When you work for yourself, it’s difficult to stay organized and motivated. Project Slayer helps me do both. Here’s how it works.
The idea was inspired by the show “Silicon Valley” and is based on a project management tool called “Scrum.” Scrum is widely used for group programming projects in the real world and I’ve been interested in it since Jared first introduced it on the show. To be honest, I haven’t read the official “rules” of Scrum, but based on what I’ve seen in the show, I created my own version.
My Project Slayer War Board consists of a 3’ by 5’ dry erase board divided into 4 sections. “Opponent,” “Weaknesses,” “Battlefield” and “Boneyard.”
Opponent
This section holds the major projects I need to complete. Each project is titled and printed on a strip of paper and then color-coded with a mini Post-It Note.
Weaknesses
These are the tasks I need to complete in order to destroy my Opponent. I write each task on a Post-It Note matching the color of the project and stick it under Weaknesses. At a glance, it gives me an idea of how close I am to completing a project and satisfaction as the number of Post-It Notes decreases.
Battlefield
These are the tasks I’m working on. Often, I move tasks from Weaknesses to the Battlefield as I’m quitting for the night. This gives me an idea of what I need to complete the next day. If I finish with the allotted workload and still have time left in the day, I move the next most important tasks from Weaknesses to the Battlefield and hack away at them.
Boneyard
I move tasks from the Battlefield to the Boneyard once I have destroyed them. I love to see the boneyard piled high with bones.
Skulls of my Enemies
This is a silly extra step I take for fun. Once I complete a project, I put all the Post-It Notes related to that project in a jar. Right now, the bones of four different projects have reached their final resting place in the jar, and another will be joining them by the end of the week. It’s a nice visual representation of what I’ve accomplished. It’s also a warning to all future projects that they stand no chance against the Project Slayer.
(With this blog posted, I’ll move the “Project Slayer Blog” Post-It note from the Battlefield to the Boneyard and move on to the next.)