One slide per day keeps the manager away

I've learned this one in my first few months at McKinsey:

One slide per day keeps the EM away.

(EM is McK slang for Engagement Manager.)

This was a mantra not to be micromanaged at my office.

The promise was simple: do something TANGIBLE every day (e.g.: a slide) and show it to your team, then no one will wonder what the heck you do with all your time.

The alternative is, of course, to spend 10 hours working on something complicated, like a spreadsheet, and finish the day with nothing to show for it.

Intermediate Deliverables and the Paradox of Knowledge Work

Whether you work in consulting, finance, a start-up or a Fortune 500, you're probably what people call a "knowledge worker".

That is, instead of processing widgets and building concrete things, you process information and build knowledge.

That knowledge might be a set of recommendations, a number, a report or anything that helps people make decisions.

Now, there's a problem with most forms of knowledge work – I call it the "Paradox of Knowledge Work":

While the end result may be simple (even a simple number), there is A LOT of work to get there that no one sees.

It is said that Blaise Pascal, Mark Twain and even Cicero have said a variation of this phrase:

“I didn’t have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one.”

That to me, encapsulates this paradox:

In knowledge work, the simpler the output, often, the lengthier the work to get there.

That is the Paradox of Knowledge Work… And it sucks, because sometimes when you're working the hardest is exactly when you seem to be slacking off.

The solution is in embracing intermediate deliverables.

Always synthesize something that you've worked on today, even if at the end of the day.

In consulting, this means creating at least one slide per day.

In other professions, it may be compiling findings into an email. Or updating a dashboard.

This synthesis, this deliverable doesn't need to be a final work product (e.g.: something that makes its way into the final presentation). It's alright if it's an intermediate deliverable, something that still needs work or that'll be further synthesized into another slide.

Still, it has value.

It shows momentum to yourself and others. It keeps you honest that you're moving forward. It even helps you prioritize what to do with long stretches of work so that you always have something to show at the end of the day.

As importantly, it helps you avoid becoming "the one who needs to be micromanaged". It keeps your manager away, in a good sense.

This tip may not be the most relevant if you're in a fast-paced, easy-to-measure project/role. But in times when I was on a long slog, it was the most important piece of advice I applied.

Keep working smarter.