Tag Archives | strategy
Nicer office (3)

Take Care of Your Anchors and Move Forward

By on June 10, 2011 in Life Balance, Sanity Savers, Success
Nicer office (3)

Image by Jeff Henshaw via Flickr

What do you want to get done this weekend? Do you have any lingering projects hanging over your head or physical areas that really need some organizing or cleaning attention?

Unfinished work, professional or personal, weigh us down like anchors keeping us stuck and prevent us from moving forward. And sadly most of us have many of these in our lives; projects we never completed, tasks we never got around too, cluttered and messy spots that taunt us.

If you tackled just one of these unfinished “jobs” each weekend you would be amazed at how much lighter you feel and how much easier it is to have time and energy for the things you really want to do with your time.

  • How about clearing out that extra room
  • Cleaning out your car
  • Getting rid of those piles in your office
  • Writing that article you wanted to submit
  • Finishing that business proposal
  • Purge that closet, drawer, basement

Whatever your anchors, try crossing them off one at a time.

What am I going to do? I am going to finish up my book proposal so I can move forward with getting my book published. I am also going to prepare my desk supplies and portable “desk” so to speak so that I can readily move my work station to be able to work outside or off site as I often do during the summer season.

Here’s to a  happy and productive weekend for both of us!

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Have You Tried Scheduled Replies

By on June 6, 2011 in Productivity

Action challenge – Try checking email less often.

If you find your productive periods of work ever shrinking because of email, phone, and other interruptions, it’s time to adopt a policy of scheduled replies. Some productivity masters recommend that you check email, VM, etc. only once or twice per day and batch your responses. You will find that often, many questions have already been answered and your participation really wasn’t required!

In an effort to practice what I preach, I am striving for twice per day. I have IM and text messaging for urgent matters, so I really am still reachable. Unfortunately, I find myself addicted to that Send/Receive button and suffer from the “disease of curiosity” whenever I get a voicemail, so I haven’t mastered this strategy yet. Still a work in progress….this week I am attempting to check only once per hour so that I can focus on my current task at hand.  One suggestion if you decide to adopt this routine, is to set up a VM or email auto-reply letting people know your new policy for responding to messages.

You decide what works for you! Let me know how it goes…

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Try Interval Training for Life

By on May 16, 2011 in Personal Growth, Success

Have you ever heard of interval training?

For those of you non-exercisers, that is when you intersperse short bursts of high intensity activity with periods of lower intensity. What does this have to do with productivity?

The same concept can be applied to work tasks, business projects and even household chores. Try choosing something that you either dread doing or that is repetitive and boring, i.e. filing, phone calls, bookkeeping or cleaning. Then focus on doing only that one thing for in a whole-hearted, intense manner for say 10, 20 or 30 minutes. See how much you can get done, make it a game.

This has worked for me in many ways. I can talk myself into making phone calls, which I dread or dusting my house (yawn! – boring) if I know I only have to do it for 20 minutes. It is a sort of competition with myself and it almost seems, dare I almost say fun?

The key here is not to keep going – that ruins the whole concept – but to take a break or move to a more enjoyable activity when you are done. If you slip these short bursts of activity into your day, you will find that:

  • you get more done in a shorter period.
  • you don’t dread those intolerable tasks as much.
  • procrastination is not as large of an obstacle (more on that in a later post.)
  • your day is actually more fun!
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Information Diet Challenge

By on May 9, 2011 in Personal Growth, Success

Weekly challenege:

The productivity challenge for this week is to trim your information feeds; Twitter feeds, RSS feeds, daily blogs, news feeds, etc. If you’re like me, then you can all too easily get sucked into the information vortex by either incessant curiosity or the voracious need to know feeling that fears you might miss something important!

You can only process a certain amount of information and then your brain goes on overload and your retention rate is dismal. You will be much more informed and decrease your time wasted in the “black hole” of information if you prune your information sources with a discerning eye.

Over the next week, go through your daily information routine as you normally would, but each time you are checking the news, reading your RSS feeds, daily blogs or scrolling your Twitter feed ask yourself the following question:

Does this information add some kind of value to my life?

  • Does it add to my knowledge base and is that knowledge useful to me?
  • Does it teach or improve a useful talent or skill? (I.e. productivity!)
  • Does it make me laugh or uplift my spirits in some way?

If the information source does not meet one of these criteria, then it is very simply not worth your time. Now, for the hardest part; discard the duplicates. Choose the two or three best sources in each area; news, industry reviews, social media, technology, finance, personal development or whatever your particular areas of interest might be. Start trimming!

My task will be to trim the Twitter feeds I am following to a manageable level and cut my RSS feeds by 50%. I will keep you posted on my progress.

Please share your goals for this week’s challenge and let us know how you are doing

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email

Productive Email Strategies: Part 2 – “One-Way” Communications

By on April 13, 2011 in Success

emailI realize that for many, the issue of inbox overwhelm is very much about “one way communications.” Newsletters, sales and marketing, jokes, videos to watch, feeds, updates on varied interests and projects can make up a large portion of email piling up in your email daily.

While these communications may often be necessary, sometimes even desired, they can all just get to be too much. They can completely take-over your inbox and completely overwhelm even the most organized and efficient among us.

There are some simple steps we can take to combat this insidious dribble of incoming information. Simple yes; easy no. We humans are wired to seek information. We want to stay informed, in the loop, knowledgeable. We hate not knowing everything that’s going on around us. We might even go so far as to say that our insatiable curiosity has turned into an information addiction. Though many of us are still in denial about that…

What you can try to trim the incoming flood:

  • Chill with the newsletters. Really. Only subscribe if the information is truly valuable to you in some way. If you find yourself skimming or deleting without even reading, it’s time to unsubscribe.
  • Use an RSS reader. Instead of signing up for daily or weekly emails, subscribe to the sites RSS feed and use Google Reader or something similar to store and manage your information. Get it out of your inbox!
  • Be very selective when sending jokes, chain emails, video links, photos and that sort of thing. For the most part that kind of stuff is more appropriate to post on Facebook usually. Everyone loves a cute pet or a good laugh; once in a while is fine, but not on a regular basis.
  • Opt out of those sales alerts. If you need to buy something you can search the internet for sales or discounts. If you don’t need it then you shouldn’t be wasting time getting alerts about it. It is a waste of your valuable time and inbox space and will probably save you money too!
  • Likewise, opt out of those marketing emails. Nearly every time you sign up on some website and give out your email you are going to be placed on a mailing list. Unless you are waiting for some specific information from the website uncheck that box during the sign-up process. If there wasn’t an option or you missed it, opt out or unsubscribe as soon as the marketing emails start showing up.
  • Get it in digest format if possible. Instead of getting a notification every time someone posts on your LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook profile of conversation, opt for a daily digest. Another option is to use and inbox filter to divert them to a separate folder, get text alerts or turn off the notifications totally. You can always log in daily to look.

There are so many strategies we can employ to weed out and trim down our email volume. With a little diligence we can move closer to an efficient, streamlined inbox that is a useful tool to share valuable information. Isn’t that what it’s supposed to be for anyway?

If you missed Productive Email Strategies: Part 1 – Effective Communication, I highly recommend you go back and read it. The most effective approach to a manageable inbox is streamlining what goes out as well as what comes in.

 

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email

Productive Email Strategies: Part 1 – Effective Communication

By on April 11, 2011 in Success

emailMost business professionals I know acknowledge that email is the biggest obstacle to overcome in their daily routine. A necessary and oft times indispensable tool; it can also be a huge detour that easily leads you off the path in your quest for productivity.

In thinking about how to minimize this stumbling block, (we really can’t remove it, but we can “manage” it) I realized that much of our email volume is made up of repeat requests, follow-up emails and “reply-all” updates. I came up with a few simple strategies that help me (when I actually use them) and might help you too.

Email communication strategies:

  • Be concise.
  • Communicate “action steps” first, not last.
  • Number your questions if you must have more than one.
  • Be clear about what you want.
  • Include deadlines.
  • Use “FYI” for emails that have no actionable information.
  • Don’t send “Thanks!” emails.
  • If you can’t respond or carry out the request fully now, acknowledge and tell them when you can do it.
  • Use “reply all” judiciously.

You may not always be able to achieve the elusive “inbox 0,” but anything you can do to reduce unnecessary email will save you time and inbox clutter.

I realize that for many, the issue of inbox overwhelm is also about “one way communications.” Newsletters, sales and marketing, jokes, videos to watch, updates on varied interests and projects can make up a large portion of email piling up in your email daily. We’ll discuss some strategies for that in Part 2 – “One-Way Communication”…

 

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Tea

Why You Need a Morning Ritual

By on April 6, 2011 in Personal Growth

TeaDo have a morning ritual or routine? No? You might want to think about designing one. It’s pretty simple.

The manner in which you wake up and what you do upon waking will set the tone for the rest of your day.  Will your day be peaceful and fun or hurried and harried?

Think about how you wake up. What type of alarm do you have? What do you do when you first wake up? Do you watch the news, rush to the shower, grab your coffee and run out the door; or do you exercise, meditate, eat breakfast with your family, and sit and savor your morning coffee or preferred beverage?

Consider some of these options:

  • Get a pleasant sounding alarm; nature sounds, pleasant music or one of the light alarms that slowly gets brighter.
  • Don’t watch the news! Studies show it causes stress and anxiety – and if you must get your news fix, then at least wait until you have relaxed first.
  • Take a few minutes to sit still, breathe and mindfully meditate on being grateful for another beautiful day.
  • Move! Exercise or do some type of movement – yoga and walking count.
  • Eat a nutritious breakfast- No a coffee and muffin at the drive thru does not count. We know that a good breakfast is good for our health and optimal functioning.

Try to get your day off to a good start with a peaceful morning ritual. You might have to get up before the kids to get this done, but it is worth the effort.

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Adventurous

What Makes You Different?

By on April 4, 2011 in Success

AdventurousAre you boring? Come on tell the truth…Are you plain Jane, run-of-the-mill boring? Do you wonder why nobody is talking about you or beating down your door?

What differentiates you from the rest of your industry? A little better or a little cheaper is just not extraordinary enough to get you noticed!

This year try something unexpected, something that amazes your customers or competitors, even if it’s ridiculous. It works for Zappos, it can work for you. It doesn’t have to be huge – sometimes simple innovations can be astonishing in their brilliance.

Be bold, be remarkable, be memorable, be authentic or unusual. Otherwise you will just fade into the woodwork of the millions of blogs and companies out there!

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How to Write Faster (& Better)

By on March 31, 2011 in Success

A wonderful guest post to help you become a better writer/blogger.

Every writer would love to write twice as many words in a day, but a struggle develops when the energy is lacking to formulate enough thoughts to keep the writing fresh. Instead of focusing on the quantity of work that is generated each day, follow these ten tips to improve the quality of the work which will increase speed over time.

1. Read

The best writers are avid readers of multiple styles and topics. Mastery of the language is paramount to expressing thoughts through the written word. Choose some famous authors and read various works to learn new words and styles that will add dimension to every piece you write. Read books about topics with which you disagree. Learn to listen to various points of view and refine your beliefs. Every word you read will play a role in future writing attempts.

2. Think first

Spend just a few moments thinking through the various approaches that can be taken for the topic. Eliminate the extraneous subtopics that distract from the most important point. If one avenue of thought does not work, try another approach prior to writing one word on the page. Perform some research and combine multiple approaches for a unique slant on the topic.

3. Outline

The length of the article is irrelevant when creating a broad or detailed plan for the material. Shorter pieces are more difficult to write because every word must be evaluated for the power of its message. Outline each subtopic and then add three points to be made under the topic. As you write, incorporate the outline into the piece. Reading the next point on the outline will create natural transitions without much effort.

4. Follow the rules

Writing frantically and then having to correct every punctuation mark, grammar slip, and spelling error is a waste of time. If the rules matter in the finished product, every rule applies to the first, second, and third attempt. Slow down enough to master every basic rule of the language, but ease up on the need to make every sentence flow perfectly in the initial draft. Transition words and sentences can be added in the next pass, but fewer edits will speed the writing process.

5. Allow thoughts to flow

While referring to the outline allow the information in your mind to flow into the piece. Concentrate on organizing the overall piece but allow each thought to flow freely without questioning every word. The next pass through the material will reveal breaks in thought that can be smoothed out by adding a word or sentence.

6. Use your knowledge

Research is valuable up to a point and then personal experience must take over to make a piece readable and interesting. Writing about highly technical topics without any knowledge will cause the piece to be difficult to read and exhausting to write. The best reading material is written by people with extensive knowledge in many topics that can be leveraged to create unique perspective through the written word.

7. Avoid distractions

Writers tend to believe that the human mind can do multiple things well. When the office is quiet and distractions are eliminated, work is much easier and thoughts make logical sense. Close the door and turn off the phone for the length of time it takes to write a complete piece without any interruption and then review the work. Attempt this strategy for one week and see the difference in the quantity of writing generated with fewer mistakes.

8. Take breaks

Between topics get up from the desk and go take care of a small task that must be addressed. Shift your thoughts to the next topic and start to do the thinking about the approach you will take. As you return to the desk, begin to form the outline for the next topic in your mind and get prepared to write again.

9. Simmer topics

While working on other projects think about various topics that could be written. Keep a notebook handy and jot down some notes, and then think through each topic and search for a unique approach. Spend five or ten minutes on each topic and learn to use the passive portion of your mind for creative thought.

10. Refine your work

Review the work written in the past three hours and look for areas that are choppy and must be smoothed out with transitions. Notice how many grammar and punctuation errors you fix in each one. Strive to remove errors in the first pass to increase the proficiency of your writing.

Today’s guest post has been contributed by James who is a full time writer and a product reviewer on CartridgeSave, offering Lexmark ink cartridges and other accessories to the British Isles.

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Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work

By on March 30, 2011 in Success

I just finished reading a thought-provoking new book, Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work: Build a Culture of Employee Engagement with the Principles of RESPECT by Paul L. Marciano, Ph. D. If you are a small business owner, company executive, manager or anyone who leads employees this is a must read.

I am always intrigued when someone raises their hand and suggests that we take a hard look at the status quo and urges us to try a different approach. That is exactly what Paul Marciano does in this book.

Most successful businesses realize that employees are their most valuable asset, but they fall short of knowing how to maximize that potential. Research shows that rewards and recognition programs do not work. Dr. Marciano asserts that they have short-term results and only work under positive conditions.

Going a step further, he explains that there is a difference between engagement and motivation. What we truly want is to have employees who are engaged. He goes on to describe how the fundamental principles of respect and trust are paramount to building relationships with our employees and creating a culture of engagement and team mentality in our organizations.

“Engaged employees will hang in there during adverse conditions because they are a part of the team.”

What he says does work effectively is the RESPECT model, based on seven key drivers of employee engagement that are proven and supported by decades of research and practice:

  1. Recognition and acknowledgment of employees’ contributions
  2. Empowerment via tools, resources, and information that set employees up to succeed
  3. Supportive feedback through ongoing performance coaching and mentoring
  4. Partnering to encourage and foster collaborative working relationships
  5. Expectations that set clear, challenging, and attainable performance goals
  6. Consideration that lets employees know that they are cared about
  7. Trust in your employees’ abilities, skills, and judgment

He addresses each of these drivers in turn with explanations, stories, quizzes and suggestions for implementation. He writes in a clear and easy to follow manner with a conversational tone. Anyone who manages or leads employees will benefit from reading this book and applying these principles to your business. Happy reading!

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