Time Management for System Administrators: Radically Automating with Routines

Why are routines a good thing? Routines allow you to think once and use it repeatedly.

Routines can include the following:

1. Refueling your car on Sundays
2. Always carrying a notebook
3. Meeting with your boss regularly
4. Communicating with employees regularly
5. Engaging with clients regularly
6. Informing management promptly when servers go down
7. Using automated checks for specific tasks
8. Always backing up files before editing
9. Writing down a "must-have items list" (especially useful for frequent travelers)

The principles for handling tasks are as follows:

1. ==If something needs to be done every day, it should be completed as early as possible so you don’t have to stay up late==
2. The earlier you do things, the better
3. Trust the process
4. If you're unsure whether to throw something away, just toss it. If you need it after discarding, you can always copy it from the data source again
5. Record every task
6. If you’re uncertain whether an email list is useful, then it’s useless

How can you develop your own routines? Try to identify the following situations:

1. Tasks that recur without being scheduled

2. Maintenance tasks

3. Relationships and professional networks. Just like a garden, your network needs to be tended (if cared for, it will grow; if neglected, it will wither; if overly focused on, it may die). Here are four types of people you need to maintain relationships with:

   1. Clients (or SPOCs, which are single points of contact for each client group)
   2. Employees
   3. Colleagues
   4. Your boss

4. When the time spent procrastinating exceeds the time spent taking action

5. Things that are frequently forgotten

6. Trivial tasks that are occasionally overlooked but shouldn't be

7. Developing new skills

8. Keeping up with trends through continuous reading