Agile helps us deliver higher-quality products that better meet customers' expectations. Part of the reason why is that Agile methodologies help to reduce cognitive load and therefore encourage focused, effective work. What exactly does this mean, and are there strategies for boosting individual productivity? In this talk, Greg will walk participants through an exercise in project management and execution. After the exercise, he will discuss some of his favorite strategies and tools for staying on task and boosting productivity.

1. #StayAgile

2. by: Greg Kenenitz
@aceofbassgreg

3. Section 1: Live Demo

4. Time Estimate Considerations:
• length of name
• expected quality
• handwriting abilities
• writing surface

5. Lessons Learned:
• humans aren't great at estimating
• context switching costs a lot

6. Section 2: Reduce Noise

7. 1) Inbox Zero
• Labels and filters are your friend
• Only things in inbox are actionable items
• Get in, take action, move on
• Email client is closed except at scheduled times

8. 2) Limit # of Open Browser Tabs
• xTab (Chrome plugin) allows you to set max # of
tabs
• If you REALLY need to leave a tab open, pin & move
to side

9. 3) Learn Your Tools Really Well
• Think Text Editors, Excel, PM software, Git...
• Tutorials, conversations are worth the time

10. Example: Sublime Text & Atom Shortcuts

11. 4) Hands On Keyboard, Avoid Mouse
• Keyboard shortcuts - more efficient than using
mouse
• EVE helps you learn Mac shortcuts
• shortcutFoo for Vim, Sublime, Excel, Git

12. Example: OSX Shortcuts
• Command + Spacebar for new app

13. Example: OSX Shortcuts
• Command + Tab to cycle through apps
• Command + ` to cycle backwards through apps

14. 5) Intentional Downtime from Messaging
Apps
• Tell teammates / stakeholders in advance
• Make sure there is limited potential for fires
• Try to pick most productive time of day

15. Section 3: Smarter Meetings

16. 6) Have Agile stand-ups
• 5-15 minutes, tops, with everyone standing
• What you finished, what's in progress, impediments
• Sidebar ALL digressions
• Invite stakeholders to ask questions

17. 7) Don't Over-invite, Don't Over-attend
• Only invite necessary stakeholders
• Too many cooks in kitchen adds expense, leads to
bloated meeting times
• If attendance is not vital, think twice about
attending
• Rule - if you will work through meeting, don't go

18. 8) Try to Reduce Meeting by 15 minutes
• Why book an hour when you can book 45 minutes?
• What agenda items can get more focused?
• Must maintain focus & move meeting along

19. 9) If You Book a Meeting, Lead It
• Always include written agenda in invite
• Know time breakdown by topic going into meeting
• Take notes & add to calendar invite
• Sidebar as needed
• Come up with action items, review them with team

20. 10) Eliminate Unnecessary Meetings or
Ceremonies
• Beware the Recurring Meeting
Remember: just because something is standard
practice doesn't mean it works for your team.

21. Section 4: Budget Time For You

22. 11) Set Time Limit on Tire-Spinning
• Easy for devs to get stuck for too long
• Allocate enough time to learn new tools, not so
much that productivity suffers

23. 12) Make Prioritized Lists
• Smaller the tasks, the better
• Ideally these are revisited & refined

24. 13) Check out the Pomodoro Technique
• Work in short sprints, consistently productive
• Conscientious about what's in progress at any given
time
• Lifehacker Guide to Pomodoro

25. 14) Block off Time by Task, Not Topic
OK Schedule:
→ Meeting about Cat Blog
→ working on Cat Blog
→ meeting about Style Guide
→ working on Style Guide

26. 14) Block off Time by Task, Not Topic
Better Schedule:
→ Meeting about Cat Blog
→ meeting about Style Guide
→ working on Cat Blog
→ working on Style Guide

27. 15) Schedule Time on Calendar for Heads-
down work
• Prevent meetings during peak productive times
• Be more conscientious about your work

28. By reducing noise, having smarter meetings, &
budgeting time for you, you can achieve better
estimates, achieve deep context & devote more
time to more important things.

29. Thank You!