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Category: Self-Improvement
Are you ready to get serious?
From 1980-1982, Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari starred in the TV series, “Bosom Buddies”. In a recent interview, Peter Scolari talked about his experience of working with Tom Hanks. He said that, although he liked Tom, it was frustrating to work with him because he was lazy and didn’t take his work seriously.
Our reputation: The gold standard
Think of iPhone or Disney…What is their greatest asset? I think it is their reputation. When we hear those names (brands) a whole unique set of thoughts (perception) comes to mind. People buy an I-Phone because they want one. Ask they how they like it, and you will hear them say, “I love it.” They don’t wait until it goes on sale (it usually doesn’t).
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Our Reputation: The platform that our success is built on
“It’s never crowded in the extra mile”
-Zig Ziglar
In a Business Week interview in November, 2012, Apple CEO Tim Cook talked about the success of Apple. He mentioned how Apple’s reputation and relationship with its customers was their most prized asset. He knows what he is talking about. A good business knows how to create and keep customers. They also know that a sterling reputation is vital.
Concentration: The key to achievement
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:
- What can I combine?
- What can I eliminate?
- 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”
Overcome Procrastination: Get back in control
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 3rd or 4th 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:
- Write title for report
- Outline key points
- Write cover page summary
- 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:
- Why is this important?
- How much will I benefit if I do it?
- How much will I suffer if I don’t?
- When can I do this?
- What steps will be required?
- Who else do I need to discuss this with?
- 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!