So lately ive been trying to guess how long the call would take:
“Hi Mary, i’m calling to ask about something that may take 2 minutes.”
They would say Yes I can talk, or they would tell me if I could call later.
When I make a call, I started trying to time how much time the interaction and communications take. This is nothing new. I time our meetings and how much Information I can get over time. As well as try to measure the Business Value of the Information: How many steps removed I am from money or a cost.
Its weird: Calling with a mental plan of what to ask and how long it will take to understand or take in information, and how it relates to MONEY.
A strange aspect of this method of interaction is how I’ve begun timing and planning small chunks of time. I know it takes me an x2 the effort to Change gears. This means if Ive been composing information at 400 words per hour, If I’m changing gear I’m going to be half as productive as I switch task.
Also I usually take 1 hour of discussion, inquiry, analysis, etc… (60 minutes of 200 words per minute for 12,000 words of data) to mentally prep me to produce 1/10 as much of output. And my mental bandwidth revs up to a slow 200 words to 400 words of usable output (400 words if I trim and clean up the work; 400 words that have the most value).
Its strange to think like this. To think that Every minor action (2 to 5 minutes) has any strong bearing in the day. That it can shape my day or someone else’s day. But 2-5 minutes is enough to re-evaluate what we are about to do, to pause and ask communicate and connect with someone who has a different perspective, 2-5 minutes is enough to take notes and stock of Next Actions.
So I measure my time in
2-5 hour concentrated tasks.
1 hour tasks which is changing gear or multi-tasking. Not really productive but necessary.
2-5 minute pauses to think, talk, take notes, breathe, ask questions, re-evaluate.
Every task has a base success rate of 10-20% with increasing level of success as it becomes part of my Core ME. My core competency: asking questions, active listening, taking notes, and doing diligence.
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