Let's face it, you can only get control of your time to the degree to which you stop doing some of the things that you are doing today. You cannot simply find ways to do more things, to work harder or longer hours. You have to stand back and look at your life and objectively and ask: "What am I going to stop doing so that I have enough time to do the most important things in my life?"
Before you start a new task, remember that your closet is full. You are already overwhelmed with more clothes, out-dated outfits, ugly shirts and torn pants. Get rid of the pants that don't suit you anymore and make room for a new pair.
The very act of thinking through what you are going to stop doing is a tremendous help in setting accurate priorities before you begin. Never lose sight of what you are actually trying to achieve and make sure that your actions every day with where you want to go every single day.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Are you stoned, or just checking e-mail?
E-mail might do more damage to your brain than smoking pot. Yes, you read that right. Let me repeat so you don't have to re-read: E-mail might do more damage to your brain than smoking pot according to the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London (Discover Magazine).
How did they come to that conclusion? Researchers gave IQ tests to two groups of people. One group was given the test without any distractions while the other had to check e-mail and respond to IM while taking the test.
The result: The distracted group scored 10 point lower than the control group. That might not be so surprising, but when a similar test was given to a group intoxicated by marijuana, they scored only 8 points lower. For those of you who are having difficulty following the correlation due to your own distractions by e-mail, IM, text, etc... let me summarize by explaining: the stoned group actually outperformed the e-mail and IM "multitaskers."
Fortunately, the IQ loss was only temporary. Remove the multitasking requirement and the test scores jump back up to normal.
So, what's the moral of the story? Go to work stoned? NO... but don't let e-mail, phone, IM, text, blogs, facebook, youtube, myspace, twitter.... distract you when you're working on important stuff. As the researchers concluded: multitasking is worse for your ability to concentrate than getting stoned.
How did they come to that conclusion? Researchers gave IQ tests to two groups of people. One group was given the test without any distractions while the other had to check e-mail and respond to IM while taking the test.
The result: The distracted group scored 10 point lower than the control group. That might not be so surprising, but when a similar test was given to a group intoxicated by marijuana, they scored only 8 points lower. For those of you who are having difficulty following the correlation due to your own distractions by e-mail, IM, text, etc... let me summarize by explaining: the stoned group actually outperformed the e-mail and IM "multitaskers."
Fortunately, the IQ loss was only temporary. Remove the multitasking requirement and the test scores jump back up to normal.
So, what's the moral of the story? Go to work stoned? NO... but don't let e-mail, phone, IM, text, blogs, facebook, youtube, myspace, twitter.... distract you when you're working on important stuff. As the researchers concluded: multitasking is worse for your ability to concentrate than getting stoned.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Recession? What recession?
Blah...Blah...Blah! I'm covering my ears and making my own noise so I don't hear all that negative stuff going on around me. I've made the conscious decision not to participate in the recession. I'm running and I'm not ready to stop. I'll admit, I've fallen a few times, but like the Chumbawamba song: "I get knocked down, but I get up again. You're never gonna keep me down..."
It is a time of opportunity. Yes, opportunity for new things, creative concepts, thinking outside the box and reconnecting with old values. Stop doing things the same old way and start thinking about new ways to apply new ideas. I've just finished reading a fantastic, eye-opening book entitled: What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis. Jarvis uses Google as an example of a company that took advantage of the new economy... the free economy of the Internet ... and figured out how to turn it into a very profitable business. He suggests that if you take advantage of all the free stuff that's available and then add to it with some free stuff of your own (that is, provide a benefit to others), then you will become part of the new win-win economy.
The concept is more akin to "pay it forward" and it will come back to you in spades. Granted, this is a whole new way of looking at business. The "old school" philosophy was not to give stuff away for free, but rather keep what you have a big secret until someone was willing to pay for it. This worked with most things from software to encyclopedias. But now, we have evolved to open source software and Wikipedia. Today, no one cares about your secrets because everyone can get everything they could ever want, and more, on the Internet, cable, YouTube, Blogs, Twitter, Facebook and Myspace.
Forget the recession... there isn't one. There is only a new way of doing business. Either figure it out and join the trend, or sit on the sidelines and wait for the so-called recession to be over.
It is a time of opportunity. Yes, opportunity for new things, creative concepts, thinking outside the box and reconnecting with old values. Stop doing things the same old way and start thinking about new ways to apply new ideas. I've just finished reading a fantastic, eye-opening book entitled: What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis. Jarvis uses Google as an example of a company that took advantage of the new economy... the free economy of the Internet ... and figured out how to turn it into a very profitable business. He suggests that if you take advantage of all the free stuff that's available and then add to it with some free stuff of your own (that is, provide a benefit to others), then you will become part of the new win-win economy.
The concept is more akin to "pay it forward" and it will come back to you in spades. Granted, this is a whole new way of looking at business. The "old school" philosophy was not to give stuff away for free, but rather keep what you have a big secret until someone was willing to pay for it. This worked with most things from software to encyclopedias. But now, we have evolved to open source software and Wikipedia. Today, no one cares about your secrets because everyone can get everything they could ever want, and more, on the Internet, cable, YouTube, Blogs, Twitter, Facebook and Myspace.
Forget the recession... there isn't one. There is only a new way of doing business. Either figure it out and join the trend, or sit on the sidelines and wait for the so-called recession to be over.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Can't sleep? Make a list.
Can't sleep because your mind is running so fast and you're running after it? You're not alone. Millions lie awake trying not to forget ... trying to remember everything they have to get done. It's stressful just thinking about it. So write it down. Make a list.
Fact is, "the list" is the most powerful productivity tool ever discovered. Simply writing down everything you need to get done on one list and then prioritizing it will turn chaos into momentum. I read that Steve Balmer (Microsoft CEO) creates a prioritized list every day. He then takes the top three items on his list, throws the rest away, and focuses on just those for the day. And look where that concept got him!
Surely many things will come up during the day that can sidetrack you from your list ... but don't be so easily distracted. Before you react, add any new item to your list so that you can clearly evaluate whether it is more or less important than the other things. Remember, priorities are the road to success, everything else is just a distraction.
And one more thing - make your To Do list an action list. Everything on your list should indicate a next step action to getting something done. All listings should begin with action words such as: call, e-mail, review, identify, create, etc. When you look at your action list, you will know exactly what you need to do to get it done!
Lists. Simple concept. Powerful tool.
Fact is, "the list" is the most powerful productivity tool ever discovered. Simply writing down everything you need to get done on one list and then prioritizing it will turn chaos into momentum. I read that Steve Balmer (Microsoft CEO) creates a prioritized list every day. He then takes the top three items on his list, throws the rest away, and focuses on just those for the day. And look where that concept got him!
Surely many things will come up during the day that can sidetrack you from your list ... but don't be so easily distracted. Before you react, add any new item to your list so that you can clearly evaluate whether it is more or less important than the other things. Remember, priorities are the road to success, everything else is just a distraction.
And one more thing - make your To Do list an action list. Everything on your list should indicate a next step action to getting something done. All listings should begin with action words such as: call, e-mail, review, identify, create, etc. When you look at your action list, you will know exactly what you need to do to get it done!
Lists. Simple concept. Powerful tool.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Two tickets to paradise
Trying to figure out your priorities? Sometimes they're hard to decipher, especially when everything appears to be a priority. Fact is, the classic 80/20 rule applies to what we accomplish on a daily basis. That is, 80% of what we do leads to only 20% of actual results. So we have to be especially careful about how we spend the last 20%... doing those things that really matter. But what are those things?
What if on Monday morning your boss came into your office with two first-class tickets to the Caribbean along with a full week at a beautiful resort? He won the tickets but can't use them and is willing to give them to you IF - and only IF - you can accomplish the most important things you need to get done for the week today (before you leave on tomorrow's early morning flight). That is, you have one day to focus on the priorities you usually have five days to achieve. Can you do it? Of course! No one I know would turn this down.
OK, with only 20% of your time available, and a trip to paradise in the balance... What are you going to focus on? The priorities: those things that matter to the bottom line, to the company's goals and to your organization's success. Ask yourself these questions to help you determine the answer:
What if on Monday morning your boss came into your office with two first-class tickets to the Caribbean along with a full week at a beautiful resort? He won the tickets but can't use them and is willing to give them to you IF - and only IF - you can accomplish the most important things you need to get done for the week today (before you leave on tomorrow's early morning flight). That is, you have one day to focus on the priorities you usually have five days to achieve. Can you do it? Of course! No one I know would turn this down.
OK, with only 20% of your time available, and a trip to paradise in the balance... What are you going to focus on? The priorities: those things that matter to the bottom line, to the company's goals and to your organization's success. Ask yourself these questions to help you determine the answer:
- Why am I on the payroll?
- What is my major goal or objective right now?
- What can I do that will make a real difference?
- What is the most valuable use of my time?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Sharpen Your Saw
In order to achieve major goals, I suggest that people strive to accomplish one goal-oriented activity every day; no matter how small. Imagine accomplishing one goal-oriented activity every day, five activities every week, 20 every month, etc.... Your life would really be impacted! And to be sure of maximum productivity, I recommend turning off all phones and e-mail while working on this one important activity every day. Yes, turn OFF phones and e-mail for this limited period of time.... say - one hour .... so there are no distractions. YIKES! You'd think I asked people to slice their wrist or drink acid. "Impossible! I need to be accessible." "My clients expect me to respond immediately." "My boss would have my head." "There could be an emergency!"
Quite frankly, if there really was an emergency, believe me, you would be found. But the key concept here is that if you don't make time to focus on those things that really matter and get you closer to achieving your goals, then you'll never get ahead.
Which brings me to a story that I attribute to Dale Carnegie. There once were two wood choppers working side by side. One wood chopper chopped wood diligently all day long. He started chopping early in the morning and took no breaks until lunch. He ate a quick lunch and got back to chopping wood all afternoon. The second wood chopper, however, started chopping wood early in the morning, but then stopped for a nice mid-morning break. He chopped wood until lunch and took a fine little nap before returning to work. At the end of the day both wood choppers looked at their wood piles and noticed that the second wood chopper's pile was bigger than the first.
"How could that be?" screamed the first. "How is it that your wood pile is bigger than mine when every time I turned around you were either taking a nap or taking a break!"
"Did you notice," said the second wood chopper, "that every time I took a break I was sharpening my saw?"
Moral: Remember to make time to sharpen your saw every day. You will be amazed at how much quicker you achieve your goals.
Monday, March 9, 2009
One of these days is none of these days
As Duke Ellington said: "Without a deadline, baby, I wouldn't do nothin.' And he was right! Most of us are natural procrastinators.... and we just want to have fun!
Deadlines are the magic that make things happen. But it's not that easy. A deadline has to be just right. Make it too short and you'll end up frustrated. Give yourself too much time, and you'll lose interest.
DS = T - P. That is, DS (Deadline Success) = T (time that you need to complete the task), minus P (pinch of time so that you have to stretch to make it happen). No time to waste, no time to relax.... you only have time to focus on results.
Want to make double-sure you get it done. Make a public commitment. If you have given yourself the deadline of cleaning out your garage by Sunday at 3:00 PM, be sure to tell your spouse or best friend. Now that you have "announced" your intention, it will be a little bit tougher to miss. You have set expectations and you don't want to disappoint.
OK. Are you really ready to really make it happen? Then do something right now towards meeting that deadline. Even if it means simply bringing the trash barrel and broom into the garage. You have now started the process. You opened the spigot. You signaled to your mind that you are serious and at 8:00 AM Sunday morning you will be ready to meet the challenge.
Summary: Set a deadline that causes you to stretch but not break. Announce your intention. Do something right now to get you started. The miracle of accomplishment is ready to emerge.
Deadlines are the magic that make things happen. But it's not that easy. A deadline has to be just right. Make it too short and you'll end up frustrated. Give yourself too much time, and you'll lose interest.
DS = T - P. That is, DS (Deadline Success) = T (time that you need to complete the task), minus P (pinch of time so that you have to stretch to make it happen). No time to waste, no time to relax.... you only have time to focus on results.
Want to make double-sure you get it done. Make a public commitment. If you have given yourself the deadline of cleaning out your garage by Sunday at 3:00 PM, be sure to tell your spouse or best friend. Now that you have "announced" your intention, it will be a little bit tougher to miss. You have set expectations and you don't want to disappoint.
OK. Are you really ready to really make it happen? Then do something right now towards meeting that deadline. Even if it means simply bringing the trash barrel and broom into the garage. You have now started the process. You opened the spigot. You signaled to your mind that you are serious and at 8:00 AM Sunday morning you will be ready to meet the challenge.
Summary: Set a deadline that causes you to stretch but not break. Announce your intention. Do something right now to get you started. The miracle of accomplishment is ready to emerge.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
