Takeaways from @fortelabs' excellent "Just In Time Project Management" series 👇
1/ Attention is by far the scarcest resource for knowledge workers. Our workdays are increasingly fragmented. We need systems to manage how we utilize attention.
2/ Flow is the holy grail of productivity. It's associated with 'Deep Work', but the triggers for Flow do not include a time period. Can we work in smaller interrupted blocks?
3/ A typical work session involves setup time, and value is only created near the end. Intermediate work is lost or discarded. We can capture value from intermediate work.
4/ Instead of a large deliverable at the end of a work session, stage progress in short sprints, with a tangible deliverable (intermediate packet).
5/ The Iron Triangle of Project Management has 3 constraints: Time, Budget, Scope. Modern projects have so much uncertainty that any deliverable can change its scope at any time. 
6/ Play with the Iron Triangle's 3 constraints. There is always a simpler version of what you're trying to create.
7/ Information only becomes knowledge when you wrestle with it. Prioritize Interaction over consumption. (Look at me interacting with these articles right now!)
8/ Creative work is performed in one of two alternating modes: Divergence and Convergence. Identifying which mode you're in simplifies choices.
9/ Create placeholders at the end of work sessions. Placeholders allow you to restart a task with less friction. In this way you can pursue multiple projects without losing progress.
10/ The malleable nature of digital knowledge work means that Structure, Features, and Purpose can be added later. This flexibility allows us to adapt quickly.
11/ Start everything as late as possible (see: Critical Chain PM). This creates a collaborative culture where everyone understands the importance of the critical path. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_…
12/ The techniques and tools learned in this series unlock the benefits of just-in-time action while minimizing the downsides.
13/Create subcomponents (an inherently valuable piece of a potential future project) as early as possible. These are valuable even if the project they're intended for doesn't pan out.
14/ Packet switching enabled 100-fold increases in telecom bandwidth. We can do the same by building a personal productivity network. This network is your second brain: a system of people, software, and organizations working together in a decentralized way.
15/ Multithread (not multitask) projects to make progress on many fronts simultaneously. Increase your personal surface area for opportunities.
16/ Think of yourself as a project portfolio manager. When choosing projects: The effective Return on Attention is a function of the kind of attention required, not just amount. 1hr deep focus is more valuable than 2hrs admin work.
17/ States of mind have become our most important assets as knowledge workers. Design a way of working that puts us in certain states of mind.
18/ States of mind come in motivational waves. Change the task at hand to fit your state of mind. Assign tasks to the right "worker": future you.
19/ Generate momentum by structuring work to produce value now and in the future. The brain detects the beginnings of this exponential curve, and extrapolates it forward, giving you anticipation, motivation. The key is personal growth and self-awareness.
20/ Information decays. Move quickly to avoid costly delays. Your goal should be to end each and every work session with a tangible deliverable.
END? Read the entire 20-part series here: praxis.fortelabs.co/just-in-time-p…
It's behind a paywall but implementing any one of these ideas will payoff right away.
It's behind a paywall but implementing any one of these ideas will payoff right away.
