Tag: multi-tasking

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Did someone say “interruptions”?

early bird speaker
early bird speaker

Recently, I had the true pleasure of presenting one of my signature talks, “4 Ways to Produce More While Staying Sane” to a fine group of Human Resource Professionals at the Granite State HR conference in Manchester, New Hampshire.

 

Here’s a INTERRUPTION STOPPER snippet from a workshop I gave to the VT Recreation and Parks Department, click here.

 

One issue that everyone related to – loud and clear- was the apparent disconnect between “saying no” (i.e. not being interrupted) and providing excellent customer service.

 

When most people “want something”, they want it immediately. Few have the self-discipline to add it to a list or to a schedule, and then wait for the right time. Now, if a person has sliced his finger and blood is gushing uncontrollably, immediate action is the only choice.  Most questions are not blood gushing, hospital-rushing ER questions, but, they are treated this way.

 

The late Steve Covey called this living in Quadrant One, “Firefighting.” Our instant-messaging, texting, constant-scroll email culture has exacerbated this issue many-fold. This immediacy becomes our normal, and we no longer have the ability to discern immediate needs from everything else.

 

What’s the issue? Well, there is no issue if you are an ER technician or a firefighter. That’s your job! If, however, you are a MANAGER then this can pull you off track again and again until you find yourself (metaphorically) in Kansas, asking, ”how did this happen?” The answer is…inch by inch.

 

The good news is that you can take back your work life. This workshop is jam packed with tips and strategies, but here are some to get you started:

  1. Work on one thing at a time.
  2. Establish a daily default priority.
  3. Ask your interrupter, “can I get a headline?”

 

These all sound so simple. Ask yourself, are you doing all three? If not, why not? Well, because it’s Not Easy! Here’s a little more about each tip:

  1. One thing at a time: The power of focus is not to be underestimated. At this workshop, we did an exercise proving that working on more than one thing at a time reduced participants’ productivity by OVER HALF. Would you like to double your productivity? Try doing one thing at a time. I dare you.
  2. Daily Default Priority: I know you will do more than one thing in a day. You’ll do a lot more. But how often have you had “that project” that you’ve managed to…skirt around again and again? Keep it simple, keep it clear, write it down, do this exercise every morning and every night. Commit to doing that one thing. And you know what? It WILL get done!
  3. “Can I get a headline?”: This is a great response to all those people who ask the dreaded question….”Got a minute?” That minute turns into an hour- or more -when you then need to do the follow-up, right? And what happened to the project on which you were working? When you ask this question, it causes the interrupter to think before throwing information or questions at you. One s/he summarizes, you can then decide, do I ask him or her to return later, or, is this issue more pressing than my current work? There is POWER IN THE PAUSE.

 

The three tips will get you started back down the path to productivity, taking back control of your workday. Contact me today if you’d like to learn more about how she can infuse motivation, participation, and productivity back into YOU and/or YOUR TEAM. I’d be honored to help boost you to levels you never dreamed possible.

 

With warm regards,

Carol

Your Productivity Coach

 

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What Gets in the Way- When you are Designing Your Day?

You get up. Get ready. Today is an open book. Today I have a little time. Today I am not booked solid….I can “finally” catch up.

Sound familiar? Does it work? Many times – no.

What gets in YOUR way? Sue West and I explore this as part of our Perspectives Podcast Series. Listen here: WHAT gets in your way? or read on.

Sue: Well, whether we like it or not, we have arrived. It’s 2014, another ball has dropped, and we are hearing, and could be feeling, “this year will be different”. But is that little voice in your head saying….really? Why should it be any different THIS time?

Carol: Hi, this is Carol Williams, productivity coach at EpS, Efficient Productivity Systems.

Sue: And this is Sue West, AD/HD and life transitions coach

We have joined together as the Design Your Days Duo for this series of audio interviews to give you short, “use today” pieces of advice, in 5 to 8 minutes. If you like this podcast, please LIKE our Facebook page for tips on your news feed several times a week.

Carol: As you may know, Sue and I take participants in our Design Your Days workshops through our unique process of What, Why, Wants and How. Today we’re going to focus on WHAT – What gets in your Way when you are designing your day? We’ve chosen two of the most common themes we hear and we’ll offer strategies for effectively addressing those WHATS.

Sue: “I know I am at my best, when I’m feeling organized.” That’s what a client said to me about her business and about her life in general. She went on to say “I’m an organized person.”  “My business started growing. I wasn’t really paying attention; I was just getting the work done. Now, I turn around and yikes – I’m lost and overwhelmed,” So I asked what gets in her way of getting back on track, she said this:

“I don’t know how to prioritize. It ALL seems important.” And that was a familiar statement.

If this sounds like you, here are key questions to start designing your own solution:

  1. You need one place to put everything, so that you have an accurate picture of everything you need to do, BEFORE you set priorities. How well is your “capture” tool – paper or technology – working for you?
  2. How often are you looking at your list? Should be morning and end of day, plus if something big changes during the day – not an email hijacking your priorities, but a bonafide reason to change priorities set earlier in the day.
  3. What makes something a priority in your world? This you may have to notice for yourself as you sit to review your list tomorrow. For example, today, my highest priority items went like this: scheduling several client meetings, talking to a prospective client for awhile, answering a few questions about my Board work, interruption by the new person who will be doing the plowing at my house, writing my mother with info I’d promised because she only has email two days a week, and writing this podcast, because we both wanted a day or two to review and practice. So, my priorities were based on: client relationships, future client potential, response time standards I have for Board emails, the knock at the door by Mike, my mother’s constraint of the two days, and a deadline Carol and I decided on. See it’s not just money and deadlines; it’s more complex, and quite unique to each of us and what’s going on in our world.

Carol: Sometimes we hear about how “holidays” get in our way. We hear something like, “If it weren’t for all the “extra” of the season, I’d be more organized”. The solution lies in learning from those experiences. Since we are now past the holiday season (even though I WAS humming at the beginning of this…yes…) it’s still fresh in our minds. What could we have done differently to ease the stress a bit, as we look back? Record this in your new calendar for 2014 in a place where you will see it at the end of October. That’s right, start planning right around Halloween for what’s to come. When you make the time to reduce, eliminate, or delegate some of the tasks associated with the holidays, while embracing the traditions you hold dear and allowing time for those, the season will be much more joyful and you will emerge on January 1 feeling ready for the new year.

For example, I have a client who has recently downsized her home. Many of the family’s belongings that relate to “annual” decorations are kept in a storage facility. She recently recounted a meltdown that she had in December when finding that she had 8 bins of holiday “stuff” to find a place for. Much of it was given to her by a well-meaning relative. Her husband gently suggested that they choose only 2 bins and leave the other 6 in storage, at least for this year. They decorated together that night, and delighted their children in the morning. The message here is “How Much Stuff Is Enough?” Are your memories weighing you down? If so, find ways to let them go and get the extra weight OUT OF YOUR WAY.

Sue: To wrap up, we just provided two examples of What might Get In Your way when designing your day. If these struck a chord with you, we know you’ll get much more benefit from our Design Your Days workshop on Friday Jan 31 at 9 am at the Center of Health Promotion in concord. Register by calling them at 603.230.1121. Or you can check our Facebook page, Design Your Days, which has the signup link too.

In the next podcast we hit the next question, WHY? as we will continue to move through the Design Your Days process. At the end of about 12 podcasts, you will look back and find that we’ve provided an excellent overview of our process.

CAROL:

If you cannot attend our January session, we offer the Design Your Days workshop to YOUR group of business owners, so please contact one of us for more information and to get us on your schedule.

Again, you can find us on Facebook as Design Your Days or contact us individually through websites:

Sue’s is www.OrganizeForAFreshStart.com

Carol’s is http://www.efficientproductivity.com/

If you found our advice valuable, please consider sharing our podcast or blog with colleagues and friends.

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Ready for a Break? Plan Now- Just a Little- to Jumpstart January

What does the Thanksgiving Holiday mean to you?

How does it relate to your productivity?

In the U.S., most of us will enjoy an extended weekend very soon. Some of us may already be away for the week- I know 2 people in that category personally. The question I have is….what will you do or not do, and how will you feel about those decisions?

Too much free time can spell DANGER.

Today I helped a client Design Her Long Weekend. When you have too much “unplanned time,” do you feel that it’s “wasted”? Do you “not know where the time does? Do you feel like it’s a waste- so you tend to fill up your time with “productive” ventures instead? This is common and was the case with my client.

My client and I focused on a strategy that I’d like to share: Majoring and Minoring. Think of your college undergraduate years. Perhaps you had a major and a minor. By default, more time and energy is expended on your major, right? In work and in life, we mostly find ourselves with more to-do’s than will fit in our bucket. So, run yourself through your weekend. What would you WANT it to look like…if you had it YOUR way? That’s right…be selfish. Start there. Then, add in the non-negotiables. Really look- are they truly “givens” or is there any wiggle-room if they don’t fit your version of the ideal long weekend?

Set your intention, make some plans that are needed, and accept the outcome. You will find that the power of intention is, in fact, very powerful.

Next week is December? Forget the goals-I am writing off the year- see you in January!

Thanksgiving can be a quiet time, if you dare. When others are watching football or taking that after dinner nap, you can take advantage of that quiet time to focus on yourself and your personal and professional goals. Strategic and creative thinking requires downtime.

Some questions to ask yourself are:

  • How “big” do your want your December Holidays to be?
  • How will you address your “important, but not urgent” tasks in December, so that you hit the ground running on January 2?

Two strategies to achieve the goals you identify:

  1. Honor your desired outcome with the “pause and reflect” method. How? When a request comes in, decide that you will “pause and reflect” rather that furnishing an immediate answer. This pause allows more holistic and strategic thinking than may otherwise happen.
  2. Use the “if/then” habit: Help implement the strategy above by bringing it directly into your life. For example, IF my employer asks me to work late, THEN I will check with my spouse before agreeing to it.

A little Thanksgiving Planning can go a long way to enjoying the holidays and jumpstarting January. Be well, enjoy every bite, and above all – express gratitude.

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EpS Events Get Organized More time in my day multitasking productivity in the workplace Time strategies Uncategorized

Feeling Busy this Fall? Multitask away- or not.

Fall = busier. Enter multitasking.  It’s the way to do more things in less time, right?

Maybe not. Recently I read an article by Melissa Balmain entitled Confessions of a Recovering Multitasker.  Melissa writes,

“imagine my surprise at learning that, technically, [multitasking] does not exist.  We can’t think about two tasks at once.  Instead, our brains ping-pong between them wasting precious seconds of time and causing errors to pile up”.

In the day, no matter how hard you try, does it ever seem possible to get through everything that you set out to do in the morning? Do you attempt to do two tasks – or more – at once?  Perhaps the reason for the failure is BECAUSE you are trying to do multiple things at one time.

In her article, Melissa writes of a phone conversation she had with a good friend while also trying to make dinner and the ensuing result was a burnt meal and a conversation that she could not remember.  I myself have had phone conversations such as these, where my attentions are distracted so far elsewhere, that it barely registers that my friend is telling me something that should require my undivided attention.  So, clearly, my efforts to try and accomplish more things in less time were fruitless, and just like Melissa, I was left feeling guilty and unaccomplished.

So what’s the solution? If we can’t multitask without the results being more unproductive than not, how on earth do we accomplish all that needs to be done?  The answer, counter-intuitive to many, is focusing on one single thing at a time. Try this experiment and let me know how you do. When you begin a task, such as writing a “typical” report that you write, estimate how long it will take. Write down your start time. Go about your business in the normal manner, answering calls, emails, etc. as you are doing the report. Write the end time. Now, another day try this again with a similar report.  Write down your start time. This time, commit to shutting off your email and turning off your ringer. Do not answer anyone who comes in unless they are in a true emergency situation. When you are finished, write down your end time. What is the difference? How does the first report on the first day compare with the estimate? How about the second day and the second report? Statistics and “real life” experiments that I have conducted show an average 50% time savings with single-tasking. How did you do?

 

Are you ready to save about half your time to have an ultra-productive fall? Relax, take a deep breath, and do things one step at a time.

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Get Organized More time in my day prioritize Uncategorized

Too much to do? 3 Habits to set you Free.

Do you ever have one of those days when you have made plans at 9 am, only to find that at 5pm very few of those original plans have been accomplished?

Do you ever feel that planning is actually a waste of time? Yet, somewhere buried in the back of your mind, you know this is not true. You read somewhere to “plan the work and work the plan”. But how is this done? Let’s look at clarity as a state of mind to achieve so that those productivity strategies start to stick.

Clarity leads to productivity. But this is not just productivity for the sake of “getting more done”.  Rather, I am referring to productivity that’s effective- that you are doing “the right” thing at any given time (not just “busy”).

Do you long for the feeling of being back in control? Do you crave feeling less harried? Try these habits for 21 days then email me back and let me know how you did.

  1. Find new and creative ways to say NO.  For example, when someone asks you to commit to something, get in the HABIT of saying, I need to check, and get back to you. Then, stop and think. If I COMMIT to that, what will it mean? Might I have to bail out at the last minute? How might I then be viewed- as reliable or something less? We all know those people who smile and nod, but somehow, they just don’t follow through. Decide to be that person who does what he or she says and says what he or she does
  2. Get outside- every day. Even if it is just for 15 minutes.  At this time of year, getting outside is easier for most people. Since the sun is rising by 5 am and not setting until about 9 pm, and it’s getting progressively warmer, the habit of “Outside” becomes easier. But we still have to establish the habit. What do you stand to gain from “going outside?”  Just breathing the fresh air is clarifying. If we walk, jog, bicycle, hike, or do any other physical activity, the clarity only increases. Decide on a time of day to get out. Then try. When you fail, just try again, and again, and again. Reflect on what you learned with each “failure”.
  3. Delete One Thing. When you feeling overwhelmed, spill out all your to-do’s on a list. After this, remove 80% of those to-do’s. Why 80%? Because, according to the Pareto Principle (the 80/20 principle), 20% of your work helps you achieve 80% of your results. However, those who are seriously overloaded may think this rule does NOT apply to them. So, as a step in the right direction, delete just one item. Quickly scan your list, and find one thing that is not absolutely critical. Delete it. If you can keep going, please do. You will find that deleting the items that do not “sing” to you will become easier with practice.

In summary, practice makes permanent. Or, at least it makes a line in the sand that you will tend to follow again and again. Routines, as boring as they may seem, will set our minds free to be our creative selves. When we treat ourselves right by saying No, or Not Now to the events, people, and tasks that don’t serve us, we open ourselves up to fully focusing on the tasks which do serve us. When we get outdoors, our psyche is awakened and different pieces of our brain are enlivened. When we delete that one thing from the list, we come closer to actually completing the list, which leads to satisfaction and motivation. That motivation leads to a sense of control.

After 21 days, you may start to feel less harried. You will likely be running in fewer directions. A sense of calm and peace, that you perhaps forgot was there at one time, will begin to return. In turn, your goals will start to become realized. This will not happen overnight, but I promise, it will happen.

Let me know what habit you try on for 21 days. I’d love to hear from you.

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AD/HD Get Organized More time in my day prioritize productivity in the workplace Time strategies

4 Ways to Gain Clarity on What you Want from Your Time

4 Ways to Gain Clarity on What You Want from Your Time

May 23, 2013

From the Design Your Days team, Sue West & Carol Williams: We’ve returned from Vermont, where we had the true pleasure of giving our Design Your Days workshop to WBON- Women’s Business Owner’s Network: A Vermont statewide network for education, support, and networking to women business owners.

It was fantastic and invigorating! With that, we’d love to address the CLARITY portion of our Design Your Days framework today.

Let’s start off  with some comments we often hear …

I am constantly flying around from one thing to another.

I’ll start something, but get sidetracked into a whole different project.

I have three jobs, how do I keep everything straight? I take work from one job to another, and I’m never quite done with anything.

I need to be more organized, more efficient, so I that I can fit more in.

Do any of these sound familiar?

Continue reading our tips, or listen to our podcast by clicking here>> Design Your Days – with Clarity (May 2013)

As you know by now, we work with our clients to organize themselves around their own priorities- at work, at home, and at life.

Clarity is key.

Clarity is a word that reappears constantly in our work. Once you become clear about what you WANT from your time, it becomes far easier to let go of what you DON’T WANT.

So how do you gain clarity? AWARENESS is the first step.

Become the expert on YOU.

Our first tip is …

1.  Pay attention to your stress level.

The key here is to get clear on the signals which tell you that you’re BEGINNING to feel stressed. Not that you’re smack in the middle of a meltdown or approaching one. The goal is to figure out earlier when you are headed down the path of stress. Some signals might be: barking at your kids or employees? Not sleeping well? Grabbing a bag of chips or alcohol  or a cigarette to calm down?

What are your OWN signals that you’re starting down the stress path?

And then also think about how you’d like it to be instead.  You might find a quiet place and breathe deeply, letting go of the stress, and thinking about what caused it. Pausing for a moment in the car after a long day often helps, before entering your home. Visualizing or feeling what you want the evening to look and feel like can help.

2. Talk and write, or write and talk.

When my days are full, I (Carol) MUST write down all my thoughts so they stop flying through my head. I use one of the following 2 methods. I write it all down on a blank sheet of paper with no lines. It feels more freeing to write on paper without lines. Or, when I am coming close to overwhelm, I write all thoughts, all projects, step by step (this step by step breakdown is key- task by task) on index cards so I can re-prioritize and re-shuffle as required. I have a pretty box I can then put my index cards into. Some of us prefer to process out loud (talk) to another person. We find clarity that way, and our priorities hit us. I like this method too, but I prefer writing, at least at first. If I choose to verbally process, it also helps if I am moving. Going for a walk with a friend helps with clarity on several levels.

So, what works for YOU to process what’s happening?

3. Try the “What just happened here?” approach. Think about a train going down the tracks. You know how it comes to a fork or a Y? There is actually a person who directs traffic, by flipping a switch; the train will then continue on or go off on that ‘side track.’ But it is on purpose.

YOU are the traffic coordinator of your time: So, find a way to keep track of what happens the minute before you get sidetracked. Become that switch flipper and make a CHOICE about which track to take.

It is in that moment of making your choice, that you will get CLEAR on what you want most: to keep on going or purposefully take that sidetrack.

4. “I’m never quite done with anything.”  Here, you’ll want to become more aware of what “done” really means.

Is a project or task done well enough for now? Did you take on something far bigger than you had time for? If that’s the case, start doing more chunking down of steps. A single step in a project is “done,” even if the project is not done. Is it that you never have the materials for the project you want to work on, where you want to work on it? Or is your awareness that it takes you too long to activate and move to start a task?

See how awareness is important? You need to know where the issue really lies.

5. And in our last example, the person says he/she wants to “fit more in.”

More of what? And is that really what you want, or do you have some decisions to make? About saying “no,” or dropping an activity – or at least sidelining it for awhile until you “free up more time to tackle it.” And THAT is why clarity about what you WANT from your time is so important.

*******

As a reminder, you are listening and reading our podcast series. We’d love your feedback.

If you have a question you’d like answered, please visit our new Facebook page called Design Your Days. If you’d like to add yourself to the successful professionals we help go from good to great, contact one of us to get started with personal coaching. We’ll help you become more AWARE, and kick off the transformational process of Designing Your Days.

We are also the co-creators of the Design Your Days framework, which we teach workshops, so if your group of business owners is ready for us to speak at your group, please contact one of us!

Our next DESIGN YOUR DAYS WORKSHOP IS Tuesday, June 4th. We’d love to see you in person in Concord, NH: More info here: http://efficientproductivity.com/blog5/from-overwhelm-to-overjoyed-design-your-days-is-here-for-you/

You can find us on Facebook as Design Your Days or contact us individually through websites:

Sue’s is www.OrganizeForAFreshStart.com

Carol’s is http://www.efficientproductivity.com/

If you found our advice valuable, please consider sharing our podcast or blog with colleagues and friends.   Thanks so much and GOODBYE until next time!

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