Posted: January 12, 2013 | Categories: Management, Self-Improvement

 Time management expert Charles Hobbs spent his whole career studying high achievers. As a result of his research, he found what he believed to be their most important characteristic: “They have the ability to focus on vital priorities and cause those priorities to happen”

In coaching my clients, the most common enemy of effectiveness is distraction. We live in a world where there are more and more distractions. Texting, emails, Twitter, iPods,  Facebook and Linkedin have greatly fragmented our time. In addition, the ease of distraction is much higher. It has been estimated that managers and sales professionals are interrupted an average of once every three minutes. Time studies have also shown that it can take as much as 20 minutes to regain our focus on a vital project to the level of concentration before the interruption.

We frequently hear that Americans are working more hours than they used to. I don’t believe this is true. I do believe that we are spending more hours at work than we used to.

When I work with clients in the area of time management, the first thing we do is a time log. We keep track of every task or activity performed for a 2-3 day period. The results are almost always shocking:  Most folks discover they are spending more than 50% of their time doing things that do not pertain to their top priorities. So how do we combat distraction and get a better focus? Here are some suggestions.

•  Plan your week in advance. How much discretionary time do you have? How are you going to divide that time up so that you stay focused on your priorities and keep in balance?
• Plan your day the night before: List all of the things you could do. Put an “A” next to those items most critical. For those that are important, but not critical, put a “B” next to them. Finally, put a “C” next to those items that have some or little importance. In other words, if we don’t do them, we don’t suffer or miss an important opportunity.

Once you have done this, look at your list again and ask these three questions:

1.  What can I combine?
2. What can I eliminate?
3. What can I delegate?

The next day you will be ready to begin. Start with your highest priority and stay with it until it is complete. Then go on to your next priority. If you do this with an absolute commitment to avoid distractions, you will get more done and end each day with success. As stress management consultant Dr. Hans Seyle once said, “A successful life is a series of successful days”

Posted: November 13, 2012 | Categories: Management, Self-Improvement

Have you ever had a project or task on your checklist that just doesn’t seem to get done?  On your “to-do” list today, did you notice an item that was on your list for the 3^rd or 4^th time?  This can be demoralizing.  How do we break the pattern, set a new stride, and gain control?

Break it down

If we have carried a “to-do” item on our list for several days, we can ask ourselves, “How can I break this down into bite-size chunks?  For example, if our action item is to write a follow up report for the design meeting, we may want to lay it out in pieces like:

1. Write title for report
2. Outline key points
3. Write cover page summary
4. Write point #1

These steps we can usually swallow, and doing them can help us overcome inertia and move forward.

 The power of planning and blocking time

My wife and I had been planning to clean out the garage for several weeks.  We would say something like, “Yeah, let’s try to get that done this weekend”.  How well do you think that worked?  You’re right …Not so well

After bumping the project for all that time, we decided to get things under control.  We had a sit-down meeting and talked about the project supplies we would need and when we could do the project.  Soon, we had a list of supplies and also specific steps involved.  We blocked out our entire weekend for the project.  We promised ourselves that if we completed the project by the weekend, we would treat ourselves to dinner out.  Now how do you think the project went?  We completed the project, did a spectacular job, and enjoyed dinner out.  We made the project fun and we also put enough control on it so that it did not become a procrastination victim.

Think about something you need to do that isn’t done yet.  Ask yourself:

1. Why is this important?
2. How much will I benefit if I do it?
3. How much will I suffer if I don’t?
4. When can I do this?
5. What steps will be required?
6. Who else do I need to discuss this with?
7. What resources will I need to successfully complete the project?

Categorize, prioritize, set specific action steps and deadlines, follow through, and enjoy the benefits of a completed effort.  Get on control!

Posted: July 8, 2012 | Categories: Management, Self-Improvement

Strategy:  The gift that keeps on giving

OK.  You know what you want and you have set specific goals.  It is time for the fun to begin.  We are now ready to develop our strategy.  This is our roadmap to get to our goals.  A strategy is our own special recipe for achieving specific goals, and it should be as unique as our fingerprint (and far more exciting!).  Like any good recipe, there are important ingredients that need to be blended together in just the right portion.

Strengths:  When we look at what we want to achieve, the first thing we do is look at our strengths.  Our strengths are the characteristics and qualities that have gotten us to where we are today.  What are your strengths?  If you need help in answering this question comprehensively, ask a friend or visit helpful websites like strengthfinder.com.  Find your strengths.  We need to know them and use them.

Activity:  Keeping in mind our strengths, we need to look at what mix of tasks and activities we will need to put into play.  Here are some points to consider:

• What activities, if done consistently, have stood the test of time in generating desired results?  This could be networking,  giving programs, participating in golf tournaments,  or attending seminars.
• How can you create synergy by matching your strengths with selected tasks and activities?  If you are strong in one-on-one situations, you will probably look for several networking activites.  If you are good at public speaking, you may seek out organizations, associations, and civic clubs to deliver you valuable message.  How about if you have writing and analytical skills?  How could they be effectively leveraged?
• What new innovative ideas and activities would you like to initiate?
• How will you plan your year, month, week, day?

Habits:  Albert Gray said it over 70 years ago in his essay, “The Common Denominator of Success”:  “People form habits…habits form futures”  What habits are working for you?  What habits are not helping you (see barriers)?  What is the single most important habit you need to work on?  How soon can you get started on it?  How can you ensure you will sustain your momentum?  What results do you expect for your efforts?

Putting it all together, your strategy should consist of your ideal blend of strengths, activities, and habits that come together to drive you towards your specific goals.  The next step…EXECUTE!

Posted: May 29, 2012 | Categories: Management, Self-Improvement

Having more free time is great…but…

What if you awoke tomorrow morning to discover you had been given all the money you needed and could do or own anything your heart desired?  In addition, as a bonus, you have been given all the free time you desired.  Does that sound like a nice picture to be in?  Not so fast.  Studies have shown that people who win big in the lottery do not necessarily become the happiest people.  It has also been noted in the book, “The Millionaire Next Door” that 70% of all millionaires did not get their money from inheritance.

Just having what we wish for does not automatically mean we will manage well.  Managing money and time takes skill and  discipline.

Some of you may have heard of Parkinson’s Law.  It says, “Work expands to fill the amount of time available” I remember one time when I was involved in a weekly evening commitment that lasted once a week for 14 weeks.  Towards the end, I was thinking, “That will be neat with I get that extra day back.  There is so much I could get to”

The end of the commitment came, and what did I find myself doing on that newly re-gained evening?  Yes, I decided to just crash and watch television – for the most part, a passive activity.   There were all these hobbies I had thought about starting, and groups that I wanted to join and courses I wanted to take.   All that stayed in the deep freeze.  I fell victim to Parkinson’s Law.

This taught me a lesson:  If I work on my time management skills to free up extra time, I need to have a plan for what I will do with that time.   I enjoy working on my scrapbook, riding bikes, being involved in Church activities, and spending time in our den engaged in quality conversation with my wife.  So you might be saying, “Hey, that is fine for you.  For me, I just want to lie in the hammock” No problem.  If you have taken time to think of what is important to you, and lying in the hammock is at the top of the list, go for it.  The key here is that you activity is intentional, and not by default.  Who knows, you may dream up the world’s next greatest invention while in the hammock, or figure out a way to communicate better with your kids.

Let’s boil it down to five steps:

1. Decide how much time you want to free up.
2. Take inventory of your time.
3. Ask yourself:  What can I combine, eliminate, or delegate?
4. Compute the amount of free time you will free up.
5. Make a plan for how you will improve the quality of your life with that time

Posted: May 21, 2012 | Categories: Management

Last night I was at a social event with some old friends.  My friend Bob started talking about his job and the company he worked for.  He was frustrated. He is the sales manager for a contracting firm.  It is a family company that has now entered their third generation of leadership.  Bob described his situation to me:

Being a contractor, they bid for work.  Like most contractors today, they are finding they must compete against many other bidders rather than just 2 or 3 like before the economic crunch.  Current conditions dictate that they must fight harder for a “bigger piece of a smaller pie” This means smaller profit margins, and with rising fixed costs and pricing pressure, the focus turns to building a more productive team.  To get a more productive team, leadership, teamwork, and communication must be strong.  Bob saw a gap here.  Rather than listen to him complain, I threw it back to him and said, “So what needs to be done?”  In his answer, he “nailed it”. Here are the steps he outlined:

Build a business plan:  They need a business plan…I mean a real business plan that details specific goals and well-crafted strategies that clearly map how to reach your objectives.

Define roles:  There is a lack of clarity and that is creating confusion.  This results in gaps, overlaps, things slipping through the cracks, misinformation, finger-pointing, blame, etc.  Imagine major league baseball if roles were not defined.  You would have people colliding with one another and no one covering for a player who was drawn off base or out of position.

Compensation plan:  Bob did not have a compensation plan.  Strong companies take the time and care to personalize compensation plans that help direct people towards desired goals.

Create team synergy:  Get the whole team involved in problem solving.  Create an environment of idea fluency, problem solving, and positive action.

Summing it up, to keep healthy profit margins, keep your people happy and engaged by:

1.  Building a business plan with clearly defined goals
2. Create a team environment that is open and knows how to solve problems.
3. Build quality compensation plans that are personalized and designed to motivate.

Most important to remember:  Strive to keep your team happy, engaged, and at the lowest possible level of frustration.  When we are frustrated, we are not focused.  When we are focused, we are positioned to be most productive.  When we are productive…up go profits!