Sunday, February 27, 2005
MANAGING THE AD HOC PATH
The MasterList is a tool of control of self and control of the environment, or field of action, which allows the self to operate upon itself and upon the world with greater capacity for obtaining precisely intended results.
It is a system or method which embodies a strategy for managing the ad hoc path.
Each small encounter in life is a possible critical point on the ad hoc path that offers the possibility of brilliant execution or decision as opposed to mere recognition and repetition of a routine.
The ultimate routine is to recognize the critical points where differences and changes have occurred and to act upon them with the power of precise knowledge and certainty, to the level of science or faith, as to how those actions will play out.
Every direction chosen forecloses so many others. Every action taken is at the expense of so many others. How to choose. Where to go. And, as a practical matter, how to retain even a fraction of the knowledge that is acquired along the way to employ in focused action, when it is needed, and not when it may merely be wasted.
This is the stuff of The MasterList. No other system, method, or process comes close to achieving real-time control over all the possibilities encountered day to day and moment to moment on the ad hoc path.
It's a way of seeing things and a method for acting upon what is seen.
The MasterList is a tool of control of self and control of the environment, or field of action, which allows the self to operate upon itself and upon the world with greater capacity for obtaining precisely intended results.
It is a system or method which embodies a strategy for managing the ad hoc path.
Each small encounter in life is a possible critical point on the ad hoc path that offers the possibility of brilliant execution or decision as opposed to mere recognition and repetition of a routine.
The ultimate routine is to recognize the critical points where differences and changes have occurred and to act upon them with the power of precise knowledge and certainty, to the level of science or faith, as to how those actions will play out.
Every direction chosen forecloses so many others. Every action taken is at the expense of so many others. How to choose. Where to go. And, as a practical matter, how to retain even a fraction of the knowledge that is acquired along the way to employ in focused action, when it is needed, and not when it may merely be wasted.
This is the stuff of The MasterList. No other system, method, or process comes close to achieving real-time control over all the possibilities encountered day to day and moment to moment on the ad hoc path.
It's a way of seeing things and a method for acting upon what is seen.
Saturday, February 26, 2005
SIDESLIPPING THE WHAT-NOT TO DO
On paths of potential action there are numerous critical points that lie around and ahead. In a multi-project environment, they can arise from almost anywhere and take some time and study to foresee. On such a path, there is a premium on evaluation. What is not critical should be side-stepped, gotten back to later, or never.
Try this. As you sense that you are on a path of action involving a defined critical point which lies ahead, notice if you tend to gravitate to diversionary actions, like straightening your pencils, or getting up to get the mail, or digging deep to cross-check facts on an accidental research finding that is out of context.
Ask yourself. Is this something that needs to be done right now?
Stay on course. Sideslip the what-nots along the path. Get closure on the critical points.
On paths of potential action there are numerous critical points that lie around and ahead. In a multi-project environment, they can arise from almost anywhere and take some time and study to foresee. On such a path, there is a premium on evaluation. What is not critical should be side-stepped, gotten back to later, or never.
Try this. As you sense that you are on a path of action involving a defined critical point which lies ahead, notice if you tend to gravitate to diversionary actions, like straightening your pencils, or getting up to get the mail, or digging deep to cross-check facts on an accidental research finding that is out of context.
Ask yourself. Is this something that needs to be done right now?
Stay on course. Sideslip the what-nots along the path. Get closure on the critical points.
Friday, February 25, 2005
EXPERIMENT WITH FIRING ORDER
Every complex action has a sequence, which is a connected string of critical tasks that must be accomplished on time or the action (project) will fail of its aim or goals.
Every action-taker (person, professional, agent, actor, origo) has a plate full of multiple action strings. These can be worse than spaghetti, or dna, for sorting out. Isolated strands lay here and there on our desk and where the strings go is often unknown, mis-perceived, or unremembered. The future critical points lie along pathways that are literally invisible. There are often no guideposts or signs. There is no guardian angel (ally, mother, traffic cop, coach) telling us where to go, what do to, which of multiple choices to pick in this instant vs. that instant.
Here's a formula to fire-up and get cracking down one of those action strands without wasting your time, procrastinating, or letting more important actions fall through the cracks.
1. Not all spaghetti has equal priority. Quickly identify 4 action strings that are priorities and trust your instincts. At least one of them, most likely, is an actual priority.
2. Don't waste your time analyzing which is the "best" or most important priority. The 15 minutes it takes to do that is just another form of procrastination.
3. Pick a firing order. This could be random. It could be LIFO. It could be FIFO. It could be the task that scares you the most. Or, the least. The important thing is to get started.
4. Set time limits that insure you are firing on all cylinders. If you identify 4 priorities, don't work on just one. Rotate (divide, allocate) your time between the priorities. Think of your priority list as your primary work engine. You don't want just one cylinder firing when you have 4, 6, or 8 to work with.
4. Don't get bogged down in a firing order pattern. Don't get in a rut. In games (sports, war) our opponents study our patterns to learn how to defeat us. Why defeat yourself? Experiment with the firing order and mix it up. Find out what works best for you.
Every complex action has a sequence, which is a connected string of critical tasks that must be accomplished on time or the action (project) will fail of its aim or goals.
Every action-taker (person, professional, agent, actor, origo) has a plate full of multiple action strings. These can be worse than spaghetti, or dna, for sorting out. Isolated strands lay here and there on our desk and where the strings go is often unknown, mis-perceived, or unremembered. The future critical points lie along pathways that are literally invisible. There are often no guideposts or signs. There is no guardian angel (ally, mother, traffic cop, coach) telling us where to go, what do to, which of multiple choices to pick in this instant vs. that instant.
Here's a formula to fire-up and get cracking down one of those action strands without wasting your time, procrastinating, or letting more important actions fall through the cracks.
1. Not all spaghetti has equal priority. Quickly identify 4 action strings that are priorities and trust your instincts. At least one of them, most likely, is an actual priority.
2. Don't waste your time analyzing which is the "best" or most important priority. The 15 minutes it takes to do that is just another form of procrastination.
3. Pick a firing order. This could be random. It could be LIFO. It could be FIFO. It could be the task that scares you the most. Or, the least. The important thing is to get started.
4. Set time limits that insure you are firing on all cylinders. If you identify 4 priorities, don't work on just one. Rotate (divide, allocate) your time between the priorities. Think of your priority list as your primary work engine. You don't want just one cylinder firing when you have 4, 6, or 8 to work with.
4. Don't get bogged down in a firing order pattern. Don't get in a rut. In games (sports, war) our opponents study our patterns to learn how to defeat us. Why defeat yourself? Experiment with the firing order and mix it up. Find out what works best for you.
