Thoughts on being busy at work

When you are busy at work it is inevitable for most people that they will begin using more sloppy, short term methods of planning and executing tasks. Examples:
  1. Not planning in a formal system like a todo list manager or using Outlook tasks... this also means that short, medium, and long term planning lists are being ignored
  2. Taking short cuts when executing tasks (software developers know what I mean, here)
I would argue that 1, above, leads to a less organized approach to work and the lack of attention to important tasks that are not considered urgent in the short term; 2, above, leads to defects in the project and creates areas that need to be cleaned up and/or fixed later. In both cases a person is severely comprising long term effectiveness for short term perceived success (meeting an arbitrary deadline is a typical reason to rush but so is being overwhelmed with tasks that are not all prioritized clearly). Because of this it makes sense to stick to a process that leads to tasks lists being maintained correctly and reviewed regularly even during periods of being busy. And really, for most people, aren't we always "busy"? If you are not, and it isn't by choice, you are either doing something right or you have bigger problems.

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