Tuesday Time-Wasting Tip-Off #3: Mini-Plans Can Double Your Micro-Task Productivity

Welcome to the third instalment of the Tuesday Time-Wasting Tip-Off. This week, the very definition of “working smarter, not harder” where you can learn how to double your productivity.

Mini-Plans Can Double Your Micro-Task Productivity

You can make the next hour the most productive of your day, if you know precisely what you will be doing and how long it will take. because you already have this skill-set mastered, you just need to be reminded to use it.

Many days we spend time working on dozens ill-defined, macro-tasks that have many steps or requirements.

Micro-tasks are those tasks that take between 3 and 15 minutes to complete.

The main task might be “tidy up the server rack,” but the micro-tasks are many. The list of micro-tasks might include:

• Unplugging and plugging cables back in
• Using zip ties to bundle up network cables
• Moving one server from one rack position to another
• Labelling the network cables
• Putting in the two missing screws to a rack mount drive unit
• Removing the boxes of packing material from the server closet

And there will be a dozen other small things that need to be done on top of all the ones already listed.

You know, in a vague sort of way what has to take place, but you do not have a properly organised mini-plan to make it happen. You spend a few minutes moving stuff from point A to point B, and then you move more stuff from point C to point D, along the way, you partially organise the random stuff on a shelf, but it is all done in a haphazard kind of way.

There is a solution to your problem of poorly directed “productivity,” which can overcome both the malaise felt in getting on with what needs to be done and the analysis paralysis that occurs when faced with too many choices. I have written about this subject before in other articles; if there is no plan, there is only inaction.

When you do not know clearly what needs to be done, you flounder and prevaricate and abstain from doing anything. Under these conditions, you cannot move with purpose or perform with clarity. A clear list of steps to perform, each with a definite end time, can get you going and ensure you do what is supposed to be done, rather than approaching your micro-tasks arbitrarily.

I have had many people scoff at mini-plans, “I know what to do” they claim, yet time and again I have proven to myself and others that I work with, a mini-plan will outperform any notion of “this is easy, I do not need a plan.”

What is a mini-plan? A mini-plan is a list of seven clear micro-tasks with estimated amount of time to complete each one. Mini-plans are easy to construct and even easier to follow. Why seven tasks? Your short-term memory is great at remembering this many things and it is a number that you can easily visualize. Seven tasks allows you to picture the entire group of tasks to perform right there in your head.

If you have a computer and printer handy, create the micro-task list a spreadsheet application, but keep it simple. If not, create your list on a notepad. The important thing is to have a physical copy of your mini-plan.

Once you have your tasks written out, give each one an amount of time it needs to be done in. Give yourself about 10% leeway on the time estimation. Sort the list from shortest time to longest time, this will let you knock out tasks at the beginning very quickly, giving you the feedback your brain wants. If all of the tasks are of the same amount of time, unfortunately you will just have to leave them as is.

Now you compiled your list, add in two additional steps, these are your personal breaks. They should be between three and five minutes in length. Those two breaks go between tasks three and four, and between tasks six and seven. The purpose of the few minutes break is to let you gather your thoughts, take stock of what you missed, use the bathroom, or gather up any items or tools you need for the next tasks on the list.

Once you are happy with your mini-plan of micro-tasks, if it is on a computer, print them out, the visceral sensation of physically holding an object, i.e. your task list, provides a powerful psychological boost. None of this planning, estimating and printing should take you more than 10 minutes; if it does, you are over-planning it.

Have a pen handy so that when the micro-task is complete, you clear it off the list with a bold stroke through the entire task.

Always process the micro-tasks in the order they appear on the list, do not skip around. The point of the mini-plan is to follow it. You might have one or two tasks that you just do not want to do, do them anyway, and do them in the order they appear on the list, otherwise, why did you waste your time planning all this? If you are skipping around the list, you might as well throw the mini-plan away and just go back to how you normally do it, i.e. badly.

Processed the task on your list? Good. Did it in less time than you thought you would? Excellent! Take a break. Use the few minutes to gather your thoughts and walk through in your mind what you will do next. The fact that you completed your task in less time than you thought is a lesson in itself. Complete enough of these micro-asks, either within the time you estimated, or going far beyond it, and you will reinforce your ability to gauge how long short tasks will take to do.

You might think it will only take a minute or two to tidy up some cables behind your desk, but then you have to locate the Velcro ties, move furniture out of the way, turn off the computer so that it can be unplugged and have the power cables re-routed. There are a myriad of other smaller steps within the micro-task that must be accomplished before you can say “It’s done.” This time mis-estimation is a valuable lesson that you can embrace and learn from. The ability to estimate tasks accurately is useful but not absolutely necessary to get the most out of this time wasting tip-off.

After you have completed your mini-plan of seven tasks, throw it away, and create a new one, this constant, “What’s next?” planning for micro-tasks can provide a huge boost to your daily work. The imperative strategy of your mini-plan is to separate the decision of “what’s next?” from your action of “do this next.” The mini-plan with a list of micro-tasks turns your activity in to instantaneous productivity. The major reason you stop working and spin your wheels is not knowing what is the next action you need to take. Once you are back to how you need to be working, grinding away at your tasks, you can stop using mini-plans as the power boost you need.

How big should a micro-task be? Usually I estimate between 3 minutes and 12 minutes. Anything over 12 minutes is probably two micro-tasks. There is no clear-cut definition but the act of brushing your teeth is a micro-task, taking the cap off the toothpaste, squirting out toothpaste, and putting the toothbrush in your mouth are steps, not micro-tasks, you do not need to get that detailed. 🙂

Your mini-plan can make you hugely effective at pushing through a short period of procrastination or analysis paralysis. Creating a mini-plan that plots out just what will happen within the next hour drives you to focus on being productive in the moment without worry for the nebulous future that is keeping you distracted.