Posted by Jan Wencel on Thu, Aug 19, 2010
A virtual organizing session Monday with one of my favorite entrepreneur clients, Lennie Rose, started with a confession. She told me she was "flagging herself to death."
As we scrolled together through her email inbox, I saw the hefty evidence behind her gloomy statement. We found a brighter story when we dug a little deeper.
Email Inbox Assessment
Lennie was not alone in storing loads of other items in her inbox than just newly received mail. Items (some opened, others not) requiring action and candidates for future reference were the two most popular kind.
There was also a pattern of half processed email. You know, where you open it...think, ugh, I don't want to deal with this right now...and then move onto the next email?
There were lots of unwanted emails. Subscriptions to newsletters she didn't read. Updates from social media sites galore. And, of course, unsolicited junk mail.
And then there were the flags. Lots of them. Some of them indicating tasks to complete. While most identifying email gold--the thoughtful notes from friends and fans, the interesting person/blog/product she'll want to find when the time is right.
Healthier Email Habits
The first inbox habit she decided to institute was to stop using the inbox to store reference items. (Many folks go further and decide action items go elsewhere, too.) The process of moving things to reference was made easier since she uses X1 to find things.
The second habit was to unsubscribe to things no longer valuable, to add repeat junk offenders to her blocked email list, and to permanently delete those she's too exhausted to unsubscribe from but doesn't want to ever see again. (Pressing shift while hitting delete in Outlook will do this automatically.)
The third habit was to process email all the way to the end. That meant if she opened it, then she needed to follow through all the way to the end...moving it to a reference folder, deleting it (yes, like most people, there were many emails clouding the inbox that simply needed to be deleted), scheduling it on her calendar, or leaving it in the inbox to indicate action needed.
What email habits do you want to shed? Or which are the ones you want to embrace?
Posted by Jan Wencel on Fri, Aug 13, 2010
I want to share one of my favorite time management tools, the Time Timer. Though the name could be sexier, the Time Timer is a powerful invention.
As the image implies, simply slide the timer wheel to the number of minutes you want to measure, and then this handy little device will show the passage of time by slowly hiding the red wheel until it is completely gone and your time is up.
This visual relationship with time passing is far easier for most (me included!) to understand than the more static measurement of traditional clocks. With a little practice, you can gut check your timing without loosing focus on what you're doing.
I regularly use the 3" version:
- During individual productivity coaching sessions to help me and my clients keep track of time
- When I'm conducting group training sessions to help me gauge timing for each segment
- When I know a meeting is going to be tight to help me and everyone else participating to be more responsible for stopping on time
- When I'm falling down the perfectionist rabbit hole and want to restrict how much time I'm willing to spend against something
In what situations would the Time Timer help you feel more organized? Do you have a favorite timer?
P.S. My husband wouldn't buy me the Time Timer watch for my birthday. Boo hiss!
Posted by Jan Wencel on Mon, Aug 09, 2010
These are the kinds of folks I've seen drawn to paper of late:
- An insurance field agent relationship manager
- The director of worldwide engineering for a food and beverages company
- A mobile manager working in the health care industry
- An account director at a large advertising agency
- The owner of a high-end bath and kitchen cabinetry representative firm
- A senior manager at one of the largest CPA firms
Why are these folks devoted to paper again? Because it keeps them organized when all the electronic gizmos couldn't.
Also because...
- It's more real to them
- They can touch it
- It's been good to them
- They can crumple it up when they're finished with it
- They can tear it into pieces when they're frustrated
- They can access it without power or internet access
- It cuts down on their screen time
- The paper products have gotten better looking and funcitoning
- They have a long, loving relationship with paper
- It's cool again
How about you? Paper or plastic?
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?
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 Mon, Jun 07, 2010
As a productivity trainer part of my job is to demo different time management systems to gain intimate familiarity so I can lead clients to choose the one that's best for them.
I've gone from paper to electronic to Franklin Planner to a tickler to Outlook to index cards to a combination of those. And now, I'm trying on GTD (that's Getting Things Done for those of you not a part of the cult) for size.
Although each system has its merits and downfalls, the universal truth I've come to embrace: transitioning from one time management system to another is tough work.
Following are a few tips to make it easier:
Tell people you're under construction. Especially the people you connect to most frequently.They may be a bit more understanding if you seem uncharactertically discombobulated.
Dedicate several self appointments to make the change. Changing time management systems is time-consuming work. The rewards keep coming after the switch is made and the new habits are formed, but the upfront time commitment is critical.
Go easy on yourself. You're going to make mistakes. The folks involved may or may not understand your situation and be tolerant. But you have the power to forgive yourself...use your power for good.
Do you have a transition story to tell?