EPISODE 033 - Organisation: How Do I take advantage of the quieter time in IT?

Michael Seidl: Welcome to a new episode of the Get Shit Done in IT podcast. My name is Michael Seidel and our topic of the day fits to the time of the year. So how to use that silent time to improve your productivity, but to maybe prepare everything for the next year to be more productive. And for those who are now looking for some new year's resolutions, That's the wrong episode. So I'm not a fan of New Year's resolutions because I don't see the benefit of waiting for a different date to start with something new. So if you want to do something new, start now and don't wait for a specific date. So that's not a thing for New Year's resolutions. This is also maybe not an episode for those people in IT having an immigration during that time or having holidays. relax and spend your holidays. But I'm more talking about those people working at TEE, they have to work, they have no holidays and they have maybe some more silent time or more not stressful time. So usually when you do not have a migration or any projects go lives during that time or downtime, you mostly have a more relaxed time and more time for other stuff and not for your daily business. And that's my opinion or at least how I do it to get the most out of this time. So what I do in this this specific time and I really do this every year. So since I think four or five years right now and I remember a specific year, I think two years ago where I did this, but it's always the same. So first of all, bring Everything and I mean really everything so it is the time where Not much more new to do's will come so make a cut bring everything every email every whatsapp message every teams message every slack message Every post it on your desk every letter on your desk any emails everything in your single source of shit, okay, so first of all everything to one single place

Michael Seidl: And that's mandatory for the next steps. So everything needs to be in your single source of shit. So I use Notion for this. You already know this. Put everything in, have a huge to-do list and project and so on. So everything is in there. So take the time, maybe an hour, maybe two, depends on how crowded your desk looks like for everything else. everything what needs to be done into your single source of shit. Go some episodes back how to process your emails. I think there was also an episode on how the single source of shit looks like. But do everything and bring everything to one place. Okay, that's the first thing. Then it depends how huge that list is and whatever. Read through all of your things you have to do also those things what are already in there so not only the new stuff everything you go through every single stuff every single point in your single source of shit everything everything to do and think about and maybe it's a duplicate maybe it's it's in there since many years then that is a really good reason to remove it because if there is a to-do in your list since more than one year That might be an indicator for it is not necessary. It is not very high priority. So remove it or at least make a list of that's called some day and move it there, but don't have it in your operating list. So in those things you go through regularly and, and, and need to decide what to do. So remove it, delete it and so on. So the list should decrease. Okay. And then go through that, see that point, maybe remove estimations or priorities you already made to older to-dos and start from scratch. So start from scratch and identify every to-do, identify maybe, do a roughly category. It's private, is it business?

Michael Seidl: Is it private for me or private for my family? Is it business debt project or debt project or debt project? So do a rough categorization. And then you can go through that list and do a prioritization. So you can see what is most higher priority, what has a lower priority and start really from scratch onwards. And then try to plan those things already. Okay. Of course, smaller things can immediately be done, but for bigger things, you can at least plan it roughly for the next year. So for example, we had a customer we started working with a few days ago, and we did their PIM service automation with Automator. And for this, usually we're Active Directory 2016 and we figured out, okay. He has Active Directory 2012. So on his list is domain race from 2012 to 2016 or maybe 2019, let's see, but at least 2016. And that's, cannot plan the day right now, but he planned that he will do it in March. So he planned already some slots there and he planned in mid February to a detailed planning. That's it. So that's a roughly planning of a project. Okay. And in mid February, you're also free to maybe reschedule to April, May, whatever, but at least block your time also that far in the future of those projects. And plan an additional step a few days, weeks before to do the detailed planning. Okay. And that's you can do for everything. And maybe you see already that some things will not happen next year because You planned already the slots, the roughly planning and so on. You need some free time, of course, for something new. But then maybe you see, I do not have that much time and maybe the priorities are shifting. So it's much easier to maybe have a timeframe of the upcoming year and see what fits in there. And then maybe you have to decide, I need to put that out and move it to later because that's more important.

Michael Seidl: Because when you see the schedule, when you see the possible timeframe, then the priorities are shifting. Because then you really understand what is more priority. Otherwise, it's always that needs to be done, that everything needs to be done. Okay. And just quick and easy. if you see your capabilities of one year and then needs to decide what fits in that year, then the priorities are much easier to define. Okay. So that's it. And if you do this and I try my best to do this before Christmas Eve, so before the 24th, because every year when I do this, I have a better feeling and have the feeling everything is under control. Every to do is under control. And that's a really uncomparable feeling. What I don't want to miss this year again. Okay. So give it a try. Do like I said, and you will have a really good feeling, but really keep Follow the rules for example, but the guidance, okay? Bring everything into your single source of shit Remove the unneeded stuff and then do a roughly categorization and a roughly planning Okay, and then you have the feeling that everything is under control and then from that onwards Then try to do this in a maybe not so big way, but in smaller intervals and in smaller time frames keep that feeling you have everything under control. Okay. And the rest of the day of the time, you can do maybe some stuff you do not have time during the year. So maybe a new project, maybe something not so very related to your daily business, but maybe you want to try maybe they want to learn something. Okay. And that's for the rest of the time. And with that said, if you hear this episode, it should be the 23rd of December. And I know not everyone is celebrating Christmas and everything, but we in Austria do. And for all of you, I wish you a Merry Christmas. I wish you a nice and relaxing time with your family. And it doesn't matter if you celebrate Christmas or whatever, just enjoy the day, enjoy the time, enjoy the time with your family. And we have one more episode before the next year. So the New Year's wishes and greetings.

Michael Seidl: will be done in the next episode. as I said, wish you a Merry Christmas. I wish you a nice time with your family and hope to see you or hear you or you hear me at the next episode. Stay productive and bye bye.