System Admin Time Management: Principles
It is very inspiring to learn time management from system admins (SAs). We and SAs all share the same challenges - neverending interruptions, simultaneous projects and rush requests.
And SAs have to deal with those issues even more often, as Thomas Limoncelli says:
Management judges an SA by whether projects get done. Customers, however, judge you by whether you are available to them.
Here are SAs' principles of time management.
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Interruption is the archenemy of productivity.
- Sharing a mutual interruption shield with co-workers so that only one person is distracted in one period.
- Blocking a large chunk of project time
- Closing the door (not suitable for managers)
- letting junior engineers sit outside to filter incoming 80% interruptions for you first
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unify all time management information into one place.
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==conserve the brain power for things important==
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don't make yourself think to manage time; instead, develop routines, habits, and mantras.
- Routines are serials of pre-defined steps happen at a particular time.
- Habits are routines people can do things without thinking.
- Mantras are simple rules of thumb.
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keep focus during the project time. It takes discipline though.
- Discipline gains people more self-esteem. ==Self-esteem is like poker chips==. When we have high self-esteem, we tend to take bigger bets and win bigger.
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manage your social life with same tools.