‘Timeboxed for Date/Time’ [tip]
Bring a little harmony to the world
TLDR: When asked to do a task, say something positive and convincing: ‘Timeboxed for date/time’
Word count: 441 words
Read time: 2 mins
Someone asks you to do something. How should you respond?
This happens for most of us several times every day. It’s a common microcommunication that underpins much of how human beings interact, at work and at home.
But I think most of us could easily do it much better.
The most common responses to being asked to carry out a task are:
“Will do”
“OK”
“Got it”
“On it”
“No problem”
“Right away”
“Of course”
“I'll take care of it”
“Understood”
“Sure”
“On my list”
Nothing at all
The problem
These responses ≠ good comms. Good communication needs to be both convincing and positive. None of the responses are both. Mostly, they don’t convey any useful information about when the task is likely to get done. That leaves the task-requester unsure whether the task will definitely be attended to, and even less sure if it will be done when they need it. And some of these reponses fail on the other axis — they’re negative/curt/terse.
I suspect that people give these imprecise answers because they don’t want the pressure and don’t think the extra information is useful. But most of all, because they just don’t think about this.
The solution
So simple.
If you’re setting the task fo someone, state when you need it done by. This won’t sound presumptuous / rude if you state why the deadline is what it is.
And if you’re the one who’s going to be doing the task:
Ask when it’s needed (if it’s not already been specified)
Consider your schedule. If you really don’t have the time, your colleague needs to know that and your full calendar is ample and appropriate justification for saying ‘no’.
Tell your colleague it’s ‘Timeboxed for Date/Time’ (and make sure it is, indeed, timeboxed in your calendar)
Get it done by then
If your colleague has an issue with your proposed timing, they get a chance to tell you so. If they don’t, they’ll feel reassured and respected. Think how much more confident you yourself would feel that the task will be done on time if they tell you when it’s been timeboxed (and indeed if you see it appear in your colleague’s calendar, sometime before your deadline). This is teamwork truly, making the dream work.
If we all did this there would instantly be much more efficiency and much less unnecessary discord in the world — in business and in life.
We’re all busy. We all have a hundred tasks that need doing at any given moment. Help others understand what matters to you in this simple way.
Start with the very next task you get or give.
Marc
Links you may like
7 days of Timeboxing (the free email micro-course)
Timeboxing, the book (US)
Timeboxing, the book (UK)
Connect with me on LinkedIn (I will say yes!)