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

Here’s a nice article on 5 Ways to Stop Being Late.  Made me start thinking about punctuality.  A quiet amusement of mine is to watch the expression of people who arrive late for my time management seminars. Tail between the legs, these people shuffle in sheepishly mumbling something about traffic, while their friends tease, “How can you be late for a time management class?”

The number one complaint I receive from managers who hire me to coach their staff on performance is something around “the inability to meet deadlines, is always late, is constantly running behind, or he/she forgot.” There are actually three types of people I see:

1.      “Late” people are typically perpetually late, for everything. 

2.      “On time” people typically arrive a minute or two ahead or behind the goal. 

3.      “Early” people are rare and generally arrive early to everything. 

People are much more irritated by lateness than we ever know; it can dampen everything from promotions and raises to friendships. Late people crowd us, physically and mentally, all the time. We all hate the fact that their lateness undoes our schedule and disrupts our day. Showing up late for work or sending something in late, no matter how well done, still means a black mark against you.

I’m an Early, not because I’m so incredibly productive, but because I’ve discovered the benefits in doing so. For one of your productivity goals, I’d like to encourage you to become an Early. Why is it important to be early?

·        You get the first choice of many things.

·        You gain admiration and respect.

·        You are able to relax and not sweat.

·        You get good press and publicity.

·        You get time while waiting to relax or read.

Being an Early makes you look competent and lets others know you can be depended on. Being a Late, however, makes people wonder if you’ll come through this time. You’ll always be bringing up the rear, never totally trusted, no matter how skilled you are. Even if you’re on “on time,” that’s fairly typical…boring? It just doesn’t stand out. It’s okay…just expected…yawn. Don’t be simply “average.”

LATE says, “I can’t make deadlines.”  EARLY says, “I don’t need deadlines.”

LATE says, “I’m out of control.” EARLY says, “I’m in control.”

LATE says, “I can’t look beyond the moment.” EARLY says, “I look ahead.”

So how do you become an Early? It has nothing to do with setting your watch five minutes fast and “fooling” yourself, because psychologically, you know it’s five minutes fast and make up for it anyway. Keep your clocks on the correct time. It’s less about time management and more about planning. In fact, this simple, inexpensive principle will actually prevent 50% or more of your “time management” problems.

Instead of thinking, “I begin speaking at 9:00 AM,” my thoughts are this: “I should plan on arriving at 8:00 AM to set up and get prepared.” Then I have to figure out how long it should take me to get there at eight, not nine! If I do arrive early and have some “free” time, I’m prepared.  I have bills to pay, magazines to peruse, or thank you letters to write. Before you relax each night, have your clothes selected, school papers signed, lunches made, briefcase packed, and schedule outlined.

Best of all, become an Early and you won’t have “deadlines.” They will become unnecessary because you’ve already completed things early. Deadlines were made for people who would not get things done without it. Work for the completion of a project or task, not for the deadline. Deadlines are often irrelevant, because the task gets put off until the deadline when it could have been done much sooner. Telling yourself you’re “more creative under pressure” is just an excuse to procrastinate and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

What To Do With Low Priority Items On Your To-Do List

You already know you should work on the most important things—duh—but are you doing it? The next big question becomes—what should you do with all the lower-priority items? Here are some questions to get you started thinking about what to do with the rest of your list:

• Can you give it to someone else to do? Your goal is to push the activity to the lowest pay possible without compromising the result. I used to pick up my mail every evening—an important task—and sort it and get it to the right people. Once I relinquished a bit of my obsessive control over the process, trained my assistant Dana how to do it, and resisted the urge to go to the mailbox at the end of the day, I saved about twenty minutes a day. She picks it up on her way into the office, and after several months, there hasn’t been one thing that couldn’t have waited until the next morning for me to see. Part of my learning here was to stop seeing my mail as a present, like a little child dying to open her Christmas presents, and seeing it as simply another task that was demanding my time and attention. 
• Can you simplify the process? I give over 100 keynotes and seminars every year on personal productivity topics. Every client needs certain information from our company to publicize the meeting or event. As different staff members handle different areas (travel, logistics, contracts, etc.), the client would receive multiple emails. Instead of sending multiple attachments from multiple people, we simplified the information into a single Meeting Planners guide, which a multi-page PDF, that provides all the information in one place, one email, one person. No more confusion on who the client should ask and who has already provided what. We also upgraded our contact management database to ACT 2007, so any user in our office can see real time what another person just sent to a client. 
• Can you become more efficient? Once an engagement was underway, a client might need information (not initially provided in the Meeting Planners handbook), such as a photo of me, a course description, or my introduction. So after receiving call after call and sending this information piecemeal to whomever needed it, we thought—duh—we should put it on our web site. Now we proactively let clients know at the time of booking where they can find anything they need. We now have more information than anyone would probably want on the web site. If it’s requested more than one time, we add it. Less staff time on our part, and clients can get what they need more quickly. 
• Can you stop doing it? Have you ever asked yourself the question, "If I didn’t do this at all, would anyone notice?" Seriously! That’s a darn good question. I chatted with an administrative assistant who was generating training reports every month for the operations group. She was sure what the customer was using the reports for, but it took her about four hours to create each month. So she called and said, "We generate this report for you, and we’re happy to continue to do that, but we just wanted to check out its importance with you. Do you use it? Is it valuable? Can we skinny it down a bit? Can we stop sending it altogether?" It turned out the user looked at it every once in a while and was fine with changing it to quarterly. It’s important to keep the communication open with your "customer" and find out what really has value. Focus on what you could be doing in that time instead to get greater recognition and abandon things that don’t add value. 
• Can you create a checklist to handle repetitive tasks quickly? Before I leave for a speaking engagement, I have to know that certain things are in place: books are shipped, travel arrangements are made, workbook copies have been produced, an LCD projector will be available, etc. So we automated the process of providing this information to me. At the time of the booking, each staff person includes a checklist in the central client hardcopy file and marks things off as they are accomplished and put in the file. I simply have to pull the file and scan the checklists and see what’s been done and any exceptions. It ensures that each person completes all the necessary tasks prior to an engagement, and I don’t have to ask whether things have been completed. 
• Can you lower your standards? Does it have to be done perfectly? I worked with the president of a car manufacturing company who called someone in IT to get a figure to put into his talk. The president was thinking the guy would spend 15 minutes on it and be able to quickly ballpark a number to drop in a speech. Turns out the employee spent 10 hours coming up with an exact number to 7 digits, when the president was only looking for was a high-level guess—5 million or 50 million? Both of them are at fault. The president should have said "I’m looking for this type of number, and I’m thinking it will just take you 15 minutes or so to ballpark it +/- a few million dollars. Does that sound reasonable? Then the employee could tell him what it would actually take to create that figure and the president could decide if it’s worth it for that particular speech. 
• Can you use a shortcut? How about a standard response template? I found myself providing or replying to the same type of emails over and over again and typing out the same information over and over again, such as replying to media requests for quotes, thanking people for kind feedback to a presentation, sending invoices, etc. I used to keep standard templates in Microsoft Word and cut and paste them into Outlook. But I have saved SO much time by setting up the standard templates as Signatures in Microsoft Outlook and titling them by the type of response or letter. I simply create or reply to the email, Insert, Signature, and pick the name of the signature, customize a couple things like the name, and hit Send. Simple! What a great shortcut. 

Hopefully these examples will give you a few ideas on how you can deal with low-priority items on your list. Remember: productivity isn’t how many hours you work or how fast you work; it is how much value you produce. 

When you promise someone you will complete a task by a certain timeframe, do you do it?  Or does the deadline slip past once again, with you muttering to yourself, “Stupid! What is wrong with you?”  Now you aren’t able to focus on anything, always aware of this dark cloud hanging over your head.  Guilt sucks the energy right out of you!  Instead, decide today that you are going to be a person of your word.  Are you reliable?  Can people count on you to do what you say you’re going to do?  Do you have integrity and keep the deadlines you promise?  What’s others’ perception of you?  Do you live out what you affirm?  Do you do what you complain about in others?  What things do people "jokingly" say about you and your behavior?  Seek to control yourself.  If you say to yourself, "I probably shouldn’t be doing this right now," you’re probably right.  If you’re honest with yourself, how many hours could you save every day by being more disciplined?  And could you leave the office earlier with that saved time?  If tomorrow, you arrived at work and didn’t get a cup of coffee…didn’t get on the Internet…didn’t talk to your friend…didn’t get your new blog postings…didn’t get sucked into email for 90 minutes…what could you use that energy on instead that will made you proud and give you a boost of satisfaction for the entire day?  When you finally complete the task you’ve been putting off, the freedom from the stress it was causing you is its own reward.  Good things begin to flow into the space the negative guilt used to occupy.  You’re no longer paralyzed, and you get your energy back.

Happy New Year!  I read this quote posted on the 43 Folders blog from the Scottish mountain climber W. H. Murray:

Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.

I believe this is, indeed, a truth.  Take vacation planning, for example.  Countless business people in my seminars have told me their schedules are so hectic, they can never fit in a vacation.  That’s the wrong approach.  You should first schedule the vacation, then work around it.  You will NEVER miraculously find a block of time on your calendar in which to rest and spend time with your family.  You have to make it happen.  Once it’s on your calendar and PAID FOR (book the cruise, put the deposit on the Club Med vacation, etc.) it’s amazing how you can move heaven and earth to make that a reality.

So in the the New Year, decide what you are going to commit to and START.  It doesn’t even have to be big.  You don’t have to have all these grand project plans broken down by the day, and objectives set so high you’ll give up in two weeks.  Take tiny steps toward your bold goals.

For example, I’ve committed to participating in the Danskin Triathlon in Denver on July 14-15, 2007.  Nope, I’ve never been in a Triathlon.  But Santa brought me a new XBox 360 program called Yourself! Fitness, and I’m just going to take it one step at a time, without locking myself into a set of unrealistic exercise expectations. Now that this is on my calendar, I’ve commited to it, and I’m taking steps toward it, I know that it will happen.  That’s the power of starting.

Now that I’ve put it out there, I’m waiting for Providence to find  a workout partner in Highlands Ranch who’s interested in training with me or anyone in Denver willing to meet me at the Triathlon.  Know anyone?   

What are you going to start? 

A reporter asked an interesting question today: How do you know if you’re spending too much time surfing eBay?  While I’m all for saving time on Internet shopping and having things delivered, instead of driving around town to ten places trying to find the same item, you don’t want to cross the line into an addiction.  An addiction?  That’s right.  How many hours a day would you have to devote to something before it would be labeled an addiction?  Television watching?  Gambling?  Drinking?  eBay surfing?  As with anything, it can get out of hand.  So I told the reporter I’d have her readers ask themselves these questions:

·        Do you spend more time on the computer surfing eBay listings than you do with your significant other and children?

·        How would you feel if your spouse could see the listings you’re viewing?

·        Are you purchasing items in private or on a separate credit card, so no one knows what you’re buying?  Are buying things you are embarrassed to tell your spouse about or that are causing financial strain?

·        You don’t leave the house any more to go shopping, because you can find anything you need on eBay?

·        Can you spend an evening with your partner without thinking about whether someone has responded to your eBay seller inquiry?

·        Does your heart beat faster when you see a message waiting for you in your inbox from a certain eBay stores?

Tell your partner you’re sorry you’ve been so unavailable, and make steps to change. Don’t let the anonymity of technology let you cross boundaries you wouldn’t in person. Force yourself to buy things in cash, so your credit card purchases don’t become unmanageable.  Make a list of things you need to buy, and get out and about to meet real people in real situations.  The delivery costs can add up quickly, so only buy unique items you can’t find anywhere else, only when there is a legitimate occasion.

Ahhhh…what a wonderful Thanksgiving break.  I hope you enjoyed the long holiday weekend!  Rested, ate, played…and made some progress.  Not just maintained the status quo or existing systems, but you made progress.  Yes, it’s important to maintain your systems: food is prepared, the house is cleaned, dishes are washed, bills are paid, etc.  But nothing is gained with those activities; there is no forward momentum.  Those things are done simply to keep you from sliding backward.  You got out all the nice china for Thanksgiving dinner.  You washed it.  You ate on it.  You washed it.  You put it away.  Back to the same place you were before.  Yes, of course you have wonderful memories with your family and relaxed a bit.  But your situation is the same.  Tidying up the living room is maintenance.  Cleaning and conditioning the leather furniture is progress.  So, did you make any progress?  Did you take the time to organize an area that was a mess before?  Decide to get a family photo taken?  Go through your kids’ playroom and give away a bunch of stuff they never play with?  Map out the organization project in your garage?  NOW your condition is improved, and your situation is different.  You have made progress.  When our guests had left and everything was back in order (maintained), we were back to "normal," which is square one.  Then we got our holiday shopping done.  Then we wrapped the gifts.  Then we rearranged some work-out equipment in the basement to make room for some new storage shelving.  Some people skip the maintenance and go directly to progress tasks, which can be okay too, unless you’re like me and feel a bit unsettled when surrounded by clutter or incompletions.  So get everything back in order as quickly as possible, so you have time for new projects.  To experience forward momentum, don’t think "done"…think "get back to normal" and then "NEXT." 

I was teaching a full-day seminar in time management. One of the participants complained several times that "This is so hard!" or "There’s no way I could do that." After a while, it was quite apparent to me and his colleagues that while he wanted to change his behaviors, he had absolutely no faith in his ability to do so. I’ve never been one to tell people that being productive is easy. Sometimes it’s downright hard! However, I do believe that once you have systems in place and have enabled yourself to be productive, it’s much easier in the long run.

But any type of change is hard. When learning new techniques, don’t throw your hands up in despair and think, "There’s no way I can do all this!" You can! You might just be stuck in a rut. You get into a certain routine and have fixed habits that are hard to break. You know you’re not performing up to your ability, but hey, you’re getting by, so it’s good enough. You have to break out of your own self-limiting beliefs.

When you believe that something is impossible to do, you don’t even try, or you do it half-heartedly, so that when it doesn’t work given your low level of effort, you do what…say, "see, I told you I couldn’t do it." "It’s impossible! I knew it was!" This is the famous self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think you can get better and be more productive, you can, and you will.

Always think, "What if"? Take stock. Think about your daily tasks and ask some important questions. "How can I do this better next time?" "How can I be more efficient?" "How can I get these results with less effort?" Occasionally, you must take the time to stop, step back, and ask yourself these questions. You can’t just keep plowing ahead without occasionally regrouping and reassessing what you’re doing or have become blind to doing.

When something is bothering you, do a bit of introspection to see what’s going on and how you might approach it more efficiently or effectively next time. If you’re in a rut, and you’ve grown accustomed to low productivity, change may not be comfortable and change may not be easy. Take an honest look at your life, determine what’s no longer working, and change it.

In the August edition of my monthly newsletter, I posed the question to my readers: What does productivity mean to you? In other words, how do you know when you’re being productive? I thought you would be interested in some of the responses I received, which I’ll post here. If you have another one to add, leave your comment here, and I’ll send you a free eBook to thank you for your time (make sure to leave your email address).

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Dear Laura, Productivity means that I am able to work, to network, and to accomplish the goals set by my boss and not feel any undue stress in the process. I feel very goal oriented and goal focused on productivity days. My sense of accomplishment is an elated feeling that carries me into the next day of work. Sincerely, Carol V.

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When I know what needs to get done and I get all of the "tasks" done that are important to me. Mark K.

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Dear Laura, A good day is when "all four burners are firing" and a bad day is when "I’m spinning my wheels." When you’re having a good day, things don’t take as long as you expect. You have the info at hand. The work flow makes sense and you have all the reports from subordinates. The decision is obvious and the words flow clearly and succinctly. You walk away feeling great and that you’ve gotten two days work done. "Spinning your wheels" involves waiting for permission and "CYA" activities, being told to do things with people who aren’t here, a mental lapse that makes things hard that you know perfectly well you can do. Everything takes twice as long as it should and you’re never going to get done. Everything is frustrating and difficult. I find when I’m really in the grip of such a day; the best thing to do is clean out my pencil drawer. Doing something mindless and finite gives me a chance to stop and refocus without feeling like I’m just sitting around. Going on break doesn’t have the same effect because you’re still worrying about the problems. Sharon P.

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I feel that I am being PRODUCTIVE when I am tackling those big, important projects that are moving my business forward and bringing in results. I feel like I am ORGANIZED when the house is running smoothly, I’m on top of the ticky-tacky daily paperwork, appointments are kept, errands are run, bills are paid on time, the bank statements are balanced, etc. I very seldom feel that I am both productive and organized at the same time – usually it is one or the other and that is why I am reading your books and newsletter. For once, I am trying to get it all done and done well. Sandi D.

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Productivity means…having done everything I meant to do yesterday, keeping in control of today, and actively preparing for tomorrow. This kind of productivity is measurable simply in terms of comparing actions taken against goals set – how close are we to meeting a goal, how long did it take us to get there, did we get there in time? Understanding my capabilities day to day is key to setting the right goals; working hard and smart is key to meeting them. It’s counter-productive to allow myself to get despondent if I don’t meet every daily goal but acknowledging a missed goal or an unproductive period is part of designing a more realistic goal or working smarter today. I think that I achieve optimum productivity on those days/weeks/months when I’ve really taken time to analyse my daily capabilities and then used this knowledge to set realistic goals (n.b. ‘realistic’ isn’t a code word for ‘easy’ – these goals can be ambitious and really stretch me/my reports/my colleagues/my company but I have to be sure that we’re all capable of at least getting close otherwise I’m wasting everyone’s time and missing another opportunity by focussing on an unachievable one). Loving the email newsletters – thank you for your continuing inspiration. Mary Ann L.

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Productivity means accomplishing your goals; tasks; etc. in a timely manner. This is a consistent performing activity. You have organized your To-Do’s; planned your day; etc. The rewards of productivity are: 1. Stress-free feeling 2. A clean desk 3. Guilt-free pursuit of quality time activities(what is "special" for you) 4. A sense of accomplishment Lou S.

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So…what does productivity mean to YOU?

I’m reading an article by David Javitch at http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14305067/ who suggests that dealing with bored employees is a management problem and should be handled through accurate job descriptions and job enlargement.  Although I believe he presents some valid points, he doesn’t look at the subject from a personal productivity standpoint.  This should be a two-pronged attack, as there is a LOT an individual can do to take the initiative and work productively despite boredom.

For example, I don’t like entering credit card receipts into QuickBooks. It would be really easy for it to stack up for a month. When it comes time to pay bills and balance the books, I can suddenly discover five or six other urgent things requiring my attention. Unfortunately, not all of our jobs thrill us. Even tedious, boring tasks must be completed. Here are some suggestions to help you concentrate on a task that bores you:

Do a leading task. Perhaps the task is making you anxious, such as returning a complaint call from a customer. Select a simple, low effort part of the task to get you started. For example, you could pull the customer’s file. Perform another leading task, such as reviewing the file. Pull the phone closer. In other words, complete everything up to the part of the activity you dread. Then the ONLY thing left to do is pick up the phone. In order to discharge negative emotions, it might help to write down your thoughts and figure out what you’re going to say before you call.

Eat a frog first. By completing unpleasant tasks early in the day, you won’t feel the impending sense of doom hanging over your head all day. I like Mark Twain’s quote, “If you eat a frog first thing in the morning, the rest of your day will be wonderful.” Identify the “frog” on your list each day and eat it first. You’ll feel great all day.

Vary your activities. For mental and physical alertness, be sure to vary sitting activities with standing ones, mental activities with physical ones, and writing tasks with social tasks (such as meetings, phone calls, etc.). It will help prevent fatigue and keep your efficiency high.

Create rewards. Make a deal with yourself that when you complete the boring activity, you will do something fun afterward. By creating internal enthusiasm, I’m able to sit in front of the computer and enter receipts non-stop for an hour. I know that after I’m done, I get to eat chocolate and take a walk!

Turn it into a game. Pretend like this is the first time you’ve done this task. Give yourself a “pep talk” and be more enthusiastic. Whistle while you work. Turn on some light background music.

Give yourself new responsibilities. Tasks that bore you can be changed! Can you find a way to do that task better? Can you make it more interesting? Can you do more research on the project? Can you add another piece to it, to make completing it more exciting? Instead of just paying bills, create a budget, and compare items. Learn more about where your money is going.

Check for Job Fit. Stress levels that are too low can contribute to job burnout. Perhaps you’ve been doing the same thing for too long. Is it time for a new challenge? Can you ask for new responsibilities? Can you join a committee or start a new task force? Because you know your job so well, you are the perfect person to redesign an inefficient process.

If you try these things and your work never gets more enjoyable or meaningful than before, then you have to look elsewhere. If you are consistently bored, you probably aren’t in the right job.

In helping my grandparents get their papers in order recently, we had to search for some important items, and they couldn’t put their hands on some things right away.  In the event of a death or a disaster in your life, would your loved ones be able to help you or make the proper arrangements?  I recommend you sit down and spend some time typing out a list of all your important information, numbers, contact information, locations, passwords, etc., and keep it in a lockbox or fireproof safe, or give a copy to a trusted family member…just in case.  I got you started with a template at http://www.theproductivitypro.com/PDFs/Important_papers.pdf.  Don’t put it off!