Macro vs Micro Tasks

As a business owner, you're switching between macro and micro tasks throughout the day, it's exhausting. You can be planning budgets for the next year when the phone rings about a very specific micro issue.

It's constant zooming in and back out again.

So, what can you do about it?

I have no magic answer, however, I do have a couple of ideas.

Time blocking

Twice a week I have an afternoon blocked out where, in theory, my attention is only on 'big picture ideas. I tend to close my email, slack and put my headphones on.

Better to-do lists

A to-do with the item 'Plan Q3' is just terrifying. I don't know about you, but I have to break down tasks like this. I use physical posit notes to keep track of this month's macro tasks, and then a to-do list to break those down into tasks that should take no longer than 2 hours.

Macro: Improve our portfolio.

Micro: Review current portfolio, write a new piece, produce new graphics, create a video, plan release, etc.

Working Hours

I'm no early bird, but I tend to find I get my best macro work completed in the early hours of the morning, or late at night. Why? Nobody else is online. As a business, we try to ensure our processes are asynchronous, and in theory, disturbances should be at a minimum... but it's not so simple in practice.