Valuing Work

In assessing the work that I take on and in this context: the tasks that I take on- I have been inspired by kaidomac's description of "Discrete Assignments"

Some of the takeaways are (of the top of my head, so that I can get this out and get back to making progress)

• Capture a reason (or benefit) behind the task- this helps connect it to a better future state. "Wash the dishes" is a boring job, adding the reason behind it "I want a clean kitchen sbefore I go to sleep so that I can start the day off with a clean workspace and feel refreshed for the day"
• Capture minute steps to accomplish the task. This is mostly for 'larger tasks' (probably not useful for 'take out the trash')- it helps create a starting place, an initializing sep to get the task rolling. Even for something as simple/ mundaine as "wash the dishes" we can capture the start of a basic break down: Unload the dishwasher, Get the hot water running, Soak the pans, throw dishes into dishwasher. This breakdown makes the first step even more accessible. And frequently the hardest part is the first step. Even though the bulk of the work is scrubbing pans, the step that requires the most effort is the first- with an empty dishwasher it is asy to load it up, with a mostly clear sink it is easier to scrub the pans.

One of the challenging things for me in the moment of decision is to assess the ROI of a task I am seeking to accomplish. If i have a list of 10 things I could be doing, my attention wil fall to the thing that seems the easiest, or the most entertaining. This isn't a particulary bad place to be in, but if I can assess ROI before hand, then I know I am making more use of my time at the moment of decision.

Assessing ROI as Value/ Effort (or benefit divided by effort, or potential dollars divided by effort) is a great place to start. Some of my tasks are seemingly low value to have accomplished today or this week but will create a significant benefit in the long run. Documenting a "Today Value" and a "Tomorrow Value" is also helpful. (or as I have dubbed it Quadrant 1 value and Quadrant 2 value in reference to the Eisenhower Matrix).
Q1 Items are things like "Set Up 1:1 with potential client" doing this sooner will bring more value, whereas Q2 items like "Add video to Product Page" will not be as beneficial today as it will be in the long run.

And we want to do work that will compound upon itself, bringing more value in the future, with less of a reactionary mindset and more of a proactive mindset.