EPISODE 8 - Organisation: How do I plan my Day?

Michael Seidl: Welcome to a new episode of the Get Sh** Done in IT podcast. My name is Michael Seidel and today I want to give you some ideas and advices on how to plan your day to be more productive. So I prepared three to four advices and the first one is to plan your day not during your main work time. So usually in Europe... I think also in other countries you start at eight in the morning to work and you stop around five p in the evening. And between that time you will not have the focus and that time to plan what you should do on that day or in your week. So make sure you plan some time outside of this of your core working hours. So maybe stand up a few minutes early in the morning, go to bed a little bit late in the evening, but try to find a slot of 10, 15 minutes to plan the current day or the next day, depending if you do it in the morning or in the evening before, but find some time outside of your core working hours to plan your day. And if you find that time, then sit down and make sure you get your calendar and your single source of everything you have to do. We already mentioned that in previous podcasts. So I would recommend to have one single source of everything you have to do. So get your calendar and get your list, what you have to do and see what free time you have on the next. day and plan your dues accordingly. Of course, if you have already booked a full day of consulting, so in my case, I do around 50, 60, 70 % of my time consulting for customers. So if that is already planned, I can do some minor tasks, maybe doing the drive to the customer in my car or in the train.

Michael Seidl: but I need to see what tasks I can do and those will be planned. So if I have some phone calls on my list and I have some travel time in the next day to the customer, I will plan those telephone calls during my drive. And that's all about to just take your time a few minutes and plan your next day and everything. So plan those to -dos. Only plan free time. So don't do double or third time or triple time, triple booking of your time. It doesn't make sense. It will not work out. So maybe if it's urgent, maybe in very rare cases, but usually only have one appointment at one time. Yeah, of course, during drive you can do calls, okay, but you can't do two calls at once. So that's for sure. So only plan those things. What you can do in that situation, what you will be. So as I said, if I drive in the car, I can do calls. I cannot do any sketching or any remote work for customers when I'm in the car. Yeah. So maybe if you drive a Tesla and on the highway, but it's not really smart to do that. So plan those things. to that time and in that area or in that place, it fits best. Don't plan more appointments than you can handle. So usually one appointment at a time. And if you planned your time, so you have your calendar at one side and you're open to do's on the other side. So you planned your day. It is really important to stick on that plan. And there might be... some reactions or some people out there who will not agree. Let me just explain. Stick on that single source on your calendar. Don't have any other to -do lists you still need to do on top of that. Don't have any post -its or any written notes, anything like this. So stick on that plan you made and work each to -do after each to -do. So one after one.

Michael Seidl: Of course, especially in IT, especially as a consultant, especially, I think it's for the whole IT business. There might be, or there is a high chance that there will be some distractions, some urgent cases. Of course, if you do, if you be a consultant, there might be some other customers requesting some urgent stuff. Yes, that will happen. And of course you need to adapt to that situation. But then you have a calendar, you have your to -dos, what might be planned right now. And then you can move that thing to a different day or back to your log and to a list what you have to plan. But what I want to say is stick on that plan, on that roadmap, whatever you, how you want to call it. Don't have... any other lists, any other to -dos, any other whatever, what you also need to take care of. Have one list, you go through one step after the other, and those things need to be worked on. And of course, if there are situations, if there is a private case, if there is a business case, whatever, of course, we need to take care of this. But then, as I said, we have a list, what is done, what is not, then we can react accordingly. And at the end of the day, the good thing is if you made a plan for that day, then at the end of the day, you see on one sheet of paper on one screen, whatever you have it digital or on paper, you see at one paper, at one site, what you have done. So this can be forgotten, removed or... The next steps can be planned if this is a project and you see what is not done. And these things needs to be moved maybe to the next day, to the next week or back to your, I have to do, I have to plan list for the next day. So that's the easy thing. So if you make a plan for the day, what do you want to achieve? What do you want to solve? And...

Michael Seidl: Maybe there's a day you solved everything. Happy. Congratulations. If not, you see immediately what not solved, what not finished, move that to the next day or back to the list for the next day. And you can decide if it's still urgent, if you still have to do it, or maybe can wait for some time. And back to the phrase, what I said, stick on that plan. I recommend you really... block your time slots. So if you have to, for example, my podcast recording, I block two hours today. So I usually record two or three podcasts at once. So I do it in English and German. I have to do the post -productions and everything. So I need two to two and a half hours for three podcasts usually. But of course, if that takes longer, then I can decide. So I block two hours and then something else is coming. So if I don't know, it took more time to record the podcast, maybe it's not a good day, what's not so easy as usual, so it took me longer. Then I can decide now that the next appointment is coming. What is now more important to finish the podcast recording right now or whatever it is right now or stop and do the next stuff? Okay. So if I say I need... record this because next week I need to publish an episode then maybe I need to move the following appointment to a different one or maybe I need to do it shorter whatever but still the advantage I have a single list I have a single roadmap of my day so I can decide if the next appointment comes and if I can decide maybe it's a customer appointment I cannot decide I need to stop but if it's a something I I'm in control with. I can decide to stick with the plan and stop right now, or maybe enhance my appointment for half an hour, finish that task and move to the other task maybe to the next day, or maybe I can extend the other one. But I have a single source. I can decide on... I'm always in control of what I have to do on what I have done and what I...

Michael Seidl: right now doing so I don't need to struggle. what is next? I'm not sure. Blah, blah, blah. I have an appointment. I have a calendar and I know what I have to do and what is next. So I can decide what is more important, the current task or the next one. And as I said, also right now it is European Championships. So football, soccer in mid -June where I record right now and Austria is luckily attending and being playing football in the European competition. So I planned also that appointment in my calendar. So not only that I don't miss it, but I also don't want to have any other appointments at that time because it's really rare that Austria is being in the European championship and I don't want to miss that. So the calendar is my single source of what is... What should I do or what do I have to do privately and business? Also the time in the morning where I have reserved for my kids is in my calendar. So I cannot book anything else, but, or I know that when I do this, I need to, to explain my kids why I have to work. so everything is in my calendar and that's really helped me a lot to focus on doing things. and not to think about what should I do next. And that's the huge advantage. You just shouldn't struggle with what should I do next? So much to do, blah, blah, blah. Just go to your calendar, see the list, and that's it. And that's repeat every day, every week, every month, whatever. So right now, maybe I plan also two or three days ahead or maybe a week. So if you practice that behavior, it gets easier and easier from time to time. And I really would recommend you to try it yourself. Try it at least a month. So you will see the advantage of being that not only a day, so really a month. And let me know what you think, if it helps you, if not, maybe you have some additional comments, some other ideas. Let me know.

Michael Seidl: Best would be on LinkedIn. So you can contact me on LinkedIn, send me your comments or also ask me questions for the next episodes of the podcast. I would love to answer your questions. And so thanks for listening and see you at the next podcast. Stay productive. Bye bye.