Tips to Improve the Quality of Personal Project Management: Parallel and Iteration — Vavai’s Personal Notes

This article is a continuation of the previous article: Tips to Improve Personal Project Management Quality: Grouping and Scheduling

Once we have grouped and scheduled the list of tasks or work to be done, the next step is to review which work can be done in parallel.

For example, cleaning nails regularly every week can be done while learning English through a Youtube channel. Our ears listen to the learning material while our hands clean or clip our nails.

Another example is taking medication or vitamins, which can be done while attending an online training session. We can also exercise while listening to motivational videos, learning material, religious lectures, or watching educational videos on Curiositystream or Netflix.

I often listen to an audiobook while taking a shower or read an article while having lunch, although there are times when I only focus on one activity. Reading while eating is a habit that I have had since I was a child, since elementary school.

In principle, all tasks that can still be done in parallel can be done immediately to be more effective and efficient. Usually, we do parallel activities involving different senses, such as one being visual or the sense of sight, while the other is audio or the sense of hearing.

If the activity uses the same sense, it is certainly not possible. For example, attending an online programming training while listening to music will clash. Another example is memorizing verses of the Quran while watching National Geographic videos, which can cause concentration to dissipate because both involve the sense of hearing.

These parallel activities can run effectively and efficiently because we can use the time saved for other, more beneficial purposes.

After grouping, scheduling, and doing the work in parallel, the next step is iteration or repetition. Iteration means doing the same activity repeatedly to make it a habit and a lifestyle.

I am referring to the principle of Atomic Habits here. That is, a 1% improvement done consistently and continuously will produce tremendous results.

For example, we have determined several exercise activities. We have scheduled them and done them in parallel. This means the next step is to repeat the activities so that we instill the mindset that exercise is a good habit every day. Not because we want to achieve short-term goals, such as only to lose weight.

I started exercising by scheduling activities through Asana. I use the Workout app on my smartphone. Initially, it was only a few short movements completed in just 5 minutes.

After some time, the process continued to be repeated, and the number of movements increased. The time also gradually increased. Now I exercise with a total of 16 workout movements for more than 30 minutes. It all started with just five movements in 5 minutes.

If we do it consistently and make it a habit, we can reap the benefits of atomic habits, which is to get significant results in the long run, even if we only make a 1% improvement.

Originally published at https://vavai.net on March 8, 2023.