Creating a Strong Workflow

Quick reference

• 00:05 Hello everyone and welcome back to the Essential Productivity Training.
• 00:09 Workflow is a vital part of that.
• 00:12 So I wanted to explain what it takes to create a strong workflow.
• 00:16 We're going to discuss a few things about how you can conceptualize workflow and
• 00:20 implement it into your daily routine.
• 00:23 The best workflows are very easy to understand and easy to get on with.
• 00:28 What is a workflow?
• 00:29 A workflow is a series of processes and it tends to be your habit and
• 00:34 routines that basically create your workflow every single day.
• 00:39 A workflow that is personalized is the best
• 00:42 workflow because it's highly flexible to your situation.
• 00:45 A workflow that works really well is something that is scalable.
• 00:49 As you get more work and as you begin to pick up a few more things,
• 00:53 whether it's personal or professional, you can take that on.
• 00:56 You can scale that workload.
• 00:58 Even if it's more work, you won't necessarily crumble because of that.
• 01:02 What does a workflow look like?
• 01:04 Here's an example workflow.
• 01:05 This is what happens when you start a task.
• 01:09 So for example, it might even be an email that comes in.
• 01:11 You collect an input, you pick up something.
• 01:14 Whether it's a bit of work or a task or a note or something like that.
• 01:18 You normally process what that means, so you put it where you think it should go.
• 01:22 And this is also stepping into the territory of organizing it.
• 01:26 You tend to organize it into the position that you want it to be in.
• 01:30 So it could be you get a bit of work to do, that your boss has assigned to you.
• 01:33 You process what that is and
• 01:35 then you organize it into the place you need to actually put it in.
• 01:39 Next thing is, obviously, completing that input.
• 01:41 Once you've organized it, whether it's into the right location,
• 01:45 or whether it's into the right date or time that you're going to do it,
• 01:48 you wanna complete that input and actually get it done.
• 01:50 Then after, there's that reviewing concept of actually looking back at that input and
• 01:55 going, okay what was the pros and cons to that?
• 01:58 What did I learn from that?
• 01:59 This is just a sort of basic explaining of what GTD is.
• 02:03 Now Getting Things Done is a book by David Allen.
• 02:05 I highly recommend you read this alongside this course because it's a very beneficial
• 02:10 feature.
• 02:11 Now workflow again is the micro-actions within this process.
• 02:14 So it's all of the steps in between.
• 02:16 So when it comes to designing your workflow you need to ask yourself these
• 02:20 questions.
• 02:20 What are your core processes?
• 02:22 You need to audit your categorical process.
• 02:25 It will help you break down how you categorically complete a task.
• 02:30 This way once you map this you can actually see, okay what are my processes?
• 02:35 What do I go through?
• 02:37 How do I visually organize stuff?
• 02:39 And also alongside that, you need to understand your needs.
• 02:42 If you're someone that's just using a workflow to
• 02:45 organize your personal projects, or you're using it to organize work and
• 02:49 this, then you need different things, you need different resources to play in.
• 02:53 And also how have you always laid out tasks?
• 02:57 We always find a way that suits us a lot of the time.
• 03:01 So, if you're comfortable with it, then just adapt it and improve it.
• 03:05 Another one is how do you approach planning?
• 03:07 This is always a beneficial thing in workflow,
• 03:10 because workflow is something that appears inside of planning.
• 03:13 Do you prefer lists or something more visual?
• 03:15 And these are all great questions to ask yourself when it comes to designing your
• 03:19 workflow.
• 03:20 So here are a few workflow examples, the first one is actually how I organize.
• 03:24 So I have a List INBOX.
• 03:25 I just have a list of things I need to do in an inbox; I process them, and
• 03:30 sometimes I'll put them in a Kanban.
• 03:32 So a Kanban is basically a visual way to organize myself.
• 03:35 And then at the end of the week, I can list review.
• 03:37 So I can go over the list that I've completed inside the Kanban and go, okay,
• 03:41 I'm happy with that.
• 03:42 List Inbox > Next 7 days might be the way that you do it.
• 03:46 Actually, this is more of the way that I organize myself.
• 03:49 So I tend to have a list INBOX.
• 03:51 And once I process all of these tasks I'll include them in the next 7 days.
• 03:55 So I actually plot them in the next 7 days and then at the end of my week,
• 03:58 I'll have a week review.
• 03:59 It could be another one example workflow, email INBOX.
• 04:02 So you keep everything to-do wise in your email.
• 04:05 And then use notebooks to create a to-do list and
• 04:07 a plan list to view everything that's coming up.
• 04:10 These are all microinteractions with the workflow.
• 04:13 So what I recommend doing is try and create a flow chart for
• 04:16 what you do currently, and what you think you want to do in the future.
• 04:20 We're going to include more information in the exercises, so go over to the exercise.
• 04:24 There'll be a feature on designing workflow, auditing your process,
• 04:28 and tips for an effective workflow.
• 04:30 In the next feature, we'll discuss minimizing your inbox.
• 04:33 I hope you enjoyed today's feature.
• 04:35 Feel free to email me with any questions.
• 04:37 Thank you very much, guys.
• 04:38 I'm looking forward to seeing you in the next feature.
• 04:40 Cheers.

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