Getting Shit Done, Build Edition

This is the abbreviated version of my Getting Shit Done talk given at Pecha Kucha during the Build conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland. 20 slides were shown for 20 seconds each, meaning this talk was fast paced and to the point.

Transcript

1. Getting Shit Done Patrick Haney Hanerino Build Edition I’m Patrick Haney, and I’m @notasausage. And I’m a procrastinator. I run a design studio called @hanerino.
2. Getting Things Done Getting Things Done by David Allen GTD is “creating a system of productivity to clear the mind of stress.” Not necessarily geared towards creatives or web folk though
3. Inbox Zero http://inboxzero.com Inbox Zero, a concept from Merlin Mann Reclaim your inbox instead of being a slave to your email http://inboxzero.com
4. Pomodoro Technique The Pomodoro Technique is about focused bursts of work with a short break between Set a timer for 20, 25 minutes and focus on one task Take quick breaks to let your brain relax, then get back to work
5. A glass of water... http://www. lickr.com/photos/vivido/2204024735/ Instead of setting a timer every 20 minutes, grab a glass of water When the glass is empty, get up, take a break, refill it Healthier and easier than a timer Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vivido/2204024735/
6. Create Smaller Tasks Break large tasks into smaller ones Tasks don’t see so overwhelming Checking things off feels accomplishing Easier to focus on a small task
7. Unitasking http://trentwalton.com/2011/09/20/unitasking/ Stop trying to do so many things at once Trent Walton’s excellent blog post, Unitasking http://trentwalton.com/2011/09/20/unitasking/
8. Fear of Missing Out Avoid FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) You can’t see everything there is to see Use services like Sidebar and Percolate to get the best stuff delivered to you http://percolate.com http://sidebar.io
9. Turn Off Noti ications Notifications are just interruptions Disable them from popping up on your computer Leave them in your Mac/iPhone Notification Center if you need them
10. Record, Return, Resolve The 3 R’s Record incoming interests (tweets, links, emails, etc.) Return to what you were doing and keep focus Resolve recorded items later by organizing or acting on them
11. Record Record things as often as they come up Use whatever medium works for you (paper, iPhone app, Mac app, etc.) Jot it down and get back to work
12. ABC Always Be Composin’ 2Pac was always writing down lyrics to songs and recording them Released from prison, 4 months later he releases 2 disc album still in the top 10 rap albums ever 16 years since death, 8 new albums released due to all the material
13. Tab Zero Cluttered browsers are as bad as cluttered inboxes Record and return using bookmarking or read later services Instapaper, Pocket, Delicious, Littlesnapper, and so on
14. Your Work low Sucks There are many tools for every job But don’t blame the tools, many of them are very good Your workflow needs work in order for you to succeed
15. Find a System Find a system that doesn’t seem to require any work on your part Sticky notes, iPhone apps, desk organizers We have drawers with battery icons for charged and needs charging Helps us keep a nice workflow for recharging batteries for electronics
16. “We think good ideas to death, when we should be acting them to life.” Act on Ideas Brian G. Jett Stop thinking about ideas, talking about ideas, and start doing We all have great ideas, but they aren’t worth anything until they’re put to use “We think good ideas to death, when we should be acting them to life.” - Brian G. Jett
17. Ideas are like... Ideas are like assholes... everyone has one Mitt Romney, America’s asshole Stop sitting on your idea and make it happen
18. Do The Work Start something, and then keep going Talking about it gets you nowhere Just look at Aaron Draplin’s portfolio, he gets down and dirty and gets shit done http://draplin.com
19. You are Never Done http://www.alistapart.com/articles/redesignrealign Keep iterating, keep doing Cameron Moll’s great artile on Realign, not Redesign http://www.alistapart.com/articles/redesignrealign
20. go Patrick Haney Hanerino it. Talk is cheap, Thank you. Talk is cheap, go build it. Patrick Haney, @notasausage Designer at @hanerino http://hanerino.com