“Waiting For” — the longest part of my ToDo-list. It comprises delegated tasks I can do nothing about — other people need to tackle them.
Waiting for other people is frustrating, because I cannot trust them to do anything. I have to ask about the status of the task every so often. I have to explain the same task multiple times, because the other person did not write anything down — and just forgot.
This is the fate of the ones who get shit done: waiting long enough so it is ok to inquire again about delegated tasks.
I’ve always felt most productive amongst colleagues who are active. Colleagues who I don’t even need to put on my Waiting For list, because they will not let me down.
This is my goal: no necessity for a Waiting For list. To get there, I will need to ask myself with every new collaborator: Will this person manage herself — or will I need to manage her?