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 Fri, Jul 23, 2010
If you're directionally challenged like me, you'll understand why I was so excited to test and then write about a new-to-me website Route4Me.com with companion iPhone application.
The idea: enter several addresses into the magical machine, and it will plot the best route to hit them all in the most efficient sequence as well as provide step-by-step directions from one to the next...adding a round-trip closure if you'd like.
Since it goes a step beyond the multiple-destination mapping feature I use all the time on Google and gives my iPhone this multiple-destination genius which it previously did not have, I thought it was love at first sight.
And then I got stuck trying to get the dang thing to work.
I understand you typically have to invest time to learn and to populate technology before it delivers, but 45 minutes (a lifetime in today's measures) later and I still have no plan for running my errands?!@#$?!
Long story short. I finally snapped out of the technology trance and called someone with navigational skills. Two minutes and a chuckle later, I was on my way.
What time management tools are you overlooking?
P.S. Hopefully I can regroup and test Route4Me again. Others have given it thumbs up, so I'm guessing I will...eventually...agree.
Posted by Jan Wencel on Wed, Jul 14, 2010
I spent time with the acupuncturist this weekend; hence, this post to remind me about the importance of ergonomics and activity at the workplace.
Increase Productivity Through Ergonomics
According to Ergotron, research over the past 20 years has consistently shown that workstations adjusted to fit the user can result in an 18% productivity increase. (Multi-display configurations result in another lift.) But what is the right fit for you? Go here to generate an illustrated guideline (like we have pictured) specific to your situation.
Increase Productivity Through Activity
If you’ve been stuck at your desk all day (be it ergonomically set up or not), stand up. This simple act tells your brain it’s time to be awake and act alert. This quick burst of activity improves concentration by bathing the brain with oxygen and activating stress-relieving chemicals.
One client of mine was so keen on standing up more, she used recurring phone alarms to prompt her movement, and she asked her company to install equipment so she could sit or stand while computing.
What changes or habits do you need/have your made to make your time at the office more productive and more comfortable?
Posted by Jan Wencel on Thu, Jul 08, 2010
A Chicago accounting firm asked Life Contained to help one of their tax accounts to be more productive through greater time management and priority alignment with their team lead.
One of the key decisions made to reach these goals was to conduct a recurring meeting between this technical powerhouse and his manager. Not quite an apple a day, following is more about the structure he decided to use:
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Frequency. A weekly meeting seemed best to start. During tax season, this may be revisited.
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Duration. Thirty minutes, with an option to stretch to forty-five should the need arise.
- Leadership. My client welcomed the notion of conducting the meeting from his office as opposed to his boss'. Making the suggestion to his manager may not have been easy, but it was accepted and results in a win-win. My client takes on greater ownership. His manager is not distracted by email/phone calls/visitors in his office.
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Content. Each meeting covers:
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Schedules (deadlines, meetings, vacations, etc.)
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Prior week accomplishments (though it was avoided at first because it felt like chest beating, this is covered now to close loops for the manager)
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Coming week top priorities (making certain you’re aligned)
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Issues/opportunities (allowing for reactive & proactive planning)
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New business/firm news (allocating a little time for asking the team lead about the bigger picture)
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Ground rules. The rules are simple. Show up in body and mind.
His efforts to conduct these recurring meetings result in better prioritization and fewer moments working on the wrong things. Is there someone you should be meeting with regularly? Do you have a recurring meeting highlight we missed?