Productivity

In my quest to become a perfectly optimized business owner, I love to read books on productivity and time management that will help my clients (and me!) to operate on a level that uses our talents effectively and gives us the quality of life that we really enjoy.

David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done, has a little book called Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life, and in the first chapter he states the following:

Something is coming—probably within a few days—that’s going to change your world.  You don’t see it yet.  You don’t know what it’s about.  But it’s there, rolling inexorably forward, destined to throw you a curve that you do not expect.  It could show up sooner or later—but it will show up.  Trust me.

Write down these words exactly four weeks from today on your calendar: David Allen said a month ago that something was coming I couldn’t foresee that would affect me significantly.  Prove me wrong.

What are you doing to be ready for anything?

What would happen if you suddenly landed that big job or project that you hoped would come? continue

Sales and marketing are critical to improving the top line dollars. Solid organizing and time management skills are a must. But first you have to start by making up your mind to do something different…in order to get different results.

Here are your productivity tips for this month:

1.      What’s the goal? If you don’t know what you’re shooting for, then how will you know when you get there? Focusing energy and spending time on things that aren’t even on your radar wastes precious time you can’t recapture. Be smart…and wise.

2.      Execute on priorities. Knowing your priorities is one thing. Getting to them is another. Shifting priorities is the norm in today’s business environment. That means you need to consistently review your high-payoff activities and go to them first…and often.

3. Make appointments with yourself. If you want to actually accomplish items 1 and 2 above, it requires dedicated, focused time to do what you need to do. Mark time out in your calendar for this important work. Make appointments with yourself…and honor them.

Ó 2007 Cynthia Kyriazis

We’re approaching the end of another year. And isn’t it true–the older you get the faster time seems to fly by. Now’s the time to start thinking about the life you want in 2009. Are you ready to tackle those habits that have been preventing you from keeping commitments to yourself?

Here are your productivity tips for this month:

1.      Make it a goal - The philosopher Neville said “Don’t think OF your goals, think FROM your goals.” Are your goals your wish or someone else’s? If you can’t get excited about it, then it’s probably not something you should identify as a goal right now. Setting a goal has to do with actually seeing it…wanting it…tasting it.

2.      Make it a priority - there are a million things that can get in the way of getting to your priorities. Identify the types of thoughts that get you off track. The next time you need to work on a priority and you hear those thoughts say ‘thanks’, push that first thought aside and climb into that which is most important. It will feel a lot better.

3.      Make it an action - Planning is critical. But implementation is the objective. What actions can you take to execute on priorities in order to reach your goal? Take the action now and reap the rewards in the future.

You know. Those 18,000 pieces of paper stuffed in that file cabinet in your office. Yup, that’s how many are in there. And it’s growing. The ‘paperless society’ has been discussed since the early 1970’s yet we now produce more paper today than ever before in the history of mankind.

Here are your productivity tips for this month:

1.      7 broad categories. Category names like Financials, HR, Clients, Suppliers, etc. No more than 7. You can have as many sub-categories as you want, but the original decision should be based on no more than 7 categories.

2.      Is it Financial or legal? If so, it lives under a different set of rules. Check with your CPA, attorney or insurance professional to learn more about retention schedules and before throwing anything out.

3.      Learn to let go. If the file does not have financial or legal ramifications or it doesn’t bring value, let it go. Throw it out. Shred it. Then save a tree by not printing everything you read on the internet. Less is more!

What better way to celebrate this holiday than making a commitment to improve your organizing or time management skills? After all, if you continue to do what you’ve done, you’ll continue to get what you’ve gotten.

Here are your productivity tips for this month:

1. Make the decision to change. It doesn’t have to be a major change, just one of those things you’ve classified as an ongoing ‘problem’. Identify the behavior and roadblocks and work at eliminating them. Consistently and one at a time.

2. Create order in your workspace AND your routines. Systems provide the big picture and process provides detail and complexity. Identify your systems (or lack of), then put a process to them. Then practice, revise and practice again until it becomes a habit and not seen as ‘something more to do’.

3. Find an accountability coach. Very few of us can work through change alone. Identify what you want to change, create a process around that and then find someone who can help you stay on track….and celebrate your success!

The first week of August is ‘Simplify Your Life’ week.

There are lots of articles out there on the subject of work-life balance. There’s even more talk about it. Recent survey results uncovered the fact that many employees don’t even think it exists. So what percentage of us really achieve it?

If your goal is to simplify your life, here are your productivity tips for this month:

1.      Work management. Determine what’s important. Every day…several times a day. Priorities can be moving targets in today’s fast-paced business environment. So what was important first thing in the morning may change by 9AM. Keep revising by asking yourself “Am I working on what’s most important’ and try to spend 75% of your time there.

2.      Life management. Determine what’s important. To you, for your family, for those you care about. This vision helps you become more focused on executing on priorities at work. So you can get to the things that are important in life. Without a clear vision and the emotional trigger it creates, we tend to work 24/7.

3.      Stress management. Determine what’s important. Face it…you can’t do everything. Even with technology and support staff. If you focus on life and work priorities, stress management may become a thing of the past for you. Time management is about all parts of your life-not just the stressful ones.

The first week of July is ‘Take Charge of Change’ week.

The hazy, lazy days of summer and vacations are upon us. This time of year you may not be spending much time thinking about your to-do list, cluttered workspaces or procrastination challenges, but you could be contemplating how to take charge..and gain more time for relaxing.

If so, here are your productivity tips for this month:

1.      What’s hot -  ‘The Secret’ is all a buzz.  It’s about the Law of Attraction and how thoughts drive actions. Identify thoughts that are causing stress and focus and replace them. It will change the way you spend your time and live your life.

2.      What’s not - Delaying decisions. Life is about keeping commitments to yourself. What thought is it that says ‘I don’t have time to do it now’? Thinking this over and over is stressful. So change your thought. No one can do that but you.

3.      What’s next - Liberation. If you do what is required in the ‘here and now’, yesterday and tomorrow take care of themselves. And you have more time to relax even if it’s not your vacation.

It’s your time…use it wisely.

Graduations, weddings and vacations are usually associated with June. But it’s also the time of year when painting contractors are as busy as ever. Learning to delegate involves being a very effective communicator in order to develop the employee without frustrating them or yourself, while still getting the results you want.

Here are your productivity tips for this month:

1. Learn to delegate. This is a key time management principle. If you have been reluctant to do so, consider that this is the one way to leverage your time. So go on, learn the basics, find the right person and go for it.

2. Guidelines for giving the assignment. Share with the employee the details of what you need done in an organized way. Remember-they may be watching you as a role model. Once you have reviewed what you need done and the timelines involved, have them repeat back to you what they heard. It helps clarify before any is wasted working on the wrong thing or in the wrong order or at the wrong time.

3. Remember to delegate, not micro-manage. You probably learned by making mistakes - so will the employee. It’s part of being human. But you can minimize the mistakes by periodic check-ins, remaining open to questions and communicating effectively.