person.
We lack quality mentoring. SAs need to learn the fundamentals of to do list management, calendar management, and life-goal management just like anyone else. However, our normal career path usually doesn't lend itself to learn these things. Our mentors are technical peers, often on email lists, and often in different parts of the world. There are fewer opportunities to learn by watching, as a supervisor often learns from a director.
[*] In this book, I will use the term 'customer' to denote any internal or external user of your computers, network, applications, and so on. I prefer 'customer' over 'user' because it better represents the relationship SAs should have with the people they serve.
The Principles of Time Management for SAs
There are six principles that I base all my techniques on. I don't claim that any of these are my own invention, but I certainly put my own spin on them. You will see these principles throughout the book:
One 'database' for time management information (use one organizer).
Conserve your brain power for what's important (conserve RAM).
Develop routines and stick with them (reuse code libraries; don't reinvent the wheel).
Develop habits and mantras (replace runtime calculations with precomputed decisions).
Maintain focus during 'project time' (be like a kernel semaphore).
Manage your social life with the same tools you use for your work life (social life isn't an optional feature).
Let's take a look at each one of these principles in greater detail.
One 'Database' for Time Management Information
The central tool for time management is your Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or Personal Analog Assistant (PAA), which you will use to store your to do list, calendar, and life goals lists. I'm sure you know what a PDA is: a Palm Pilot, Zaurus, or similar product. A PAA is the paper equivalent. You've seen these in many shapes and forms and by names such as organizer, binder, planner, datebook, or even Filofax.
Whether you choose to use a PDA or PAA, it will become the platform for just about every technique in the rest of the book. By putting all your information in one place, you won't have to jump between different systems. If you have disorganized habits, this will be the tool for getting organized. If you are overly organized, this will be your tool for slimming down to a simple, basic system that saves you time and prevents you from spending time organizing your organization.
I'm going to use the term
We're going to make sure that your organizer is something you can trust. What you write in your organizer won't be forgotten, deleted, or lost, and it won't disappear like invisible ink. Until you trust your organizer, you aren't going to be as facile with the rest of your time management techniques. Developing this trust, like forming a new habit, takes time.
Conserve Your Brain Power for What's Important
It's important to have an uncluttered brain. A cluttered brain is full of distractions that prevent you from staying focused. You're going to learn to use external storage for anything you aren't focused on right now.
Don't take it personally, but your brain isn't as good at recalling things as a piece of paper or a computer. Don't use your brain to track tasks or appointments. Use your organizer, a request-tracking database, a Wiki, or anything other than your brain.
Your brain only has a certain amount of capacity. It's either RAM or CPU power, depending on how you envision the brain. If you clutter your brain with the knowledge of all the tasks you need to do in the future, that's taking space away from the task you are working on right now.
In fact, when I'm working on Project A but worried about Project B, the best thing I can do is to write Project B down in my to do list and try to get it out of my head. Then, I can focus on Project A. I trust the to do list to 'remember' B for me, so I don't have to continue to waste mental energy on it.
It might be apocryphal, but it is believed that Albert
