Posted by Jan Wencel on Fri, Jul 30, 2010
Life Contained conducts ongoing time management training for a financial services principal charged with business development. They collaborate to build systems and habits to maintain momentum and increase productivity...all with an eye toward having more fun at work and adding life moments.
Following are a few of the courageous decisions she has made:
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Delegate research. Instead of spending precious call time researching who to call next, she decided delegating the task would not only free her up, but would enable someone else in the company to learn a valuable skill. (Implementation was a little rocky. She accidentally formed a habit of double checking fairly accurate work that she had to shake.)
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Assign weekly themes. To give the conversations more continuity, she decided to dedicate each week to a particular prospect segment. This not only enables her to truly dig into the mindset of her prospects, but also offers the opportunity to plan weekly themes in advance.
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Memorize SalesForce reports. To allow for tracking and single-click printing of information she frequently wanted, she decided to create and memorize new SalesForce reports.
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Plan for tomorrow at end of today. To diminish moments at home spent thinking about work, she plans tomorrow at the end of today. Printing her call list, reviewing her project list and completing a custom form we created helps her to close and open work days with more control.
- Ask for help. When she's feeling unsure about her numbers, she asks that accountability measures kick into high gear. Sending me daily or weekly emails to report activity is just enough social pressure to keep her charging forward.
What time management techniques have you fearlessly added to your work day to increase efficiency?
Posted by Jan Wencel on Wed, Jun 23, 2010
Monday I participated in a tele-class with Michael Bungay of Box of Crayons. I was most interested in a Maestro confernce call demo (you can create private breakout sessions during the calls), but there were other juicy bits to learn from the session.
Michael's mission is to cut down busy work so you can carve out more time for creating your best work. His manifesto spells out seven ways to get there. Here's my favorite of the seven:
"Say Yes--Slowly
"Much has been written about the importance of being able to say "no," and it's very true. Until you learn how to say no, stuff will keep rolling down the hill and end up on your plate.
"But, the truth is, it's difficult to say no in most organizations. We're all nice, polite people. We've got it into our heads that success lays in saying yes. (And, ideally, with enthusiasm!) Surely it's a career-limiting move to get a reputation as being someone who says no?
"So, don't say no. Rather, master the art of saying yes slowly.
"Rather than making yes your default response, ask some questions--I'd suggest at least three--before you make a decision. Here are some for a starter:
- "Why are you asking me?
- Who else have you considered for this?
- What exactly would I need to do?
- When you say "urgent," what does that mean?
- If I could only do part of this, what part would I do?
- How does this fit with my current project load?
- How does this fit with our weekly/monthly/annual goals?"
What questions can you ask to slow down your busy work? How can you use this advice to be a more productive you?
Posted by Jan Wencel on Tue, Jun 15, 2010
An attorney in Chicago asked Life Contained to be his business organizer with the goals of increasing office productivity and moments of life. Following are a few of the brave decisions he made to streamline workflow, declutter the inbox, and to take less work home:
Make better use of administrative assistant via weekly meetings that she runs and deferring internal mail. She's happier. He's happier. Because they both feel more in control.
Use time management tools instead of brain. Create calendar appointments for project work. Schedule two hours of daily focus time (email off; IM off; door shut; phone screened). Use a combination of Outlook Calendar and Tasks to know what to do when.
Build upon things that work. Like most of our Chicago productivity clients, there were loads of things working. We found ways to squeeze even more from them. Continue to reap the rewards of email while lessening dependence on it by turning off notifications and batch processing. Increase the amount of time in Outlook's Calendar View (instead of Email View!) by changing the default to open there and committing to flipping there when finished processing email.
His efforts to change work habits results in a lighter briefcase and clearer mind going home each night. Are there things you need to change to make similar gains?
Posted by Jan Wencel on Tue, Jun 01, 2010
When I recently attended the American Society for Training and Development 2010 International Conference and Exposition (ASTD ICE), I was privileged to attend a session and then to meet David Allen, productivity training thought leader and Getting Things Done (GTD) author.
I was eager to speak to David after the event. First to thank him for his contributions to my practice; second to inquire about becoming one of his Chicago productivity trainers.
He welcomed my accolades and warmly signed my book. How exciting! His reaction to my inquiry, however, stung a little. Without being rude, he dismissed my question practically before I finished asking it. I was a touch hurt at first.
As I reflect on the experience, I find a powerful, yet subtle message. David was not rejecting me, the individual. He was deleting a commitment he didn't really want to make before it was even added to his to-do list. As if he were wearing a protective shield.
From his book:
"...once you really understand what it means, you'll probably make fewer agreements. I know I did. I used to make a lot of them, just to win people's approval. When I realized the price I was paying on the back end for not keeping those agreements, I became a lot more conscious about the ones I made."
So thanks, David, for not agreeing to win my approval when we were face to face...only to disappoint me and you when we were not.
What defenses do or can you use to prevent to-do list overwhelm and regret?
Posted by Jan Wencel on Thu, May 27, 2010
In December I wrote about creating email white space. Just when I needed a little more white space advice myself, I encountered Tara Sophiamohr's Ode article titled "Create White Space In Your Calendar and Life."
This self-proclaimed people-pleasing woman made a decision to deliberately manufacture white space on her calendar...to give her life more balance. She could have taken the easier way out and built in white space in her future. Instead, she toughened up and canceled things she was already committed to.
When was the last time you were that brave?
A friend of mine was that courageous just yesterday. She called early morning to announce she could not join me for book club that night. She won my admiration at "hello." She communicated authentically about her schedule and how she felt. She apologized for the possible food gap. And I'm guessing she went about her day more at ease and, as did Tara, feeling generous and connected to herself.
How much white space do you need on your calendar to balance your life?
Posted by Jan Wencel on Fri, May 21, 2010
You know it's bad when the productivity trainer in your life is providing procrastination aids, but this is just too good to pass up!
If you haven't already visisted Google today, go now. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Awaiting you is a fun game of Pacman...Google style.
There's sound, so turn down the volume if you think you'll get caught.
Posted by Jan Wencel on Thu, Mar 11, 2010
The assertiveness tip for today is the second in a series of tips from author Manuel Smith, creator of the 1970s seminal piece When I Say No, I Feel Guilty. Following is a helpful passage from the book to help those looking to obtain a more assertive posture. Enjoy!
WORKABLE COMPROMISE
"Many people learning to be assertive, often for the first time in their adult lives, do not understand why verbal skills like broken record are used. They ask: 'What do I do when the other person doesn't give in or is assertive to me also?' The answer to the question is that our true sense of self-respect has a priority over everything else. Consequently, if you keep your self-respect through exercising your assertive rights with skills like broken record, you will feel good even if you do not achieve your goal immediately...It is practical, whenever you feel that your self-respect is not in question, to offer a workable compromise to the other person."
What Smith tells us here is simple. As long as you don't loose your self-respect or dignity, you have been assertive and are using healthy compromise skills.
In what situations can you see yourself employing a workable compromise?
Posted by Jan Wencel on Wed, Mar 03, 2010
I'm guessing by now you've heard at least one thumbs-down message about multitasking. It slows you down. It increases your error rate. It makes you stupid. It causes you to drive like your blood alcohol level is .08 when you're stone-cold sober.
So then why is it that:
• The phrase blackberry jam was recently coined to describe the sidewalk congestion caused by people walking while tapping on their phones?
• 3,300 iPhone users and counting have rated "Email 'n Walk," an application that overlays your email window with a view from your camera so you can watch where you're going when you type?
• The New York Times is publishing the "Driven to Distraction" series to enumerate on the dangers of double dipping during commutes?
• I feel compelled to put links throughout this newsletter, promoting you to multitask!?!
This excerpt from yesterday's NYT article helps to answer:
"Scrambling to protect his company...he grabbed his cell phone...cradling it between his left ear and shoulder, and with his right hand e-mailed instructions...from his laptop...all while driving his rental car in a construction zone on a two-lane highway. 'I thought I was doing a great job because I was being productive...It's an adrenaline rush. It's the buzz we all get of trying to do everything you can in business.'"
We would all be less stressed (& safer!) if we spent fewer moments multitasking, but don't take my word for it. Play this three-minute game to see for yourself.
Links to: blackberry jam, email 'n walk, driven to distraction, office work is high risk
Posted by Jan Wencel on Fri, Feb 19, 2010
Although more difficult to align than physical complements,
matching personality and responsibility can increase your chances of success for creating order in your organizations and in your life.
Personality assessment tools like DiSC and Myers Briggs measure varying dimensions, plotting the analyzed within a defined spectrum. People often conclude one end of the spectrum is “better” than the other. While this may be true for a specific task, it is not a universal truth. As Getting Organized author, Chris Crouch, put it, “Certain personality traits may have a significant influence on your ability to become more focused, organized and productive. It is not a matter of any particular trait being good or bad, it is more a matter of whether or not the traits are a good match or a bad match for what you are trying to do.”
While the incongruities may not surface immediately, they will eventually emerge in decreased work functioning indirectly (personal matters impede) or directly.
Self awareness breeds change, so it’s important to be aware of your prominent personality traits and of how the characteristics of the folks on your team may impact you. When you notice you need to complete something that requires going against the grain of your personality, see if you can delegate the task. If not, take frequent breaks or ask someone to support you through the task.
Are you matched well in your job?
Posted by Jan Wencel on Fri, Feb 12, 2010
A common behavior among those who live an organized life is having a set of evolving boundaries. You know from experience without proper boundaries, work can take over your life. You also know kept boundaries, strangely, manifest freedom.
Over the next week, determine what boundaries you need to establish in order to maintain a healthy blend of family, work and rest. When you notice your energy running low or you feel resentful, you likely need to erect a new boundary—or to respect an existing one.
Following are the steps to inventing these freeing restrictions:
- Identify. Spend time being more aware of your circumstances and emotions. When you feel frustrated, stop to determine if instituting an outward or inward boundary would prevent this situation from happening again.
- Create. Here’s where you have to draw a line. You don’t have to get it right the first time, but you need to define the limit in measurable terms and specify the consequences for adhering/disregarding the boundary.
- Inform. Alert all involved parties of the new boundary and the associated consequences. Clarity is key. If you’re setting a private boundary, make a plan to track your implementation of the new rule.
- Enforce. Enforcing is the difference between having boundaries and not. One or two uncomfortable public conversations enforcing the negative consequences of ignoring a new boundary typically ignites the social pressure system which takes over as boundary keeper from then on.
- Enjoy. Once you and others have embraced the boundary, there is much to enjoy. Create whatever you want on top of this steady foundation you have secured.
- Adapt. Evaluate boundaries from time to time. Stretch some. Change the ones no longer aligned with your life goals. As the anonymous quote says, “Your current safe boundaries were once unknown frontiers.”
Boundaries are an essential key separating the joyfully productive from the regretfully overloaded. Have fun with creating and honoring your own network of liberating limitations.
What defined boundaries do you reliably respect...or want to begin honoring?