Merry X'mas 2009

My daughter has just turned 8 years old in December. Today it was the first time she has grown tall enough to be able sit in my car's back seat without a kid's car seat. She is also old enough for me to allow the car door to be opened from inside.

This is really a very small thing but it is one of the best Christmas present to me.

Merry Christmas to you all!

To-Do list for Strategic Management

One of the most daunting tasks to get organize to save time is to, ironically spend time to maintain a to-do list. The busier you get the less you want to spend time to maintain the to-do list. This is even more so for a senior executive who is responsible for so many areas within a company. There was a time, I couldn’t sleep because I feel like I have not done enough for the day. That’s because I could have a secure feeling about tomorrow and I feel that the big mission and strategy was never on track.

(This is the second post I have made about To Do list. The last post "Time Management : My To-Do List System" I was showing how I organize my file into folders so I could survive without a highly complex to-do list system. The To-Do list excel I am covering here can go with the simple system as the last post was more like a simple filing structure. If you are into strategic thinking, this excel is can go well with the last post I have made.)

We need (I needed) a simple, flexible, easy to use and yet “Strategic” tool to help manage our busy life. Overtime I have developed a simple excel that is simple enough to help me to organize the day to day tasks but yet strategic enough to help me to fit all the tasks into the big picture of the company strategies and mission. This custom excel gives me the comfort feeling that I done the things I need to do Today but yet I know things are in place for tomorrow and onward. A sample of this excel can be downloaded in this post.

Different tools for different roles

In the last couple of decades of my professional life, I have tried so many tools to develop a “To-Do” list tool but none has been really successful unless we install iron like discipline in maintaining the to-do list and follow the list to do execution. It was relatively easier when I was an engineer running projects because my whole job was to execute the project. I was a civil engineer so a very large part of the tasks I was supposed to execute were part of a rather rigid plan. I could use Project Management software to create Gantt chart and other similar things to run project. I used the “Day Timer”, a rather expensive and fancy calendar and to do list portfolio to manage my day to day meetings. Anyway things were simpler when I was in the technical discipline.However, as I switched my career into sales and marketing, the number of uncertain tasks and unexpected meetings increased exponentially. The tasks of managing the to-do list became a major exercise just to remember to add a line to the “booklet” after each meeting or telephone call. To some extent, it was still easy as I was very much task oriented still. As customer called, I need to make sure I mark down the task I was supposed to perform in my calendar and to do booklet. However, the effort of maintaining the to-do list increased.

The Tool for Senior Management

The real challenge in managing a to-do list occurred when I become a general manager of a company. Since the role became an all-embraced role in the company, everything was in my mind. My job was to “think” all the time. Most of the execution tasks were actually tasks for my subordinates to perform instead of myself. So there was this constant temptation (or excuse) to just “delegate” to the subordinates and relax in recording the task in the to-do list. Also, as I turned more and more into strategic thinking, I find that every task would have been grouped or categorized into many perspectives for planning and review. The complexity in the thinking process within the mind grew and it was difficult to just write something down without editing it a few times.

My Simple Excel To-Do list for Strategic Management

The to-do list was decided with the following design objectives:

1. Simple in structure. I don’t want expanding and collapsing trees, or tasks and sub-tasks like structure. I wanted a simple straight forward serial kind of task list. No Gantt chart, PERT chart or Critical Path analysis are needed.
   
   
2. Yet each task needs to be categorized and groups in more than one ways. So the simple task and sub-task structure, while difficult to manage, is actually not good enough for a strategic mindset.
   
   
3. I need something to constantly remind me how tasks and projects fit into certain big plan, strategies or even company’s mission.
   
   
4. There is near NO typing to categorize the tasks for such complex multi-categories in point 3.
   
   
5. The “printed” report must be very easy on the eyes. One quick glance I would know the position and purpose of each task. This is for the review meeting I host with each of my subordinates in anywhere anyplace without my computer in front of me.
   
   
6. At the end, the list needs to help me to focus on “Today” so I can go home with a good feeling that I have done my deed and go to sleep comfortably.
   
   
7. I have read a book about time management before and they mentioned one simple and yet effective technique in time management. Before you sleep, you write down what you need to do for tomorrow and the day after. That is you plan ahead for two days. I like this idea and want to incorporate it in the design.

So the solution is actually very simple. In the excel spreadsheet, I created one column for each “category”, “project”, “strategies” or “mission” at the very top. These are relatively long items that do not change in time. For each task (a row) beneath, I put an “X” mark if the task fits one or more of those missions or categories. No need to type the full name of the category at all. So a quick glance on how many “X” are labeled along the tasks, I will quickly recall why we have such tasks in the first place. This is not a simple “priority” label as in typical to-do list tool but a strategic framework that gives meaning and purpose to each task. Please refer to the top left corner of the following image.

If you organize the order of your categories and tasks properly, you will visually see clusters of “X” quickly reminding you where the tasks belong. Please note the "flow" of the X mark in the following image.

For day-to-day maintenance, I add to columns “Today” and “Tomorrow” as the very first two columns. My review each night means I will mark an “X” in the Today or Tomorrow column. So when I go to work tomorrow in the office, I can open the excel file and make the changes into the soft copy. Print To-Do list and carry it with me for the rest of the day. I will add, edit items on the paper and only update the list when I am in lunch time or at the end of the day. When I go home, I print a copy of the list with me. This is NOT to bring work home so I can mark it before I sleep. Frankly it’s up to you whether you want to do the planning at the end of the day before you leave the office. For me, I have too many business dinners after work so leaving the office does not mean too much. So I print and bring a copy of the paper with me.

It’s not exactly perfect and “completely” automatic. It’s Excel Spreadsheet you know and you have to manually maintain it. I have put in some "conditional formatting" formula such that it will change the color of the background every 3 rows. All you need to do is to copy and insert an existing row to start a new task. The format and formula will retain. You can download it here. However, it serves the purpose for most of my situation anyway. Just hope that it will help you.

My mechanic told me, 'He couldn't repair my brakes, so he made my horn louder.'
- Comedian, Steven Wright

Time Management - My To-Do List System.

Time Management is a common subject. Many books are written on this subject. Most of them stress more or less the same points. Personally I find that the most important element for successful time management is that you WANT to seriously manage your time. I believe most people who cannot manage their time properly are because of their emotion. Not the know how of how to manage time. People simple get carry away to do things without the concern of time. People simply do not exercise the discipline, pay the effort and commit to manage time because it means a lot of commitment and work.

So ask yourselves frankly. If you manage your time poorly because you just want to do thing by impulse, no system will help you. However, if you are committed, than most systems or many simple ideas will help!

For me, I have a very simple system. This is more like a "work place" system. I don't really apply it to my personal life (after work) cause my life outside of the office is very simple. No need for such complicated system to be used to manage the personal side of my life. Ok, let's focus on the "work place" system I have.

I don't have a formal name for my system but I just name it (as I am writing this blog post) the "Clear Your Tasks Today" system. As the name implies, I try to clear my desk. Whenever I clear my desk, I feel clean, revitalized and feel I have achieved something. And I am ready to move on to something else such as get off work or have a meal or something. It's really a "To Do List" without the form of a "List".

It's very simple. On my desk, the system looks like this:

This is my routine:

First, create a deck of card (can be a Letter / A4 size sheet of paper). One for each project. Tasks to be done for the project is written on the sheet. The tasks are written on the card with the simplest form. Unless you have a really complex engineering project, usually a project 'plan' is just a simple straight list of to-do items. So just write down a list of tasks. When I pick up that piece of card, I usually am able to recall what's the current task out of the list written for that project to be done right away.

Second, setup couple of boxes to sort the cards. I label them "Today", "Tomorrow", "To Read Later", "To File Later".

Third, every morning when I come to the office, I take the deck of cards in the "Tomorrow" box. The "Today" box is supposed to be empty if I have done a proper job "yesterday". Anyway, go through the list of cards, take out those project with the current tasks that need to be done within the day. Sort the cards in the sequent you want to complete within the day if needed. Put them all in the Today box. Please those cards that were NOT selected for today back to the "Tomorrow" box.

Forth, just pick the first card on top of the Today box and start working on the tasks. When the task is done (but the project is not yet completed), put the card back to Tomorrow box. If the task happens to be the last item of the project, put the card to "To File" box.

Your job is to clear the "Today" box as fast as possible. If you happen to finish early, reward yourself with something (a cup of coffee or something). If you have time left, go to the Tomorrow Box again and assign a few tasks to your Today box and get them completed ASAP.

If you have "intrusion" of new tasks such as your boss suddenly come to your office and ask you to do something today, you create a card (or pick the card if the project exists) and put it to the Today box (if it can wait). Or you do it right a way with creating a card. If you have "intrusion" such as a Magazine just got delivered to your office but you really don't have time to read it now, just put the magazine in the "To Read" box. If that "To read" item is too big to fit in the box, make a card. Put the book away to a shelf. Don't let it cluster your desk.

Every week or at a period you believe suitable, clear the "To File" box. You can keep the card or dump it! In most cases, I keep that card and achieve it with your project file.

In this way I don't need to maintain a complex "To-Do" list. There is no need to "group" and "classified" your tasks by projects. I can spend most of my time working on the task and not to "manage" and "priority" the tasks.

It's not a very sophisiticated system. I want it to be simple, VERY simple.

I actually organize my Gmail's inbox this way with Labels (Guess what I have labels: "1 Today", "2 Tomorrow" and "3 To read". There is no need for "4 To file" because on gmail I just "Archive" the message. That's the old system I have with gmail. The new one I have is even more simple (as I only have "today" and "to read" label). I don't need other gmail's label. This is because I use the "Multibox" lab feature to create multiple box in the "Inbox" pages. Guess what, I organize messages to various boxes". I have "Today" box, "Tomorrow" box and "To Read" box.

I'll talk about that in the next post.

進入公司前後

今天收到朋友的email, 看完便笑了:

進入公司前

老闆： 萬分歡迎，無左你 , 我地公司肯定好大分別！
職員： 如果工作量太多，我會辭職的。
老闆： 放心，我唔會比咁樣既事情發生！
職員： 我逢星期六日可以休息嗎？
老闆： 當然啦！哩個係底線！
職員： 平時會日日 OT 到淩晨嗎？
老闆： 無可能，邊個話你聽架？
職員： 有餐費補貼嗎？
老闆： 唔洗講啦，絕對比同行都高！
職員： 有無做死人既風險？
老闆： 唔會！你點會有咁既念頭？
職員： 公司會定期搞旅遊嗎？
老闆： 哩個係我地明文規定！
職員： 那我需要準時返工嗎？
老闆： 唔會，睇情況啦。
職員： 人工呢？會準時出糧嗎？
老闆： 一定係啦！
職員： 所有工作都係新員工做嗎？
老闆： 邊有可能，你上面仲有好多資深既同事！
職員： 如果管理職位有空缺，我可以參與競爭嗎？
老闆： 唔洗問啦，哩個一直係我地公司賴以生存既方式！
職員： 你唔會係呃我掛？

進入公司後 ...... 由下面讀返上