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Recently, I was catching up some folks in my office and we started discussing on a topic, which until that time, I believed, was just my problem. We were discussing about this lasting feeling of incompleteness when we finish some work.
When we finish some work, we are looking for a sense of satisfaction or relief, that an item is off my plate. But usually, this doesn’t happen. There is always something else pending. As soon as we are done with our current work, we know that there is another task waiting to be worked on. Well, if you feel the same, you are not alone.
You would have two immediate questions, is this how it’s always going to be or is there a solution? Well, to answer the former, yes, this is pretty much how it’s always going to be. You will always have some work cut out for you. After all it’s our managers’ job to keep the team occupied and provide continuous delivery. So there is no escaping this routine, unless you are looking to break free from the routine of a desk job.
Well, then what’s the solution?
I am no expert at this, but there is something that has worked out for me and maybe, it might work for you too.
First step of the day, before you begin your work and definitely before you open that mailbox, Slack, internal office chat, etc, prepare a list of all the work, that you know (Not what is expected of you) has to be done on that day. Nothing more. Only put down the items that needs to be done on that day, or is of utmost importance. Analyze the items and ask your self, is all of that achievable? If not, break it down to the items that you know are definitely doable in that day. That’s your priority and that is your agenda for the day.
When I say put down a list of all the work, I even mean include personal work, paying a bill, buying grocery, meeting friends, doing a phone call, etc. Maybe as a separate section but it should included in a day’s work.
Now, you can go ahead and check your mails and chats, to see if there is any item that has needs immediate attention by end of day. If there are such items then you need to add them to your agenda for the day and reschedule some items from your list for the next day
By end of day, make sure to scratch off the items that you are finishing off. Don’t delete the items from your list, always scratch off. This is where the fulfillment will happen.
There are only a limited amount of things that can be done in a day. Planning unrealistically or not planning at all, will always leave you in that dissatisfied state. If you had 10 items for the day and you were able to get to only 6 of them, you will still get some sense of fulfillment with your day.
With time and practice, the number of crossed off items will keep getting better and you will be more efficient.
Practicing this approach will soon help you maintain a clear boundary between personal and professional life. You will start realizing how much you can deliver in a day and would arm yourself with work reasonably. You priority of the day doesn’t have to align with your priority for the week/month. When you are getting things done, your capacity for delivering results will get better.
One of the key thoughts that helps me identify the work for the day is, when I complete these set of work today, can someone else pick it up from here tomorrow? Just in case, I am not available for the next day, it shouldn’t critically block someone else from doing their work.
Leave your life a little less messier for the next day.
