Are New Years Resolutions really productive? Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R), talks about how resolutions and how to really make positive changes for the New Year. (C) 2009 Laura Stack. All rights reserved. http://www.theproductivitypro.com
I asked readers to fill in the blank on our last monthly survey and received some great responses. There were tons of interesting answers, but it didn’t take long to start seeing some patterns.
(C) 2009 Laura Stack. www.TheProductivityPro.com
Part of what keeps us stressed out is all of the incomplete tasks running around in our heads. Too many folks have loose ends and things they say they will “get to it some day.” Stop saying “some day” and get those things done! (C) 2009 Laura Stack. All rights reserved. http://www.theproductivitypro.com
Are we born organized and productive, or are these learned traits? Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R), discusses this question. (C) 2009 Laura Stack. All rights reserved.
I recently surveyed my readers on the eternal question of productivity: Why is it that some things on your to-do list never get done? Some great responses rolled in, ranging from the classic (too many interruptions) to the matter-of-fact (I don’t feel like doing it).
But as diverse as the responses were, it didn’t take long to see certain themes emerge. Below are the top ten issues at the heart of the problem and some guidance on how to deal with them.
1. You haven’t made the necessary decisions. Your to-do list should be full of clear, actionable ideas—in other words, things you can actually do. If you have a vague goal, like “Have a sale,” you’ve still got a lot of thinking to do before you can hit the ground running and make real progress. Take a minute to figure out exactly what you need to accomplish: What kind of sale? When will it take place? What will it promote? Once the task is more fleshed out, you’ll be more likely to make progress on it.
2. You haven’t talked to the people involved. Are you worried that you don’t have the necessary support to make your idea happen? If you need buy-in, go get buy-in. Chances are that your first step should be to pick up the phone or schedule a meeting. Even if you don’t get the answers you want, at least you’ll know where you stand. From there, you can move forward, adjust your strategy, or simply move on. Wherever the idea ends up, at least it isn’t festering on your list.
3. You haven’t done your homework. Perhaps you know you need to schedule a teleseminar series, but haven’t gotten around to researching which platforms are available. Figuring out the mundane logistics is now keeping you from making an important decision. Carve out some time to do the legwork, or better yet, delegate that part of the task to someone else. Once you have a better idea of your options, you can focus on the real issue at hand.
4. You’re ignoring your internal clock. We spend so much time focused on schedules and deadlines that we often forget to pay attention to our body’s natural rhythms. Yes, your Outlook calendar might say that a block of work will fit perfectly on Wednesday afternoon, but if that places your big task in the middle of a low-energy period of your day, you don’t stand a chance. Keep your daily energy levels in mind as you plan your day. Start high-energy projects early if that’s when your concentration is at its best.
5. The task is unpleasant. The first step is admitting it! If you’re being honest with yourself, you probably have an item on your list that hasn’t been done simply because the task is unpleasant and you’d rather not do it. If that’s the case, it’s time to get tough. Make a decision right now to either do the task, delegate the task, or forget about it altogether. If you need to do it, stop thinking about it and just get it done. If it can be delegated effectively, go ahead and make arrangements with someone else. And if you’re going to eliminate it completely, cross it off your list and for goodness’ sakes move on already!
6. The task is overwhelming. You don’t know where to start. Is there an item on your to-do list along the lines of Complete Huge Multifaceted Project XYZ? No wonder you aren’t making progress! The task it too big. Large or complicated projects need to be broken down into manageable chunks or else they’ll always take a back seat to the smaller, more manageable things on your list. After all, would you rather spend the afternoon completing five smaller items on your list or barely making a dent in one? By identifying a few key steps, such as “Gather Project documents” and “Outline project scope,” you’ll know exactly what needs to be done next and be less likely to hesitate as you take action.
7. You are plagued with distractions and interruptions. Seemingly innocent interruptions like checking e-mail, answering the phone, or chatting with coworkers will eat your productivity alive. And although many of these interruptions aren’t necessarily your fault, managing them is your responsibility. Identify your time wasters and take immediate steps to correct the problem. You might need to set regular times each day to check e-mail or close your door to let coworkers know you’re temporarily unavailable. Not sure where your time is going? Keep a detailed log for a few days and find out once and for all.
8. You are constantly putting out fires. Does it seem impossible to achieve any real long-term focus as you jump from one urgent, immediate priority to the next? Good leaders understand how important it is to make time for true high-value activities, even if they don’t present themselves as urgent, deadline-driven issues. If you spend every day jumping from one issue to the next, you might help avert disasters, but you won’t ever accomplish anything substantive. Instead, focus on the cause of all those urgent interruptions. Do they come from lack of planning, procrastination, or a team that isn’t empowered to handle simple issues on their own? Once you address the underlying problems, you’ll be able to focus your time and energy where it belongs.
9. The task requires a lot of work for little reward or recognition. Recognition is nice, but don’t live and die by it. If the task is worth doing, it is worth doing regardless of whether you will be recognized for the contribution. If it’s not worth doing (but you have to do it anyway), just get the darn thing done and move on to something more fulfilling. In the meantime, your paycheck is your reward.
10. You day is overscheduled before you even sit down in the morning. You schedule time and bend over backwards for everyone else…why don’t you do the same for yourself? Make appointments with yourself and treat them with the same level of importance as you would a meeting with a client or coworker. If you know you need three hours to get something done, schedule three hours to get it done. And I mean really schedule it. Put it on your calendar, eliminate distractions, and treat the task with the same respect you would a one-on-one meeting with a live person.
So there you have it: ten huge productivity bandits—decide which ones best apply to you. Be relentless as you kick them to the curb and get those tasks checked off your list!
Make it a productive day! ™
(C) Copyright 2009 Laura Stack. All rights reserved.
Okay, let’s face it. We’re all trying to do more with less.And chances are that you and your company have already made the big, tough decisions needed to streamline operations. But what about the little things?You can still boost both personal and team productivity in lots of smaller ways that are easy to implement and provide immediate results. Read on for quick tips on getting more done.
1. Hit the ground running. Don’t waste the first hour of the day. As soon as you arrive, focus on getting something done before you even think about checking Facebook or dropping in on a coworker.
2. Decline a meeting. Meetings are necessary. Every meeting is not. Don’t automatically accept every meeting invitation you receive, especially if there is no clear agenda or outcome.
3. Close your e-mail. Do you drop what you’re doing every time you hear the new e-mail sound or see that little envelope icon in your system tray? Close Outlook and focus on the task at hand. Better yet, turn off the alerts and notifications in your email program.
4. Use voicemail. An always ringing phone is a productivity killer. If something is worth your time, the caller will leave a message. Let it go to voicemail when you’re focused.
5. Institute office hours. If you have a constant stream of people dropping by, consider setting up regular hours of daily availability. Then stick to it.
6. Say “no.” As companies try to do more with less, there’s a good chance that you’ll have to cut back on lower-value activities. Don’t be afraid to decline tasks that aren’t a good use of your time. (The first time you do this will be the hardest.)
7. Keep a time log. Do you have a good idea of how you spend your time each day? If you don’t, use a paper time log or track your time in Outlook so you know how your precious minutes and hours are being spent. The Journal is great for this.
8. Help your team prioritize. Make sure they know what’s important so they can allocate their time and energy appropriately. Help them help you.
9. Set goals. Once priorities are crystal-clear, be sure to set some measurable goals. Appropriate, attainable targets will help keep your team moving in the right direction.
10. Take an interest. Doing more with less can lead to less discretionary time and more stress. Show your people that you have an interest in them beyond their role as employee. If they know you care, they’ll be more engaged in what they’re doing.
11. Delegate. Are you the only one capable of doing a given task? If not, consider passing it to someone who’s also able. Your time is too valuable for tasks that don’t require your skills and expertise.
12. Define roles. Make sure everyone on your team knows who is responsible for what. Lack of clarity will lead to diminished productivity.
13. Fail fast. Even when resources are limited, it’s important to continue taking risks. Don’t be afraid to fail, but if something doesn’t work out, be committed to failing quickly and moving on.
14. Look ahead. The higher up in an organization you are, the more you should be looking ahead. If you are dwelling on the past or bogged down in the details of the day, you won’t plan effectively for what’s down the road.
15. Question everything. Rethink tasks, big and small. Don’t just assume that because it’s on your list it needs to be done. If cuts can be made, make them.
16. Think bottom line. In the simplest terms, there are really two sides to a successful business: saving money and making money. If what you are doing doesn’t help your company do one or the other, give some serious thought to whether it’s a good use of your time.
17. Provide options. When dealing with your peers or higher-ups in your organization, don’t just point out problems. Today’s businesses need solutions. If you’re going to bring up a problem, bring a few possible solutions and recommendations along as well.
18. Be available. With heavy workloads and economic anxiety, your people are under considerable stress. Make sure they know you can be reached to discuss any issues they might have…large or small.
19. Segment tasks. If a project is too big to get your head around, make a list of the first few steps to get you started.
20. Defend your time. We’re all getting good at managing shrinking budgets, but why aren’t we more protective of our time? Don’t just give yourself away to anyone that asks. Be selective.
21. Train on the cheap. A three-day trip out of state for a seminar or conference might not be in the budget this year, but you still don’t want people getting rusty. Keep an eye out for less expensive, less time-consuming training activities like conference calls and webinars.
22. Train each other. Instead of relying on traditional, formal training methods, consider tapping your team. Let your people take turns sharing their expertise with the group through an informal presentation. Or tackle a business book together and digest the results afterwards.
23. Use checklists. It’s amazing how a simple checklist can keep a task moving along. Whenever possible, create a list to address recurring needs.
24. Meet smarter. Don’t sit down at a meeting without an agenda. Start on time, end on time, and stay on task in between.
25. Brainstorm smarter. Ever attend a brainstorming session that turned into a lengthy, anything goes free-for-all? If you need to get the creative juices flowing, stay on track by having a clear goal in mind and working towards it consistently throughout the session.
26. Collaborate smarter. Use common sense when collaborating. Don’t wade through a 15-page e-mail string trying to solve a problem that could be addressed with a two-minute phone call or a quick team synch-up.
27. Complete a task terribly. If you’re having a hard time getting started on something—such as writing a letter or drafting a report—take a few minutes and do an absolutely terrible job. Just getting started is half the battle. You’ll find that it is quite easy to transform your shoddy first draft into first-rate work.
28. Expand horizons. A challenging business landscape is the perfect time to improve the capabilities of your team. If someone shows an interest in something beyond their job description, considering finding ways to get that person involved. Give your solid performers the opportunity to knock your socks off.
29. Make a public promise. Sometimes the best way to get something done is to state your goal publicly. If you tell your team you will review their job descriptions by the end of the week, you’ll be less likely to put it on the back burner.
30. Set expectations. When someone requests something of you or your team, agree on a timeframe for completion. It will help you manage your priorities and provide better service if you don’t have a big stack of ASAP projects with unclear deadlines.
31. Help others help themselves. If someone is asking you to do a task that they should be doing on their own, offer support without agreeing to do the work. Tell your requester that you’d be happy to review a draft or weigh in at a team meeting, but that you aren’t available to inherit the project. You might end up with very limited involvement. And sometimes, you’ll find that with the project wasn’t a priority after all (go figure).
32. Consistently work towards the big prize. Sometimes you’ll have a big idea that can never seem to gain traction, thanks to all of the day-to-day issues competing for your attention. Carve out some daily or weekly time to work towards that big goal, whether it’s writing a book, developing a high-profile initiative, or building a tough business case. An hour a week now can add up to big things down the road.
33. Schedule appointments with yourself. Don’t just use Outlook for your daily appointments. If you need to carve out time to work on something specific, put it on your Tasks and block out time just like you would a meeting with a real person. Don’t stand yourself up!
34. Put the economy in perspective. With all the economic doom and gloom in the news these days, a lot of people are carrying around serious financial stress. Help your team understand where your company stands in the scheme of things. A realistic idea of where things stand will mean less nagging anxiety and better productivity.
35. Recognize achievement. Especially when things get hectic, it’s easy to miss opportunities to praise the people on your team. When financial options are limited, a little recognition for a job well done can go a long way.
36. Reward often. Even if it’s just buying a round of morning bagels or dishing out the occasional gift card, look for opportunities to reward achievers, both individually and as a group.
37. Segment tasks. If you can never seem to get the ball rolling on a big project, think of it as a series of smaller tasks. The work will seem less intimidating, and you’ll have a good chunk done before you know it.
38. Stop doing something. Sometimes, serous prioritization means letting go of certain tasks or responsibilities. If something isn’t adding value to the organization, it’s time to let it go.
39. Be in customer service. We tend to think about our work in terms of the things we create – reports, documents, etc. Try to think of yourself as a service provider, focusing on relationships, prompt responses, and strong rapport with others.
40. E-mail efficiently. If you’re getting a ton of e-mails each day, it’s probably killing your productivity. Encourage your team to save their thoughts throughout the day and drop them into a single message. You can answer in one fell swoop instead of 17.
41. Minimize interruptions. Don’t make it a habit to drop everything whenever someone stops by your desk or calls you on the phone. Politely but firmly direct non-urgent issues to a later time when you can give the matter your full attention without compromising what you’re doing. Schedule the meeting while they watch.
42. Eat well. Eating a real breakfast and a healthy lunch will help you feel better and have a more productive day. People who say they don’t have time to eat are full of hooey. You always have time for what you choose to make a priority.
43. Walk around. Human beings weren’t designed to sit at a desk under fluorescent lights all week. Make it a point to get up, walk around, and catch some sunshine throughout the day. You’ll be amazed at how a five-minute stroll can improve your perspective and take a bite out of stress.
44. Batch tasks. Don’t let small, repetitive tasks repeatedly interrupt your day. Carve out a few dedicated minutes each day to handle repetitive tasks like filing, processing mail, or handling invoices. Get things done in batches.
45. Think production, not perfection. Perfectionism can be productivity’s biggest enemy. Sometimes good enough really is good enough. Save your perfection for when it really matters.
46. Be decisive. Don’t waste time with indecision. It will often take less time to correct a mistake than it does to obsess over the decision. Once the decision’s been made, it’s easier to move forward.
47. Be on time. If you want others to respect your time, you need to respect theirs. Plus, being consistently on time sends a message that you are reliable and have your act together.
48. Opt out. That means taking a pass on any clubs, task forces, committees, mailing lists, etc. that are demanding more of your time than they are worth. Don’t feel guilty about it.
49. Avoid toxic people. Some people are never happy and are eager to tell you why. They can occupy your time and drain your energy. Don’t let them.
50. Be healthy. A strong, healthy body is the foundation of productivity. Eat well, get some exercise, and take care of yourself. Better health means more energy. More energy means getting more done.
51. Help your team understand their contribution. Company leadership might talk a lot about corporate goals and objectives, but it isn’t always easy for employees to understand how their contributions influence the big picture. Help them get the idea.
52. Tame technology. Every piece of technology has a point of diminishing returns. If you’re wasting time surfing the internet, obsessing with your BlackBerry, or updating your social networking profiles, take a step back and reassess how you’re using the tools.
53. Burn the midnight oil sparingly. There will ALWAYS be more work to do than time to do it. Putting in long hours at the office or late nights at home should be the exception, not the rule. Focus on getting more done during regular working hours and reclaim your life.
54. Organize your space. Clutter and confusion will not only slow you down, but it will drain your energy as well. Make the effort to get your work area in order and reap the benefits day after day.
55. Uni-task. Multitasking has its place, but the best way to get something done is with uninterrupted focus. Be like a postage stamp…stick to one thing until you get there.
55-1/5. Close out the day. Don’t waste the last few minutes of the day. Make it a priority to close out your day by organizing yourself and setting priorities for the day to come.
Make it a productive day! (TM)
(C) Copyright 2009 Laura Stack. All rights reserved.
Forget multitasking: the real skill you need to compete in the business world and in life is efficiency. The ability to pick up new tricks and hacks quickly but effectively is priceless. This list of 100 awesome cheat sheets can help you to learn and do everything in less time, from working on your blog or designing a web page to losing weight and growing your own herb garden.
Technology has given us so many options when it comes to keeping track of our to-do lists—Smartphones, web-based applications, desktop applications, PDAs—but figuring out the best system for you can be a real challenge (and a frustrating one at that).
Interestingly enough, even with all the technology out there, informal research (mine and others’) still shows that when push comes to shove, most people still fall back on good old-fashioned paper. In fact, a lifehack.org survey shows that not only do most people use a paper to-do list, but that paper is more than twice as popular as any other method listed!
Why is that?
Because we’re human.
Life doesn’t always happen when you’re sitting in front of your computer. We sit in meetings. We leave the office and go home. We travel. And no matter how attached we are to our Treos and Blackberries or how sophisticated the technology becomes, most people simply don’t like making lists or taking notes while squinting at a tiny screen or getting thumb cramps trying to punch in line after line of text.
The bottom line is that handhelds are great for portability and storing reference information, but they’re just not configured for extensive note-taking. That’s why so many handheld users end up being the most disorganized and messy of us all. Without a paper planner, the inevitable to-do lists and reminders end up scattered all over the place on sticky notes and little scraps of paper. Without a “home” for it all, these notes become disorganized, lost, and useless.
So what’s the solution? Let’s look at some of the most popular approaches to organizing your to-do lists (and your life) and see if we can come up with a solution that uniquely suits you.
Paper Planners. Interestingly enough, people who use paper planners exclusively are often the most well organized of us all. Paper planners allow you to have your system available at all time, combine your personal and professional lives, see an instant view of your schedule, and keep manageable to-do lists. In the over 100 training seminars and speeches I give ever year, I’ve met countless numbers of people who tell me how they abandoned their trusty paper systems in search of hip “paperless” PDA methods—just to become so disorganized that they reverted back to paper.
However, for all the advantages, there are challenges with using a paper planner only. With hundreds of contacts, it’s often impractical to keep track of everyone on paper. Other workers in your organization can’t check your calendar for availability if you’re not on the system. Your assistant can’t schedule appointments for you easily without worry of double booking. And you can’t access your email from the road on paper.
Desktop software. Desktop computer software—such as like Outlook, Lotus, and GroupWise—is great. It allows you to manage your contacts, calendar, and to-do lists in one place without having to work with a pocket-sized interface.
In fact, desktop software is absolutely perfect—assuming that you never leave your desk—ever. But you do have to go home. And then when you think of something you need to do at work, you have to make a note. And the scrapping begins. You probably have meetings. If someone says, “Let’s meet again next Thursday. What’s your schedule?” Your very unprofessional response is “Uh, I don’t know. It’s on my calendar back at my desk.” If you appear so out of control, why would anyone trust you with something more important?
Business (and life) has a tendency to happen on its own terms, so it is important to have a system in place for gathering things like notes, appointments, and contact information, at least until you get back to your desk. I always recommend that everyone have some sort of paper system to supplement whatever they are doing electronically. A spiral notebook is disorganized due to the rigid binding: notes, to-do’s, phone numbers, and random information is all mixed together, forcing you to go back and re-read, re-write, and re-organize. You must constantly review old pages to determine what isn’t done. Spiral notebooks become a blur of cross-outs and scribbles due to non-flexibility. That’s why I designed The Productivity Pro® DayTimer® with rings, so the pages could be moved around. You could also print your Outlook calendars and carry them around with you. Or you could sync to a PDA. I personally hate tapping on the screen all the time. Don’t get me wrong—I love my PDA (I use a Mogul by Sprint)—but really only for email, texting, phone calls, and contact management. I prefer to see a big-picture view of my schedule and things to do on my trusty paper system. I just don’t feel creative when I’m not putting pen to paper, and a centralized system beats scraps paper every time!
Web-based applications. As it becomes easier and easier to find an internet connection when you need one, Web-based applications can be a great organizational tool. Whether you use the Web simply to access your calendar or are set up to remotely access your entire PC, it is nice to be able to get what you need from any computer with an internet connection.
Especially if you travel often, using Web-based software comes in handy where traditional desktop software might break down. You don’t need to get to your computer; you just need to get to a computer.
However, Web-based software has the same problem as desktop software—it isn’t always going to be at your fingertips. That’s why, just like with a desktop application, you’ll still need a paper supplement.
Handheld devices. By this I basically mean anything that fits in your pocket—a PDA, Treo, Blackberry, Smartphone, whatever. When handhelds started catching on, many were probably thinking that our organization problems were solved. After all, we could finally have the best of both worlds—technology and portability.
Unfortunately, most of us quickly found that however sophisticated an electronic device could become, they still didn’t quite cut it. The task list isn’t user-friendly. Even if you understand categories well enough and can sort your list, the devices max out at usually 15 categories. And nobody wants to scribble with a stylus or furiously thumb-type their way through a meeting or conversation, and you look like a dork. (I gave myself a painful condition called “Blackberry Thumb” from attempting it.) And even if you do get all of the information entered properly, tiny navigation screens and tinier font sizes just don’t quite cut it.
Handheld devices are great when you need to enter a new contact’s information on the fly or check to see if your schedule is open two Thursday’s from now, but they still can’t do the job of simple pen and paper when it comes to writing notes and creating lists.
The Solution—a Hybrid method! It’s getting harder and harder to find people that don’t use some form of electronic organizing tool, but even the most tech-savvy tend to fall back on paper for some tasks. If you’re listening to a voice mail on your phone, what are you doing? Writing down the message. Bingo. You need a paper planner. When you’re talking to the Hertz customer service agent on the phone, and he asks for your Gold number, what are you doing? Trying not to hang up on the person while you mumble, “Uh, hang on, it’s in my…phone.” Bingo. You need a paper planner. You’re sitting in a meeting talking with your biggest client. What are you doing? Typing notes with your thumbs while attempting to listen? I doubt it. Again…you need a paper planner…one place that will consolidate your lists, reference information, and notes.
I became so frustrated watching people struggle with finding an effective way to use their hand-held organizers in the real world that I teamed up with Day-Timers, Inc. to create a paper system that is specifically designed for users of hand-held organizers (although it works just as well for those without handhelds).
The Productivity Pro® DayTimer® planner has monthly calendar tabs but no time slots on the daily pages (you probably keep that sort of information on your computer or handheld). This gives you a large, easy-to-manage writing space for your notes, lists, and those pesky to-dos that always seem to be slipping through the cracks otherwise. (Visit www.daytimer.com/productivity to check out the planner.) It also has tools to help with things like long-range planning and ongoing lists—things that don’t always have an intuitive home within electronic organizers. If you’re more curious exactly how it works, get a sneak peak of the planner directions and features and benefits. It allows instantly-accessible paper that allows you to follow my mantra: if you think it, ink it! ™
Beginning May 10, there will be a 20% coupon off the purchase of a bundle: my smooth black Nappa leather binder, storage case, and one-year of neutral, dated pages and inserts (start date July 2008) at www.daytimer.com/laurastack (click “Laura’s products”). Guys, don’t worry—no frills—I designed this with you in mind. Hopefully this will help you create a time management system that exactly meets your needs. I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Make it a productive day! ™
Listen on…
(C) 2009 Laura Stack. www.TheProductivityPro.com
Register today for a free webinar on April 7, sponsored by Day-Timer.
Find a system that works for YOU! Create a completely personalized planning style.
How do you make the best use of paper and electronic planning methods? The simple answer is “it depends.” How do you describe yourself? What are your preferences? What does your work require of you? What are your work and home environments? Do you travel? This webinar will discuss the fundamentals of an organized, effective time management system and help you design one that perfectly meets your needs.
Objectives:
I look forward to seeing you there! Register today, as the last one sold out in a few days.
Laura Stack shares ideas on how to boost your productivity during the day by sleeping better at night and provides some tips on how to do it. Watch video below.
(C) 2009 Laura Stack. All right reserved.
http://www.TheProductivityPro.com
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