Stop reinventing the wheel. I use the same 10-19 Project management structure for every project. I have it committed to memory. (This is how I can find my scope statement in ten seconds.)

Executives need the numbers Saying “everyone who’s important is leaving the company,” (the drama) creates negative contraction and “Beth Smith said she was thinking of another career” (the data) allows a productive direction Good relationships start with curiosity (about what’s true) instead of control (about what should be true) Keeping team spirit going in times of change requires frequent updates of what’s really going on Capturing, tracking, and reviewing all your commitments, projects, and actions transform a sense of overwhelm into an experience of relaxed control Acknowledging that you’re scared

begins to transcend the fear Acceptance (vs. resistance) is the first action of spiritual growth

break them into smaller, more manageable actions to clear the clutter and get a clear picture of what lies ahead in operations processes.

convert all these muddled ideas into viable actions, you need to distinguish the actionable and non-actionable tasks to get rid of the ones that cannot be done, thus clearing up some brain memory.

Waiting for List: all the tasks that you have delegated to other people for execution Next Action List: actions that need to be done, but are without any due date Calendar: actions that are to be completed on a specific date or time

Capture Everything: Capture anything that crosses your mind. Nothing is too big or small! These items go directly into your inboxes. Clarify: Process what you’ve captured into clear and concrete action steps. Decide if an item is a project, next action, or reference. Organize: Put everything into the right place. Add dates to your calendar, delegate projects to other people, file away reference material, and sort your tasks. Review: Frequently look over, update, and revise your lists. Engage: Get to work on the important stuff.

- Things I need from someone to accomplish current, due tasks. These are serious barriers that are potentially stopping deadlines from being met. Gratefully I seldom have more than an item or two here. This would be something like a new logo I need for a site that launches this week; something I need to bang on daily to make sure progress continues without interruption. Follow-up - These items cover middle-term events and deliverables that I just need “soon.” These might include things I know will arrive soon or eventually like incoming essays for The Long Winters’ site (that’s a passive-aggressive ping, Mr. Roderick) or a form I need to fill out for a client’s records in order to get paid. Occasional check-in - These are things that I hope happen soon but have no way to anticipate or predict. Still, I’d like to know about when it does happen so I check in every week or two. For me this includes stuff like a new software release or support for a feature I’d like in an app I’m thinking of using. The thread that runs through all of these is that the onus is on me to a) make sure these items represent part of a commitment I’ve made, and b) make sure they actually get done (even if it’s not my direct responsibility); otherwise, they should get moved onto my “Maybe/Later” list, right? So the questions on my mind are: How do I make sure I’m checking in often enough? How do I ensure I’m prepared to execute when the items are available? Staying on top of things The simple answer for getting these items done is to convert them into next actions. If I have a “waiting on” item that says “Receive new logo from Jim” for more than a day or two, it might benefit me to generate “Call Jim to nail down delivery date and dependencies for new logo” as a next action. Now I’m in the driver’s seat, ensuring that bad communication or just old-school slack don’t prevent my client’s cool new site from launching on time.

identify all the stuff in your life that isn’t in the right place (close all open loops) get rid of the stuff that isn’t yours or you don’t need right now create a right place that you trust and that supports your working style and values put your stuff in the right place, consistently do your stuff in a way that honors your time, your energy, and the context of any given moment iterate and refactor mercilessly

geeks are often disorganized or have a twisted skein of attention-deficit issues geeks love assessing, classifying, and defining the objects in their world geeks crave actionable items and roll their eyes at “mission statements” and lofty management patois geeks like things that work with technology-agnostic and lofi tools geeks like frameworks but tend to ignore rules geeks are unusually open to change (if it can be demonstrated to work better than what they’re currently using) geeks like fixing things on their own terms geeks have too many projects and lots and lots of stuff

Next actions: Both physical and visible - “But, for me, turning anxieties into projects and projects into discrete physical behaviors has a lot of appeal. It takes all the pressure off your brain and puts it back where it belongs: on your eyes, on your hands, and on that fat ass you need to get into gear.”