Cure Productivity Struggles with Starting at the Deadline
Start with the End in Mind
Over the last few months, I have been sharing about a series of productivity tips I have been using to increase my work product and margine to spend away from work. These tools have taken me from stressed out and exhausted to rest and peace.
It all started with a early wake up. One of those wake-from-the-dead-of-sleep moments. I sat up in my bed knowing there was no way I would go back to sleep. And so I decided it was time to get some direction with my work.
Pulling out my lap top, I returned to the ‘why’ of things. I didn’t just want to be productive so my bosses would give me more work. I wanted to be productive because I wanted to have more margin for my family and my writing.
Then I went to research. And I found some really great tool which people were labeling as “tricks” or “tips.” Even I have been calling them this. However, I learned these 21 Tool of Productivity have changed my life.
From the original post which I shared once I started implementing these new tools came a series of posts about producitivity. Each one outlines a different tool.
Tool #15: Work Backwards
When a deadline is set for a project, sometimes the timelines are set for us. Or they are very inherent to the work.
What happens when this is not the case? When your manager or supervisor says, “Here is your project. I need it done by this date,” and you don’t have any other guidelines to get to completion.
We start with the end in mind and work backwards.
I do this with a blank sheet of paper. I put the deadline and desired outcome at the top of the page.
Then I add today’s date at the bottom of the page. Now, I all I have to do is fill in the middle part. Which may sound very daunting. However, we know where we are, and where we need to go.
This idea came from several research articles I found the morning I was super stressed about work. What I found was working backward makes you brain start thinking more creatively. It allows for “outside-the-box” thinking.
When we start with the end, we know what we need to complete.
For example, I recently started a new mentoring relationship at work. Not that he is a project, however, because I have more margin, I have been asked to do this mentorship under the company’s official process.
We started with the end in mind: Where did he want to get to?
He wants to move into the role I have, so we knew that he needed to learn about the role, apply for an opening, and prove he was a good fit. We broke down our plan into two parts:
- Apply & Interview
- Know the Role
From there, we created a plan. Which looks like this:
- Accept Job Offer
- Interview: Pick 6–8 good examples for STAR Questions
- Interview Preperation: Meet with Supervisors, HR Representative, and other Reps in the Current Role.
- Apply: Updated Resume and Cover Letter
- Complete Overall Review of Desired Role
- Review Examples of All Work Which is Part of the Desired Role
- Teach All Information for Work Which is Part of the Desired Role
- Commit to Meeting Regularly and Set Expectations
Looking at the above section. We see how we combined both the actual applying for the job and learning about the role he wanted to apply for. Now we have a clear direction on where to go because we start the bottom and build the tower.
And sometimes, you can make leaps and bounds in your plans because you have clearly defined what needs to get done to complete the project or objective.
We are currently working out way through the plan. However, I am confident he will learn the role well and be more prepared to get the position then most. And again, this can be used in lots of different situations.
Benefits of Working Backwards
What I have found about working backwards is how we can eliminate the guess work about completing a project. And this is hugely important for saving time and energy.
1. Creates Structure
The structure that is created from working backwards saves time. It also enables you to stop doing unimportant parts of a project or tasks that my not have a huge impact to the overall goal.
2. Creates Expectations
When you work backwards it establishes clear expectations in a project. You know what you need to do and what needs to get done. It allows you to find out what tasks need to get completed and in what order.
3. Creates Definition
The clearly defined goals, tasks, start and end help elevate guess work. They also help you move from one task to the next in a clean and clear manner. And when you can move from task to task quickly, you can accomplish more.
Conclusion
These three benefits are the main source to how my productivity gains have happened.
A lot of times, for us to be more productive we need a little more structure. Coupled with clear expectations and definition of a task or project we spend less time trying to figure things out.
Respond and Share
Do you often work backwards on a project or task? Or is this a new idea? Share in the response below.
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If you want to learn more about my writing, check out my blog: www.jrheimbigner.com
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