How to Speed Up
This is an annoyingly common scenario. A project manager asks you to spend fewer hours to accomplish a task, but provides no guidance on how to actually do it. You can’t magically finish your work without spending the time on it. So what are you supposed to do now?
First, let’s take a moment to mentally flip off that project manager. There’s no reason why the project manager shouldn’t be putting in some work to help you meet the goals of the project. But if they’re not going to help you get there, I will.
Now, you’re going to have to figure out what you need to work on. You may have to do a little data collection, some self-reflection, or maybe ask for feedback from others. Check if you can find your issue below and find some tips on how to fix it.
You focused on a single task and didn’t have enough time to finish the rest.
Before you delve in on a project, budget specific time for each task to keep yourself accountable. This will let you know if you’re going overboard on a task.
Don’t waste time when you hit a wall. If you get stuck on an issue, switch to a different task. You can go back to it when inspiration strikes. You can even send an email asking others for advice while you work on other things.
You may not be understanding the expectations of how precise, detailed, or complicated your finished product actually needs to be. Get some feedback from your peers or your project manager.
Meetings take over your days.
Create clear meeting agendas prior to the meeting and send to the team. This can help your team members come more prepared, allowing you to focus the meeting. This can hopefully save time wasted on tangents and less important issues.
Use emails to discuss simple issues when you can. Meetings are valuable for bringing everyone together to exchange ideas. But if everything discussed in the meeting could have been accomplished via email, you’re not making the most of your time.
Interrupt people that are wasting everyone’s time during the meeting. If you’re so inclined, you can do it politely. You can say, “Let’s put a pin in this for now and I’ll make a note to revisit this. I think we need to spend this time discussing… yo mamma.”
Schedule meetings to allow for uninterrupted work time. If you’re more productive in the morning, schedule your meetings in the afternoon (or vice versa) so you can make the most of your time.
You spend too much time on repeatable tasks.
For calculations, you can create calc sheets in excel, mathcad, or whatever program works for you. You will need to invest a little extra time at the moment, but it can save you time in the future.
For drafting, you can create templates and dynamic blocks to help you get a head start on any project. (Also, if you’re slow at drafting - there are plenty of shortcuts to use. Typing commands vs. clicking off the ribbon, using styles, good layer control, etc. can help speed up your drafting.)
For field measurements or inspections, you can get better tools or even create your own stencils to make things go a little quicker.
For reports, you shouldn’t be starting off with a blank word document each time. Create your own template and get a head start each time. (Need a word refresher? Get some tips here.)
For data entry, you can create tools to help do part of the work for you. You can use formulas to calculate data in Excel. You can create tables that plot points directly into AutoCAD. Be a little creative, and figure out ways to make your life easier.
It takes too long to get your bearings.
Ask more and/or better questions when you’re getting briefed on the project. What is the project scope? What are the functional requirements of the project? Where are the relevant files located? Who should you direct questions to? How much time are you budgeted for? What are your deadlines?
Ask for clear direction on how to proceed if you’re not sure. Do you know which programs you should use? Are there any example projects that you can work off of? Which codes/guidelines should you use?
You may pride yourself on your independence and want to figure out how to do everything on your own. Before you try and figure out something on your own, set a timer for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, assess if you need to ask for help. Note that asking for help doesn’t make you stupid. But spinning your wheels needlessly for too long does kind of make you stupid.
You’re spending too much time proofing.
Using fields in your report can allow you to easily update things like dates, table of contents, and cross-references. You can link your tables and charts from excel so they update automatically when you change data.
You may want to create better quality control procedures for yourself so that you can feel more confident in speedier reviews. Keep a list of lessons learned. Figure out a way to keep track of comments and open tasks that works for you.
If you’re able to use properly QC’d templates, you can have some confidence in the template and save yourself some time.
Maybe you need to get some space from the thing you’re reviewing. Sometimes time away can give you a clear head and make you more productive when you return to it.
You’re a detailed-oriented perfectionist.
Make it a habit of asking yourself, is it worth it? Do you need to do a finite element analysis for a rough-sizing concept design? The answer is no. Do you need to do a detailed connection design for a 30% design submission when there’s only a few days to submission? The answer is also no.
Sometimes worrying about all the details can come from not having enough experience. Try creating cheatsheets for yourself. For example, you can keep a record of design loads and resultant member sizes and help use it to inform quicker decisions. Having an idea of what “looks about right” can help with the second-guessing.