Distractions are so, um, distracting! Think about how an operating system works. When time-critical operations need to be done, the kernel locks out all other tasks and works on exactly one task until that task is complete. For example, when memory is being allocated to a task, the kernel locks out all other memory-table access so that this one happens correctly, without multiple processes all trying to modify the allocation tables at the same time. As an SA, you want the same kind of laser focus when you're working.
Operating system designers go to great lengths to make sure that a process can return from an interruption quickly (especially the constant swapping between processes in a multitasking operating system). They do this because they know that time spent returning from an interruption is wasted time and should be minimized. You should do the same.
Manage Your Social Life with the Same Tools You Use for Your Work Life
Last but not least, don't forget to have fun. The same tools we use to make sure there's enough time for our important projects at work can be used to make sure we don't miss out on the social life and family life that we want to have.
No one's dying thought is, "Gosh, I wish I had spent more time at the office."
By using the same tools for organizing your work and non-work life, you increase the practice you get at using these techniques! The more practice, the faster you develop better organization habits. You are also leveraging some good, proven techniques rather than reinventing the wheel.
This isn't to say that your social life will become structured and scheduled down to the minute. There's nothing wrong with scheduling an evening of goofing off!
It Won't Be Easy
I'm told that when teaching, it's better to tell people how difficult it's going to be early in the process so that they aren't so disappointed when they realize it isn't all milk and honey (or Jolt and chocolate). I'm told that it's a lot better than promising people "easy, fast results" and having them give up at the first challenge, possibly blaming themselves for not achieving the instant results promised.
Therefore, let me be perfectly clear: this may be the most difficult journey on which you've ever embarked. You've spent your entire life developing the bad time management habits you have right now; you can't fight that inertia over night. It's going to take long hours of practice. You are going to stumble through a lot of this, come back a month later, reread a chapter, and realize that you've been doing it wrong. At times it will seem like there is no hope, that these techniques are a waste of time and more difficult than just muddling though the old way.
I can assure you that you'll have all these feelings because I felt them all, too.
But now I'm writing this book. I must have survived. So will you.
Every time things look grim and difficult, just remember that change comes in small steps. Keep trying. Stick with the program. Squeeze those negative thoughts from your brain by saying to yourself, "Trust the process" and give it another try.
When you least expect it, someone will say to you, "You're so organized! I wish I knew how you do it all so well!" and you'll realize that you haven't had to refer back to this book in ages. Success!
Summary
Time management is particularly difficult for system administrators because we have unique problems (a mix of projects and interruptions), our technical mentors don't have good time management skills, and our nontechnical managers don't understand our work. One asset at our disposal is that we are highly technical people and can easily use technical solutions to manage our time.
External interruptions (customers) and self-imposed interruptions (Instant Messages, new email notifications, and so on) kill productivity. Returning from an interruption takes time and introduces errors into your work.
Poker Chips
Everyone has advice about how to avoid procrastination. Search Google for "avoiding procrastination" and you'll get back over 19,000 links. You'll find work sheets from university counseling centers that help you get in touch with the sources of your procrastination. You'll find books and articles. You'll find top 10 lists of reasons why people procrastinate and how to counteract them. You'll find professional life coaches who will (in person or via phone) coach you through this and other life difficulties (for a fee). Feel free to try what appeals to you. In fact, do that right now.
I think the most important thing to remember is that procrastination is natural. It comes from fear and self-doubt. We all fear change. We all doubt our ability to succeed.
Instead of focusing on your self-doubt, focus on its opposite—your self-esteem. Self-esteem is like a stack of poker chips. If you are playing poker and you only have a few chips, you can only make small bets. This means you can't win a lot of money. In fact, you'll have to fold more often rather than risk losing your last chip. When you have a lot of chips, you can make big bets that pay off big. You can take risks. You can try things that you wouldn't have tried when you had fewer chips. You can win big!
When we have little self-esteem, we are more likely to give up or not even try. Without trying, we are never in the position to succeed. So, we don't. When we have high self-esteem, we're more willing to take risks and put ourselves in a position to have the opportunity to win.
Understand why self-esteem is like a big pile of poker chips?
Here's the magic: the poker chips of self-esteem only exist in your head, so you can create more!
In poker, the chips are real, physical objects. You can't just twinkle your nose and make poker chips appear. On the other hand, in life, you can do any kind of ritual to make more self-esteem chips appear magically. My "Sooner is better than later" mantra gives me the chips I need to overcome procrastination. A hug from someone you love magically makes more chips appear. The quiet support of a friend helping you to sit down and read this book makes even more chips appear. Therapy is all about increasing your chips. If shouting out loud, "Yes, I can!" makes more self-esteem chips, then shout all you want.
Pretty neat, eh?
Experts agree: buying this book automagically gives you a huge boost to the number of poker chips you have at your disposal. Turn the page and get to work.
Arrange a mutual interruption shield with coworkers so that someone else deflects interruptions when you need to get projects done.
Use one database for all time management information. Keeping everything in one place helps you stay organized.
Conserve brain power for what's important. Use your brain for the work on hand and an organizer to record to do items, dates, and notes.
Develop routines and stick with them. Rather than constantly reinventing the wheel or repeating decision-making processes, work things into routines.
Develop habits and mantras. They help remind you to reuse previous good decisions.