Facing the Information Flow

Organisation is a must in the professional world. Especially in sales where you have no possibilities to forget one lead, one information, one project, one quotation, etc… Let’s compare 2 decision making methods: Multitasking and Sequence-tasking. Multitasking is the ability to handle many tasks together. Sequence-tasking is the step-by-step resolution of the incoming tasks. These 2 methods are often observed in opposition when at the end it is about setting priorities.

Opti-tasking is my way.

None of the both is better or worse than the other. There are situations where we have to be multitasking operating and others where we need to act step by step. On the same subject we may also have to alternate between one and the other type of actions.

Why Opti? Very obvious in 3 words:

1. Optimism: absolutely a must have before starting the day.” I will kill this To-Do-List whatever can come in addition” requires quite a positive spirit.
2. Optimized: All immediate actions is filed one way or another. I explain below
3. Optic: based on the screen of the smartphone using an application “tasks” , “To-Do-List”, “Reminders”…. and on visual management.

What I do:

1. Each task unless the one I decide to treat immediately is registered one way or the other way. The interrupted task if it was not registered is registered.
2. Sorting by deadline:
   1. TO BE DONE SAME DAY:
      Registered in tasks app of the smartphone. No print before touching.
      Reminder alarm set at the deadline time.
      The visual very limit is 1 screen of the smartphone for the same day. More you might have to reallocate time for some of the tasks. 
   2. NOT TO BE DONE THE SAME DAY:
      Paper print of necessary documents.
      I fold these documents as follow in a dossier with a color code. On each folder I write the subject and the due date when there is one:
      • Human Resources – Yellow
      • My Business Unit  – Red
      • My Group – Blu
3. The visual sorting. I make 3 piles:
   1. This have to be treated the current week
   2. This has to be treated the coming month
   3. This will be treated with no priority.

For giving priorities, I use the well-known Eisenhower matrix.

Each week one of the routine is to control what is in the pile of “the coming month”. As well as each month at least a check of “no priority”.

After a 2 weeks the system self-balances, and works really efficiently.

Opened to improvements or ideas.