Planning for Flexibility: Staying Balanced and on Track
Let's get right down to business: after years of research, I developed my very own planning method. I read every book on the subject and watched oodles of YouTube productivity videos. If you need me to explain why you should plan, we just don't see eye to eye. If you asked me why I despise reality TV – I simply can't explain it. We can part amicably and gossip about each other behind our backs like polite folks do. But when it comes to planning? I'm warning you now: don't ask me "Why do I need to plan?" I don't have the time or energy for that. I'd much rather get to the heart of the matter and share my marvelous planning method that I'm so proud of… OK, OK, fine.
You need to plan, silly. But here's the thing: sometimes, people think of plans like intricate blueprints. They hear project managers’ terms like "risk assessment" and "dependencies," and somewhere, a puppy dies. The thought of looking at a project in its entirety is daunting. You gotta be loose, brah. I hear you. I like to think of my planning method as if a Project Manager ate a gummy.
Planning: Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say
Ok. I will digress into a quick (and short) plea for planning: when you start to plan, you begin to break things into smaller chunks. And the more you do that, the more you can accomplish. The more you accomplish, the more time that you can get back. And the more time you get back, the more you can do. It's the cycle of life.
It's not enough to just talk about what we will do; it's important to demonstrate that we mean it by following through. Making promises is easy, but it's the action that really matters. We need a plan to make those declarations a reality to guarantee success.
And finally, a person who plans well can delegate. That, for those Mr or Miss Bossypants, needs no explanation. You're welcome.
Oh, and as if being a top Bossypant isn't enough, planning uses the same muscle as creating AI prompts: breaking large requests into smaller actions that can be fed into our robot overlords. Beep beep boop boop (robot for "you're welcome").
My Planning Method: I Did It My Way
My tried-and-true planning technique follows, which I have refined and perfected over the years. This consists of a mixture of several different techniques like Getting Things Done (GTD), Organize Tomorrow Today, agile, UX, Atomic Habits, Deep Work, and Smarter Faster Better. I wanted a system that would help me carry out my plans yet was lightweight and uncomplicated.
If I wanted to get started, the best place to begin was by finding out when the project needed to be completed. Establishing a due date helps provide structure. Even if there isn't an exact date, come up with one. We all need order in our lives. Otherwise, it can be a mess. This overview sets practical expectations regarding what needs to be done and when. One week versus one month changes the amount of work that can be accomplished. You could run out of time without considering the duration it will take. Avoid that, my friend. Set that date. It'll be your goal.
To begin with, it's important to have a clear understanding of what you're trying to achieve. What are you creating? Be clear about that because that will dictate the next step: the milestones. Don't go nuts: milestones are not the same as tasks. Milestones are those "big steps" that, when done, you know you're getting closer to the end. I like this definition I saw on Enlaps (I like it because it's the first entry when I google it): "A milestone is a point on the calendar with one clearly defined deliverable; tasks are activities required to accomplish that milestone." Beautiful.
You should start to see the broad strokes of your project. It's like a map – you know where you're going, and now you know where all the bathroom stops are. The next step is to fill in the stuff you'll do between the time you leave and the next time you have to pee. That's milestone one. What snacks will you bring? How many Big Gulps will you need? Those all build up to that first stop, just like all the tasks you'll need to achieve that first milestone.
But here's my trick: only plan for that first (or active) milestone. If you're brainstorming and you think about things you should do later, no worries: put those in the Backlog - that's what it's there for. But plan only the active milestone. It's just not worth it. To further abuse my analogy, you might think right now that listening to Madonna for the whole ride is a great idea. But after you return to the car after that first break, the thought of hearing anything post-Ray of Light no longer sounds so fun. You want the flexibility to change tunes, snacks, and tasks. The Backlog keeps them all safe and sound until you're ready for them in the present.
Demystifying the Kanban Board: Your Path to Sounding Fancy
So what's this I hear about a Backlog? It's all part of the Kanban board, my friend. A Kanban is a practical tool to easily see where a project is, what has been done, and what still needs to be done (and if working with a team, who is doing it). A Kanban is split vertically into sections called swim lanes. You can customize these to your heart's content. Within each swim lane are the tasks (sometimes called "cards"). The cards get moved into the different swim lanes to show their progress.
These boards are infinitely customizable. I also use a variation for my one-on-one manager boards.
The Kanban board offers distinct advantages. It organizes tasks, guaranteeing everyone is aligned with their responsibilities. It provides an at-a-glance view of project progress, readily addressing potential issues. The visual layout facilitates early problem detection, ending time wasted on crises down the road.
Plus, it's interactive: you get to move things! Re-experience the joy of a kid and their chore board. The only thing that could make this better is getting a star sticker. This hits all my happy buttons.
Ok - so you got the basics. Let's talk particulars. What are those swim lanes? As mentioned above, these sections are fully customizable. But I like to keep it simple and follow the tried-and-true Kanban method (for more info, here's another source): Backlog, In Progress, Review, and Done. I have one innovation that I include as well: Reference. This is the only section of the board that is not actionable (aka, it's not a task). Here is a brief description of each section:
Reference: stores any information that needs to be accessed globally. For example, information that you don't want to get lost when you Complete a task
Other examples: URLs, links to relevant documentation, and source material
Backlog: store anything that you know that you will have to do but can't work on it now
In Progress: any tasks that are being worked on now
In Review: Are you using a RACI or have stakeholders that need to review before release into the wild? Put it here. If you don't know, now you know, planner (for you, Biggie)
Complete: when tasks are completed, they can live here and provide a fast visual trail of what has been completed and when
Every task that belongs to this project will live here. You have a place to remember those things you want to do later and don't want to forget (Backlog). You have a spot for that damn link that you keep having to dig through emails to find (Reference). You can stalk a project and see who is working on what (In Progress) and what's been completed (Complete). Don't make the rookie mistake of thinking you can work on all the tasks at once. You can't. This isn't a list competition. You don't get a cookie for having the most items in the In Progress. You want 1 item per person. Have more than one? You're getting too big for your britches. Be a big brain and employ subtasks.
Benefits Galore: Because Who Doesn't Love a Win-Win-Win?
There you have it. Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy. Planning isn't just an individual endeavor; its benefits ripple outward, improving the lives of your clients and co-workers. Within the workplace, a meticulously devised plan alleviates stress, bolsters productivity, and enhances teamwork. And you become the go-to person for "getting s*&t done." I like that feeling. I think I'll stay here.
And remember: being that "go-to person" includes being a ruthless prioritizer. Just as you don't get a cookie for having too many items in your In Progress lane, you definitely don't get one for thinking that everything is the same priority. Decisions have to be made. Don't let the complexity of the task or the issue at hand get in the way of getting the job done. Be the Decider.
The trick is to ignore the impulse to revel in complexity. Good planning is the opposite - breaking things into smaller, more digestible (and understandable) parts. It's this mentality that allows you to meet deadlines and deliver. The fact that this is how we teach ChatGPT should tell us something: the future isn’t in complexity but in simplicity.