email – Productivity Success Cake

Most people I run into say they’d like to be more productive. So, I offer a magic pill for $9.95. I’m kidding, of course.

…Do you ever beat yourself up for not being perfectly productive 100% of the time?

The first step (really) in the ABCs of Productivity is to Accept your reality. This means you must accept yourself. To accept yourself, you must understand yourself. Here’s a snippet entitled “Understand Thyself” from a recent workshop: CLICK HERE

Once you do two things, (1) accept yourself and (2) understand yourself, the stage is set. You are getting closer to being “100% productive.”

In this article, we’ll review the four steps to take you through this self-discovery process. By taking the time to complete this process, you’ll be rewarded with a renewed self-understanding, setting the stage for personal and professional growth and productivity. For you readers who are ready to start achieving, please Contact Me and set up a complimentary Discovery call to eliminate those productivity gremlins for good.

Ready? Let’s get started right now with step one, which is a 4-part question:

Step One: Ask yourself, when are you at your best? (note: This is something most of us never consider. Yet, when considered and followed, a BIG DIFFERENCE can be seen.)

– What time of day do you have the most energy?
– How much rest and/or sleep would you have had?
– What foods would you have eaten (or avoided)?
– What would your family relationships look like?
This may seem simple, and not really related to productivity or achieving more. You may have been looking for that magic pill. It may surprise you to learn that while STRATEGIES are important, knowing where you are at a baseline is critical.

Step two: How are my current work systems doing? What is working great, and what could use some upgrading? Systems to consider: calendar, correspondence, task management, file management, priority management, long range planning.

Step Three: Dare to detail your TRUE desires (know thyself)! With this exercise, you have permission to think big, be brave, and be bold. If you don’t stretch you may never grow. So go ahead and ask yourself…if I am REALLY TRUE to myself….
– What does my work look like?
– What is my life like?
– What qualities do my clients have?
– How do I feel?

Step Four: What do you think might be preventing you from achieving the desires you just outlined above?

Bonus Step: Do something- anything- no matter how small- today. What one tiny step can you take to achieve your true desire? For example, if you think you might want to someday get your Master’s at the local college can you spend 15 minutes at lunch perusing the fall offerings?

I hope this article helps you understand yourself.

To get the most benefit, and fill it in yourself. Refer to it daily, just for 5 minutes. Remember, what you do every day shapes our future. Success, then, is a habit. Remember, your coach and accountability person are just a call or email away!

A primary offender: interruption by email

Email OOOH-Verload: The 3 P’s to a not-so-Pretty Situation

There is no shortage of information available “out there” about email overload and processing. As a consultant who routinely helps professionals to overcome Overwhelm, I was somewhat overwhelmed with the amount of information I found before writing this article!

That said, this paper boils down the Gems- the critical tidbits- to keep in mind when trying to tame the email beast. They can be called “The Three P’s”

Process it, regularly;
Prioritize it;
Be Pointed when using it.

If you receive 100 emails a day, and spend 3 minutes for each email, you are spending 300 minutes per day on email. That’s 5 hours of your 8 hour workday. And you are wondering why you are not “getting anything done?” So let’s move right into the first P, Process.

Process it

You have heard this one before…and it’s so good that it is tip number one. Check your emails at defined times of the day only. Why, you may ask? You may be saying, ”there might be something of critical importance coming!” If something is that critical and time sensitive, ask the sender to pick up the phone and alert you. The benefit for you will be uninterrupted, productive, focused time spent on your projects at hand before ”The Emergency” comes flying into your computer. The most effective, efficient people work in “Quadrant Two” – important but not urgent tasks – during a large portion of their day. For more on the Quadrants, see Steve Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People book. Some companies establish certain blocks in the day when employees are expected to process email. Email culture then, should be an integral part of overall office culture, and expectations must be clear.

When you decide that it is time to Process your email, don’t forget the Two Minute Rule. If it takes less than two minutes to respond, just respond. Otherwise, make a decision about how you will handle it. These days, many people are using google mail. GTDinbox (http://gtdgmail.com) is free and adds on to gmail if you are using the firefox browser. With this tool, as new email arrives, you are prompted to “do something” with your email so it does not pile up in your inbox. This is based on David Allen’s highly popular book, Getting Things Done.

Prioritize It

It can be said that you cannot Manage your Time, but you can Manage Decisions around how you are going to Spend Your Time. Use this philosophy with email. If email number 201 helps you move forward on a project, ignore the other 200. Of course, at some point you’ll need to process those other 200+ messages (so they do not sit precariously in your inbox, hiding the important mail). See previous paragraph for advice in that category.

But wait – didn’t you just say to ignore an email? My client expects immediate response! In business, we must manage our client’s expectations. Many times, an urgent question can be fielded by an associate or an assistant. One idea is to use your “signature file” to expressly convey when and how emails will be answered. Most customers simply want to know what to expect.

Be Pointed

Pointed is the 3^rd and final P of this article. By pointed, I mean short and sweet. If you have a lot to say, pick up the phone. Try limiting your email messages to five sentences or less. Try communicating very explicitly in the subject line.

That said, it is wise to avoid the urge to reply to an email with “thanks” or “ok” unless the recipient specifically asked you to confirm. This will eliminate many unnecessary messages in the inbox.

Don’t forget a golden rule: Agreements are written, disagreements spoken. That is, never try to solve a disagreement by email. If you have ever tried doing this, you will understand why it is NOT a good idea. This will avoid many longer emails also.

If you want to find a time that works for multiple people in a group, try http://doodle.com. It’s free, and will eliminate many annoying “back and forth” emails when trying to arrive at a mutually convenient date and time.

In Closing

The solution to email OHHH! Verload is simple. The practice can be difficult. Email is a habit, and we humans live by our habits. For help changing these habits, try http://habitchange.com, or seek the services of a productivity consultant!