Design Your Best Schedule

Chances are, you are one of the millions out there feeling over-scheduled, under-effective, and worn out.  What to do about it?  First, decide that although it's common, it's doesn't have to be YOUR "normal."  Make a commitment to yourself for the next week to make some improvements.  Can you make 3 simple changes within one week that will help you better support your success?  I hope so!  How are you going to leave a powerful, positive legacy if you are exhausted?

Why Aren't You More Successful?

You work hard, you worry, you're tired--but for all that, why aren't you more successful? 
Chances are, you're not really applying your time, money, or energy in the right directions, or with enough intensity.  Let's review 3 critical, yet simple things the most successful people do differently from the rest:

1- Know what you want
How can you possibly get from A to B if you don’t know what B is? Do you just get in your car and start driving aimlessly? NO, before you get to the end of your street, you know your desired destination. Strangely, most people don’t know what they want. Like most people, I used to spend more time determining where to go for dinner, or making out their Christmas list than determining what to accomplish over the next year. What do you want to be known for?

Blast Through Your Workload in Minutes!

Warning: this post is going to challenge your comfort level and if you try this strategy, you may never go back to working too many hours again.  If you are a gym rat, or into fitness-related media, you have heard of Tabata workouts.  Izumi Tabata is credited with the super-short, intense intervals of 20 seconds of all out effort coupled with 10 seconds of rest, repeated for a mere 4 minutes total for the entire workout.  Lest you think this isn't enough to fatigue all major muscle groups, just try it! *The secret to effectiveness lies in the ALL-OUT EFFORT made in bursts, coupled with shorter rests.* 

How can you apply this to your workload?  In three components: 1) decide on the most important work to be done, and 2) work in focused blocks of time coupled with 3) useful rest periods.

Hit Your Goals Before the Holidays Hit!

Most businesses have some cyclic nature and seasonality.  Many industries, companies, and people find their business tapering off around Thanksgiving and not picking up again until after the New Year.  Although some people start putting off decisions and actions in the Fall, don't make the assumption that nothing is happening.  Plenty of transactions are still happening! Especially for those out there that still want to achieve some big goals in the quarter, right NOW is the time to hussle.

Following are my Top 5 Don'ts for making the most of business leading up to the end of the year:

When Is Planning a Waste of Time?

As they say in carpentry, "Measure twice. Cut once." We've all experienced what happens when we didn't plan [measure] correctly, and there wasn't an easy fix. Hopefully the frustration or embarrassment was enough to learn the lesson that adequate planning for success is important.  In addition, most of you reading this will be familiar with the concept of "Q2" or "Important, but not Urgent" activities like planning & strategizing, and specifically how these typically need to be a higher priority for most people in business to be more successful.  HOWEVER it is hypercritical to realize that TOO much planning is akin to paralysis by analysis.

Are you Productive or EFFECTIVE?

The other day I found myself rushing to get to Rotary in time for lunch and felt like I had been "running at full speed" from the moment I got out of bed. I had a to-do list with some check-marks and a good client meeting that morning, but I felt a bit manic as I was speeding along in traffic and mentioned on the phone, "Oooh, I don't like it when I'm rushing like this!" (I do like fast-paced and dynamic, but this was the next level), then I said  "At least I've been productive!" Because I felt I had been getting things done.  But then I realized I was justifying it.

Hit the "Up" Button

You know how it feels when motivation is flagging, and that task that you said you would complete suddenly seems too difficult and you want to take a break, or quit altogether?  Hit the "UP" button!

During one of my recent workout sessions, the video host said, "You can always hit the UP button" in reference to putting more effort into the task at hand.  Hmmm...I like it! Very motivating.  I have since adopted it a bit as a personal motto. (Thanks to Jillian Micheals)

Business Relationship Success: 4 Habits to Master

These are certainly not complex, but for most people "life gets in the way," excuses are made, and somehow these no-brainers take a back seat to daily distractions.  During my daily listening to and reading motivational info from experts in business (an activity I highly recommend for everyone), I was reminded from Dan Sullivan of 4 simple habits when dealing with others in business (and life) that foster more success.  A blatant disregard for these 4 destroys trust, loses respect, and turns off previously raving fans. Most people agree these make sense and are not difficult, but they aren't doing them consistently.  For those that do, success is theirs.

Part 3: How Today's Leaders Are Like Successful Athletes

Part 3 of 3

3. When it counts, they show up and perform.
Leaders today must realize that greater success is created when employees are enticed to show up and perform, most certainly when it really counts, but also every day. Long-running success in business comes from creating a mission, vision, and culture that employees not only appreciate but WANT to be a part of.

Part 2: How Today's Leaders Are Like Successful Athletes

Part 2 of 3

2. They learn to work as a part of a team.
Everyone on the team understands and plays with the knowledge that every player has a clear role on the team, and yet when needed for team success, anyone steps in and does what is needed to win.

Part 1: How Today's Leaders Are Like Successful Athletes

I was asked recently what I think today's business leaders need to be doing differently than 4-5 years ago, in consideration of the economic changes. I came up with a three-part model and used the ever-popular sports analogy for my answer. Upon reflection, I decided to share it out to the blogosphere in hopes that it is helpful for leaders at all levels in terms of creating more personal and professional success for themselves and others.

Part 1 of 3
Consider your favorite team-sport athletes with the most long-running career success. Let's borrow the strategy & apply these concepts to create long-running success in business:

1. They go to work on themself.
Athletes with the longest career success show us how to work on oneself and take responsibility for their own performance. They work on their own self (for long hours, practicing, repeating, and seeking ways to do better, better, better...) to build skills and lay a strong foundation for winning performance. Plus, even when experiencing consistent wins, they continue to work on their own performance.

Only Winners Set Goals

Success requires no apologies. 
Failure permits no alibis.
~ Napoleon Hill

Aaaah, the promise of a new year, and with it the hopes of greater achievements than years past.  I absolutely love this time of year.  All the planning and imagining how great things will be when all those accomplishments come to fruition!  Oh wait, a dose of reality...most people don't achieve their goals and dreams.  Most people don't set goals at all.  Most people don't allow themselves the "luxury" of dreams.  It's unfortunate that most people don't understand how it all works. 

What Not To Do at the End of the Year

I've compiled a short list of things NOT to do toward the end of the year, things that most people do - because they are either too tired, ignorant, or unmotivated to make the most of the present and plan appropriately for next year..

Yes, we want to eat, drink, & be merry. We worked hard all year and when nearing the end, it is natural to seek celebration and experience some "I deserve it" attitude. However, this is not the time to let yourself go.  You want to

3 Reasons Why a Sunny Outlook Brings More Success

People often make fun of "the power of positive thinking" - or consider people who subscribe synonymous with idiots walking on rainbows with rays of sunshine coming out their

3 Parts to Making Change EASY

Yes, you read that correctly: "Change" and "Easy" can absolutely go together. Most people would agree that change is hard, changing habits is difficult, changing your conditioning takes focus and discipline plus time you don't want to spend on it.  Admittedly, that is true for most people.  However, you

9 Ways to Stay Motivated

So you've set your goals or intentions.  Now what?  From experience, we all know "life gets in the way" and often weeks and months can go by without much progress toward achievements. To change results, there must be a process or system for execution. In other words, you have to

Effectiveness: Week 11

Read more about improving certain traits over 13 weeks.

Let's talk about Effectiveness!

What does it mean to be truly effective? (Read related post.)

Yes, it means getting things done, but not just any things. Many people could say over the course of a week that they were productive or efficient, but upon reflection, how effective were they? Did they make progress on the things that truly matter to them? My journey this week is to focus on what really matters.

It's worth noting here, that "progress" doesn't have to be tied to specific measurable goals, although for me personally and professionally that is how I prefer to do things. For many, it's more of an intention - spend more time with the kids, have a date night with my spouse, clean out the garage, enjoy some time to relax and reflect...all these count as "progress" as well as those tasks and goals we normally associate with goal-achieving progress.

Knowing all this, I am focusing on the following areas:

1. Right Things, Right Order: requires a bit of strategic thinking to determine what is the best use of my time today that moves me in the direction of my goals. I frequently caution clients to not select more than 6 things on this "critical" list. This can be difficult when we are used to having a working list of hundreds of tasks we'd like to get done. (How the heck can I pick 6 or less?) These are the important, realistic things I feel I MUST get done before I lay my head on my pillow. The rest of it is regular daily stuff, can actually wait until tomorrow, or doesn't really need to be done at all. I determine the right things, then do them in the right order. All things equal, it's best to start with the most important first. What will have the most positive impact?

Ah, it feels good!

2. 80/20 Rule: there are many interpretations of this rule, and the ones I like best for this week are A) do 80% of an important task, instead of a full 100% and evaluate if this is enough. I like to think of it as a "final draft" - the value of this approach is saving time. Instead of messing around trying to make it 20% better ("perfect"), which always takes longer than I think and is hardly ever a good use of my time, evaluate if it's enough. B) Realize that for business people on average, about 20% of time is spent on key activities that produce 80% of the revenue. I want to determine which key activities these are for my business and hone in.

3. Follow-Through: On those imporant tasks and activities from above, how to ensure good follow-through when busy days spiral out of control? For me, this means being organized and since I am visual, I need things right in front of my face. I reviewed options and downloaded some apps onto my smartphone so that I can enter tasks and display items/progress in plain view on the main screen. Every time I look at my phone's main display, I see them!

One last thought for this week's topic: for me, being truly effective is essential for really enjoying life. It may seem ironic, since many would feel the required focus and tracking to be less than enjoyable, yet I feel that by creating this structure to support me, I can work better and live more life, enjoying my new personal motto, "no unused minutes!"

Are You Truly Effective?

You get your work done, right? Sure, you could probably work a little harder. but you already put in so many hours. What if you could get more done in less time? How do you know if you are truly effective?

Everyone is busy these days. Every modern working person feels pressure to get things done in less time than is available. And for many, work includes constant deadlines, shifting priorities, and travel, along with a feeling that real progress remains elusive. So how many busy professionals out there are truly effective?

Being personally effective doesn't necessarily mean just working hard, or even getting things done. The "full" version of effectiveness is knowing exactly what to work on and when, and utilizing focus as needed until completion. And--it is also knowing when NOT to work on certain things. So how do you know if you truly effective? And if not, how do you improve?

JUST DO IT?
Know what needs to get done before starting work. What is the most important project or goal you could be working on right now? Consider the bigger picture. Is your current work (or activity) supporting the accomplishment of goals?

MEASURE IT
Set measurable targets. How can you know if you're effective if you can't measure how far you've progressed? Spend a minute or two determining the best way to measure if the work is getting the expected results. It doesn't have to be time- or money-related, as long as it's specific and measurable, it will work.

Track to completion. Hardly anyone enjoys tracking their work. Also, don't add work to your day by keeping detailed logs or spending hours showing off your wizardry in Excel. It can be as simple as pencil and scratch paper; the key is to do what works for you. Small tasks may be "tracked" with a check-mark or cross-out; bigger goals should be broken down into smaller tasks. Spend a little bit of time planning these out, and reap the rewards.

FOCUS
Ah-ha, this is the missing link for so many professionals out there (you know who you are). It doesn't have to be hard to focus on the task at hand. Take some control and work WITH your environment, or tailor your environment to fit your working style. (Stay tuned for post on "Your 9 Environments.") Look around and identify some simple changes that will help you focus.

Realize that you are wired for survival, so when you are constantly looking in the other room, or overhearing comments in the hall, or fidgeting and needing to use the bathroom, you are just being human. If your brain is racing with thoughts of a hundred things you need to get done, that's more likely habit than ADHD, and perhaps some caffeine. Grab a notepad and dump all that stuff out of your head onto paper (or type into the computer). Then focus. Try just 20 minutes at first. Pick the most important thing on your list, turn off the phone, set a timer and GO! You will be surprised at how much you can accomplish in a short time when you set your mind to it.

Frankly, a lot of busy people are not very effective. For all the hard work, hours, and stress put into their work, wouldn't it be better to improve results? It's important to note here that some socializing with coworkers is good, as is taking time out for lunch or physical activity during the work-day. The point is to be effective with actual work time, getting more done in less time so you can enjoy all the rest.

Remember that Effectiveness=Success, and to celebrate your good work!


ACTIONS:
Today, at least once, when interrupted in your work, ask yourself, "Is this the most important thing I could be doing right now? Am I being effective or just busy?"
Over the next week, ask yourself the same question a couple times daily until it's a habit. Make notes as needed. Watch your results improve. Enjoy.

Read a related post here.