How to focus when you are worried: Part 1

 

Clarity on tasks.

You need to be crystal clear what you need to accomplish.

Choose an important project that you want to focus on these days. Break it into small steps, which are small tasks. Let’s have a look at one example.

You might have written a task "Send report to Helen".

If you still need to create that report - it is a project, which consists of several tasks. I already pre-organize them into three blocks:

Block I (need of someone’s input)

  1. Call Steve to ask how to download data from ERP system

  2. Confirm with Helen to whom the report will be sent

Block II (creative work)

  1. Find previous report and save it in corresponding folder in order to use it as template

  2. Download data

  3. Create visual representation of data

  4. Write description of data analysis

  5. Investigate what competitors A, B and C did in the last two weeks that might have had influence on the data

  6. Create the first draft: insert in template diagrams, description of data analysis, market analysis

Block III (administrative work)

  1. Send draft to Helen for revision

  2. Finalize report considering the remarks

  3. Save report in Cloud

  4. Send email to Helen with link to the report saved in Cloud

Having a project displayed in such form, helps you to simplify decision making process and allows you to take action faster.

Start with the tasks that require someone's input since your colleagues are also overwhelmed and might take time to reply (Block I).

Then focus on the core tasks that require your actual creative work (Block II). This is where most of your mental energy will go.

Mark the tasks with level of complexity (e.g. easy/middle/complex) and estimated time to complete.

This trick is intended to help you choosing the right task for your current state of mind and gives you clarity how much effort you will need to invest.

  1. Find previous report and save it in corresponding folder in order to use it as template (easy, 5 min)

  2. Download data (easy, 10 min)

  3. Create visual representation of data (easy/middle, 30 min)

  4. Write description of data analysis (middle, 45 min)

  5. Investigate what competitors A, B and C did in the last two weeks that might have had influence on the data (middle, 20+20+20=60 min)

  6. Create the first draft: insert in template diagrams, description of data analysis, market analysis (middle, 40 min)

We see that these are sequential tasks and first ones are easy - so just start doing them one by one.

Try when possible to do the task completely in order to mark it as done and next time start with a new one.

Once all the preparation is finalized you can move to the next Block III which is rather administrative and easy:

  1. Send draft to Helen for revision (easy, 2 min)

  2. Finalize report considering the remarks (middle, 30 min)

  3. Save report in Cloud (easy, 2 min)

  4. Send email to Helen with link to the report saved in Cloud (easy, 5 min)

Ok, that seems like a lot of steps and preparation work just for one "small" project.

However, the actual process of writing down will help clarifying the project. Afterwards you just need to do one small step at a time.

 
Dr. Alina Pukhovskayaproductivity, task management, worried, clarity