Productivity Tool: The Job Aid

I'm a big fan of the job aid.

A job aid is a quick-reference tool you can use to help you with tasks you do regularly, but not quite often enough that you could do them in your sleep.

It's an easily accessible "how-to" that saves you from wasting time trying to remember how you did something the last time. Whether it's in the form of a diagram, a checklist or a single word jotted down on an index card it can make your life a heck of a lot easier.

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Tonight I was getting ready to prep another print for the online shop and couldn't remember the convoluted 5-filename printing system* I'd come up with the last time. I knew the system worked and I knew I'd scribbled it on the back of one of my daily planning cards.

When I found it I created the following job aid so I wouldn't have to flip through all of my cards again:

my friendly guide and reminders to help me not lose any changes

when manipulating images for prints

Now the next time I create prints for the shop all I'll have to do is bring up my checklist and work through the steps. No scratching my head, no re-thinking through the process, no trying to remember where I put my notes.

Easy peasy.

* I came up with this 5-filename system when more than once I had to redo some work after having saved over something I shouldn't have saved over. I am open to suggestions for simplifying it if you have any!

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Is there a task you do regularly, but not often enough to do it in your sleep?

Instead of wasting time trying to remember how you did it the last time each time it comes up, would it be useful to create an easily accessible quick-reference go-to guide?

Productivity Prompt: Choose Pretty, Quality Tools

This is the sixth and last of this series of weekly Productivity Prompts - quick, simple tips or practices gleaned from productivity-related books or blogs that have helped me better manage my work, my time, or move things forward.

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Choose tools that make you happy when you work. The more they make you happy, the more you'll want to work with them.

Are your paintbrushes constantly shedding?

Would you prefer extra fine coloured pens to the blue BIC ball points you've been working with since kindergarten? (Not dissin' BIC here, blue ball points have a purpose I'm sure.)

How about your daily planner? Are you using the plain black one they give you for free at the office or would you prefer to have something that reflects your creative style amidst your fellow cube-mates?

Supplies are available for me at the office, but in some cases I choose to splurge on my own to have pens, notebooks and paper clips that bring me pleasure. Though it's subtle, they DO make a difference.

"The aesthetics of the tools you use to make ideas happen matter."

~ Scott Belsky, Making Ideas Happen

Try it. With just one small thing. You'll see.

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Credits, references & inspiration:

• Scott Belsky, Making Ideas Happen, Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision & Reality.
• Cirque du Soleil - In 2007 I attended a presentation by the Corporate Sales Manager at Cirque du Soleil and one of the things that stuck with me is their commitment to giving performers quality materials to work with. I remember him saying that we may not know that a jacket is made from good quality leather, but the performer who's wearing it does, and that will be reflected in his or her performance. This summer I saw their show Totem in Montreal and the main character's costume contained over 4,000 pieces of Swarovski crystal and mirrors. Now that's aesthetics!

Productivity Prompt: Setting a Temporary Focus

This is the fifth in a series of weekly Productivity Prompts - quick, simple tips or practices gleaned from productivity-related books or blogs that have helped me better manage my work, my time, or move things forward.

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Last week I talked about setting a daily focus by identifying three Most Important Tasks (MITs) that would make you a happy camper if completed.

This week is kind of the same, but different.

Instead of identifying tasks for a day or a week, I suggest identifying areas of focus for a longer period of time. For example:

"For the next three months I will focus my energy on hearth & home, finances, and photography."

Or, you may want to make it a little more specific:

"For the next three months I will focus on setting up the family room, reining in the food budget, and revitalizing my Flickr account."

The time frame may vary; I tend to work well with one or three-month periods. I did this while on a work sabbatical and it helped give structure and guidance to my time while leaving things pleasantly flexible.

For someone who wants to do everything (ahem) setting a temporary focus area can help harness energy so something actually gets done. It also helps us I-want-to-do-everything-now people practice patience by delaying tasks to the next chosen time frame and letting that be OK.

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Credits, references & inspiration:

• Word for the Year - A close cousin, choosing a word or theme for the year is excellent for guidance, but not quite as effective to get specific things done.

Productivity Prompt: 3 MITs (Most Important Tasks)

This is the fourth in a series of weekly Productivity Prompts - quick, simple tips or practices gleaned from productivity-related books or blogs that have helped me better manage my work, my time, or move things forward.

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At the beginning of each day, ask yourself:

"What three things must I accomplish today?"

Or, using a slightly different tone, which I prefer:

"If I crossed off these three tasks today I'd be a really happy camper."

Then focus on getting those three tasks done and do a happy dance. 

This could also work well on a weekly basis: "If I could get these [insert number here] tasks done this week I'd be extremely happy with myself and ready for a blissful task-free guilt-free weekend of lounging around doing nothing."

Just remember to keep it manageable and realistic to your time frame; it's easy to become overly optimistic!

Credits/references:

• Zen Habits, by Leo Babauta.
• In Making Ideas Happen, Scott Belsky proposes using a "daily focus area": a focus list in which you put the top five or less tasks you want to accomplish that day. The focus area has to be cleared before you go bed at night so it's in your best interest to keep it short.

Productivity Prompt: The Energy Line

This is the third in a series of weekly Productivity Prompts - quick, simple tips or practices gleaned from productivity-related books or blogs that have helped me better manage my work, my time, or move things forward.

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This week's prompt is directly from Scott Belsky's book, Making Ideas Happen (p. 59 - thank you Mr. Belsky!).

Out of all of my readings it was the first time I saw a tool like this to help me prioritize my work and I swear I was downright giddy. Not only is it visual, but it's based on managing energy and the premise that when it comes to taking action and completing projects, energy is our "most precious commodity."

Called the energy line, it's a visual prompt to help determine how much energy each of our current projects should receive at any given time based on its relative importance.

For example, booking the caterer for next month's art show opening may need extreme focus today while putting the finishing touches on yesterday's painting can sit idle until next week.

Simply plunk your projects in the applicable columns and voilà... priorities visually identified!

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Credits, references & inspiration:

• Scott Belsky, Making Ideas Happen, Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision & Reality. I borrowed this book from the library and within a few days it was full of sticky notes. A productivity-related book geared specifically towards creatives, it's now part of my permanent collection. I suggest you check it out.
• I also recommend that you check out the Behance Network if you haven't yet (it was new to me). Created by Mr. Belsky's company, it's a platform for creative professionals to connect across multiple industries.