Those familiar with The Jargon will recognize the terms synchronous and asynchronous. In computing they usually refer to signals; synchronous signals are expected — they come at an appointed time and are not a surprise. Asynchronous signals are… everything else. It could be something unexpected (an error or a user-driven event), or something which is variable and unpredictable (a result from a database or server request of some sort).
Most Time Management schemas are generally synchronous. They assume fixed events and parameters (hours you will work, when you’ll start and stop, when you’ll have meetings and lunches), and they assume a prioritized queue of tasks. Simple Time Management is just the art of making sure that everything you need to do is prioritized properly, and fits somewhere into the hours you have to complete it.
Some vocations, however, require something more like Asynchronous Time Management. Technical Support roles spring to mind, but any occupation which involves reaction to unscheduled requests will face similar challenges — how are you supposed to “schedule” your day when your “To do” list is going to be dynamically readjusting, constantly?
I’m not going to say I have this art perfected, but I’m getting better at it. Here’s my approach:
- Have a good grasp of “traditional” Time Management Skills. The sad truth is, if I can’t manage my time with a fixed schedule and a fixed “to do” list, there’s no way I’ll be able to do it with a dynamic “to do” list. So you’ll want to read and understand the main points of books like David Allen’s Getting Things Done (a personal favorite and probably a modern classic on the subject). Without a basic set of tools for keeping track of your time, a dynamic schedule is going to be overwhelming — no question.
- Be organized. Again, Allen’s GTD is a good resource, though not by any means the only way to organize. If we’re going to be efficient, we can’t always be wasting time looking for that extra network hub that should be around here somewhere because I know I saw it last week and I probably put a box on top of it just give me a minute, I’ll find it…. You get the idea. There are certain things you will need. There are documents & records you want to keep, equipment you want to store, and tools you want to use. When you are in a hurry you want to be able to access any of these things instantly. It’s not a option; as much as it may seem like a chore (it is a chore), to make it work, we need to get organized. Figure out your own way to do it, but do do it.
- Accept the Idea that your schedule, therefore your “to do” list, is dynamic. This is a simple idea, but it’s really quite powerful. If you don’t do this, you run the risk of getting really good at the first two steps, and then an emergency comes up. Now you must deal with this New Thing, and this means your entire schedule, everything you’ve planned, is disrupted, meetings are postponed, deadlines are at risk, people need to be contacted — if you don’t have it fixed in your mind that this is the way it is and this should be expected, it’s very easy to get overwhelmed at these points. It is amazing how much the simple act of accepting and expecting a dynamic (constantly changing) queue helps to deal with this.
At the risk of sounding redundant, you really do need to be comfortable with the basics of time management for this to work.
- Have a process for keeping track of your dynamic queue. You’ll have to decide what this process will be. What I mean by a “process” is just some sort of method to keep your “to do” list available, but which explicitly allows for priorities to adjust and for new items to be added. There are a few things to keep in mind:
- Some items can’t “move”. The conference call with the VP will not change times because you have an extra computer to deploy. Certain items are going to remain “fixed” and other items will have to flow around them.
- An individual item may change in priority. Something that was number 10 on the list might unexpectedly become number 1. Whatever your way of organizing, make sure you can reflect this.
- Some items, while not “top priority”, will have a deadline. There are items which will continually get postponed until tomorrow, and then all of a sudden you realize that it had to be finished “yesterday”. Even though the item still might not seem a “high priority,” it will need to take precedence because of it’s deadline. I’m trying to perfect a way of having this sort of item gradually increase in priority as its deadline draws near.
That’s really the core of it. Each of those steps could probably be expanded to fill a book (and have been), but if you can do that, you can keep on top of your “stuff” — even if it is constantly changing. Whatever method works for you, you’ll want to find it, and stick with it.
