P. 214-215 The Art of
Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau
Measure Work in Output, Not Hours
I can sit at a desk and surf the internet for eight hours,
but it doesn’t mean I’ve done any real work.
Which is more important- showing up for eight hours or actually doing
the work? Believe me, I know very well
how to waste an entire workday (I’ve done it far more often than I’d like to
admit). If I were to compile a log of
how I spent my time on such a day, it would probably look something like this:
1.
Shuffle papers around.
2.
Leave g-mail or Outlook open all day.
3.
Read the news…over and over, from multiple
websites.
4.
Become upset about an e-mail thread and spend 30 minutes crafting an elegant
reply (bonus points for using passive-aggressive language).
5.
Rearrange the file cabinet.
6.
Pay bills and check online banking.
7.
Check up on a few favorite blogs.
And
so on. You could probably add to the
list, right? Throw unproductive meetings
into the mix…
The
point is that none of this work really matters, which is why I like to focus on
deliverables (output) instead of hours.
If I spend eight hours staring at the screen and reading the news, the
world is not a better place. If I spend
30 minutes working on a project that will add value to my readers or customers,
at least some part of the world is better off.
My deliverables are articles, essays, product creation, interviews, and
so on. An artist‘s deliverables may be
canvases, songs or something physical.
If your work is client-focused, the deliverable is whatever you provide
for your client. Whatever your
deliverables are, think about those instead of the actual hours you spend
getting to them.
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