My 7 step process for becoming more efficient
- Determine the outcome I want to produce. I try to be very specific in defining the outcome.
- Allocate an amount of time for the process to produce the outcome. This is the timeboxing component.
- Define the process for producing the result. At first, the process does not have to be perfect.
- Execute the process in the time allocated. Do as much as possible in the allocated time. Reserve the last 5 minutes to evaluate the effectiveness of the process.
- Record your progress towards the outcome. These are the metrics for measuring how well the process is working. The speed at which you can produce the outcome is called the velocity of the process. The goal of refining is to continually make the velocity faster.
- Refine the process.
- Repeat.
Keep the focus on the process and the velocity of the process. Over time you will become more and more efficient at producing the outcome.