Norms, expectations, and systems

Published 02 January 2025 and last updated 02 January 2025 by Lenz Dagohoy • 8 minute read

While working at different organizations over the past few years, I’ve actively experimented with different structures to increase my productivity. I am diagnosed with ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, which overall increases my likelihood of getting overwhelmed and experiencing executive dysfunction). Since I am often manic, sometimes I end up doing so much more than I should be doing. On the other hand, if I have too little to do, I slip into boredom that can spiral into weeks of depression.

Eventually, I realized that my key (and this may not work for you) to maximizing my productivity is by maximizing my energy. To do this, I have to be aware of my limits (both lower bound and upper bound). Too much work can burn me out, while too little can push me to feel hopeless, useless, and demotivated. Unfortunately, both these extremes can push me towards a place where I cannot be an effective contributor. Hence, I need to keep myself in check — to be in the sweet spot of the Yerkes-Dodson curve.

We only have so much energy each day. To spend it well, I try to reduce or manage both internal beliefs (self-induced pressure) and external demands. This write-up is about how I do that in practice.

On work hours and task estimates

A normal work week for me will be from Monday to Friday. Weekends are considered rest days. Generally, I prefer to cap my work within an organization to an agreed number of hours, which I will respect in terms of:

• Completing the actual number of hours (e.g., actually working for 10 hours if the organization agreed to 10 hours)
• Completing the worth-of-work (e.g., completing 10 points of work with 1.00 or more velocity if organization agreed to 10 hours)

Deciding the worth-of-work of each task heavily relies on the goal that the organization wants to achieve. Should an organization aim to achieve a competitive advantage, then their standard should be at par with their industry. That is, if doing Task A usually takes 4 hours (half day’s work), then we should be doing it in under 4 hours.

I also found it helpful to set corresponding points for each task. There are a lot of ways that other organizations do it, but the most intuitive for me is using an exponential scale. Each task must have a due date and a corresponding estimate according to the following scoring system:

• Light tasks (updates must be sent 1 day before the indicated due date)
  • 1 point - tasks that are doable within an hour
  • 2 points - tasks that will take around 2 hours to accomplish
• Heavy tasks (updates must be sent 2 days before the indicated due date)
  • 4 points - ½ day’s worth of work
  • 8 points - 1 day’s worth of work
  • 16 points - 2 days’ worth of work

Task points do not need to be equal to the amount of time spent on it. If commenting on a doc ideally would take an hour, that is 1 point. If you spend 4 hours commenting on a doc, then your velocity (productivity) is 1 point divided by 4 hours which means you accomplish 0.25 points per hour or 15 minutes worth-of-work for every hour spent working. The standard threshold I adhere to is 0.80 points/hour. A velocity below 0.80 is a call for help — maybe I’m taking on too many tasks or underestimating how long they’ll take.

On reporting, updating, and accountability

When applicable, I prefer to meet on early in the week to discuss tasks and goals. I will also set my declared work hours per day and intended time range, as well as my action points for the week. During the week, any urgent updates that need feedback will be communicated promptly during my work hours. At the end of the week, I can report my progress and performance if requested. Otherwise, I still keep a record of the following:

• Expected work hours for the week (as declared at the start of the work week)
• Actual work hours for the week (tracked via Google Calendar, Google Sheets, or any tool that the organization uses)
• Wins (tasks accomplished and its equivalent point)
• Velocity (sum of task points accomplished with respect to actual work hours for the past week)
• Backlogs (action points not accomplished)
• Asks (points that need feedback from other team members)

In the event of changes in declared hours, I will promptly notify my supervisor, teammates, and/or clients. If requested, at the end of the month or quarter, I can craft a narrative report to be submitted to my supervisor or team. This report will serve as an evaluation for my strengths and weaknesses, as well as credibility.

On response times and communication tools

For teams I manage, team members are expected to respond to messages that concern them within the next 24 hours. If a team member is unresponsive:

1. The team will send a private message to the concerned individual.
2. If no response is given after 8 hours, then the team will call the concerned individual.
3. If the team member does not pick up the call, then the team will start dividing work among those available.
4. If a concerning amount of time passes, we’ll discuss next steps as a team.

As a rule of thumb, I use the following emojis to indicate if we have read or reviewed a message:

• 👀 “I’ve seen it, but I’ll read it later.”
• ✅ “I’ve read it and I agree.”
• 🤔 “I have concerns. Please clarify.” (plus a comment)

In general, I assume that before replying or attending a meeting, everyone has done their due diligence and read relevant documents. As a team, let’s lift the burden of having to be reminded or bumped, and become accountable and agentic with the responsibilities and working hours declared.