If you read my blog regularly, you know that I often write about efficiency and productivity in the workplace, as I believe lack of these things is the leading cause of engineers working too many hours.
I believe that one of the most important aspects of being productive is the ability to focus for a long period of time, which can be difficult in a world full of distractions. Two different systems allow me to sharpen my focus, work more productively and generate high-quality results.
First, I set aside a certain time of the day or week to do certain tasks. For example, I usually write blog posts early Friday morning, at 5:30 a.m. By doing this consistently, I know that that is my time to write and only write. I focus intently on that task and don’t let anything else get in the way.
It also helps that I have chosen to do a task like this early in the morning, when distractions are limited because most people are sleeping. Now, writing is a creative activity, and I can’t always think of a topic to write that day at that time—so I keep a running list of topics and then pick one during my actual writing tine.
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The second way that I approach tasks to increase productivity and the quality of results is to split them up into smaller steps and perform these over a period of time.
For example, my wife and I are going through the process of setting up a will right now (anyone that has young kids and hasn’t done this yet—please consider it). The lawyer we are working with gave us a 30-page questionnaire. It’s been on my to-do list forever, but every time I look at that task, I think of the 30 pages of paperwork and skip over it. After months of this, I thought, what if I fill out one page per day for a month? So far, this process has worked.
To bring this back to engineering, here are some tasks I would recommend doing in one sitting and others that might best be broken up. Please leave a comment at the bottom of this post with any strategies that you use in approaching tasks in the workplace.
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Tasks that might be completed more effectively in one sitting: engineering design calculations, returning phone calls (do them once or twice per day at the same time), preparation for a meeting, reviewing a set of design plans (depending on the size).
Tasks that might be broken up over time: reviewing technical specifications, reading a manual on a new software, taking an online training program, reading a book that will facilitate your career-development efforts (do five pages per day).
How and when do decide whether or not to break down large projects into smaller steps? I value your opinions and comments, please share them in the Speak Your Mind box at the bottom of this post.
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To your success,
Anthony Fasano, PE, LEED AP
Engineering Management Institute
Author of Engineer Your Own Success
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