What should you set effort to for non-tasks
Some of my items are projects - effort is very large. Others are "waiting for" tasks - once I get it going, there's no effort for me.
I've been leaving these as average. Does anyone else do anything different?
RE: What should you set effort to for non-tasks
You can set the effort on a "Waiting For" task as low as you want - as you say, you don't need to do anything. They are usually there as a reminder to chase someone (effort involved!) or as a "blocker" (you can't start other things until you get the response).
Cheers
KeithC
RE: What should you set effort to for non-tasks
I read somewhere that the best way to accomplish a task is to break it down into subtasks that would each take no longer than four hours to accomplish.
Thus, for "effort", I set to maximum the effort for a task that will take about 4 hours, 3/4 maximum for a task that takes 3 hours, etc.
Any task that is instant or just a milestone, I set the effort as "none".
Now, whenever I create a task, I judge how long it will take to accomplish and set the effort accordingly - if I think it will take more than four hours, I (1) break it into subtasks, or (2) I create a series of "must be completed in order" tasks that each represent four of the hours it will take overall to accomplish the overall task - if a task is unbreakable and will take eleven hours, I create two tasks of full effort and one task of 3/4 effort, all related as "must be completed in order."
I hope this helps!
David
RE: What should you set effort to for non-tasks
KeithC recently wrote:
"....chase someone (effort involved!)..."
This is so true. And it is an area where it is often easy for people performing managerial functions to overlook tasks as requiring your personal attention and care. You might be tempted to think once you have delegated a task that you are no longer a part of the outcome. You deserve absolutely no credit for doing the task. Worst case it can leave you feeling helpless as you pass off a project to a "black box."
I sometimes view my managerial style as being something akin to "sheep dog." I need to herd certain projects in a particular direction by running back and forth, following up with this or that person or company, to be sure that things are happening. Each person has to move on their own, I know that I can't make them move, and given the industry environment we are working in, I can't always give specific step by instructions how to do every task that needs to be done, but I can provide my view of where we are and where we need to go to give things a nudge in what I consider to be the right direction.
I also can not set the path of each person I work with. There are times when we may have to go through a narrow pass -- single file, and sometimes when we may jostle back and forth bouncing off of each other in close quarters, and there are times when we'll just get a good pace going as a group and we'll cover a lot of ground.
So when I do delegate a task, I always leave it on my list, because I know that my involvement may be different and more indirect, but it is often still required to see that it gets done, and that the follow up contributes to "my life as a whole."
Just something to consider for those who have full time or part time managerial duties. I believe that what you do for that effort counts too!
--Catherine--*
Catherine E. White
President
www.llamagraphics.com
Creators of Life Balance software
for Palm OS, Macintosh and Windows.