Defrag

Here is a starting set of simple techniques for reducing the seemingly unavoidable costs multitasking:

1. Task Completion.
2. Task-Batching.
3. FocusTimes.
4. Interruption Windows.
5. Scheduled Catch-Ups.
6. Interruption Processing Slots.
7. Cognitive Momentum Caching.

Flow-Optimisation

1. Flow-RATE Acceleration: Get more through the bottleneck.
2. Flow-TIME Reduction:1 + reduce Wait|Rework|Process|Travel|Setup time.
3. Flow-QUALITY Optimisation: Target the primary Poor Quality Causes and Good Quality Levers.
4. Flow-COST Containment: Target the primary cost contributors.
5. Flow-STATE Enablement: use Defrag & Provisionals to trigger & retain mental flow-state.

TAP (Time Allocation Planning)

We have a tendency to allocate time, focus & energy to what we can make the most difference to, rather than to what will make the most end-to-end difference.

Instead, estimate how much time you spend on each activity and compare it with the ideal amount of time you would like to spend on each.  Then develop strategies to move from the current to the ideal allocation.

Even small changes to time allocation deliver huge gains in end-to-end performance and fulfilment.

Provisionals Technique

Provisionals Technique is deliberately adopting very rough and of necessity inadequate solutions ahead of any thought or research.

The power of provisionals lies in their creation of a tangible working solution - that is a lot easier to enhance than an ethereal solution that doesn't yet exist.

Provisionals can take the form of a few descriptive words or a rough diagram or barely-working prototype: anything to trigger of the enhancement phase of the innovation cycle.

Process & Practice Streamlining

1. Use Defrag & Flow-Optimsation.
2. Separate Process and Practice.
3. Reverse-engineer from ultimate states.
4. Float decision-points to the top.
5. Separate Decision/Assessment from Solutions and Actions.
6. Take advantage of asymmetry.
7. Run Deep Practice sessions on the most challenging processes/practices.

Project Streamlining

1. Pool time-, risk-, people-, equipment- and materials-contingency to improve predictability, due date performance and value created.
2. Use reverse-engineering and prerequisite planning, to ensure that everything essential and nothing superfluous is included.
3. Minimise multitasking on the current critical path.
4. Check that the critical path isn't delayed by missing previous steps, info, equipment, materials & people
5. Use Agile & Scrum to small-batch iterations & reduce time & energy wasted on unnecessarily.

TurboMeetings

Different meeting-plans for different meeting-types:

Set the default meeting duration to 25m instead of 60.

1. Progress Meetings: Done|Left|Next|Target.
2. Decision Meetings: Decision Criteria|Proposal|2 Alternatives|Rationale.
3. Solution Meetings: Multiple 90s solution generation & then integration cycles, against SDR.
4. Planning Meetings: Enhance a provisional reverse-engineered plan, collaboratively.
5. Alignment Meetings: METEOR.