Tag Archives: effectiveness and practicality

TNF #124: Divide and conquer

Welcome Professionals…

…There was a time in my business life when a work day started around 8 am and never finished before midnight. At the beginning of each day it was clear that there was no way to get out of office early. Very often, schedules would be modified and tasks re-arranged. Quite regularly, a superior would show up at 8 pm, alterate the plan and announce what had to be finished until the next day.

While the overall output of the team was still acceptable, the efficiency was very poor. Only by investing many hours, the results could be achieved on time and quality. The output per hour was rather low.

In contrast, I experienced other projects which felt much different and were much more productive. The key difference was that the principle of “divide and conquer” was applied. In the beginning, a rigorous master plan was developed, the project was divided into modules, the modules into work streams, the work streams into key deliverables, and so on. A continuous planning process made sure to adjust the project’s roadmap along the way.

With this plan, the overall work was divided into digestable chunks. Every few hours, there was a result which fitted into the overall picture like a puzzle piece. The effect was that both motivation and efficiency increased significantly.

The “divide and conquer” method offers another great advantage: It offers the chance of having meaningful breaks inbetween the small steps and celebrate intermediate results.

Taking a break,

Malte

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TNF #114: Clutter on my mind

Welcome Professionals…

…I had almost forgotten how good it feels. For months I had known that it is time for this. My wife does it regularly, but I tend to shy away from it.

I am talking about throwing stuff away. Getting rid of things that are not in use. Many of us – myself included – hold on to these things because they could be of use in a future situation.

What if I put on wheight? Then I might need the old pants which don’t fit me today. What if it is very bad weather day? Maybe then I want to wear the old shabby suit. What if we will all return to Blackberry technology one day…..- this is what is holding me back from removing clutter.

When I finally did remove non-used items in my home office and my wardrobe rigorously, it really made me happy. This is actually a finding that the famous author Gretchen Rubin talks a lot about in her bestseller “Happiness Project”.

Since the objective of this blog is to make top management consultants more successful and not just happier, let me point towards another overservation. What I also felt was more clarity of thought. It felt like removing some clutter in my environment also cleared up some structures in my head.

It is a no brainer that removing clutter helps to stay organized and by that means will enhance effectiveness. On top of that, there is a psychological effect. Letting go of physical clutter will enhance to let go of cluttered thoughts. Creating structure in our environment will enhance structured thinking.

Try it, next time you are stuck, clean up a cupboard or a drawer!

Malte

TNF #096: Listening is the new reading

Welcome Professionals…

… I have been a regular listener of podcasts during my daily commute for a couple of years now. This summer holiday season, I additionally discovered audio books. There is quite a large selection available these days and virtually every bestseller can also be found in an audio version.

With a range of available smartphone apps you do not need to worry about large boxes with 22 CDs anymore. All what is required is an app and a download of a few hundred megabytes.

What I discovered is not only the availabilty and ease of audio books, but their increased value to reading. Reading is an activity that I enjoy, but it also consumes a lot of attention. I have been listening recently to the bestseller of Daniel Kahneman “Thinking, fast and slow” and have identified the following advantages of listening versus reading.

I find it more enjoyable, because I can listen to the book and look at the beautiful landscape at the same time. I am able to read more during my vacation time because I can combine it with other activities, like watching the kids in the pool, exercising, driving, or doing the dishes. Most importantly, during concentrated listening, it seems to give me more capacity to consider the material and transfer it to my personal life.

Enjoy your summer vacations – hopefully with a good book!

Malte