what is Agile?
It’s everywhere, everyone is using it, and the whole IT industry has either already implemented it or planning on using it, the AGILE methodology. I don’t think anybody needs a definition or introduction what Agile means by now, so I would like to share how I started implementing some of the AGILE concepts for personal development.
4 Steps for achieving more using Agile
I have always had big ideas, I picture big things to achieve and then poof.. it was just another idea and just another thing that I forgot and another big idea lost. If you have been in a similar situation then fear not, you are not alone. The problem with big ideas is, we think about the end product or the outcome and seldom find it tiring or cumbersome to put it in it’s smallest part.
“To achieve BIG we need to start small.”
Step 1: Write your Ideas
The easiest thing to do but harder to perform, writing down the ideas. We often fear the failure and most of the time that fear takes over our actions to perform. Jotting down our ideas is the simplest thing we can do, to take over that fear. A sentence, two words or just a single word written down is all we need to take that baby step.
The personal example I can show is this, my fully-functional website. It all started with me writing down, https://www.lineshbadole.com.
In AGILE, they call it EPIC. These epics/ideas guide us what we want to accomplish and what we must do to get over there.
Step 2: Create a To-Do List, break Down your ideas
Create a To-Do list, a simple list of tasks which will help you get closer to your goals. In AGILE, the step is called stories or issues, which a team can work on in certain amount of time. A To-Do list is just a simplified version of it.
things which I like to remember when I create a To-Do list,
- Keep it real, ask can I do this ?
- Make sure I can finish all tasks in less than 1-2 weeks
- The more granular tasks are, easier to finish
Hooray, we have done the hardest part. Believe me people won’t even take first step. Next step is to just take an action on those small tasks.
“ONE TASK AT A TIME.”
Step 3: start "Doing" Tasks
When it comes to act on something, we all wanna know what to do? The answer is simple, the step 2, the To-Do list. All we need to do is pick up an item and start taking action on it. The intention is not to solve the entire project at once but the small bit.
The step in AGILE methodology is used to keep track of what we are working on, and do I have the capacity to work on it.
FOCUS on the task at hand.
Step 4: "DONE" Keep Track of accomplishments
If you are on step 4 well done, you have made progress. One step closer to the big picture.
Keep track of the completed tasks, not only those finished tasks give us the confidence that we are moving in a right direction but also can help us in identifying the pattern we approach at a solution.
RETROSPECTION, is something which is done at the end of a Sprint in Agile but I like doing it after each completed task for personal growth. When retrospecting , I like focusing on below key points..
- Praise for new learnings, something which I didn’t know earlier
- Point out improvements and not call them mistakes
- How can I apply the learnings in future
free TOOLS you can use
There are multiple tools available and I have tried couple of those which are free and really good. Let me tell you first that you don’t need a tool to achieve all of this. A simple whiteboard, a notebook, or even a big paper with four columns for above four steps is more than sufficient. But why not use the digital tools, we can learn from the same tools that your company might be using, we can track progress on our phone, and never worry about losing the project. Tools below would definitely help to have your digital Agile dashboard.
I have used Trello, and I like the simplicity it comes with. If you don’t want a whole lot of features but bare minimum to track your progress, give it a shot. There is no learning curve to it, just sign up and you are ready.
If you want to use the standard tool which is famous across industries, then JIRA is one of the known Agile tools. My company uses it. Also, it comes free if you have up to 10 people working together and want to track progress together.
3. Notion
My personal favorite is Notion. It’s feature packed, not just for Agile but also for note taking and planning. It’s kind of one stop tool for all you might need to be a productivity master.
My usage of it is basic but one can do a whole lot with it. I like that it’s FREE, they have Windows and Apple apps. The app on android doesn’t look UI friendly, but it’s there and you can have access to your board all the time.
I will have few youtuber’s videos below who brag about Notion and how they use it.
Conclusion
Applying AGILE methodology for personal growth has been the best solution to achieve more for me. I built my website in a month, read almost 4 books from the beginning of this year ( earlier, I couldn’t even finish one in a one year), drawing more, and also getting more time to spend with my family. It’s easier than ever with below four steps to accomplish what you always wanted to.
- Write your Ideas
- Break down those Ideas in smaller tasks
- Start doing one task at a time
- Mark Done and apply learning from the completed tasks
If you are a visual person, you can watch the story board I created here.
https://lineshbadole.com/stories/agile-4-steps-for-personal-development/
I would like to know if you have used Agile or any other technology to do more , to achieve more. Comment if you found this useful and how you plan on applying Agile for your projects. Share your work.
References
1. The book which inspired me to create this website and start writing my blogs.
2. You can watch the videos on YouTube, on how you can use Notion tool
Well written blog Linesh, we have been using Agile at work but never thought of applying it in my personal life. I will give it a try and also the tools for tracking the progress. Thank you!
Thanks, Kumar. Appreciate your response and I am glad you liked the post. Please do share how do you plan on using it, I would love to hear more.
This is really cool.
Thanks, Pabu. I am glad you liked it.