How I’ve Grown And Improved Since Starting My Business
What changes I made in the past year to help improve the way I work and our company’s performance.
It’s a new year and I decided to take the opportunity to reflect on how I’ve improved my way of working, what methods I’ve adopted this past year and how these techniques could help you.
Bullet Journaling
You may already know about bullet journaling, but for those that aren’t aware; it’s a method of setting and tracking tasks while also helping you take the time to pause and reflect every morning and evening on your progress towards your goals. It’s simple method of journaling that can be tweaked to suit anyone.
I won’t be able to cover all aspects of Bullet Journaling here, instead I’ll cover the basics and how I’ve adapted them to suit my work style.
Daily Logging
Notice the short wording for each bullet in the daily log, this is the rapid logging method. Write as few words as possible to save time, but remember it needs to make sense to your future self.
Using the Bullet Journal method allows me to quickly log my progress and plan for the future. There are a series of standard signifiers to use, these form the foundation to fit the BuJo method to suit your style.
Signifiers
- A bullet represents a task, something you need to complete
- A stroke circle represents an event
- A dash represents a note, usually nested within another bullet
- A star is an importance signifier, useful for when you’re reflecting on the past month and looking through the days
Index Pages
The index pages hold the names for all your collections and the page numbers allowing for easy navigation throughout your journal.
Future Log
If you have any events coming up in the next few months, make a note of them in your future log.
Monthly Collection
I’ve tweaked my monthly collection structure over the past year and split my work from my personal life, tracking both events and tasks to complete.
Workout & Recurring Task Collections
I also track my workouts and recurring tasks that don’t warrant writing everyday, such as reading. It’s also a way of tracking my habits, for example, checking when I last watered the plants.
It’s worth noting I slowly integrated these changes over a couple of months and have maintained the BuJo fundamentals. You can find plenty of gorgeous looking journals on Pinterest and Instagram who claim to use the BuJo method, and this style may work for you. I find the simpler the design of your collections, the more likely you are to stick with it.
Want To Try It Yourself?
If this sounds like something you’re interested in, visit bulletjournal.com to learn more about the basics and get some tips on how to integrate it into your daily life. Once you’re familiar with the basics and want to expand on the method, hunt around on Pinterest and Instagram for other tracking methods.
15 Minute Processing
I used to really struggle with email. Every time one would arrive in my inbox, I would get a notification on both my computer and phone. Noises everywhere. These alerts would spike my stress levels and I would have the compulsion to drop everything and check this one email that honestly could have waited until I finished my task.
I knew I needed a new way of tackling my emails. I had a look around for some effective techniques that matched my style of working. I soon discovered Dave Crenshaw’s time management techniques.
I followed Crenshaw’s Time Management Fundamentals course and learnt in order to effectively manage your day it’s all about respecting your time. Your calendar is king, stick to it and you will be rewarded with a more productive day.
Your Inboxes
Crenshaw recommends having a collection of inboxes; multiple locations for unprocessed material. Unprocessed material could be a letter, a post-it note with a reminder on it, or some receipts. Whatever the items are, you need somewhere to put them, keeping them out of your way until you are ready to process them.
Requests come in all forms, both physical and digital so you need multiple inboxes. These are the inboxes you need to use:
1- Physical inbox
What is it?: A paper tray, container or box located close to your work area.
My example: I use a metal paper tray which sits beside my computer on my desk. It’s big enough for A4 sheets of paper.
2- Portable Inbox
What is it?: A wallet or section in your bag for when you’re out and about.
My example: I use a plastic A4 wallet which slots into my backpack. It’s a separate compartment within my backpack and not the entire bag. Anytime I’m given a business card or make a note on a piece of paper, it goes into the wallet.
3- Email inbox
What is it?: An email client that accumulates all of your emails into one location.
My example: I have three email addresses that have all been organised to come through onto Apple Mail. One location for all your emails is the way to go.
4- Notebook
What is it?: This can be a notepad or notebook for meetings or whenever you get an idea. You can even use a notes app like Evernote.
My example: I use a perforated notepad, this allows me to process the page and tear it out when I’m done leaving the notepad blank ready for the next situation.
5- Wildcard, a location of your choice
What is it?: A location of your choice.
My example: My wildcard is my photos app on my phone. Whenever I see a design I like, I snap a pic.
Processing The Inboxes
All items that end up in your inboxes are unprocessed, they need to be reviewed and given the right home.
I have my three 15 minute windows spread evenly throughout the working day to tackle my unprocessed material.
Now we’re on to processing. All other distractions can wait until you’re done. I usually start with my physical inbox on my desk. Process one thing at a time, focus your attention.
Let’s go through a couple of examples.
This is a receipt for an electric toothbrush I bought, I need to keep hold of it. I ask myself the same three questions for each item that needs processing:
1- Where is its home? My kept receipts belong in my receipt folder on the shelf in my office, they’re kept in date order.
2- How long will this take to complete? Less than a minute to put in the right place.
3- When is the latest this can be done by? Because the task will take less than a minute, I can do it now.
One more example.
I’ve finished reading this library book, I put it in my inbox to process. It is due back at the library tomorrow.
1- Where is its home? I’ve finished reading it and it now needs to be returned. Its home is the library.
2- How long will this take? It takes me 15 minutes to walk to the library and another 15 minutes to walk back. It cannot be done now.
3- When is the latest this can be done by? The book is due tomorrow and the library closes at 5pm tomorrow. I know it will take me 30 minutes to complete this task. I schedule the time for tomorrow afternoon to return the library book. It’s home for now is my backpack, waiting to be returned.
This may sound like a long process, but once you get into the rhythm of it you’ll be processing your inboxes in no time at all. The aim is to have each inbox empty at least once a week.
Positive Procrastination
It may sound odd, but positive procrastination can really work for you. Whenever a task is given to you ask yourself; “when is the latest I can do this?”. Unless you work in A&E, things can wait. If you keep the mindset of “I can do this now, so I will” you’ll be jumping from one task to another, losing valuable time that you should be spending on important tasks. If you respect your time, you’re more likely to stick to a schedule.
I have to complete my tax returns at the end of each year. HMRC have been sending me frequent emails reminding me, I am aware of the deadline. I’m not going to complete it on the last day because something my affect my day. So instead, I choose the week before to allow for a safety net. Then, I estimate how long it will take me, and add 20% to that time. For example, I believe I’ll complete my tax returns in 45 minutes, I add 20% of that time to get a realistic timeframe, so 54 minutes. I’ll round that up to 60 minutes and schedule that time on the Friday of the week before the deadline. That event now cannot be changed, it has been scheduled and set. It’s now out of my head and I don’t have to dwell on it any longer.
Trying to complete things as soon as they come in doesn’t allow you to plan for longer than a week in advance. With positive procrastination you can be planning several months in advance, this in turn should help you feel less overwhelmed and less stressed.
Effective Scheduling
Dave Crenshaw recommends creating a Time Budget calendar. This calendar is about blocking out time for your most valuable work. For me, that’s designing.
Notice the gaps in between some blue events. I aim to be realistic with my time. I allow 10–15 minute breaks between long stretches of work to avoid burning out. Make sure you budget for breaks, you need them.
Be realistic about your scheduling. If something takes you 45 minutes to complete, allow 1 hour in case any interruptions occur.
Want To Try It Yourself?
This is only a glimpse into the time management course from Dave Crenshaw. The best place to learn more is at the source. I highly recommend Dave Crenshaw’s time management techniques for anyone looking to get a better handle on their work day. You can find his courses on LinkedIn Learning.
Visit Dave Crenshaw’s website to see what techniques you can benefit from.
When processing, remember the following rules:
- Allocate multiple processing slots throughout your workday.
- Process one thing at a time. Stay focused.
- When processing, ask the following questions: Where is its home? How long will this take? When is the latest this can be done by?
- If something can be completed in under 2 minutes, do it now.
- Be realistic with your time, overestimate.
Disabling Notifications
Every time a notification pings I can feel my stress levels spike. Even though it’s almost certain the alert isn’t important, the design of a smartphone’s notification system is so effective, it gets me every time.
I decided to disable all notifications on my smartphone expect messages and calls from people in my favourites list, which only features a handful of people. Since then, my phone keeps quiet and I’m able to stay focused on my work. My productivity has also increased because I’m not jumping between two activities.
In an age of engagement, our attention is the goal for these apps and notifications are powerful tools to help retain your attention. Smartphone technology has been shaped around human psychology. The designers know how our Palaeolithic brains work and use that knowledge to manipulate us. This manipulation is corrosive to our mental health.
I had to make some changes in order to retain my sanity, and a phone chiming every 10–20 minutes was not helping. I value my time and want to make the most of my working day. Technology has so much access to us, we need to set rules to ensure it isn’t stealing our time. While this method isn’t ideal for everyone, I would recommend it to people who find it hard to concentrate on work while their phone is calling for their attention.
Want To Try It Yourself?
Visit the notifications section within your phone’s settings and toggle off the “Allow Notifications’ setting for the unimportant apps. Be strict about which apps should be able to send you notifications as each ping or alert will send your stress levels spiking.
Keep Changing
All these techniques I’ve learnt have been applied and refined over time. That’s the crucial note to take away here; nothing is set in stone, things can grow and change and effective change can be slow, so be consistent and patient.
I’ll be trying out refined techniques over the coming year and may even write a follow-up article reviewing what new techniques I’ve implemented.
What techniques have you implemented to improve your productivity? Share your tips with me, I’m always interested to learn new methods.
