A blogger named Adrian Try has documented four lessons that helped optimize his workflow. All his ideas come from one source: thinking carefully about the process of work.

The article in FreelanceSwitch.com offers these gems:

1. Boundaries and Deadlines Can Be Motivating
2. I Can Stay Focused Longer by Pacing Myself
3. I Must Be Ruthless Handling Interruptions
4. I Can Effectively Utilize Spare Moments

Each of the author’s points come from a reflection on a personal story. For example, he notes that:

Early in the second week [of the school year], I randomly woke at 6:00 am. I decided to get up and start work. By the time I took the kids to school I had done two hours of solid work, which made a big dent into my work for that day. I finished the bulk of my day’s work before I picked them up from school. Psychologically, that made a big difference. I could enjoy my evening without having to worry about undone work.

These workflow revelations all come from one central idea: thinking about work. Slaughter Development calls this process metawork. The suggestions that Adrian Try offers might seem obvious, and yet, how many of us are as actively managing our time and interruptions? By analyzing his own workflow and writing the essay, the author was able to describe real changes that had a tremendous positive impact on productivity and satisfaction.

At Slaughter Development, we help companies and non-profit organizations change the structure of work so that metawork is part of the routine. We provide training and tools to help employees discover the challenges in their own workflow and identify ways to make improvements. If you are ready to find your own list of revelations, don’t hesitate: contact Slaughter Development today!

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