Productivity tips for tech professionals

[email protected] Main St. #220 Brooklyn, NY 11222+1 718 625 4843

June 11, 2014

Productivity Tips for Busy Tech Professionals

Productivity Tips for Busy Professionals

Tips that can make you work better ….!

Idea behind this topic?

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• Morning tech breakfast is one the good platform to get introduced variety of technical topics.

• We deep dive to the technical topic with detailed examples and use cases.

• Most of the sessions were made quite simple, so it should be enjoyed by all tech stream resources.

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Still …. !!!!

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Richard Seroter

Richard is a Product Manager for cloud computing provider Tier 3, a Microsoft MVP, blogger, author, trainer and frequent public speaker.

How we gonna drive the session?

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• Start with myth.• Tip description• Brainstorm through Real time examples.

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• Tips are definitely abstract and subjective. • Subjective tips are sometimes exciting or boring. • Examples in discussion came up with personal

experience. • Feel free to interrupt or yawn incase its non sense.

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Everyone is BUSY ….!

Introspection

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Lots of things to brag about?

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• Can you accommodate new changes or roles?

• Your calendar is full. Are you open for new opportunities?

• Do you feel productive?

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1. I only care about Money ….!

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Lots of things to brag about?

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• Not sure for all, but paycheck is the main criteria to measure the success.

• Passion overrated, you may chose someone who willing to pay more.

• I say its not best way to go forward.

Myth # I only care about Money ….!

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TIP 1 # Chase your passion

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“Chase your passion, not your pension.” - Denis Waitley.

Lots of things to brag about?

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• Motivation is the giant driver of productivity.

• Passion keeps yourself in positive situation helps a lot in case day job is not happy or phase of job.

• In general... Techies don't get lot time to learn new things, but passion is the only key which break the barrier.

Example

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Example

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Example

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Sport teams, Startups

E.g. ThoughtWorks

2. Learn little about everything

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Lots of things to brag about?

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• Learn little about everything.

• You should know everything about you talk or hear from people talk about and stuff.

Thats a very big myth !!!

Myth # Learn little about everything

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INVEST IN YOURSELF

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Lots of things to brag about?

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• Investing in self is a core foundation principle.• Maintaining breadth while developing depth in one or

two areas and proficiency in others.

Build expertise

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o Expertise help to make future task easier.o Expertise doesn't come in a day. It needs some

commitment and time investment. o E.g. Bill Gates in his 20’s.o It certainly term job safety.

My experience.

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• A day with Regex problem

• Writing Tests : Spend couple of hours at the time of development and save efforts on maintenance time later.

Most of the employees situation in Dynamic market.

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Its ok … to declare Tech bankruptcy.

3. BE A LONE GENIUS

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Lots of things to brag about?

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• Become a stand alone expert, fully sufficient, irreplaceable. Remember - “Increase your value.”

• Back in days, this was common mentoring words among techies.

Thats another myth !!!

Myth # : BE A LONE GENIUS

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BUILD EXPERT NETWORKS

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Lots of things to brag about?

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● Develop and Maintain network and not be alone genius.

● Many professional possess ego issues which is one of the cause to not open up and build network.

● Working in close network greatly increase efficiency and add years even decades in experience.

Why network?1. Things Faster.2. Broader set of advisors.3. Professional and personal network work as a protection

in busy schedule.

Example : StackOverflow

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Example : Focus on relationship

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Dont try to be low level engineer.

Example : Finding jobs

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4. ALWAYS SAY YES

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Lots of things to brag about?

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• We should always open for new ideas, new things.

• Saying no means,shutting door.

• Saying no also means, I am not open for great ideas.

Thats another myth !!!

• You may say lot of yes, in job or external activities, you may feel great by doing this but it may result in packed schedule.

ALWAYS SAY YES

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LEARN TO SAY NO

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“If you don't value your time, no one does of yours.”

BE OPPORTUNISTIC !!!

ExampleBooks, Prototype projects.

5. IF IT AIN’T BROKE … Don’t fix it

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Lots of things to brag about?

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• If you have a tool, you follow process or methodology and it works , dont think better - Just keep work with it.

• Seen this attitude many times in workplace.

I think its a Myth !!!!

Myth # IF IT AIN’T BROKE … Don’t fix it

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TIP # Continuous Improvement

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Lots of things to brag about?

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• Look for continuous improvement.

• Constantly look for efficient process to decrease annoyance from the daily work.

• Better Look, Revise and Faster process.

• Smaller and continuous Invention in tools.

If you find any efficiency … Just go for it !!!

How can we achieve improvement ?

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• Continuous improvement is not spontaneous or massive change but its a group of smaller steps.

• Its a slow process but after certain span , if you look back you see smaller steps clubbed as a massive change.

• Introspection and Feedback pathways for continuous improvements.

Smart phones

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Multiple Screen

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What's happening in HUGE

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6. BECOME IRREPLACEABLE

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Lots of things to brag about?

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Become irreplaceable

• Thats a great goal.... Infact• I am safe, no one can fire me.• I get more and more raises.• I can be in-despicable.

Its again … a big MYTH !!!!

AIM TO BECOME … REPLACEABLE

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Why become replaceable.

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• Quality of great leaders.

• More flexibility: Good for new role.

• Build relations : Easy handover.

• Confidence : Current Role, review.

“Constantly look for replacements if you want to grow in organization”

- Steve Jobs

Being in technology best friend to achieve this goal is :

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7. JUST GET MOVING AND

EVALUATE LATER!

Lots of things to brag about?

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● Get going and evaluate later.

● Its really important to get started rather actually thinking what you are going to get.

● Dont waste time on churning or planning.

Its abstract but for some extent its a MYTH !!!!

Scope every task

Scope every task

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Common scenario.

You spend some time and money on investigation or task, and later you end up spending more to justify previous investment and not results. That really doesn't work but This happens all the time.

We need to Scope !!!!

Its Very effective tip in Agile planning. Scope is the factor which decide when to cut off and when to extend.

1. Ask for help.2. Simplify the task.3. Cancel the task.4. Decide to plow ahead.

Scope every task

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● Scope a task and evaluate after certain interval either to scrap or continue. Its not productive to burn yourself into dead blackhole.

● No overestimation !!!!● Keeping right balance is the key of this tip.

Belmar Parasailing

Know when to scope

WTF….. , are you asking to scope out all the tasks?

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● Tasks you can’t scope.○ Shopping in mall with Wife.○ Family dinner on christmas

● Scope longer and never ending tasks○ Stop piling off○ Know when to stop○ Asses properly before start something new.

● Good practice to timebox the things.

8. CAPTURE TASKS ANYWHERE!

Lots of things to brag about?

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● Always capture tasks that you try or need to do.

● Might at workstation or might at home or on fridge.

● Its efficient but not productive.

Up to some extent its a MYTH !!!!

Tip # Short, Accessible lists

Accessible list.

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● Rather keep burning memory, make short accessible list that matters.

● Rather paper, use it with application which can by sync across devices.

● A accessible at home, car or workstation. Check regularly and try to improve it often.

Prioritization of the list is main KEY !!!!

Marissa Mayer

● Starts a day with creating a day long list.● Very good in active prioritization through out day with

discarding the tasks which she cannot complete.● Having a list is good but forcing the prioritization makes

very big deal.

M. Bloomberg

From - Bloomberg by Bloomberg

● Start of new project with list of risks● List goes to hundreds or beyond, by all imagination.● Through out review, he starts to discard them one by

one.● Go through risk list first before any project review.

9. Get Unplugged

● One day I felt a complete facebook maniac.

● Suggested : I decided to unplug from social world.

● It was easy for me to get overwhelmed.

Up to some extent its a MYTH !!!!

Lots of things to brag about?

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Get Unplugged

Stay Connected !!!

What Tim Russert thinks?

“You need to learn lot of little new things from other people to get many unique ideas as a insight”

● Living in closed group, talking to same people , we hear same thing, hardly get new idea.

● Interaction on social level its great thing to see lot of new things from diverse section of society.

● Key is to reduce non-value activities to reduce the noise.

● Staying connected is good source of getting new ideas, and for better professional relationships.

Stay connected

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● Meetup groups● Tech Breakfast sessions● Stackoverflow● Google groups● Twitter● Bookmarks

There are plenty of ways to be in connect, and doing things like reading, writing comments, posting experiences bring lot of new ideas to tap in.

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10. Multi-task Constantly

Know when to focus

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● Study says interruption to developer takes around avg 20 minutes to refocus.

● Doing multiple things is fine but its good to recognize core focus time.

● Its great practice to find best working time and turnoff external distraction.

● Core focus time can be used for mentally exhaustive task.

Example

11. Follow the assigned path

Lots of things to brag about?

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● We see set of instructions to follow the assigned path.● “This is the channel to find a support”● “This is the way to convey your concern”

Controversial to some of us but I think its a myth most of the time.

MYTH # Follow the assigned path

Skip the proxy

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● Information may be lost if it passes through layers.● Going right straight to the source helps wastage of

time(in waiting) and interest.● Main point is to skip middleman to become more

productive and get rid of quality, time and concerns.

“Build good relationships.”

Email communications

Office Team structure

Skip the proxy

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● Its good to skip the proxy, but it doesn't mean to break the rule or discipline.

● But I think sometimes its ok to bypass the path & take your own decision.

“Using strategically and not by abusing person or privilege this tip really makes difference in professional life.”

12. Plow ahead until its done !!!

Games

Maker Bot

Games

Hackathons

13. Work over … Relax …!

Work over … Relax …!

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