Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Less is More


I have come to a conclusion recently, the more projects you have the less effective you are on those projects.

Everyone has a to do list, and it seems to be ever growing. For every task finished and crossed off the list, there is two or more than get added. This seems to be my experience with this. The additional tasks may be your boss adding more to your plate, a recent software update has gone awry, or things that you think of during the day that "Need" to be done.

All this adding tasks to the growing to do list leads to trying to multi-task, and less effective execution of all tasks that are attempted. It also leads to added stress, lack of motivation and reduced focus. Think of this as your mental RAM. You only have so much unless you upgrade it, and that takes work and time.  The more you have available the faster and more effective you can be at everything you do.

The best way to free up your Mental RAM is to Close Open Loops.  Reduce the number of active projects that you have in your Asana project list, if you are using another task management software adjust accordingly.  This will reduce the amount of stress you have each time you view your projects.  For me I am in Asana all day, because it allows me to manage all my projects and tasks, assign them to collaborators, and map what the next steps should be and what I have approaching.  This can be applied to many other project/task tools this is just the one that I use for my personal and professional use.
I hope this helps make you more effective.  To your success.