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What are you working on currently? How will you know when you are done with it?
More often than not, I feel that I don't have a definition of done for my work. I stop working when the day is over and I start working again the next day. But I have no clear definition of when a task is done. I don't know how long it will take to be "done" and I don't know when I should stop working on it.
For small tasks, like adding a feature or fixing a bug in a codebase this definition of done is pretty clear. I'm done when I've fixed the bug, tested it, and deployed it to production.
As I progress through my career, the tasks become more and more unspecified, though. No one provides a definition of done for me anymore. I have to know myself when something is "done".
So, I've built the habit of defining what done means for all of my tasks. Here's how I do it and how it helps me.
Structure your day in increments: to be able to be "done" with my work for the day, I structure the day in increments. A maximum of 3 focus sessions per day to get things done. Usually just 1 or 2 sessions, depending on my calendar that day. In the evening I think about the next day's focus sessions. I have a backlog of tasks in Trello which I use for inspiration. Then, for each session, I think about what I want to make progress on and define a minimum viable action that brings me forward to that goal. This is the action I do first in each session. When this action is done, I have achieved my goal for the session and can feel accomplished.
Fight perfectionism: a daily structure like the above helps me to fight perfectionism. When the "minimum viable action" is done, I'm done with this session. I don't need to work anymore on it. It doesn't mean that I will never revisit the project I've been working on, but I won't do it right now. This gives me a bit of distance to the project before deciding the next step, which makes a decision more rational.
"Past a certain point, more effort doesn't produce better performance. It sabotages our performance" - Greg McKeown in "Effortless"
Fight procrastination: the daily structure not only helps to fight perfectionism but also procrastination. If you have a plan for the day, it's so much easier to get started on the work. I'm selecting the work the evening before, at the latest, so that I don't have to spend willpower on decisions what to work on during the day.
When I'm done with my daily sessions, I have time for things like checking emails and chat messages, organizing myself, and socializing.
Of course, it doesn't work out every day. I get distracted by another task or there is a fire to be fought and I can't get a session done or even plan the next session. But I'm trying to get back into a rhythm of work. And this rhythm only works when I know when I'm done with something.
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