Suggest edit — Compressing Execution

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title: "Compressing Execution"
visibility: public
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# Compressing Execution

Category: [[execution|Execution]]

[Read the original document](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hBqg1X0k2CWz7309fOCh_4_zs91w0WA50PcJAY9olaw/edit?usp=sharing&sa=D&ust=1596495076355000&usg=AOvVaw1-9XNR5sKMiioT7cctTTUz)

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Major Techniques
1. Run Task Management System (Hierarchical Goals - Yearly-Monthly-Weekly-Daily)
   1. Plan each day in advance
   2. Schedule on a calendar in addition to a to-do list
2. Build streaks / habits / momentum
3. Triage (80/20, Pareto Principle)
4. Single, clear task at a time
5. Most important task in the morning with focus
   1. Do the most difficult task first
6. Cut off all distractions
7. Enter the appropriate mental state
   1. Music
   2. Visualization
8. Create Large Chunks of Time
9. Social Accountability
   1. Precommitment
   2. Feedback
10. Bite off the smallest action step possible
11. Break large projects into small projects - overlarge projects kill morale
12. Time Tracking
13. Metrics as a reward system
14. Set Deadlines
15. Conversation activates a social mode that can make it very hard to focus. Don’t talk to people until after deep work is over for the day.
16. Liberally use timers. Predict the duration that each task will take and try to complete it under time.
   1. Timeboxing

Major Models
1. Momentum
2. Process Focus vs. Outcome Focus (Growth vs. Product)
3. Goal clarity / fuzziness, level of abstraction of goals (lower the better)
4. Focus / Attention
5. Determination / Courage
6. Self Sabotage
7. Social Norms
8. Habits (Cue, Routine, Reward)
9. Metrics associated with clear goals
10. Parkinson’s Principle
11. Willpower

Minor Models
1. Metrics Drive Behavior
2. Attention Switching Costs / Impact of multitasking

Minor Techniques
1. Say no to everything misaligned with goals
   1. Hell yes or no.
2. Focus Tracking
3. Meditation
4. Cold Shower
5. Decompose your workflow into tasks, sub-tasks and sub-sub-tasks, and then optimize every aspect of the decomposed workflow.
6. Take Breaks
7. Stop Doing list or Not To Do list
8. Batch tasks
   1. Ex, email/messages 2x a day
9. If an action takes less than 5m to complete, do it immediately
10. Be Well Rested
11. Stopping Time
12. Have tiers to your daily tasks, don’t stop a tier until that tier is done.
13. Do the hardest thing first

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*Source: [Original Google Doc](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hBqg1X0k2CWz7309fOCh_4_zs91w0WA50PcJAY9olaw/edit?usp=sharing&sa=D&ust=1596495076355000&usg=AOvVaw1-9XNR5sKMiioT7cctTTUz)*