Time management is becoming almost as big a part of my job as actually writing documentation and training. The biggest problem I'm finding is the lack of linear planning and prioritization.
It starts out looking great - Someone comes to me with a big, important project with plenty of time to complete it - let's say 2 weeks. I get started, and am happily working away. The next day, someone comes to me with a request for documentation that a customer needs "right now". Of course it's a fairly quick little thing, and won't take long, plus it is urgent, so it takes top priority.
The next day I get a medium sized project, maybe 4 days worth, that is also needed "Right Now", so that takes priority... Everyone can see where this is going. By the time the big important job is due, I've spent about a day on it because everything else gets prioritized first. And of course the first requester says "But I gave you plenty of time to do it".
The sad thing is that eventually people realize that stuff that needs to be done "Right now" gets worked on before things that are considered important, but have more flexibility in the delivery date, so requests start coming later and later in an effort to have them prioritized.
For a lot of people this isn't news, and doesn't seem like a big deal because they deal with it all day. For me, though, it's a pretty big change from my 12 years of doing either break/fix support, or planned linear roll-outs. I'm warming up to it, so I'm sure i'll find a comfortable middle ground shortly.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Rise of the D.I.Y.er
Taking on New Projects
There are many signs that Spring has finally arrived, but one I saw in full glory over the weekend was the frenzy at Home Depot. Plants, paint and lumber were flying off the shelves like some sort of fire sale, fueled by the strength of the sun on a weekend in April.
I was there picking up a few things to continue with my Deck. Fortunately, I have most of what I need. grabbing a few pieces of lumber and some more screws wasn't all that difficult in comparison to the poor fools just starting out their projects.
Spring always sets up a big season of home improvements - spring cleaning, preparing for sales, and personalizing newly purchased homes. As loans are harder to get, and the housing market slumps, the types of projects may be a little different this year. Renovating instead of moving, functional instead of facelift. It'll be interesting to see if professional contractors end up getting more work out of botched DIY attempts than in previous years.
Strategic Postponement - Seasonal Strategy
Unfortunately, I haven't yet finished my previous project - renovating my basement. But there is a reason, Abby REALLY wanted the deck to be useable for that majority of the sunny months. In Colorado, this is Spring, Summer and Fall (Autumn for those not in the US), so I had to get started early. We can use the basement all year round, and work on it in the rain. Not so for the deck.
By starting my project 2 weeks ago, I actually missed the really big rush at Home Depot. I managed to have a fairly leisurely time picking out what I needed, and have plenty of time to both enjoy the deck, and put the finishing touches on it without working in 100 degree weather.
Leave Nothing Undone
The ever present danger is to become one of those people who start a lot of projects, but never finish any of them... I'm determined not to join the ranks. After the deck, It'll be back to the basement. While I hope that it would be the next thing finished, a basement can be quite pricey. I have a many other projects in mind (Painting bedrooms, tiling bathrooms) so one of those may end up sliding in there before the basement is complete, but I'm going to do my best to never have more than 2 projects started at once.
We'll see how that goes... ;)
There are many signs that Spring has finally arrived, but one I saw in full glory over the weekend was the frenzy at Home Depot. Plants, paint and lumber were flying off the shelves like some sort of fire sale, fueled by the strength of the sun on a weekend in April.
I was there picking up a few things to continue with my Deck. Fortunately, I have most of what I need. grabbing a few pieces of lumber and some more screws wasn't all that difficult in comparison to the poor fools just starting out their projects.
Spring always sets up a big season of home improvements - spring cleaning, preparing for sales, and personalizing newly purchased homes. As loans are harder to get, and the housing market slumps, the types of projects may be a little different this year. Renovating instead of moving, functional instead of facelift. It'll be interesting to see if professional contractors end up getting more work out of botched DIY attempts than in previous years.
Strategic Postponement - Seasonal Strategy
Unfortunately, I haven't yet finished my previous project - renovating my basement. But there is a reason, Abby REALLY wanted the deck to be useable for that majority of the sunny months. In Colorado, this is Spring, Summer and Fall (Autumn for those not in the US), so I had to get started early. We can use the basement all year round, and work on it in the rain. Not so for the deck.
By starting my project 2 weeks ago, I actually missed the really big rush at Home Depot. I managed to have a fairly leisurely time picking out what I needed, and have plenty of time to both enjoy the deck, and put the finishing touches on it without working in 100 degree weather.
Leave Nothing Undone
The ever present danger is to become one of those people who start a lot of projects, but never finish any of them... I'm determined not to join the ranks. After the deck, It'll be back to the basement. While I hope that it would be the next thing finished, a basement can be quite pricey. I have a many other projects in mind (Painting bedrooms, tiling bathrooms) so one of those may end up sliding in there before the basement is complete, but I'm going to do my best to never have more than 2 projects started at once.
We'll see how that goes... ;)
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Hiatus is over
It's been over a year since my last post, and a number of people have been on my case to start writing again. I have no reason NOT to post, it's just laziness...
So rather than a huge post about what I've been up to, here are some highlights:
So rather than a huge post about what I've been up to, here are some highlights:
On Valentine's day, Abby and I extended our family - We adopted a beautiful boxer puppy named Sydney. She's so much fun!- Over the Christmas and New Year's holidays, we had 3 couples visiting our house at once. Tim and Kristen from Sydney, Aus; Heath and JJ from London, Eng; and Scott and Jane from Philly. Full House!
- 2/3 finished completing my basement
- My Parents visited the US for the first time in September, and we went on a Cruise
- Participated in my first Triathlon!
- Had many Australian visitors including: Jackie and Andrew; Paul, Fernando and Joe; and Ross
- And finally - I changed Job roles! I am now no longer in technical support, I'm a Documentation and Training Specialist.
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