The Productivity Pro® Blog by Laura Stack - Time Management, Getting Things Done, How to Be More Productive

Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R) talks about the productivity killer – procrastination!
(C) 2010 Laura Stack. All rights reserved. http://www.theproductivitypro.com

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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.  Read on for the seven most common responses (and what you can do about them).

1. E-mail.  Let’s face it.  E-mail can be a phenomenal productivity tool, but it will eat your day alive if you let it.  Lots of people complain that their overflowing inbox is beyond their control, but here are three steps you CAN take to start getting a handle on it right away:

Do you keep one eye on your inbox all day long?  What does that do to your productivity?  If you drop everything and attend to every e-mail that comes in throughout the day, you are derailing your productivity, over and over again.  Not only do you waste whatever time it takes for you to read, ignore, or act on a given e-mail message, but it also takes time to refocus your attention on whatever you were doing prior to the interruption.  Try to close Outlook completely while you work on other tasks, if you simply can’t resist looking.  Also turn off your alerts, so the envelope in the system tray doesn’t constantly remind you there’s email waiting. 

For a previous blog posting I wrote on how to process email using my 6D method, go to http://www.theproductivitypro.com/blog/2006/08/how-to-process-email-and-deal-with-information-overload/

2. Watching television.  Why is it that we can spend all day scrounging for extra minutes and then head home only to flush countless hours down the drain watching television?  Television (even bad television) can be extremely habit forming and one show can very easily lead to another, turning your half-hour escape into an entire evening wasted.

Take a quick inventory of the last few TV shows you watched.  Think about how many you thought about in advance and then sat down to enjoy.  Now think about how many you ended up watching just because they were on.  Pick a few shows that you really enjoy and watch them each week.  If you have TiVo or a DVR, that’s even better.  Watch on your own time and skip the commercials.  Then shut the TV off and go about your business!

3.  Searching the Internet.  The Internet is a bottomless pit of information…some useful and some not-so-useful.  It’s much too easy to sit down to do one thing (pay a bill, look up an address) and end up wasting time on something else entirely (reading news stories, checking your social networking profiles).

If meandering around the web is relaxing for you—that’s fine—just make sure you do it at an appropriate time and place that doesn’t interfere with work or family time.  Otherwise, treat the Internet like any other tool: use it when you need it and put it away when you’re done.  Once you’ve got what you came for, close the window and move on.

4. Procrastinating on starting a difficult task or project.  Occasionally, things don’t get done because we just can’t seem to get the ball rolling.  Sometimes the task or project giving us a hard time is completely within our control, but we just don’t make it happen.  Whether the task is intimidating, time-consuming, or simply unpleasant, the solution is often the same: break it down into manageable chunks.

Forget waiting for a “block of time.” That no longer exists. Instead of viewing the task as one huge project, break it down into manageable chunks you can schedule over a period of a week or two. A twenty-hour project can be seen as ten two-hour tasks. Getting it down on paper can help you see how to best approach the project. The key is to do something to move toward completion. If you need to focus without interruption, it’s best to not work in your office.  If you can take one large task and break it into many smaller ones, it’ll be much easier to get things going.  Rather than feeling like you have to tackle some monumental project all at once, you can just look at your bite-sized first step and get started right away.

5. Handling family concerns during my work day.  Life happens.  And it isn’t always convenient.  Some things can only be arranged during the week from 9:00 to 5:00.  Fortunately, companies are starting to realize that it’s in their best interest to assist employees attempting to manage their lives during the day rather than standing in the way.  That can mean anything from allowing workers to access the Internet for incidental personal use to offering flexible schedules to accommodate personal appointments.

Talk to your boss, your peers, and your staff about finding opportunities for flexibility within the workday.  If employees don’t feel like they have to accomplish a million things during five lunch hours a week, they’ll be more productive during the rest of the day.  Do whatever you can to promote a strong, reasonable work-life balance at your organization.     

6. Scheduling meetings.  Do you find that it’s close to impossible to get five or more attendees that are available at the same time and the same date?  When key players are overbooked, it can take hours just to schedule a single a meeting.  Here are three questions you should ask yourself whenever you schedule a meeting:

a. Do we really need all these people?  Make sure you aren’t inviting anyone that doesn’t need to have a seat at the table.  Not only does it make scheduling  more difficult, but you’ll either (A) waste their time or (B) bend over backwards to accommodate someone who isn’t going to show up anyway.
b. Can we keep people in the loop without inviting them to every meeting?  Some meetings are full of wallflowers that need to know what’s going on but don’t necessarily need to contribute.  Publishing meeting minutes or distributing essential information electronically can save time and shorten the attendee list.  Also take a look to see if some work areas are sending multiple representatives.  By choosing a single designee from each area, you can make sure everyone is represented without having everyone in the room.  �
c. Do we need to meet at all?  This is a question we should ask about EVERY meeting, not just the hard-to-schedule ones.  Any meeting that doesn’t have a clear objective (if not a formal agenda) should be on the chopping block.

7. Working on fun things instead of boring tasks.  I love that this one made the list because it shows how honest my readers are!  We already talked about failing to get started on tasks because they are large or overwhelming, but what about the small, mundane tasks that you just can’t seem to get motivated to complete?  The best thing you can do is realize that you’ll focus much better on the work that is important to you if you don’t have a bunch of small, less interesting tasks hanging over your head.  One thing to keep in mind?  About 99 percent of the time, those nitpicky tasks are DRAMATICALLY easier and less painful than you think they’re going to be.  Getting started is the hardest part.  If you’re really having trouble, schedule a five-minute appointment with yourself to begin the chore. When the designated time arrives, start working on the task. If you feel like stopping at the end of five minutes, you can stop. The only rule is you must schedule an additional five minutes for tomorrow. When you begin to see some progress, five minutes soon becomes 10, 15, 20…

Make it a productive day! ™

(C) Copyright 2009 Laura Stack.  All rights reserved.  http://www.TheProductivityPro.com

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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.

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Here’s a great site to calculate how much time you waste on Twitter!

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John discusses an interview he had with Laura Stack The Productivity Pro®, Inc. on her 6-D email approach.

“Imagine this; you are deep in thought, tackling an important project, you are in the zone – then…’ding’…the echoing sound of your email inbox, that’s right, you’ve got mail.  Your thought process screeches to a hault, your mind shifts, you think ‘nah, I’ll check it later’, but what if it’s important?  What if it is crucial information?  Or, what if it’s an amazing discount offer from your favorite online retailer…?  Doesn’t matter, you’ve now lost focus on the task at hand and reach for the mouse.  How many times does this occur throughout your day?  I bet it happens often enough, that if you added up all of the diversion of time wasted you could calculate that into money lost…”

Read more…The 6 D’s to having your inbox make you money

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Stop Trying to Be on Time!

Victor Borge, the Danish humorist and musician, was well into a performance when a woman came in late, fighting her way through the rows to her seat near the front. Borge stopped playing and as she proceeded—trampling over people, rustling, and disturbing her way to her seat—he said (much to her chagrin, as all eyes focused on her ill-timed arrival), “Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me.” After she sat down, he walked over near where she was sitting and said, “Where are you from, Ma’am?” “Fifty-Seventh Street,” she said. “Well, Lady, I’m from Denmark, and I was here on time.”

While Borge might have been trying to get a laugh from his audience, his obvious annoyance speaks to the principle of Preparation in Mark Sanborn’s newest book, The Encore Effect: How to Achieve Remarkable Performance in Anything You Do, which I’ll discuss in this brief article.  In the 16 years I’ve been speaking professionally on the concepts of personal productivity, one of the biggest complaints I hear from leaders who bring me in to speak to their employees on performance is something around “the inability to meet deadlines, always being late, constantly running behind, or being forgetful”—a performance that is hardly remarkable.

People are much more irritated by lateness than you can know or they will admit; it can dampen everything from promotions and raises to friendships.  Late people crowd you, physically and mentally.  When people show up late, it undoes your schedule and disrupts your day.  Showing up late or sending something in late—no matter how well done—still means a black mark against you. 

I consider myself blessed to be close friends with Mark and his wife, Darla.  Since we only live a few miles apart, our families frequently enjoy spending time together.  At a recent 4th of July barbeque at our home, Mark joked with me about the already-cut-up plates of tomatoes, onions, pickles, and lettuce, wrapped in plastic, and waiting in the refrigerator.  I joked back, “Why, I’m just following the principle of Preparation from your book!”  Does a simple act of slicing burger fixings in advance make for a better barbeque?  I think so.  Being unprepared would have meant trying to cut everything up while the burgers got cold.  I still would have been “on time,” but I’d be half listening to them and missing pieces of conversation while focusing on my task. 

This is the source of many people’s lateness, I believe: they are trying to be on time.  On page 17 of The Encore Effect, Mark defines average performance as, “the best of the worst and the worst of the best.”  He says further, “These performers are the best of the mediocre middle, neither hot nor cold but lukewarm.  The problem is that average performance doesn’t get you noticed.”  Simply being on time doesn’t get you noticed, because it’s fairly typical.  It just doesn’t stand out.  It’s okay…it’s just expected…yawn. Don’t be simply “average”!  So don’t be on time: be EARLY. 

Mark’s principle of Preparation—planning in reverse—speaks to this concept. I had to chuckle at his story of the fishermen on page 61.  It reminded me of cutting up tomatoes before the barbeque.  Being prepared means you do things EARLY.  Not on time.  Early.  Done in advance.  Proactive.  Forward looking.  With a long-term focus.  We’re not talking ridiculously early here, in a way that inconveniences your host when you arrive for a party.  It’s a way of thinking, a way of being, a way you frame your behavior.

The process of finding and seizing “The Crucial 5 Percent” (page 64), applies Preparation to people in this way:

1. “Late” people are perpetually behind on everything.
2. “On time” people arrive or finish a minute or two ahead or behind the goal.
3. “Early” people are remarkable and are prepared for everything.

Imagine how life would be if you were always so prepared that you arrived early everywhere, for everything.  You would:

• Get the first choice of many things,
• Gain admiration and respect,
• Are able to relax and not sweat,
• Get good press and publicity, and
• Have a bit time to relax, read, or return a call.

My point is that you can never really be on time…just barely on one side or the other…so you’re never totally trusted, no matter how skilled you are.  Being early makes you look remarkable and demonstrates to others you can be depended upon.  Being late, however, makes people wonder if you’ll be on time next time. 

Mark distinguishes between “routine” and “remarkable” on page 18.  I couldn’t agree more and would frame it in this manner:
• Routine “on time” people communicate through their actions, “I might not make the next deadline.”  “I’m barely in control.”  “I’m not looking beyond the moment.”
• Remarkable “early” people communicate through their actions, “I don’t need deadlines.”  “I’m in complete control.”  “I look ahead.”

(We won’t discuss late people, since that belabors the obvious.)  In trying to be early, don’t go out and simply set your watch five minutes fast to try to fool yourself, because psychologically, you know it is five minutes fast, and make up for it anyway.  Keep your clocks on the correct time.  Preparation is all about planning.  Instead of thinking, “I have to be there at 9:00 AM,” think, “I will plan on arriving at 8:45.”  Then work backward.  How long should it take you to get there?  Add a buffer in case there’s traffic.  What time would that require you to drop off the kids at daycare?  What time would you have to get them up in order to make that happen?  What time do you have to get up to make that happen?  And what will you do if you arrive even earlier than 8:45?  Be prepared to pay bills, make calls, read a report, or write thank-you notes.

Before you close shop for the day, ask yourself, “What’s coming up next week?”  “What can I get out of the way now?”  Before you retire for the night, go over the next day.  Know exactly where you need to be, what you need to have with you, and have everything laid out.  Have clothes selected, school papers signed, lunches made, briefcase packed, and schedule outlined.  As Mark says on page 58, “The future we experience depends on the preparations we make today.”

By preparing in this way, you enable yourself to be early.  Soon, you won’t have “deadlines,” because they will be unnecessary.  Deadlines eliminate all the job of accomplishment as you work for the deadline, not the completion of a project or task.  Deadlines were made for people who would not get things done without one.  You, on the other hand, are prepared, a remarkable performer, deserving of an Encore performance.

Stop being on time!
© 2008 Laura Stack.  Laura Stack is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker who helps busy workers Leave the Office Earlier® with Maximum Results in Minimum Time®.  She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations.  Since 1992, Laura has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today’s workplaces.  She is the bestselling author of three works published by Broadway Books: The Exhaustion Cure (2008), Find More Time (2006) and Leave the Office Earlier (2004). Subscribe to her free productivity newsletter at www.TheProductivityPro.com.

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Today I feature an article by guest columnist Rosa Say and her blog Managing With Aloha Coaching.  If you enjoy the article below, I suggest you subscribe to her blog.

If I am hard pressed to recommend one and only one tool as THE most essential one in every manager’s tool kit, there is no question for me what it will be.

It is the very first tool I teach new supervisors (and any struggling manager) to use;
No matter the industry they are in.
No matter the country they are in.

Whether they are new to their positions or seasoned pros.
Whether they have just one employee or thousands.

Whenever it is calm, and they are caught up.
Whenever it is frenetic and crazy, and they can’t see that light at the end of the tunnel.

Pretty much no matter what the circumstances are.
And get this – even more than my beloved Daily 5 Minutes®.

The One Tool that every manager must work with, and work with daily, is this:
A simple list kept easily and best with pencil and an 8×10 sheet of paper folded into three columns.

This is not just any list, but a very special one.

It is the list that will endear every manager to every employee, every boss, every supplier or vendor partner, and every customer.

It is the list that can single-handedly reinvent a manager’s reputation, as it simultaneously functions as that manager’s best training and coaching architect.

At the top of this list is its name, and right beneath that, as the headings of its three columns, are all the instructions managers will need.

This magic manager’s list is called, THE FOLLOW-UP I NEED TO COMPLETE.

Those headings of its three columns are,

1. What I must Do to Honor my Word
2. Who I need to Follow-up with, and By When
3. Why it is so Important to Them, and thus, to Me.

When management is a calling (as it should only be) managers work more for other people than they do for themselves. The work they do for others IS the work they do for themselves, for when they elevate the human condition, improving it as it aches to be improved, they are most fulfilled in the work they are most needed for, discovering that being a manager can be the most satisfying and rewarding work that exists.

When employees cry out to me that their managers “don’t know what they are doing,”
or “are never around when we need them”
or “are too poorly trained; it’s like we have a revolving door of management trainees here”
or “don’t really care about us”
or “always seem to be working on the wrong things at the wrong times”
or “said they’d take care of it, but we all know what that means”
… the complaining and whining goes on and on… nine times out of ten I will discover that the manager they are referring to has lost all credibility due to a horrible lack of follow-through. They may start with the best of intentions in very sincere conversations, but they have no reliable system for finishing well, and they are not held accountable.

On the other hand, the managers with exceptional follow-through are referred to as “the great ones.”

A key point is that great managers don’t necessarily do all the work and tasks involved; what they do is orchestrate them well, and they keep work flowing, moving all road-blocks out of the way, human and otherwise. They work to remove any obstacles or adversity (or excuses and yeah-buts) and they communicate to everyone involved about status and progress consistently and reliably.

If you are a manager, is that what you do?

Let’s talk a bit more about those three columns;

1. What I must Do to Honor my Word

This column is described this way because a conversation with someone is likely to be what will trigger the entry you are making. What did you agree to follow-up on? This column will teach managers to “eat an elephant one bite at a time.” A common reason good intentions will fall apart is because we’ll make promises that are way, way too big for us to keep. Using this list over time, managers learn to work from conversation to next conversation and tear issues, problems, and projects into doable baby steps. Then the following column becomes a simple status-check conversation of “Here’s where we are now, what should we work on as our next steps, and how much time will that need?”

2. Who I need to Follow-up with, and By When

This may seem obvious, but in my investigations of trip-ups that have occurred, I am amazed at how many times a manager did follow up, but never reported back to the person they’d made their commitment to. Their reputation and credibility has gotten marred by a bad assumption that “the results will speak for themselves.” Well, not really, and not always. In fact, the norm is that they seldom do. This column also helps cure avoidance behavior; if you didn’t get something done yet, just honestly say so and make a new agreement. Don’t just hope the other person will forget about it; trust me, they probably won’t, and the next column helps you understand why.

3. Why it is so Important to Them, and thus, to Me

This column is a teacher called “Empathy Practice,” one whom all managers need to spend more time with. For us to help people best, we need to see a problem or issue in the way that they see it, and since we can’t usually “walk a day in [their] shoes” the best way to understand their point of view is to key in on why an issue is important to them. I coach managers to work with people without robbing others of the engagement, satisfaction, and growth of doing their work for them – the mantra we speak of is “Do with, not for.” There is a balance to be achieved, that this column helps us understand one person at a time.

Management is a situational art. Coaches like me try to help with certain things, and we can provide tools and tips that shorten the learning curve, however a manager’s best teachers, bar none, are their employees and the other people they work with and are committed to. This is the same reason The Daily Five Minutes® works so well: All you need to know about you can find out from the people you work with side by side, day in and day out.

Managers get trained on the job in the flow of the work they are responsible for. When they follow-through consistently, they excel because they deliver well; they exceed expectations. Their word is believed and trusted.

So take this from me; the 1 best list that every manager must work with says THE FOLLOW-UP I NEED TO COMPLETE at the top, and has those three columns. What they write on it, and how consistently they work through it day by day will determine that manager’s success. Just ask their employees.

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Today we feature guest columnist Monica Ricci.  If you enjoy this article, I recommend you subscribe to her blog’s feed: Monica Ricci’s Your Life: Organized. 

Closing The Loops

Several months ago, a thought whizzed through my head and it was “Life is a series of getting things out and putting them away.”  This is what I call “closing the loops”. If you think of a loop, maybe you picture a circle or an oval. All smooooth and sexy, the curves…

of a loop will never hurt you and the curvy shape is easy on your eyes. No, there’s nothing about a closed loop that hurts!

Now, contrast a nice smooth, wonderful closed loop with an open loop. Open loops are all those little things unfinished that you left for yourself to deal with “later”. The remnants of breakfast from this morning that you never put into the dishwasher, the stack of mail you never processed, or the shoes you dropped by the front door, the appointment you haven’t written into your calendar yet… They’re all examples of open loops. The bummer about open loops is that rather than being all nice and round, the ends are exposed and they’re barbs! Like snakes with sharp teeth, they bite you as you walk through your house. Mess here. Ow. Stack of papers there. Ow. Crumbs and dirty bowls on the counter. Ow. That’s treacherous stuff and I don’t have to tell you, it sucks the life out of you day after day. So how do you close the loops?

Simple. When you get something out, put it away. When you make sandwich, put away the ingredients before you eat it. When you process the mail, throw out the junk and move action items to the same spot every day. Basically, closing the loops is simply becoming aware of what you’re doing in the moment and choosing to follow through with whatever you start.

Follow through. Finish. Close your loops. It only takes milliseconds and it will make your life, your house, and your outlook a whole lot happier.

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Today I’m pleased to feature a guest blogger and fellow productivity consultant, Matthew Cornell.  He has interviewed me in the past and featured me on his blog.  I’ve been following his good work and musings on productivity and wholeheartedly recommend you subscribe to his feed.

by Matthew Cornell: Three Indecisiveness Phrases:

I’d like to tell you about three phrases you and I use that actually mean the opposite, and, when used improperly, hurt productivity and weaken your mind (Gasp!) Fear not, I’ll also share the only times they are OK to use. And I’ll start with a biggie.

“Let me think about it”
This is a classic in being indecisive. Situation: Have you ever been asked for something or had an offer made to you and you answered “Let me think about it”? Typically what this answer really means is “The answer is no, but I don’t want to disappoint you so I’m going to pretend to think about it.” Implied in this is “…and I hope you forget to bring it up again.” Nasty!

In this case, you’re is using the phrase as a crutch, and it has a cost:

It’s going to dog you until it’s resolved.

You’re misleading someone and wasting their time; it’s disrespectful.

You’re training yourself to be indirect and less decisive.
What you’re really doing trading is clarity for a temporary reprieve in disappointing someone. It’s a bad practice. If you know the answer, train yourself to be direct (but sensitive) and get closure right then. If you want to leave the bridge open, fine, but not if you really don’t want to discuss the issue again.

That said, this phrase does have a few specific productive uses:

You need to collect more information. However, ask yourself whether this is an excuse to put off deciding. It’s frequently better to make a decision early on, with less than 100% of possible information, than to strive for perfection. Most decisions can be mitigated later.

You need to clear or verify it with someone else. In this case, commit to a specific date to get back to them, no longer than a few days.

Germination: You really might have to let it germinate. The blogosphere is rife with creativity stories around the subconscious, and hey – who am I to take away your productive shower time But be honest about whether you really need to sit on it.

Here are a few rules if you do decide to defer:

Only one defer allowed per person. Think of it as a rare coupon you don’t want to squander.

Make your decision time bound: Limit how much you’re willing to spend on it, and don’t make it too big – one hour max, say.

Commit to a decision by a specific date (no longer than a week), and tell it to them. Then keep your word.

“Let’s get together sometime”
This really means “I’m not interested (or mildly interested), but not enough to follow through.” The solution here is simple: Pick a date. I found myself weaseling out last week. I really did want to get together with a friend and peer, but I was having a weak moment and used the phrase. It felt weird. Thank goodness she called me on it and said “Let’s set a date. how about next Monday at lunch time?”

A common variation: “We’ll be in touch” – sadly not uncommon when applying for a job or sending an unwanted proposal. Please, put me out of my misery and get it over with! (I’m told companies sometimes get so inundated with resumes that they make it easier on themselves by not sending “sorry” letters. I don’t respect this practice. Disclaimer: I’ve never been in the hiring role.)

“Interesting”
This is a true classic, and often means “That’s really uninteresting” and/or “I disagree but don’t want to get into it with you.” To be fair, this can also mean “I don’t understand or agree, but I’m willing to think about it.” Also, it rally depends on the tone.

Instead of saying this, try getting into question asking mode and being genuinely curious. (For more, see How to help people, step 1.)

(An example: I once sent a resume to a company, waited a few weeks, heard nothing, then called the hiring person. She said “We got your resume. It was … interesting.” Her tone made me think “We thought your use of crayons for the resume was innovative.” Not getting hired worked out much better, BTW.)

Others?
Do you have any favorites? A few others:

“Send me a brochure” (”I’m not interested, but I won’t say so.”)

“That’s something” (”I have no idea what to do with this gift.”)

“She’s not here right now” (”She’s here, but she doesn’t want to talk to you.”

“Thank you for sharing” (”That was wildly inappropriate. Save it for you psychiatrist.”

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Are you following your mission in life, or do you feel disconnected from what you want to do, believe in, and value? Are other people defining who you are? The more your time is organized around your values, the more energy you gain from your activities. Here are a few ideas that can help you stay “on flow.”

1. Figure out who you want to be and what you want to do.  Many of us ignore our dreams in the interest of providing for our families, or because we think we don’t deserve them — but all that does is leave us unhappy and listless. If this describes you, spend some time deciding what you want to do and be.

2. Take a good, long look at your career choices. Are you happy? Do you find your work fulfilling? Or are you just going through the motions to pay the bills? If the answer to the last question is “Yes,” reconsider your career.

3. Don’t equate material success with achieving dreams. Money can’t buy happiness. If you have everything you ever wanted and you’re still unhappy, maybe it’s because you’ve sacrificed your dreams for money. Reconsider your options, and figure out how you can make the world a better place.

4. Don’t let your obligations prevent you from pursuing your dreams. Your dreams didn’t cease to exist the day your kids were born. Sure, you’re here to encourage their dreams and help them attain them, but not to abandon yours in the meantime. Trying to achieve your own dreams sends your kids a healthy message about life and how to live it. 

5. Spend time on what’s most important to you. Put some metrics on your priorities. If family, health, and spirituality are important to you, don’t throw them over in favor of work. Balance your life to reflect what matters to you most.

6. Cultivate faith in a higher power. If you find solace in believing in God, Allah, or Prana, embrace that satisfaction; however, you don’t have to subscribe to a particular faith to be a spiritual person, or to benefit from a daily dose of energy from your spiritual practice of choice. 

7. Avoid people who shatter your dreams. Don’t try to be what people expect you to be, and never, ever listen to people who put down your dreams. Instead, believe in yourself and work hard to attain what you want out of life.

8. Claim your dream.  Stop being all talk and no action. Grab a piece of paper and a pen. Without overanalyzing, act straight from your gut and finish this sentence:  I am a ______________.  Then do what you need to to make that dream a reality.

The key to purpose and energy is flow. Anything short of flow, and you spend lots of energy being restless and irritated. When what you believe and what you do are in alignment, you’ll experience higher satisfaction in everyday life. Stop ignoring your dreams!

© 2008 Laura Stack.  Laura Stack is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker who helps busy workers Leave the Office Earlier® with Maximum Results in Minimum Time™. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations.  Since 1992, Laura has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today’s workplaces.  She is the bestselling author of three works published by Broadway Books: The Exhaustion Cure (2008), Find More Time (2006) and Leave the Office Earlier (2004).  Laura is a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, and Day-Timers®, Inc and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, CNN, and the New York Times. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Sunoco, KPMG, Nationwide, and 3M.  To have Laura speak at your next event, call 303-471-7401.  Visit www.TheProductivityPro.com to sign up for her free monthly productivity newsletter.

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