Focus..

Only.Handle.It.Once

You may have heard the term before, I feel it can be put to good use for large projects. When you have a lot of small components, working together to form a particular function of role in a business system, it’s best to StartAndFinish the component in a single attempt. You must resist the urge to procrastinate and put off what seems to be difficult or requires more time than other parts of the system.

Otherwise you end up with a graveyard of unfinished compenents that can sometimes not intergrate with one another as well as if they had been completed. The ‘painted door’ can often require more time for the developer to come back to solve the problem and get their mind back into the role and purpose of the function.

So Only Handle It Once, do it right the first time and do it properly.

Just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you’re getting anything done.

There are a couple questions to ask yourself while you are spending time on your work.

1. What is the Goal?
2. Can this be done more efficiently?
3. Should this be done by someone else? Does another member of staff have expertise in this area? Do you have something more important to handle.
4. Can this be measured? How far have you come and how much further is there to go. Depending on the importance of the task you can use these questions to gauge whether it is time for a break or pause this project to move forward on another with similar importance.
5. Am I doing this right the first time? To prevent having to come back again at a later stage when I hardly have the time to complete it now.
6. Why is this not finished yet!? Be relentless in your quest to complete the task as soon as you can, as best you can.

Get busy.ShutUpandFocus.Finish..

1. Do one thing at a time
2. Know the problem
3. Learn to listen
4. Learn to ask questions
5. Distinguish sense from nonsense
6. Accept change as inevitable
7. Admit mistakes
8. Say it simple
9. Be calm
10. Smile