I’m a huge fan of the Naruto anime (and manga) series, if you like ninjas you should check out the series at http://www.naruto-tv.com.  One of the special powers Naruto uses is the kage bunshin no jutsu or shadow clone technique. Throughout the series, Naruto uses his kage bunshin no jutsu to create multiple clones and get himself out of some rough spots.

This evening, I was thinking about how great it would be if I could replicate myself in order to complete a greater number of tasks over time. I embarked on a fantastic day dream of having multiple versions of Brian Church running around doing things just as I would do them. After a short time I realized that this fantasy is entirely possible. While the ability to physically replicate myself on a cellular level is not yet possible, efficient delegation of tasks will accomplish the same thing.

However, I’m often slow to hand off some tasks because I don’t have the time to communicate the methods by which I would complete a task or begin a project. Next step: documentation. By documenting my processes (decision trees and instructions for regular tasks) I can trust my shadow clones will have a guide by which to make decisions and take action.

Now if I could just replicate myself in order to have someone who can document my processes…