? How did you go about  it?