I recently came across the 501 etymology and I thought of borrowing the concept over to productivity; thus, The 501 Productivity.
The phrase “5:01 developer” was coined to describe a “developer who bolts out the door at 1 minute past 5pm.”.
We’ve worked with these people – when the clock strikes at the 5:00 PM mark, they’re gone for the day.
But of course, there are those who keep working far beyond that time.
Let’s not attribute a bad connotation to the 501 workers. In fact, we all should aspire to become a 501 person.
You should read the story of Sheryl Sandberg, CEO of Facebook, and learn how and why she does not work beyond 40 Hours per Week!
Let’s define what a 501 Productivity is all about:
Effective Work Throughput
According to Wikipedia, “Throughput can be best described as the rate at which a system generates its products / services per unit of time.” The key phrase there is “per unit of time”.
The question is, how many tasks can you cross off your list in an hour? Or the better question is, how much time do you need to cross off all your day tasks?
It’s not about the amount of work you can generate within the 8-hour window you’d given.
It’s not simply a matter of speed, either.
The key is improving your process, workflow, or system in order for you to maximize your time.
Effective work throughput is being able to do more work without really overworking yourself to death by improving your behavior, technique, and style of performing your job.
Well-defined Daily Goals
Maintaining a list of your daily goals might add an extra task you’d need to accomplish.
That seems to be counter-intuitive to getting things done.
Your target is to accomplish all the things you need to get done by the end of the day. You must know your goals.
If you’re working on a project that spans multiple days, even weeks, set tasks in blocks and schedule them on daily basis.
You should have a strategy on attacking your goals.
Delivering Quality Results
The main goal of the 501 Productivity is not “doing work fast so you can go home fast.”
Avoid jam-packing your tasks just so you can do more work within limited amount of time.
There are ways to do more work in short amount of time. The key here is discipline, dedication, and awareness of goals.
You can really go the extra mile without stacking up extra hours.
Other Tips For The 501 Productivity
1. How Not To Overload Your To-Do List
2. Why You Should Schedule Your Priorities
4. How Your Daily Rituals Can Set The Tone Of Productivity
5. Establishing The Habit Of Staying Productive
6. Dealing Effectively With Information Overload At Work
7. How To Overcome Disruptions And Achieve Your Productivity Goals
Let’s all do 501 Productivity and bolt out our doors at 5:01 PM! Let’s go!
Photo courtesy of flick user wallyg
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