Are you a sequential or random-access doer?
Today I want to ask you a question and I’m really, really curious to know how you do things.
I’m really curious to know if you are the type of person who does things in a linear sequence or do you follow a more random pattern of working.
Linear sequence would be an example of starting at the beginning or logical starting point and then following a predefined set of steps, in order, until you reach the logical ending point. If you were driving from City A to City B, as an example, there is probably a shortest path where you always pass by several other cities, towns, landmarks, and so on. Food recipes are another example of doing work in a specific sequence of steps.
Random-access, a little-used term but quietly prolific process, means that you can do things out of sequence, just like the way that your computer’s hard drive, your DVD player, and your digital music player can move to any piece of data (or section of the storage media). These machines can move directly to a specific piece of information without passing through all preceding pieces of data. In terms of work, this means that you do not work in a pre-determined sequence. Instead, you’ll flip from task to task depending on your interest levels or other criteria.
By habit or by nature, I seem to use non-linear methods whenever I can, particularly when I have a lot of control over how I can do something. The main reason I use these methods, I think, is that I need a starting point to sink myself into before I can properly get oriented on doing something.
It’s not always the most efficient way to get things done, but it’s effective for me (I tend to be more biased to effectiveness than efficiency).
But enough about me.
How about you?
Are you a linear worker or do you move through work differently, more random-access? Please share your thoughts with the rest of us and thanks!
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George Cozma:
I'm beginning to believe that I have a bad case of A.D.D. I'm way too random in how I do my work.
24 September 2008, 8:18 amcharlieanzman:
Kinda half way in between but moving toward 'more structured' as (1) I get a lot more done. (2) It's positively healthier (IE: Breaks!) and (3) I get to see my wife once in a while
24 September 2008, 8:27 amMark Dykeman:
I can relate at times…
24 September 2008, 8:38 amMark Dykeman:
Those are all good points, Charlie…
24 September 2008, 8:39 amDerek Hatchard:
When you drive through Nova Scotia, get off the Trans-Canada onto the old highway near Wentworth. If you know where to stop, you can walk into the woods and find a nice little waterfall. Far better than driving straight through from A to B.
I am completely non-linear and random access. The drawback is the context switching cost. I flip between too many tasks too often. The past few months I've been trying to balance that by focusing on getting 4 to 6 primary tasks done per day. Then I can meander and flip as desired through other tasks.
24 September 2008, 8:45 amAlex Fayle | Someday Syndrome:
I'm completely Random Access – but since I use lists and track my time, I'm still able to get things done.
24 September 2008, 8:48 amMark Dykeman:
In manufacturing, the “switching” cost that you mention is called the changeover cost. In the past, manufacturing's aim was to go for long runs than minimized changeovers to different products to reduce those costs. Now the goal is to allow more changeovers, smaller batch sizes, and more variety at a lower cost. A universal concept, perhaps.
24 September 2008, 9:07 amJayCruz:
Definitely a “random access” type of guy.
24 September 2008, 10:26 amMark Dykeman:
A number of other readers feel the same way, it seems.
24 September 2008, 10:31 amPhil Glockner:
Definitely more on the random-access side. In fact, yeah, I have trouble with set sequences.
24 September 2008, 11:58 amjonallen:
I work in support, so by definition work is random, with requests and problems arriving at unpredicable times and frequency.
But when the support work stops and I have time for project work, I can't get out of the random approach. I end up spending a huge amount of time spinning my wheels trying to do a little bit of each part of the different projects, instead of just focusing on doing and completing one part. I wish I could switch to linear mode, but it's not easy.
25 September 2008, 7:50 amBeth Kanter:
YOu're really asking about right brain versus left brain – I'm multi-hemispheric .. so I do a little both.
25 September 2008, 8:50 amMark Dykeman:
Hi Beth. I hadn't really thought about this concept in terms of the qualities of the brain's hemispheres, but that's a good point to consider.
I think that many of us, particularly professionals of any kind, learn to train ourselves to think in both modes because of the different types of work that we do.
25 September 2008, 9:17 amMark Dykeman:
I think it takes practice and discipline to switch, plus the awareness of what you are doing. Awareness is very important.
25 September 2008, 9:18 amProgGrrl:
I am definitely more of a random-access worker, for the most part. However, that falls away, and I find myself forcing a more linear process, whenever a huge deadline is looming, and/or there is a big project in the works with a lot of other people involved. In other words, when time management and limited time are at issue, linear works best.
But I always fall back to random-access in my day-to-day
27 September 2008, 9:58 amMark Dykeman:
Seems like a common thing, ProgGrrl. Thanks for stopping by, so say we all!
27 September 2008, 11:03 am