Linux System Administration Recipes A Problem-Solution Approach

CHAPTER 12 ■ MANAGING TIME AND PEOPLEThere are some problems that simply have to be dealt with on the spot, in which case you’ll justhave to put down whatever you’re doing. With others, the best option is to record the issue somewhere,in whatever way you normally use (see recipe 12-2), and then get back to what you were doing as quicklyas possible. This also goes for things that suddenly occur to you in the middle of your work on whateverthe current big project is. Write it down somewhere, and keep going with what you’re doing. Don’t allowyourself to sabotage your time.This is also why it’s a good idea to keep thorough notes when you’re working (see Chapter 1). Ifyou’re in the habit of keeping good notes as you’re working, then it’ll be far easier to pick your work upagain when you go back to the first problem. It won’t get rid of the time it’ll take to get back up to speed(there’s inevitably an overhead as you load all the information back into your working memory, as itwere), but it’ll reduce it, and it’ll save you doing things twice.Another important technique to develop is the ability to identify what’s important, what’s urgent,and what’s both. Some problems are minor (or have straightforward workarounds) and can be left at thebottom of the priority list. Some problems have to be fixed right now, such as a major network outage.Some problems can be planned for in advance to give yourself a bit more flexibility in fixing them. Forexample, if the main LDAP server has gone down, then it’s wise to sort the problem out ASAP, but if youhave a backup server in place, then it’s not absolutely urgent. The more backups and fail-safes you havein place, the more flexible your ability to respond becomes. However, you must be sure not to rely on thebackups for too long. Any incapacitating server problems should definitely be fixed as quickly as ispracticable.■ Note Don’t allow even the minor problems to be delayed for too long, though, if you can possibly avoid it,particularly if they’re user-facing problems. You’ll get a lot more help and respect from your colleagues if theyknow that you’ll fix even small issues as soon as you can. See recipe 12-2 for tips on keeping track and avoidingproblems falling through the cracks, and see recipe 12-7 for tips on keeping your colleagues on your side. If youfind that you simply don’t have the time to fix anything that isn’t important, urgent, or both, then it may be time totalk to your boss about getting another sysadmin in.Another way of making sure that you get through the task list is to spend five minutes at the start ofeach day checking your to-do list and identifying three things that it’s important to get done and thatyou are committed to doing that day. Don’t overdo it. It’s best to have three things that you definitelycan manage to get done, rather than a longer list that you expect not to get through. (And be aware thatsome tasks are larger than others! See recipe 12-3 for some discussion of dealing with larger projects.)Then make your first priority of the day getting those three things out of the way. If you have enoughinterruptions that you don’t manage to get anything else done, that’s OK. Clearing three things at a timewill keep the list under control.You can also batch smaller tasks and dedicate an hour every day or two to managing those. Even ona busy day it’s usually possible to carve out an hour, and getting through several smaller tasks in a rowcan be a very cheering experience.232Download at WoweBook.Com