“The efficiency paradox”[0], saw a TEDx talk as part of agile training, and this really hammered in the fact that it’s more important to get stuff done than to be busy, or “efficient” with your time. If you focus on finishing a few things you’ll get more done than if you make sure you’re busy with something all the time.
This really has changed how I approach a lot of things in my everyday life, both inside and outside of work. Simple things like doing a load of washing here and there, and getting it done rather than trying to do a massive amount on the weekend, or washing some dishes as they come up rather than being efficient and washing all of them at the same time. In a work context, I guess it is more about not committing to too much work in a sprint, and ensuring there’s a bit of slack time so that multiple people can work on any items that get stuck, take more time than expected or similar. Developers helping out with testing where needed, ensuring quick code reviews, some extra pair programming and so on.
This really has changed how I approach a lot of things in my everyday life, both inside and outside of work. Simple things like doing a load of washing here and there, and getting it done rather than trying to do a massive amount on the weekend, or washing some dishes as they come up rather than being efficient and washing all of them at the same time. In a work context, I guess it is more about not committing to too much work in a sprint, and ensuring there’s a bit of slack time so that multiple people can work on any items that get stuck, take more time than expected or similar. Developers helping out with testing where needed, ensuring quick code reviews, some extra pair programming and so on.
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGJpez7rvc0