Time Management for System Administrators - Chapter Three
February 27th, 2006 neteng
After a much needed vacation, I’m back to work and ready to take on chapter three!
The key principle behind this chapter is about the need for good routines.
I’d first like to point out routines that I’ve developed and that I feel have helped me take control of my time (in no specific order):
- Check email alerts and monitoring software in the morning
I always make this a top priority in the morning, in order to make sure that there are no outstanding issues left over from the middle of the night. I don’t want to be stuck giving my boss the lame excuse of, “I was organizing my day,” when an emergency situation presented itself and could have been resolved much quicker. Though an emergency such as this is rare, as I would normally receive a page from our network operations center, it’s always best to make sure it never happens.
- Always carry your organizer
Make sure that your personal organizer is within reach at all times. Whether this means you need to keep it within arms reach or in your car, that depends on you. This is good because it makes sure that you keep up the routine I previously discussed of always writing down the small things.
- Keep up with your family, friends and your professional network
I’ve found that I can keep a decent social life going if I make sure not to let it slip by the wayside in the face of a busy career. Schedule some time to converse and get together with your friends. Don’t let the good times slip by because you’re just too busy. Also, be sure to do the same with your professional contacts. You never know when you can help them out or they can help you out. Don’t be that guy who calls up an old coworker he hasn’t spoken to in years to see if he can help find him work, only to have the old coworker end the conversation with, “Who was this again?”
- Take care of those necessary errands on the weekend
Many times, I’ve found myself late for work or cutting a lunch short because I needed to fuel up my car or deposit/withdraw money from the bank. You can save yourself some time by taking care of these things during the weekend or even after work if you have time.
- “Clean house” at beginning of each month
I really, really like to have a clean apartment. My problem is, I’m lazy. I love the end result of cleaning, but it usually takes a minor miracle to have me even begin the process. I’ve found that if I schedule a couple of hours on the first weekend of each month, I can keep my place looking good with minimal effort. Having developed the routine of keeping it as clean as possible has also cut down on the amount of time I need to really clean. Not only does this apply to your home, but make sure your work environment is as clean as it could be too.
- Set aside time to work on personal items
As work-oriented as the idea of time management seems, it can do a whole lot more for you if you carry over the practices into your personal life. Always schedule some time in your off-work hours to tackle some of those hobbies and personal projects you’ve really been wanting to get your hands around. Even schedule some time to watch that DVD gathering dust and that book with the pages turning yellow from old age. If you’re like me, you’ll find yourself more fulfilled by knowing you’ve done your best to maximize “you time.”
- Go over and modify your list of major goals
The idea of maintaining a list of long-term goals is tackled in another chapter, but I’ve included it here so that you’ll see it’s very important to make it a living, breathing document. People change and their goals evolve alongside, so it’s a good idea to occasionally make sure you’re heading in the direction you want to go, which might not always be down the path you initially started.
- Take a routine mini-vacation
This is along the lines of scheduling personal items, but I really want to make sure that you take a well-deserved break from the world. It’s vital that you take some time to recharge your batteries on a regular basis so you don’t get burned out at work. No one likes a grumpy coworker and that’s exactly what you’ll be if you’re a big ball of stress, rolling around the office.
Okay, now that I’ve given you a pretty sizeable list of good habits, I’ll lay down a couple of bad habits to avoid:
- Manually patching an ongoing issue
If you’re constantly fixing a problem by hand, you’re not being a very good systems administrator. We live in a world of automation, so if you’re unable to find a resolution to a reoccurring problem for whatever reason (undocumented bug, lack of management support for permanent fix, etc.), find a way to take care of it that doesn’t need your constant intervention. Write a script, delegate a procedure…do whatever will take the issue away from your busy schedule and give you time to focus on the things you can fix.
- Going through your email first thing in the morning
Please, oh please, don’t fall into the trap of, “I’ll just browse my inbox this morning and see what’s waiting for me… Oh look, this looks like a miniscule problem that I can just fix really quickly.” … two hours pass … “Man, glad I got that issue fixed. It turned out to be a bigger problem then I thought. I know it wasn’t urgent, but it’s been fixed now.” All the while, major issues that might have been repaired in the same amount of time have grown in urgency and your boss is sweating bullets, thereby effectively making you sweat bullets. You should be organizing and planning your day with what you know, and then check your email to see what else might need to be included. Find action items and find a way to fit them in your schedule. This way, you might catch that high priority item before you take on the “would-be-nice” items.
The last step, and one of the most important, is a simple act of recursiveness. Set up a routine to address your routines and make any necessary modifications. You might need to add some things to the list, delete some things, or just change the way current problems are resolved. Over time, you’ll begin to see a pattern as to the types of items that stay on your radar and sometimes you’ll suprise yourself and discover you’re still performing tasks that are unncessary, whether due to technology, upgrades, etc.
I would love to see some more tips in the comments section if you have any to contribute! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
neteng
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