Hey Habr! All with the past holidays, our parting was difficult and long. To be honest, there was nothing so big that I wanted to write about. Then I realized that I want to raise the planning processes from the point of view of the product. After all, December and January are the time to take stock and set goals for the year, quarter, both in the organization and in life.

As usual, I continue to experiment with formats and bring to your attention a new issue of the food digest. More materials about product management, development and more at my telegram channel.

Let's deal with the following topics in sequence

What do I want? - we will formulate a list of wishes, not goals, I will explain later.

What can I do? - We will formulate a list of skills and abilities that are worth working on.

Stories from life I will share my planning experience.

Share how you plan your year? Happy reading.

What do I want?

I really like the life analogy. Imagine that life is a wheel with several spokes. In my case, these are 4 spokes:

Health - going to the doctor, football and so on.
Development - books, movies, meditation, practices and routines.
Relationships are family and friends.
Professional development - career, finance, science, personal brand.

Someone has more of these spokes-directions, someone has less, someone has them differently, but still there are several of them, and each of them covers a certain area of life.

The fundamental work for me is an article by Tim Urban - the author of a popular blog Wait But Why. He thoroughly analyzed the issue and laid it out on the shelves. These are not banal tips in the style of “the best job is a paid hobby”, but useful and largely non-obvious theses that allow you to systematically approach the choice of a profession. The article is useful not only for finding a suitable career, but also for a general understanding of what you want to achieve in life.

An example of an uneven focus on different areas of life in the article: How to choose a career that's right for you - fundamental work for about 1 hour (there, by the way, there is an audio with Tarasov Valentin - the voice is simply cosmic).

Like a real wheel, these spokes should be the same length. If any of the spokes is strongly knocked out, then the movement will be uneven, it will be difficult to turn this wheel, the path will take a long time. If a pair of spokes is much shorter than the rest, then the wheel will also wobble all the time, and normal spokes will bend as a result.

If all the spokes are the same length, but very short, then you get a very small wheel that you have to turn very, very quickly, making a lot of effort to gain the desired speed.

If all the spokes are the same length and equally strong, then very little effort will be required to maintain a high speed. Therefore, it seems that you need to plan not only your career, but also other areas of your life, so that development is more even.

I tried to explain more about how to move from analogy to planning in this article: Wish-setting - a course for those who do not want to put on their desires.

Comment from my friend the author of the channel https://t.me/product_weekdays: Recently, I also stopped clearly setting goals and renamed my note from “Goals” to “Wishlist” - I can want anything. I was surprised when it started working - I constantly add to the list, I constantly do something from there. What’s also cool, I calmly remove some points from there: it’s difficult to remove something from the “goals” (this is the GOAL, I thought well and should come to it), from the “wishlist” it’s simple - I don’t want it anymore, I don’t believe it, what is needed or important to me.

What is my planning routine?

Here are two tools that help you organize your plans and break away from the routine.

Create a goal map

Once every six months I try to figure out where I'm going. To do this, on a piece of paper list of plans:

For five years, what I want to achieve.
For five years, provided that there is no money.
New list, plans for five years without restrictions on money.

After that, I analyze those points that are included in A) and B) - these are the things that require nothing but desire and time to fulfill. Above C) - how to translate the elements of this list into B).

Why the method is needed: helps to realize that the achievement of most goals does not depend on money.

Where will I be?

Another useful tool that makes you move is to ask yourself the question: am I there in X time?

Example:

Let's say I want to move abroad, but I don't know where to start. I take an arbitrary segment and ask myself the question: Tigran, and in 12 months I'm there? If the answer is yes, then I reduce the time. Tigran, will I be there in 6 months? Let's say not yet, then between 6 and 12 months lies the event Y - this is a move. And between the state of "now" and this event Y - lies the preparation for this move. I ask myself the question, what do they do to move - they prepare a visa, look for housing, look for work. Thus, I create an understanding of what needs to be prepared and how to get to the end point.

Weekly and monthly planning

At the beginning of the year, I collect a list of wish list for the year in an electronic notebook, and add the results of the previous year there.
Based on the list for the year, I make lists for the month. I also do them in a notepad on a PC, but I'm already printing.
Once a week I make a calendar on A4 (it is in the photo) and prescribe routine tasks for this time (small squares that I can paint over) - I have blocks - Priority for the week, Goal for the week, useful things of the week, conclusions of the week.
Every 2-3 days I make myself a to-do list by priorities for the near future on A4 format (also in the photo).
I do quick summing up and bold crossing out almost every day. 🙂

Wishlist planning using pop methods - using SMART as an example

I sincerely believe that setting goals, formalizing desires and wishes is one of the most useful skills that should be taught from the first grades of school. The most common problem for those who are just starting to formulate Wishlist is their abstractness. For example, I want to learn English...

There are a bunch of different frameworks that solve this problem, but there is one simple and pop, in my opinion, no less convenient and effective from this - SMART. You probably know everything about him, but here it’s worth remembering about him precisely in the plane of personal plans for the year.

Briefly about SMART

The methodology includes 5 main characteristics that each Wishlist must meet:

specific. The wording must be specific. Specificity means a clear understanding of the result to be achieved. Bad example: "Learn English." Why is such a goal bad? Because you can learn English and detail knowledge in it all your life. And for some people, learning 100 words is already an achievement, while for others, passing an IELTS 5.5 certification is a so-so result. A good example: "Pass the TOEFL with a minimum score of 95." This specific wording immediately gives you an understanding of the amount of work that needs to be done, alternative tasks such as “find a place where you can conveniently get certified”, what textbooks to buy, what teachers to study with, and so on.
measurable. It is necessary to somehow measure the result in order to understand whether you have fulfilled your wishlist or not? In the example above, such a value is points when passing certification. If we talk about other examples, then often we want to "start going to the gym." But it is not clear how many times you need to go. Is once enough or not? This is where “Have 10 workouts in the gym before January 31, 2020” would work better.
Achievable. We must be realistic and try to put the Wishlist into an achievable format. Achievement - affects motivation. It is not necessary to concentrate on the simple, because in this case, interest also disappears. But no matter how much you want to, your brain is unlikely to take seriously the goal of "Be on the moon by February 1, 2020." But “Write 50 articles by December 31, 2020” seems much more achievable and interesting for that.
Relevant. Wishlist must mean something to you. Look for internal motivation for the Wishlist, not external. If you say “I want to get a license”, but at the same time you don’t have money for a car, you need to travel by train, then the question immediately arises, how much do you need this Wishlist?
time bound. We introduce time limits. When a time mark appears to which you need to get the result, the brain offline begins to build a conditional timeline. You begin to understand that in order to pass the certification by December 15, you need to learn 800 (for example) words. Well, the brain understands that it is unlikely that you will have time to learn them all by starting preparation in 3 days, so it’s worth sketching out a plan.

Now let's compare two Wishlist: "Learn English" and "Pass the TOEFL certification with at least 95 points by December 15, 2020."

Planning is not meant to solve problems - it makes us think. Thinking is very helpful.

What can I do?

How to measure skills?

My father is a life story lover, he has a life full of history. One day he asked me, what can you do? The question puzzled me, I was then 22 years old, I worked in IT for two years, earned 100 rubles a month - but I had little idea what I could do.

I am sure that if we were sitting over a cup of coffee, and I would ask you the same question, what can you do, or what skills do you have, then most likely, you would tell me the following:

I don't know what I can do.
I don't have (few) skills.

The first answer suggests that you have not often asked yourself this question. If the latter, then it is because you are human. It is difficult for people to recognize their own skills. You usually take them for granted and don't single them out as abilities.

So, let's continue to sit over an imaginary cup of coffee: first of all, you need to figure out what skills you have. We make a list of your current skills to understand what you can and can't do. To do this, you need to follow two steps:

Write down all ideas.
Structure them.

Step 1: Write down all ideas

As a tool, you can use a board, a piece of paper, a notebook. Recordings don't have to be perfect. The main thing is to make them. The key criterion is the number of entries, not their quality. One of your skills should be written on one card, there can be as many cards as you remember your abilities. You don't need to edit anything. Now for us the main number. To start recording, answer the following questions:

What are you good at? Drop modesty, there is no time for it. What are you good and great at? Maybe you know how to make great marketing offers? Maybe you, like no one else, know how to balance the budget? And I'm not talking about your current job right now. Return to the past. If you've ever been a great newspaper deliverer, write it down: "delivered on time."
What is given by itself? You may think that everyone can do some things, but in fact it is not. If you can host chic corporate dinners with ease, it means that you are great at planning events and bringing people together. Just because something comes easy to you doesn't mean it's not an ability. Are you known for being able to easily fit ten days' worth of clothes in a small hand luggage when you go on a business trip? Or maybe you managed to set up a real woodworking workshop in your garage, but you always thought it was a stupid hobby?

Step 2: Structure your skills

After you write down a few skills, you will start to notice something - some of the ideas are connected. Group them however you like. For example, “what I like to do the most”, “skills for which I am paid more”, “skills that I want to improve”, “abilities that I have not used in a long time”. For example, in the figure, I drew my matrix, which works on scales from “rarely” to “often” and from “poor” to “excellent”.

My matrix for scale of use and quality of ownership

Yes, it may sound strange, but only an idiot would judge you for writing down your ideas and trying to get smarter. The structure will help you understand exactly what skills you have. If you wrote down, for example, ten abilities and nine of them fall under the category “Skills that I do not use in my current job,” then this needs to be corrected. Try to use your abilities more often, learn the skills that you will need in your current job, or even find a new job that suits your skills.

If you end up with two cards with the general category "I have no skills, I hate the author of this article," then it's time to call one of your friends. Have coffee with him and ask him directly: “What do you think, what skills do I have?” The main purpose of the exercise is to evoke two things: hope and awareness. Hope is simple. At the beginning of such a journey, it is always easy to lose heart and think that you have very few professional skills. Awareness is necessary to understand what abilities to acquire. It doesn't matter if you want to improve your current job performance or find a new one - in any case, you will definitely need new skills.

When you have an inventory of your current skills in front of you, it's easier to figure out what's missing. This way you can quickly determine what new skills you need to get a new job or get out of your usual rut.

Theory of work on skills

Let's start with the theory of the formation and improvement of skills. There are four stages along this path:

preliminary is associated with the first attempts and, accordingly, an overabundance of information;
analytical - during it, a person analyzes and tries to understand how best to do what is required of him;
synthetic - characterized by the unification of theory and practice;
automatic - a person brings his skill to perfection, without focusing on its implementation of much attention.

Brainstorm - and this is not a group

First of all, you need to try, setting yourself up for the upcoming work. For example, someone wants to learn how to hit hard. Immediately begins to thresh the pear as it will. He is getting acquainted with this sports equipment. Further, he watches themed videos, reads books, maybe takes a couple of training sessions from an experienced boxer. In the process of doing this, he analyzes his actions and compares them with the information received. In the head of this person there is a synthesis of theory and practical skills. Tries to hit the bag correctly, starting from the foot, twisting the pelvis, correctly directing the fist at the target. Gradually, the necessary skill is developed. It is no longer difficult for him to perform a technically correct strike without even thinking about it. This is the skill brought to automatism.

The Four Pillars of Mastering a New Skill

Master only one skill at a time. In order for the skill to take root in our lives, rooted to the level of automatism, we need to pay maximum attention to it. Childhood is a period when a person is able to embrace an incredible amount of new knowledge. At this time, we simultaneously learn to walk, talk, hold a spoon and tie shoelaces. This takes years - despite the fact that our consciousness is most open to the new. In adulthood, this ability is blunted. Even mastering one skill will become a real stress for the psyche and body. In addition, the skills we learn at the same time will subconsciously link together and act as a complex phenomenon. This can lead to a completely unexpected effect. For example, if for some reason you cannot use one skill or it is not needed at a given time, the second one may “fall off” by analogy. Learning one skill in one period of time should take place in a concentrated form, then you can master it as quickly as possible and move on to the next.

Train a lot, at first not paying attention to the quality of the work done. I do not urge you to complete tasks in the "bang-bang" mode. But the thing is, nothing works out well at first, no matter how hard we try. By trying to emphasize quality in learning, we slow ourselves down. In this case, the quantity is more important - it is better to do a lot of repetitions with an average result than few, but with a good one. Studies show that with constant intensive practice, shortcomings go away by themselves, people learn much faster than when trying to do everything perfectly in the first stages.

Practice the new skill many times. An interesting observation: after attending any training or master class, most participants show worse results than they would show with an amateur approach without professional information. This is because the application of new skills in practice is always associated with inexperience, we feel discomfort and helplessness, because our mind and body are not used to performing these actions. To understand how well a particular skill is given to you, you need to repeat it several times, at least three.

Do not use new skills in important matters. I think after reading the previous three points, you can guess why. Imagine that you have just mastered the skill, and immediately try to test it in "combat" conditions. The importance of the situation makes you nervous, stress from the inconvenience of novelty is superimposed on the excitement, the skill has not yet been worked out properly ... And-and-and everything turns out even worse than if this skill was not used at all. Remember - you must first rehearse it well in a calm situation, and only then apply it in stressful circumstances.

FIRST Development Principles

In order for the skill development process to be effective, the FIRST principle of continuous development can be followed:

Focus on priorities (focus on priorities) - define development goals as accurately as possible, select a specific area for improvement;
Implement something every day (practice regularly) - regularly perform actions that contribute to development, applying new knowledge and skills in practice, solving more complex tasks that go beyond the "comfort zone";
Reflect on what happens (evaluate progress) - constantly monitor changes in your behavior, analyze your actions and results achieved, the reasons for success and failure;
Seek feedback and support (look for support and feedback) - use feedback and support in learning from experts, experienced colleagues, listen to their opinions and recommendations;
Transfer learning into next steps (set yourself new goals) - continuously improve, constantly define new development goals for yourself, do not stop there.

Summarize

The development of goals and skills is a long-term process, do not think that you can change everything in one day. For me, this format is a great experiment, if it works for you, I will write more about development. Tell me about how you do it yourself.

Source: habr.com

Product Management Digest for December and January