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I think something missing from the list is "learn to say no". This is not necessarily a very positive sounding message, but when you are pulled left and right

by seren 10y ago

I think something missing from the list is "learn to say no". This is not necessarily a very positive sounding message, but when you are pulled left and right to support or help people, you do not get anything on your personal task list done. There is a right balance to find because in a way by helping, the whole team is progressing. Try to teach people how to fish rather that giving them a fish.

Swizec 10y ago
"The fastest code is the code that never runs" On that note, postpone noncritical shit as long as you can stomach. 9 times out of 10 it will resolve itself and you'll find you didn't really care about the result.
- maccard 10y ago
  As someone who works with someone who does this; please be aware that there are other people depending on you to do what you've said you're going to do. You not doing it just means I end up having to do it on top of my own work.
- afarrell 10y ago
  To rephrase maccard's comment: postpone it explicitly rather than explicitly. If you silently chip the task into the tall grass, then they are left with ambiguity and frustration. If you are explicit, then you give them an opportunity to convince you of its value. If you respect them as a colleague, listen to them and argue with them. If you don't respect them, talk to your manager so they stop coming to you.
  - Swizec 10y ago
    I meant noncritical like cleaning out your closet, donating that pile of clothes you never wear, or doing the dishes. At work, the correct response is to consult a project manager person and ask: "Which project would you like me to deprioritize, in favor of this new project?". There are people whose entire job it is to balance stakeholder concerns and decide what you should be working on today/this week/this month/this quarter. Use them. If you're in a position or organization where that's your job, then make your priorities public. When someone asks you to do X, explain that you're already doing Y. If you can't come to an ad-hoc agreement about priorities, talk to a higher up. If you're the last higher up in the chain, then, shit man, hire more people. But the basic principle is this: If it's not on the roadmap, why are you working on it? If it's not the next most important thing on the roadmap, why are you working on it?
    - afarrell 10y ago
      Ah. Yes I'll agree (though the husband in me says I should still be explicit when I postpone tasks). There is value in squashing unambiguous bugs that get reported even if they don't fit into whe broader theme of what you are working on.
    - crispyambulance 10y ago
      On the other hand, assiduously doing ONLY what the PM has designated to the exclusion of everything else is a recipe for misery and organizational dysfunction. There has to be some slack for creativity, problem-solving, and some unstructured collaboration. I run into problems all the time in a "cross-functional" role with people who refuse to lift their nose from the grindstone unless specifically commanded by their boss.
      - Swizec 10y ago
        Of course, "Use your judgement". I try to fulfill small asks quickly, as time permits. For bigger asks, I work with the person to get them slotted into the roadmap. Same approach for bugs. If something comes up where it's not absolutely clear that it's a critical production bug, I go ask the roadmap guy whether this is more or less critical than what I'm working on. The idea isn't that he's my boss and I only do ahat he says, but that he has broader insight into the business and criticality of various things. Sometimes something can be terribe and critical and everyone gets up in a huff, but it's still not worth doing instead of the business critical project you're working on.
vegabook 10y ago
"learn to say no" is critically important, but can seriously damage relationships with colleagues. I have found that it is important to explain very carefully and ahead of time why you will often be saying no, and try to mitigate its impact by, for example, having a disciplined daily window when you're saying "yes" a lot or queuing work for that slot when it is not 100% urgent (ascertaining the real urgency of requests is also a major skill). I have found that it is possible to improve one's own productivity, but reduce team morale, when I am seen as obstructive or not a team player when I "NO" too much without mitigation / explantion. Said explanation should always include reasoning about why your progress is aligned with team progress, even obliquely, but it can be a tough balance.

by seren 10y ago

Swizec 10y ago

"The fastest code is the code that never runs" On that note, postpone noncritical shit as long as you can stomach. 9 times out of 10 it will resolve itself and you'll find you didn't really care about the result.

maccard 10y ago
As someone who works with someone who does this; please be aware that there are other people depending on you to do what you've said you're going to do. You not doing it just means I end up having to do it on top of my own work.
afarrell 10y ago
To rephrase maccard's comment: postpone it explicitly rather than explicitly. If you silently chip the task into the tall grass, then they are left with ambiguity and frustration. If you are explicit, then you give them an opportunity to convince you of its value. If you respect them as a colleague, listen to them and argue with them. If you don't respect them, talk to your manager so they stop coming to you.
- Swizec 10y ago
  I meant noncritical like cleaning out your closet, donating that pile of clothes you never wear, or doing the dishes. At work, the correct response is to consult a project manager person and ask: "Which project would you like me to deprioritize, in favor of this new project?". There are people whose entire job it is to balance stakeholder concerns and decide what you should be working on today/this week/this month/this quarter. Use them. If you're in a position or organization where that's your job, then make your priorities public. When someone asks you to do X, explain that you're already doing Y. If you can't come to an ad-hoc agreement about priorities, talk to a higher up. If you're the last higher up in the chain, then, shit man, hire more people. But the basic principle is this: If it's not on the roadmap, why are you working on it? If it's not the next most important thing on the roadmap, why are you working on it?
  - afarrell 10y ago
    Ah. Yes I'll agree (though the husband in me says I should still be explicit when I postpone tasks). There is value in squashing unambiguous bugs that get reported even if they don't fit into whe broader theme of what you are working on.
  - crispyambulance 10y ago
    On the other hand, assiduously doing ONLY what the PM has designated to the exclusion of everything else is a recipe for misery and organizational dysfunction. There has to be some slack for creativity, problem-solving, and some unstructured collaboration. I run into problems all the time in a "cross-functional" role with people who refuse to lift their nose from the grindstone unless specifically commanded by their boss.
    - Swizec 10y ago
      Of course, "Use your judgement". I try to fulfill small asks quickly, as time permits. For bigger asks, I work with the person to get them slotted into the roadmap. Same approach for bugs. If something comes up where it's not absolutely clear that it's a critical production bug, I go ask the roadmap guy whether this is more or less critical than what I'm working on. The idea isn't that he's my boss and I only do ahat he says, but that he has broader insight into the business and criticality of various things. Sometimes something can be terribe and critical and everyone gets up in a huff, but it's still not worth doing instead of the business critical project you're working on.

vegabook 10y ago

"learn to say no" is critically important, but can seriously damage relationships with colleagues. I have found that it is important to explain very carefully and ahead of time why you will often be saying no, and try to mitigate its impact by, for example, having a disciplined daily window when you're saying "yes" a lot or queuing work for that slot when it is not 100% urgent (ascertaining the real urgency of requests is also a major skill). I have found that it is possible to improve one's own productivity, but reduce team morale, when I am seen as obstructive or not a team player when I "NO" too much without mitigation / explantion. Said explanation should always include reasoning about why your progress is aligned with team progress, even obliquely, but it can be a tough balance.