As digital products, such as laptops and tablets became more accessible, I have gotten away from that system, as it felt like I was writing things twice. Then I came across this presentation on SlideShare on a time management system called “Personal Kanban.”
In this system (outlined in the Slideshare), it displays your project backlog, work in progress and completed projects. From the first category to the last, it displays your efficiency level & whether or not you kept the proper amount of information inside that work in process and have set boundaries around it.
For me, I’m currently in the ‘download’ stage. I have post-it notes on my wall, to organize my thoughts and ideas. Green is for anything home related, blue for anything related to community and orange for business related items. When I think of something that distracts me from focusing on what I need to do, I then write it down on the corresponding color post-it note.
The article goes on to talk about how you organize. As a smaller shop you have to do everything: So how do you manage your time efficiently so you don’t end up doing too little, or taking on more than you know you can handle (which entrepreneurs tend to do)?
I think what happens is businesses have too much on their plates. Good decision making rules have not been developed. As a CEO, you want to keep as many things open as possible. As a researcher, it’s frustrating if time has been spent going down a path and then it’s changed.
We need to step back & stop doing business in exactly the same manner. We need to remember what it’s like to be a lean startup and still search for what our customers need. What have you found effective to keep you on track, and manage your projects?
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