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I have a problem with focus. A big problem. I would probably start at least one new project a week if I didn’t restrain myself. I continuously have ideas for books, articles, web sites, applications, open source projects… you name it I have an idea for it and want to do it. Of course the problem is that each of these ideas require a great deal of work and focus to see them to completion. This has been a big problem for me in the past, but in the last six months I have gotten much better at getting things done and in this post I am going to outline some of the methods I have used.

Treat your workload like debt. A couple years ago I went through the process of getting completely out of debt, and as I started writing this article I noticed some similarities in how I approached both problems.

Stop adding more.

The first step to getting out of debt is to stop charging stuff, so the first step to focusing better is to stop adding new work and projects. If you are like me you have enough to focus on at the moment, so don’t add anymore until you can cross some off. This is harder than it sounds, one thing I have done to help stop me from adding more is to carry a small notebook around and when I have an idea I would love to do I write it down in the notebook. I write down the general idea and brainstorm some possible features. I might even do some UI sketches, but then I don’t take it any further. If it is a good idea it will still be around in six months when I have the time and bandwidth to handle it. Ideas don’t make you a success, execution does. If you are too busy chasing new ideas you will never be able to execute effectively on any of them.

Pay off the small debts first.

A classic technique in getting out of debt is to pay off the smaller debts first, not only does this have a psychological effect it also leads to the snowball effect as you can pay more and more to your larger debts since the smaller ones are gone. In the same way I have tried to tackle the small projects first, anything I can cross off my list or relegate to maintenance mode I try to knock out first. This way I shorten the list of projects, or at least the list of projects that actively need work. For instance I recently re-designed and launched Visual Studio Hacks. The majority of the programming work is done and now it just needs weekly maintenance of an hour or two to write blog posts, articles, and make minor tweaks. Knock out whatever projects you can and get them off your plate (or minimize them to just maintenance), get the snowball effect going.

Clear your inbox and your mind.

Having a nice and clean inbox is invaluable, so is going to sleep with a clear mind and not worrying. I use a couple of tools to do this. First I have embraced Inbox Zero. This means I clean my inbox whenever I check my mail, any tasks that can’t be completed right away go to Remember The Milk. RTM is a simple online task management application and makes it easy to forward emails and make them tasks. Secondly I keep the simple notebook I mentioned early next to my bed at night and when I have an idea for a new project, or existing project, or anything at all I write it down and then let myself forget about it. It’s amazing how it makes getting to sleep and staying asleep much easier.

Keep it Big and Visible.

In agile methodologies you have something called a Big Visible Chart that makes your project status very transparent. For me I started using a whiteboard and a simple chart to symbolize what I should be working on now, and what I would be working on next. This makes it easy for me to at a glance always know what I should be focusing on and keeps me on task. I constantly adjust it, but because I am only one person and I need to focus I try to make sure the lines have zero overlap.

Treat your projects like a real job.

I found whenever I thought as the project as a side-project I worked on it less, and wouldn’t hit my deadlines. So I started treating it like a real job and got organized by using Unfuddle. Unfuddle is an online software management application and include source control, tickets, and much more. Using unfuddle I can track each of my projects, create milestones and deadlines, and keep track of bugs and future features.

These are the techniques that are working for me, have something that is working for you? Please leave a comment and let me know, I am always looking for new techniques to make the most out of my time.

- James Avery

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