Write Things Down!
With results from recent surveys
Today at a Glance
Recent Survey Results
Write Things Down!
Poll of the Day
Ask Paul Anything & Answer
Bonus Links
Recent Survey Results
Before I get started with today’s article, here’s the results of a couple of recent surveys. The take-home (withstanding the small sample size), is that the majority of engineers do create a written plan for their work but do not maintain a complete to do list. I write articles ahead of time, but a related article follows.
Write Things Down!
Introduction
“Are you going to write that down?” I see the look of disgust when I ask this question, like I’ve asked them to tattoo the request I’ve just made on their arm.
“I’ll remember it,” they say, with more or less indignation. I give all but the most forgetful cases the benefit of the doubt. If whatever it is hasn’t been done, I will follow up later.
“Do you remember when I said to write that down?” Is what I will follow up with. They begrudging admit that they DO remember that. It’s a shame they didn’t remember to do the request.
Why it matters
Your brain is almost certainly full of all kinds of actions, in all areas of your life, constantly. All of them are fighting for your attention and ad-hoc prioritisation.
I’ve found that anything that “lives” in my head will be brought up time and time again. It’s like either the thought constantly nags you until it gets done, or it ultimately gets forgotten.
If you find yourself thinking about work on evenings or weekends, email yourself whatever details you need to action and the thought will melt away.
The trick to getting things done effectively and removing stress is to take the constant merry-go-round of your to-do list out of your head. This works especially well at the end of the day.
How to apply it
The temptation is to go for a fancy notebook, or app, or task management system, which are talked about endlessly online. Avoid anything that takes more time to manage than necessary.
I recommend simple to-do lists, one per context. That might be Home, General Work, Project X. It should be the smallest number where you’re not mixing tasks.
When something comes up you need to action, write it down immediately. It has enormous benefits in keeping your mind clear, improved prioritisation, and reducing stress.
Poll of the Day
Have you ever worried (incorrectly) about being fired?
Polls are anonymous and just for fun. Voting will show you the results.
Ask Paul Anything
If you have a question or idea, large or small, you can send it here. It’s anonymous.
“When should I write documentation for work I do?”
I guess the options here are “during” or “at the end” of the work. I would always recommend doing it during the work, even if you have to do a bit of rewriting if things change as you go along. Firstly, it means you don’t forget the details, and it acts as an living notebook for your own benefit. Secondly, by the end of the work, you’ll almost certainly be immediately pushed on to the next thing. Finally, nobody likes writing documentation en-masse, so I find it’s better to break it down into chunks.
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Bonus Links
Getting Things Done - A note taking system. Over the years I took inspiration from this and simplified it.
The Hipster PDA - A card-based notebook. Google Images has lots of inspiration for styles and designs.
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