effectiveness vs efficiency: practical ways for dealing with information overload online
DESCRIPTION
Presented July 9th, 2011 at Blogging While Brown in Los Angeles, CA.Does it seem like some days you're get anything done?Would you like to make more money and get important goals out of the way?Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?First we'll show you how to identify important goals in your life by being effective and then we'll discuss how to work smarter, not harder by focusing on efficiency. Lastly, we'll show you the tools you can start using immediately to organized your incoming information from emails, Twitter and phonecalls.TRANSCRIPT
Dealing with Information Overload and Improving
Effectiveness
Scott HanselmanPrincipal Community ArchitectMicrosoft Corporation@shanselman on Twitter
Adria RichardsTechnology ConsultantButYoureAGirl.com@adriarichards on Twitter
About MeBlogging since April 2002
Software Engineer 20 yearsAuthor, Speaker, Professor
2rd Blogging while BrownLive in Portland
Tech, Diabetes, Parenting, Race, Linguistics, Fashion,
Podcasting, Media, Culture, Code, Ratchet.
Biggest accomplishment: Happy Family
I help companies select the right tools to be more productive.
CommunicationData flow
Tools
SupportInfrastructure
Training
Technology malfunction
About MeBlogging since 2008
Information Technology 12+ years3rd Blogging while Brown
Live in San FranciscoLove Bacon
Biggest blogging accomplishment: Interviewed on The Rachel Maddow
Show
The Quantity of Information…has changed
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anotherpintplease/4093428787/
The Quantity of Information…has changed
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jypsygen/3922750879/
The Numbers
*Xerox http://www.xerox.com/information-overload/enus.html
“Every two days we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization up until 2003” Knowledge workers spend 50% of their day on unproductive tasks such as scheduling, duplicate communication, trying to get in touch and filtering spam.
Danger Signs
Missing deadlinesFeeling like a failureFamily complains“I just need to work lateto catch up.”
Right Tool For the Job
Phil hack story…
* David Allen
Effectiveness
Effectiveness
doing "right" things, i.e. setting right targets to achieve an overall goal
Goal-oriented
Efficiency
Efficiency
doing things in the most economical way (good input to output ratio)
Process-oriented
Effectiveness vs. Efficiency
Effectiveness is doing the right things. Efficiency is doing things right.
Effectiveness
Inbox Issues
Information coming in…Needs to be triagedAnd acted on.
Triagefrom the French verb trier, meaning to separate, sort, sift or select
Triage
from the French verb trier, meaning to separate, sort, sift or select
Three-Fold Nature of Work
Pre-defined WorkWork as it AppearsDefining Works
* David Allen
4 “D’s”
• Do It• Drop It• Delegate It • Defer It
* David Allen
I II
III
IV
Do It Now
Decide When To
Do It
Delegate It Dump It
URGENCYIM
PO
RTA
NC
E
I II
III
IV
Crises Preparation
Interruptions Trivia
IMP
OR
TA
NC
EURGENCY
I II
III
IV
Phone,In
person
Project Email
IM, Texts, Most Email
Twitter,Web, News
URGENCY/IM
PO
RTA
NC
E
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rgewing/4104932476
All Systems that work need to have Flow Control,
so Drop Packets.
Communication is Fault Tolerant.
Sometimes Dropping the Ball is the right answer
Communication is Fault Tolerant.
“Psychic Weight”
Let it go
My Vision Board
Vision Board
Efficiency
Identify Data Streams
• Twitter, Facebook, Google Reader, Email, Snail Mail, SMS, Skype, GChat, Comments, Contact Form, Voicemail, etc.• Sort by Signal vs. Noise• Which packets can be dropped
Identify Data Streams - SORTED• Phone• Work Email
• Bosses• CC:ed vs. To:
• Personal Email• Wife, Parents, Family• All Others
• Twitter• Google Reader• My “Tivo”
Email Rules/Filters
Don’t check email in the morningIf you respond, they will respond…You teach people how to treat you.
Don’t put energy into things you don't want more of.
* David Allen
Conserve Your Keystrokes
* Jon Udell
Find a Trusted Source
and put stuff there
The Trusted Source
• Pick one location for a medium
• Keep it…• open all the time• updated all the time
Schedule Work Sprints
* David Allen
Recognize Internal Interruptions“The first objective is to be aware of the number and type of internal interruptions.
Observe them, accept them, and schedule them or delete them…”
Scott Hanselman
Scott Hanselman
Recognize External Interruptions“The second objective is to be aware of the number and type of external interruptions.”
Interruptions
• Targeting• Discovery• Delivered
* Office Space
Principles of Flow
Everything important will find its way to you many, many times: don’t worry if you miss it.
Remain in your flow: be wrapped up in the thing that has captured your attention.
* Stowe Boyd http://saunderslog.com/2007/02/27/communications-underload-stowe-boyd/
Multitasking
The optimal number of threads in any system is one. This includes humans.
Multitasking
The optimal number of threads in any system is one. This includes humans.
Feasible Multitasking
• Walk and Chew Gum• Workout and listen to Podcasts• Drive and do Email by Voice• Commute and Read• Utilize Idle/Waiting Time
* LifeHacker
Multitasking
* Kathy Sierra
Multitasking
You can't simultaneously be current on:
TechnologyCurrent eventsPop cultureProfessional practicesHealth/fitness/diet trends
* Kathy Sierra
Let someone else aggregate
Finding the right person, business, web site, etc. who does the best job of filtering (attenuating) in a specific area adds time to your life.
* Kathy Sierra
News Tips
Audit Your News Feeds for NoiseIf there’s another 9/11, you’ll hear.
Let someone else guide
Find a person who can tell you what is:
Must knowShould knowTrivia
* Kathy Sierra http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2006/04/the_myth_of_kee.html
* Kathy Sierra http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2006/04/the_myth_of_kee.html
Tools
Right Tools For the Job?
* Paul Chin
* Paul Chin
Shoeboxed Scan Business Cards
• Physical Trusted Source
43 Folders“Reminders”
Get Paid With Harvest
Sync To Paper
Echosign Electronic Signatures
Evernote
OneNote & OneNote for iPhone
Secure Passwords in one spot
http://Keepass.info
Instapaper and Bookmarklets
Instapaper and Bookmarklets
Remember the Milk
DropBox
Google Apps: Spam free Email, Calendar & shared docs
Office365.com - $6 per month.
Throw it out?
If it’s not helping me to make money, if it’s not improving my life in some way, it’s mental clutter and it’s out.”
- Christopher Hawkins
Conclusion
Audit and Sort your SourcesSchedule Work SprintsTurn off distractionsHow are you triaging your inbox?
Are you effective?Are you efficient?
Consider your personal Toolbox
Be well,do good work,
and stay in touch
@shanselman@adriarichards