Using Heuristics in Your Virtual Work

Does your productivity ever get hampered by your desire to find the best possible solution? As you seek the easiest or fastest route to your goal, you may find yourself stopped entirely. Sometimes you may even do this on purpose, to keep from having to make a decision.

 However, there's a work-around. Maybe you've heard of the term, "heuristic." Heuristics are rules that allow a solution to be found more quickly. With a heuristic, a resolution can be found even when the entire path isn't clear from the onset.

 For example, if there were no roads, but you lived in New York and wanted to make your way to California, a heuristic might be:

 1.     Walk west as far as you can.

2.     Walk around any obstacle, if possible.

3.     If faced with a mountain range, walk toward the space between 2 small peaks.

4.     Repeat until reaching California.

 Does this heuristic give you the most efficient solution? No; however, it will get you where you want to go, and you won't waste a lot of time trying to make up your mind.

 Try these behavioral heuristics to increase your productivity:

 1.     Choose the right time. Nearly everyone has times of the day when they are most effective and times when they tend to drag. It’s smart to schedule the most critical tasks for your most effective time of the day.

2.     Toss it. If a task doesn't really need to be done, just get rid of it altogether.

3.     Get the bad stuff out of the way. Do the unpleasant items quickly and as early in the day as possible.

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