1. Task management- Getting things done while staying relaxed
Jamie Wooldridge, MD
Pulmonary Medicine

2. Lecture Qualifiers Time management seminar - 8 hour course
July 2007
Actively completed more exercises
Today- 60 minute lecture
Brief overview
Contact me for individual help

3. Your Career Development Airplane analogy
50,000 ft- What is your life long purpose for being?
40,000 ft- What are your goals for the next few years?
30,000 ft- What are your objectives for the next year?
20,000 ft- What are your current areas of responsibility?
10,000 ft- What are your current projects?
Runway- What are your current actions?

4. Your Career Development Airplane analogy
50,000 ft- What is your life long purpose for being?
40,000 ft- What are your goals for the next few years?
30,000 ft- What are your objectives for the next year?
20,000 ft- What are your current areas of responsibility?
10,000 ft- What are your current projects?
Runway- What are your current actions?
Focus of this lecture

5. “It’s possible for a person to have an overwhelming number of things to do and still function productively with a clear head and a positive sense of relaxed control.”

6. Productivity (Achieving Goals)
Productive
Not stressed
Stressed
Unproductive
Unstressed
St ress

7. Definitions Task Management- not Time management
Only 24 hours in the day
Work- anything that you want or need to be different than it currently is
No difference between “work” and “personal life”
Methods applicable across life/work spectrum

8. Why Implement this System?
Stress- most people experience from inappropriately managed commitments they make or accept
Many more agreements to do something than most realize-
every agreement is being tracked by the less-than conscious brain
Open-loops – Work agreements that have not been completed
write manuscript, write prescription for medication, follow up on labs, start running

9. Why Implement this System?
Open-loops cause distraction
mind not clear to think
Commitment to open-loops often unclear
making progress in completing loop difficult
RAM memory of brain
Too full remembering open-loops instead of thinking

10. YOUR CHOICE? Unhappy Brain without organization system
TTTTTTTTTTTT MM
MMMMMMMM
TTTT

11. Key Objectives to System
Capture EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE that needs to be done into a logical, trusted system outside your head and off your mind
Now, later, someday, big, little, in between, personal, family, job- EVERYTHING!!

12. Key Objectives to System
2. Disciplining yourself to make front-end decisions about all the inputs in your life so that you will always have a plan for “next actions” that you can implement or renegotiate at any moment

13. Exercise
Write down the project or situation that is most on your mind at this moment

14. Exercise
Write down the project or situation that is most on your mind at this moment
Describe in single sentence intended successful outcome of this project or situation

15. Exercise
Write down the project or situation that is most on your mind at this moment
Describe in single sentence intended successful outcome of this project or situation
Write down the very next physical action required to move the project/situation forward

16. Until all those projects/situations in your life are clarified, next actions set, and the resulting data stored in a trusted system -

17. STRESS and UNPRODUCTIVE
Until all those projects/situations in your life are clarified, next actions set, and the resulting data stored in a trusted system –
Your brain will not stop thinking
about them =
STRESS and UNPRODUCTIVE

18. ARE YOU READY?

19. The Five Steps of Work Flow
Collect things that command your attention-STUFF
Process what they mean and what to do about them
Organize the results
Review as options to choose what to do next Do

21. COLLECT 1

22. STUFF? Our own thoughts Conversations- personal, phone E-mail Meetings
Regular mail
Voice mail
Other Stuff ??

23. Collection Tools (buckets) for STUFF
Physical in-basket
Writing paper or pads
Computers/PDAs
Dictaphones

24. Jamie’s BUCKETS
Write everything down!!!!!

25. Successful Collection
Every open loop must be in collection system, out of your head
Keep close to you
Few Collection buckets
Too many- not able to process
Empty them on regular basis
Emptying dose not mean finishing the open loop, just processing it
Don’t look unless you are read to process
Set time limit
No skipping

26. PROCESS 2

27. (Do I need to do something?)
Processing STUFF
What is it?
Is it actionable?
(Do I need to do something?)

28. (Do I need to do something?)
Processing STUFF
What is it?
Is it actionable?
(Do I need to do something?) NO

29. (Do I need to do something?)
Processing STUFF
What is it?
Is it actionable?
(Do I need to do something?) NO
TRASH- no longer needed
INCUBATE- No action now, might need something done later
REFERENCE- Useful information that might need later

30. Incubate- Someday/Maybe
Reference Files
Trash- USE IT

31. Processing STUFF
Is it actionable?
YES

32. Can it be done in less then 2 minutes?
Processing STUFF
Is it actionable?
YES
Can it be done in less then 2 minutes?

33. DO IT Processing STUFF Can it be done in less then 2 minutes?
Is it actionable?
YES
Can it be done in less then 2 minutes?
DO IT
2:00 clock available to download

34. Am I the right person to do this?
Processing STUFF
Is it actionable?
YES
Am I the right person to do this? NO
DELEGATE IT

35. DEFER IT Processing STUFF Am I the right person to do this and
Is it actionable?
YES
Am I the right person to do this and
take longer that 2 minutes?
DEFER IT
Calendar Project List
Waiting For

36. Projects
Anything that you need to do that will take two or more steps to complete- “Open loops”
Each project needs to have defined outcome
Comprehensive list
No need to prioritize
Don’t actually “do” projects- do action steps related to projects
open projects at any time

37. Uses for Complete Project List
Eliminate anxiety of forgetting
Improve focus on current work
Rational priority selection
Accurately assess goal alignment
Pruning

38. Identify Projects for Focus (Pruning?)
It’s your job…
You promised
Related to long term goal
Interesting
Easy to do, but no real payoff
I think I can do this better than anyone else
The men refuse to do it

39. Identify Projects for Focus (Pruning?)
It’s your job…
You promised
Related to long term goal
Interesting
Easy to do, but no real payoff
I think I can do this better than anyone else
The men refuse to do it

40. Projects- examples Big projects- Little Projects-
Developing a pediatric sleep center
Increase referrals to lung center
Moving into Coventus
Anna’s birthday party
Little Projects-
Complete clinic notes
Getting established with new doctors
Motivational interviewing training for Lung Center
Exercise program

41. ORGANIZE 3

42. Just say “NO” Organize- Tools Eliminate- TRASH-
Yes your trash can is a tool!!
Deleting s
Deleting includes saying “no”
Just say “NO”

43. Organize- Tools Incubate- No action now- but might do later
Someday/maybe list
Aerodigestive center
Learn how to incorporate learning styles into lectures
Establish a pulmonary clinic in Hamburg
Learn to play the banjo
I store list electronically with support hard copy files- Color coded- purple

44. Organize- Tools Reference- Useful information, might need later
Hard copy or Electronic files
Reference Files- A to Z
Label manila folders
Or one folder per hanging file- green files
Tickler Files- 43 files (month, each day of month)
Hard copy files match electronic files

45. Tickler Files

46. Organize Tools Calendar (delegate) Project/next action List
Waiting for List
Project Files

47. Organize Tools Calendar (delegate) Project/next action List
Waiting for List
Project Files
(Lists- must be easily reviewable)

48. Yes action - tools Calendar Project List Project Files
Next Action List
Waiting for List

49. Project Support Materials- Project Files
Relevant information to project
Details
Plans
Supporting information
Filed identical to project list
Hard copy folder
Electronic
Hard drive on computer
folders

51. Next Action
Next physical, visible activity that needs to be engaged in order to move project toward completion
Some projects may have multiple next actions
May have to do in order or not

52. Projects- examples Big projects- Little Projects-
Developing a pediatric sleep center
Increase referrals to lung center
Moving into Coventus
Anna’s birthday party
Little Projects-
Complete clinic notes
Getting established with new doctors
Motivational interviewing training for Lung Center
Exercise program

53. Next Action- examples Write a job description for sleep physician
Schedule a visit to a primary care office
Create slides on types of patients to refer to lung center
Look up places for ninja training
Get recommendations for others on local Med/Ped doctors
Activate membership at YMCA

54. Waiting for- examples Sam Carlo is approved the job posting
Steve Lana to give me dates he is visiting primary care offices

55. Project List- example

56. Examples of Project List

57. Apps for Task ManagementPC
Smartsheet
Outlook
Onenote
Wunderlist
Mac
Things
Omnifocus

58. REVIEW 4

59. Weekly Review Review/update 1 hour as routine
Calendar (3 weeks6 months)
Project List
Next action List
Waiting For List
1 hour as routine
Do just one section per day
In a pinch, just problem areas
I try to do weekly

60. Weekly Review Occasionally add Someday/maybe list
Higher “altitudes list”
50,000 ft- What is your life long purpose for being?
40,000 ft- What are your goals for the next few years?
30,000 ft- What are your objectives for the next year?
20,000 ft- What are your current areas of responsibility?

61. Calendar Review Time Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri 7:00 8:00 Meeting
Grand Rounds
9:00
10:00
11:00
12:00
Meetings
Clinic
1:00
2:00
3:00
Review
4:00
OFF
5:00

62. Review Open time targets
Based on your job: Leave up to half open for emergencies
Schedule Self-appointments
Protected time
30min/90min slots
Remaining time divide
Processing
Short next actions

63. DO 5

64. Get ready for day Pick 3 next action items
Some days, you’ll not any time for action items
Other days, “bigger” action items can be done
Take advantage of even small amounts of time

65. Procrastinating? Do I really think this needs to be done?
Do I know how to do this?
Do I have the tools/information I need?
Is this really the very next action?
Am I being grandiose?
Am I afraid?

66. Implementation Options
Take a couple of days to create a whole new system from scratch
Start new system going forward; pull in old stuff as needed
Pick one change, incorporate, then add another
2 minute rule
Collect
Project list