EPISODE 051 - Organisation: How to implement SSOS?

Michael Seidl: Welcome to a new episode of the Get Shit Done in IT podcast. My name is Michael Seidl and here it is the comeback you all been waiting for. No, joking. After some summer break, we continue with our podcast. Our topic is how to implement single source of shit. So that's the third part of our three part episode or series about single source of shit. In the last episode, we talked about how does single source of shit work and what does it mean and what is the reason behind and why should you do it. And today, I want to talk in our last episode on how to implement it in your daily business. So let's go. might heard in the last episode, at least we talked about that everything needs to be in one tool and it doesn't matter what is your choice of tool or what kind of tool you're using the main purpose, the main goal is always to have everything what is in your mind, what is in your inbox, what are on maybe virtual or physical notes, sticky notes needs to be in one single list. So single source of shit. So the first thing is to implement single source of shit is that you have to write everything in your tool. Okay. And it doesn't matter what tool you have. doesn't matter if you might switch your tool in the future. I did it, I think, four or five times since I started with that system. And by the way, it's nothing what I invented or I created. That's something what is from a lot of more productive people out there have written books or did masterclasses, whatever.

Michael Seidl: So this is just how I implement it into my IT life. as I said, it doesn't matter what tool you have. The chance is very high that you might change it to a different tool in a couple of years or maybe quicker. Because only when you start, can see or you can then imagine. what kind of functionality or workflows or whatever you like and how to integrate that into other tools you work, your emails, your chats, whatever. So don't focus too much on the tools right now, just get it started. So choose your tool and then everything needs to be there. So all your emails, what are still in your inbox, define the next steps, put that into your single source of shit. All your sticky notes, physically or virtually, create a to-do, write it into your single source of shit, throw down the sticky notes. All your chat messages, all your unread chat messages, whatever, all your stuff laying around or lying around on your desk, on your shelves, whatever. Put that away, put a to-do into your single source of shit and then go ahead. It might feel a little or you might feel a little bit overwhelmed or and what I can tell you, it's definitely nothing what you can do between two meetings. Otherwise, your meeting is the first one is on Monday and the last one is on Friday and you have four days or three days between to do it. So this will take some time. Okay, this is nothing you can do on the side project. So you really need to sit down. You need to focus because what is really

Michael Seidl: complicated or maybe challenging is not the physical stuff. So email, virtually physical or really physical or sticky notes or whatever. Also everything what is in your mind. So everything what is in your mind needs to be or find the way to your single source of shit. So this means you need to to focus on yourself. So what is in your mind? What is in your brain? What is bothering you? what keeps you maybe awake in the evenings or doesn't let you sleep in the mornings, whatever. So everything needs to be on that list. And when you've done that, you can go through all that list and do some categorization, okay? And maybe some prioritization. Or maybe at the first thing you do some rough categorization. So for example, private or business, or maybe you have You can do it for your company, can do it for your private, you can do it for maybe any clubs you're in, your soccer club, your whatever. But not too deep, just a rough categorization because that makes it easier to go through the list because you have a huge list and if you do a categorization you have smaller lists. It might be still huge but a little bit smaller. And then you see maybe some duplicates, okay, or maybe some stuff that doesn't make sense, remove it, delete it, so you then clean up. And then you can go ahead and maybe do some... some more classification. I tend to overwork this part sometimes, so I need to hold myself a little bit back. But at least you should categorize it maybe about your child, maybe about your... you have any homework projects, okay? So for example, I do some stuff in the garden right now, a pond.

Michael Seidl: So that is one project because I need to wait for material, then I need to plan it and everything. So this can take some time, this not take some time, but this is more steps than one. And everything that needs more steps than one does need a project. So you can track. And that is very, very, very important that you classify and. Combine those tasks related to the project. The second one is you need to trust the system. And you can only trust the system when everything is in there. So don't start with putting everything in. Do the effort and put everything in. And then go ahead and let the system flow or go and don't take care about This needs to be done regularly. So if a new email is coming and you cannot solve it immediately, then put that thing into the list, categorize it, plan it and everything. So you need to trust the system. So if you're not completely committed to that, if you're not committed to bring everything in and to lift the system, then just skip it. Otherwise you have two systems you need to maintain and then it doubles the work and it isn't a help. To have a single source means you have a single source of shit. Not only for today, also for next day, for next week, for next month and for the next year. Everything else doesn't make sense. You have to go all in or you skip it. To be honest, if you're not... committed to to really put everything in there and I mean everything okay then just forget it okay don't start because it's too much work too much effort without any outcome okay and the third one is you have to live the system the single source of shit system in that case so it isn't just the one day you put everything in or the two days you put everything is it is

Michael Seidl: for tomorrow, for next week, for next month, you need to live that system. So for example, my gardening project, I have to wait for the delivery of the material and then I can go ahead and do the work and everything. And that is planned, but I have different states and priorities and so on. And that brings me to something. The beginning I said, this will be the last part in the series. We will do a a fourth one, because we're now implementing it and then I want to how to live, how to enhance, how to do. So we have a fourth episode. That's, very spontaneous. but let's, let's stay at this one. So you need to live that tool. So you need to live everything what comes into your mind and somebody calls you, have something to do. Put that into that system. Okay. And that's very important because if you start and if you trust. And you can only trust if you live the system. If you have a good start and you're very aphoric and everything is good, keep that pace because you have to live. that takes some time, of course, to maintain that system. But it is taking much, much more time to not do it, to have everything in your mind, on your sticky notes and your emails. You have several lists with to-do's there, to-do's there, to-do there. But you have a single source, it might look like you have a lot of things to do, but in the end, it pays off and you will, and if you trust the system, you will see how easy it is to, you will be sad that you haven't done it before. And so that's, that's the real, real advantage. But as I said, we have a fourth part. So we will end today because we already have the 10 minutes and I want to have. I have the feeling to talk about also how to live and proceed and everything. So there's a fourth part of this episode of this series. So by the way, thanks for listening. Welcome back for the summer break and stay productive and bye-bye.