It sounds so easy – just kinda rolls off the tongue. In fact it’s so easy to say that we’ve all parrotted this phrase hundreds of times. The problem is that saying is not doing. This is just another one of those “little details” that often gets ignored.

1. Productivity begins with a plan

(photo courtesy of akaalias)

You will not become more productive by accident! It requires a combined commitment of time and effort – but your rewards will be substantial.

• What do you want to accomplish? What is your goal? The point of being more productive is so that you can move toward the realization of your goal. Do you have a goal? If not, then you need to stop right now and decide why you need to be more productive and then write it down.

• What is your level of dedication? A person who’s vision is defective needs to have it corrected before he/she begins to drive toward some distant point. Trying to accomplish anything without a clear statement of your goal is as impossible as trying to drive with defective vision. How will you know if or when you have succeeded? This unwillingness to commit your goal to paper provides an easy way out for many people. In fact when goals are not written down, they have no power and therefore are ineffective as a source of motivation. No accountability = no action.

2. Productivity moves beyond time management

• Being productive doesn’t end with time management. Though increased productivity has a time component, but it encompasses much more as Dustin M. Wax states in the cited article – productivity involves your personal fulfillment.
• But don’t forget the time component of productivity. Time is our most precious commodity and how we use our time is directly responsible for our level of achievement. Guard your time against time bandits.

3. Prepare for a productive day

Preparation is the mother of accomplishment. Devote a few minutes each day to creating a routine and asking yourself a few simple questions:

• What one thing can I do that will have the greatest impact on my production today? Then do it.
• How can I perform my duties in a more efficient manner? Ask others whom you value if they can see areas of your life that need improvement.
• What can I do to motivate and encourage my employees or fellow associates toward the accomplishment of our goals?
• How can I add value to others?

4. Some things that I do

• I keep a notebook or voice recorder with me at all times. Ideas, phone conversations, commitments – if you don’t record your thoughts, they will disappear – forever or at least until you have been sufficiently embarrassed by failing to keep a “forgotten” commitment.
• I use my notebook as an idea farm, planner, reminder and journal.
• I read my notes – often.
• I use an inexpensive ($29.95 at Office Depot) voice recorder when driving. I bought one after leaving the highway while trying to record my thoughts. I missed the mailbox, but not the lesson. Get a voice recorder.
• I prioritize my notes, then do the highest priority first and move on down the line.
• Anything left undone gets reevaluated and re-prioritized for the next day.
• I review old entries for new ideas.

5. Goal accomplished!

(photo courtesy of Wolfgang Staudt)

Tags: productivity, time+management, goals, success

Time is our most precious resource. When it slips by, it is gone. Forever. The successful millionaire and the average Joe are just alike when it comes to time. Each is given the same amount each day. It then becomes very easy to see that those people who are financially successful must use their time in a more efficient manner. The truth of the matter is that a man or a woman usually finds the time to do the things they want to do.

Stealing from yourself is still stealing

If we were like Rip Van Winkle and took a nap one day then woke up and it was twenty years later, we would be furious. To wake up twenty years older, seeing our children grown and with children of their own, that would be worse than any nightmare. But is it any different when we allow minutes and hours to be stolen from us each day? Is it only the magnitude of the time that makes it a nightmare?

Time Bandits

There are events, technologies and people who unnecessarily take up our time each day. I call these things Time Bandits. Time Bandits steal your time. A minute here, a half hour there, a little at a time so you barely notice. But your priceless time is gone just the same. The following are some of the most common Time Bandits:

1. The Telephone: a great device for communicating with someone who is not in your physical vicinity. Do you really need to spend as much time on the phone as you do? Just because it rings, doesn’t mean that you have to answer it. Learn how to relay your message to the recipient in as an efficient a manner as possible or learn what they are trying to say to you, then move on. Use it – don’t allow the phone to steal the one thing you cannot replace.
2. E-mail: another handy device for communication. But do you really need to check it every 5 minutes? Must you reply to every email? There is no doubt that it is both a convienence and a time trap, but it can be tamed and used for your good. Set aside a special time to check and reply to your e-mails. Ignore it otherwise.
3. Cel Phone and Text Messaging: sort of a hybridization of the worst of the telephone and e-mail. They have their benefits, but for your sake, use them in moderation. Plus, it gets very annoying to see someone constantly texting when they are supposed to be doing something else. It’s sort of like communication espionage.
4. The Office Talker: you know who I’m talking about. They stop by to “shoot the breeze”, but all they kill is your time. Not only are they not doing their job, they are also making sure that you are not doing yours. Do yourself a favor, institute some boundaries and introduce the Talker to them. You’ll thank me later.
5. Television: aka – the drone box. Do you think you’ll be lying on your death bed and lament that you would have liked to watch a few more episodes of some show? I doubt it. Be productive and expand your mind at the same time. Read. It doesn’t matter if it is a book, magazine, or an online article, but actively use your mind instead of allowing it to become a sponge for hollywood propaganda.

We live in an era when there are more time-saving devices than ever before and yet we have less time. How is this possible? Time is what we want the most and then use in the worst possible ways. When we waste time, we are devaluing our lives. We will never get it back.

Realize the value of your time

We must “seize the day” and “grab the bull by the horns”. Ask yourself, “Is what I’m doing right now the best possible use of my time?” This simple question, if asked prior to beginning any new task will help you in your endeavor to spend your time wisely. Does reading this blog help you? Does it provide technical or motivational information that is worthy of the time you are devoting to it? If the answer is yes, fantastic. If the answer is no, then stop reading now and move on to something that facilitates your growth and development. Don’t waste time. You don’t get a do-over.

Other Resources:

1. Penelope Trunk at the Brazen Careerist blog wrote an article entitled “10 tips for time management in a multitasking world” that offers great insight for great time management.

2. The Secret of Time Management in J.D. Meier’s blog tackles time theft from different angle.

Tags: time, time+management, time+bandits, lost+time

If you don’t manage your time…

However, by the effective management of our time today, we can create the future that we desire. As the old saying goes, “If you don’t manage your time, your time will manage you.” There must be a commitment to the development of a plan for effective time management. You do not manage your time by accident. It is only done through a definite, systematic plan.

Commitment vs. Interest

Many people are deluded. They truly believe that they are committed to managing their time, but they seldom exhibit this in their lives. Conversations with these people often have comments like:

• “there just isn’t enough time in the day”
• “I don’t have enough time”
• “I am too busy”

…sprinkled throughout the dialogue. Perhaps there is a misunderstanding of “commitment”. Here is a short example that helps me remember what commitment really is.

Two men, Bob and Tom, were traveling down a small river in a canoe. It was a nice, simple trip. Just a lazy day drifting. But on this particular day Bob and Tom each shifted in the canoe at the same time, in the same direction, which resulted in the canoe capsizing.

Bob was interested

Bob, being an excellent swimmer, came up and slowly considered the temperature of the water and how refreshing it made him feel, then lazily began swimming toward the side of the river. Bob was interested in getting out of the water because he was uncomfortable.

Tom was committed

Tom however, did not know how to swim. When he surfaced, he did not care how refreshing the water felt or what the water’s temperature was. He didn’t even notice the water’s temperature. He simply gasped for air and began to fight, all the while frantically searching for something to grab onto. He pushed, pulled and struggled to breathe. Tom could see the shoreline and he desperately wanted out of the river. Tom was committed to doing whatever necessary to get to the shoreline. For Tom, getting out of the river was not just a “good idea” or “an excellent theory”. It was the key to his survival. Tom was committed to doing whatever was necessary because he wanted to survive.

Effective time management requires daily commitment

Like Bob, most people are interested in time management. They think that it is a good idea. The highly effective, successful few are like Tom. They realize that their survival and their future depend on their commitment to a systematic plan of time management. They are as committed to time management as they are to breathing.

Study time management. Study your lifestyle. Do the two compliment each other or do they clash? What we become tomorrow will be the result of:

• how we think today
• what we do today
• how we use our daily allotment of 24 hours

Commit to a time management philosophy today.

Tags: time, time+management, commitment, dedication

1. What task can I perform today, that will have the greatest positive impact on my production today?

There is always “one” task, duty, or responsibility that when completed will have the largest positive impact on your performance. It is up to you to determine what that task is and then to perform it first and quickly. We seldom do this, because this task is usually more difficult and time-consuming.

The difference between achieving greatness and remaining in mediocrity rests on your ability to determine which responsibilities are the most important and then your drive to get busy doing them.

2. How can I do a better job today?

The question is not “Can I do a better job today?”, because we all know that we can improve daily. It is up to you to determine “how” you can perform better and then “do it”.

If you are having difficulties in discovering how you can do a better job, then ask a colleague, boss or subordinate. Someone will enlighten you.

3. What can I do to motivate and encourage my fellow workers, subordinates or employees?

Is it a smile at the right time? Is it an encouraging word? Is it the offer of help? It is up to you to find the right key for the right individual or situation and then use that key to reveal that person’s potential to them.

Someone is watching you, make it worth their time – be remarkable in all that you do!

4. What special favor can I do for my customers?

People do business with people they like. Do your customers like you? Why? Do you show them that you appreciate their patronage? It is your business, if you expect it to grow, you must fertilize it. Fertilize it with special attention to those who make it a success, your customers/clients.

5. How can I increase my efficiency?

Can I combine two similar tasks? Can I delegate some of my responsibilities? Don’t be busy, be productive.

6. How can I add value to others?

Do I tell others of their worth to me and my organization? Statistics prove that people favor a kind and encouraging word more than increased pay. Employees like to know and be told that their efforts are appreciated. You can never say “thank you” too often. Do you ever get tired of hearing it?

Write these questions down and periodically go over them. Keep a running tally of how you are doing throughout the day. Over time, this process will become a habit that you will be grateful you developed.

7. What can I do today that will make me more valuable?

What will you do to promote your growth and development? Will you read and study some aspect of your business/job? Will you dig in to some completely foreign technology in hopes of diversifying your talents? Will you exercise today?

Answer some of these questions positively everyday and you will grow and develop beyond your wildest imagination!

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Tags: procrastination, people+skills

• Where did you vacation last year? Was it a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience for you and your family?
• What is your income level? Are you making about the same as everyone else you know?
• What do you do to relax?

The questions could go on and on, but my point is this: Your life is basically like the lives of those people you consider to be your friends. You are, in all likelihood, a member of the status quo – the “great” majority – the massive workforce that keeps America churning along. In essence, you are average.

I have probably offended someone because everyone likes to think that they are unique. You are unique, but how you live your life is not. Why?

1. You live a mediocre life because that is what you want.

The vast majority “buys into” the herd mentality, which effectively stifles their uniqueness. It is much easier and more comfortable to blend in than it is to stand out. Most people believe:

• The head that is sticking up above the crowd is likely to be chopped off.
• Go along to get along.
• Don’t make waves.

Rather than stand apart and defend our distinction, most people will humbly plod through life, never approaching their true greatness. But that is your choice.

2. People live mediocre lives because they have no goals.

Ask your friends to show you their goals. They are likely to start telling you all the things that they hope to accomplish or what they want to do with their lives. However, these are not goals, these are their dreams.

Goals are always written down. Real goals can be seen because they are recorded.

What are your goals? If you don’t have any, then don’t feel bad, neither do 95% of the population. See, you are “just like everybody else”. Oh, by the way, the other 5% (that have written goals) – they own about 96% of the wealth in America.

I guess to have more – you must be different.

3. People can’t rise above mediocrity because they lack the power of focus.

Have you ever watched a child that has become obsessed or determined to accomplish some feat or task? They try and they fail. They try again and they fail again. They keep this up until they succeed. Why do they succeed?

• They don’t allow their failures to be final.
• They don’t quit because they failed.
• Their failures do not define them. Their persistence does.
• They were focused on achieving a specific task.

Most people have forgotten this ability to focus on the task at hand and allow themselves to be easily distracted. Overweight people would like to lose weight and be in better shape, but are distracted by:

• TV
• fast food
• stress

Middle class wage earners would like to elevate themselves to a higher income bracket, but they are distracted by:

• TV
• keeping up with the jones
• credit card debt

If the lack of focus is a problem for you, then don’t feel bad. You can discuss it with your bowling buddies, bridge group or the fellas down at the bar. I’m sure they will sympathize with you.

4. Most people have very poor time management skills.

Your most valuable asset is your time. How do you use it? If you are like most people, it just kind of slips through your fingers. You never really know where the time has gone, yet you have little to show for it. For most people, their time flies by like a series of random events. You may not value your time today, but one day you will.

Each day you are given 24 hours to use as you see fit. Common sense tells you that if you take the time to plan your use of the available time, then you will get the most from it. Do you plan your day?

If you expect to do more with your life – to achieve your potential, then you must do the things that will guarantee your impending greatness. Find someone who has achieved the goals that you desire to reach and follow their example. Better yet, contact them and ask them to mentor you.

You will never approach greatness while a member of the “herd”. You must think, act, speak and be different. Remember:

MEDIOCRITY IS NOT ACCEPTABLE!

Tags: mediocrity, herd+mentality

• high blood pressure
• heart disease and stroke
• mental and emotional dysfunction
• family and relational issues

What can we do to deal with these situations? There are some who advocate a meditative approach, but sometimes our stressful times and activities can be met head on – if we have planned for these situations.

Often, we have the answer to these stressful situations. For instance, if we are stressed about our financial position (behind on bills, no savings, losing job, etc.), then we must ask ourselves if this is a “self-imposed”situation.

In other words, did you create this problem? If you created the problem, you can create a solution.

• Meet with your creditors. (I have a background as both a lending officer and as a collection agent – most financial institutions would rather “work out” a suitable contingency program than take legal action. The key is to create a plan that is workable and then commit to fulfilling your end of the bargain.)
• Set up a plan that will help you get your bills up to date.
• Once you have a plan, stick to it.
• If you have no savings, set up a plan for how you can start a savings plan. Begin with small, regular deposits and increase the amounts as you have the means, but set a specified minimum amount and never allow yourself to miss it.

Do you see a theme? The best remedy for stress is preparation. Simply stated, we are most often stressed by the things for which we have not prepared.

• Do you remember being called on in school to answer a question? Your stress level was much lower if you knew the answer. This required study – preparation.
• Have you ever been asked to speak in public? As your degree of preparation rises, your level of stress decreases.

Perhaps you are stressed because you don’t have enough time to do everything that needs to be done. This stress is not caused by the totality of what we need to accomplish but because of our lack of efficient time management.

Here are some things we can do:

1. Have a plan. Write things down. Simply by putting pencil to paper, you have put yourself in the top 10% of productive people. Make a list at the start of each day of what you need to accomplish, would like to accomplish, and must accomplish.
2. Prioritize the list. Start with the highest priority and work through the list.
3. Focus on your list. You will feel a sense of pride and accomplishment each time you can check off one of your “to do” items.
4. Practice this daily, not just when you get behind. It all boils down to repetition. Repetition leads to confidence.

Confidence is the difference between pressure and stress. Pressure makes you more focused and more motivated because you are confident. You are confident because you have prepared.

Stress causes anxiety and fear of failure most often because you have not taken the necessary steps to ensure your preparedness.

Expect to be successful because you have built your confidence through preparation and repetition.

Tags: stress, stress+vs.+pressure, preparedness, preparation

Sound familiar? Call it a rut or call it a grave — the only difference is the depth. But the question is “How can you change”? “How can you get out of this rut”? The answer is simple. Stop living accidentally — because that’s what you’re doing now. If you don’t have a purpose (clear and defined) and a plan (written) for your life, then everything you do is accidental and pretty much incidental. Life is happening all around you, but your not experiencing it; you’re just bumping into it from time to time.

So what’s the remedy? Give yourself ten minutes each day to change your life. Five minutes in the morning and five minutes at night.

Get up five minutes earlier (yes I’m aware that you need your sleep, but you won’t miss it) each morning for the purpose of preparing yourself and your mind for the coming day; a kind of “get your mind right” exercise. Find a quiet spot and:

1. Be thankful – take a minute ( no more) to reflect on:

• your previous night’s rest, your health, your family, your career, etc
• the opportunities of the coming day.

2. Prepare for the day – one minute

3. Self Motivate – one minute

• yes talk to yourself. It is ok.
• be positive, optimistic and happy. Stand tall, shoulders back and head held high. Your posture has a great influence on your mood.
• remind yourself that everything that is happening is for your ultimate benefit. Realize that every event has two sides – a positive and a negative or an optimistic and pessimistic – you determine your point of view.

4. Decide to contribute value to other people’s lives – two minutes

• Smile – it makes you feel good and it makes the other person feel better. It’s healthier for you and it’s a mood-setter, meaning it’s the first thing people notice when you meet. Your smile disarms and welcomes. It makes interaction easier.
• Greet others – Hi, How are you doing?, What’s up?, or How ’bout it? (it’s a southern thing). This show others that you are willing and able to interact.
• Compliment others – but only if you can genuinely offer a compliment. It makes people feel good and it makes you feel good to help others feel good.
• Engage others – ask about them, their family or their interests. Everyone likes to talk about their interests and will be flattered that you remembered to ask about them.
• Listen – give them your attention or don’t bother to engage them at all. Remember that you may need a shoulder to cry on sometime and this person could be a willing confidant.
• Empathize – be willing to see and feel their situation. Laugh or cry with them – but be there to provide the support they need.
• Help them – ask how you can help and then follow through.
• Console – if there is nothing you can do then simply offer your consolation. If possible try to lift their spirits.

5. Review your day – three minutes

• Acknowledge your accomplishments – Feel good about them.
• Acknowledge your missed opportunities – Try to see how it could have been different.
• Resolve to have a fresh start in the morning.

6. Wind down – two minutes

• Give thanks for the day and the opportunities it provided.
• Relax – consciously flex and relax your muscles slightly. This will allow you to see where you might be experiencing stress and then you can consciously relax these muscles allowing you to drift off to a peaceful sleep sooner.
• Self talk – tell yourself that you are going to have a deep and restful nights sleep.
• Visualize – in your mind’s eye, allow your dreams and goals to come into focus and see them as you continue to relax and drift off to sleep.

Commit to following this plan or one of your choosing for one month, then compare the differences in your life before and after. I have no doubt that you will be amazed and what you are capable of accomplishing.

Tags: meaningful+life, purposeful+life

The ability to “get things done” when they need to be done or before is one of the key determining factors of your level of success.  If you do not have a method of categorizing and prioritizing your daily tasks, then you are just bumbling through your day.  I know that sounds harsh, but it is true.  At the end of the day, anything that was completed, was an accident because you had no purpose nor plan for the day.  So in effect, you are living an “accidental life”.  You got lucky.

“EAT THAT FROG!” is a book written by Brian Tracy that addresses procrastination and how to overcome it and live a productive life.  It is outstanding!  The book is not a long one.  It consists of 113 pages that make up 21 chapters plus an introduction and conclusion.  The average chapter is less than six pages.  You can easily read a chapter a day.  That is what I do and I’ve read the book several times already.  It has made a huge impact on both the quantity and quality of what I am able to accomplish. 

It is the definitive work on eliminating procrastination from your life.  Some of his tactics include:

• thinking on paper
• starting now
• prioritizing
• predicting the consequences of doing or not doing a task
• determining your “key” result areas
• developing your ability to focus
• applying a step by step approach
• and much, much more

This book is great.  It is written in a logical and easy-to-understand manner that gets the point across.  If you are serious about defeating the greatest obstacle to your success, then this is the book you need.  In paperback, the cost is minimal.

Amazon link.

• the deliverer of bad news
• the office gossip spreader
• mr/mrs/ms “doom and gloom”
• the “source” for all things negative
• bad attitude, personified

So, what do you do?  You know that if he/she catches you, that you may be stuck for a long while.  You owe it to yourself and to your employer to develop and put in place a strategy for dealing with “mr/mrs negativity”.  They cost the company by:

1. decreasing productivity – not only are they not doing anything, but they are hindering you from your job
2. increasing animosity – they constantly spread rumors and “half-truths” about your employer in hopes that you will join them on the “going nowhere sideline”
3. decreasing efficiency – you are not managing your time efficiently while listening to their drivel.
4. increasing your stress level – you have to adjust your schedule to compensate for the wasted time they used and that you allowed them to use.  Will you take work home?  Will you work late?  Will your family understand?  All this is unneeded stress.

Here are a few strategies for dealing with these people and the situations that they bring with them.

1.  AVOID THEM AT ALL COSTS!

• If you see them first and you can go somewhere, go.  Don’t wait for them to trap you.  Your time is too valuable to waste.  Although this method works, it is not a long-term solution because sooner or later they will sneak up on you and catch you.

2.  BE ON AN URGENT ERRAND

• Create a “dummy” portfolio.  This is simply something that you can keep with you at all times and looks important.  If Mr/Mrs Negative stops you, briefly explain that you are on your way to deliver “these documents” to the bank, the lawyer, the accountant, the shipping department, the payroll department — you get the idea.  Stress the urgency of your mission and move on.

3.  DEVELOP A “BUDDY” PLAN

• You are not the only person who wants to avoid these people.  Find a compatriot and create a plan so that if either of you see the other one “trapped in the clutches of negativity”, there is a means of rescue.  Simply approach and say “John, can I get you to give me a hand with a problem?”  Mr/Mrs Negativity probably does not want to have anything to do with work and will go in search of easier prey.

4.  SUDDENLY REMEMBER AN URGENT TASK THAT MUST BE DONE NOW

• This is similar to #2 but works if they capture you in a fixed position (at your desk).  You must forcefully stress the “must be done now” nature of this task and then get busy doing it.

5.  STOP BEING PASSIVE (POLITE)

• The very idea that these people have the audacity to think that they can abuse my time is beyond me.  Don’t take it anymore.  You don’t owe them anything.
• Tell them that you don’t have the time for their office politics.
• Tell them that your time is too valuable to waste.
• Tell them that you don’t appreciate their intrusion into your workday.
• Tell them to “move on”.

Number five is hard, but it is a final solution.  In most instances, if you make a stand and express your desire to do your job without meaningless interruptions, Mr/Mrs Negativity will leave you alone.  It’s just too much trouble for them to have to deal with your resistance.  Besides, Mr/Mrs Negativity will not want to talk to you if he/she thinks that you are not listening.

1 – 4 are temporary solutions and can only be used so many times before they are worn out.  Be productive and efficient – go straight to the final solution – #5 (the permanent solution).  You owe it to your boss, but mostly you owe it to yourself and family.