In past 2~3 weeks, I worked with my colleagues on a project closely. During the development, I found their work efficiency is not good, even out of my expectation.
OK, this topic is on work efficiency.
Once I found the problem, I need to push them improve their skills. That hints a question, how do we improve our work efficiency? I want to talk about it upon my experience. There are some tips for the reference.
Tip1: Think the way, practice the way.
Before you move to solve a problem, or implement a job, please make sure think it 1~2 times on how to solve it. If possible, please write down the abstract steps. For example, if you are a chairman to host a meeting, what do you should do? you can consider below:
Step 1: send the meeting request about 2 days in advance.
The email should contain below info:
– The PPT or related documents
– The remote online-meeting tools like Go2Meeting, Webex and etc.
– List your topics to discuss.
Step2, in 15 minutes before the meeting starts, please go to meeting room to get ready for the meeting, like connecting to a projector, open the online-meeting tool like Go2Meeting, Webex, or TeamViewer(that is very important), when the attendees come to the meeting room, you can send the meeting info
Step3, please think how do you present your ideas in order in the meeting, that is to make the communication more efficiently.
Step 4, after the meeting is over, please send the meeting summary
Step 5, if there are some items need to follow, please follow them.
If the above steps are in our mind, I believe the meeting efficiency should be good.
Tip2: don’t do the same thing manually, automatically instead
Sometimes, we found we process a work manually from time to time. Actually, as a developer or staff in IT industry, we MUST make such kind of work automatically. For example, to create a SVN project , we need 5 steps to create it manually, that is I ever experienced. I hate it so much.
To make it better, I write a shell script to solve it. To create a project, I just run a shell script one time, not 5 times. And sometimes, it is easy to make some mistakes in manual way.
To make it more efficient, we can create a GUI website if the time is enough.
Tip3: please understand your tool before use it
We must understand our tools. For example, I found someone is using Photoshop, to create 2 + textbox, s/he creates them one by one. My god!! I can’t see it happen. Then I suggest her/him that why don’t you try to copy/past the existing textbox? S/he told me that PhotoShop doesn’t have such function. I don’t believe it!! As a popular/famous software, PhotoShop doesn’t support it? Then I Google it, I found the tips in 1 minute, then I show the skills to her/him.
What we can learn from this case?
Btw, it is a true story. I don’t believe that s/he doesn’t know such kind to skills because s/he already uses PhotoShops for 5+ years.
Tip4: please use Google, not Baidu
For this tips, I am emphasize it for many times. I never use Baidu, use Google. Why? Most of valuable information is in English. And Google search result is best matched.
Someone may ask one question: I can’t access Google in China. Sorry, I hate this question. As a worker in IT industry, it is pity or not professional if you can’t access Google in your own way. I refuse you if you can’t.
Tip5: Make conclusion, make conclusion
Yes, please make conclusion what you are doing. What is great, what is bad, what is making customers satisfied, what is making customer unsatisfied?
Please write down them in 1, 2, 3,… in order.
Tip6: Pause when you are struggling
When you are spending 30 minutes on solving a problem which is easy you think, please pause it. and have a test, think it again. Whether a wrong way is going on for you?
OK, above are the basic tips, I believe there are many other tips, please let me know if you have any comment.
In my opinion, they are only the tips, that can not solve the root problem. We must format our own good work behavior/style, and be an expert at the principle and fundamental of we are working on.
Let’s do an excellent job!