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Thursday, April 8th, 2010
It almost sounds counter intuitive, doesn’t it? The thought of increasing productivity by actually doing less just doesn’t seem possible, but it is.
In last week’s eCARD, I talked about the value of simplifying life so we can zero in on those few things, personally or professionally, that matter most. Several of you got back with me advising that (1) you were already in the process of simplifying and enjoying its rewards or (2) were very interested in the concept, wanted to simplify your life and wanted a few more examples.
To that end, let me share a few more ideas on how you might increase productivity by actually doing less.
Three Ways to Get More by Doing Less
1. Plan More in Order to Do Less
We all know the adage: “failure to plan is planning to fail,” and there’s certainly truth in that. Stephen Covey, in two of his books, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and First Things First, speaks to the importance of what he calls “measuring twice, cutting once”, when it comes to the importance of planning.
I have found as little as fifteen minutes of planning, in either the morning or the evening, helps me focus on making sure I schedule those things that will move a project or a program forward. Fifteen minutes of planning is really quite easy to do but herein lies the rub. Because it’s easy to do, it’s also easy not to do. Unfortunately, that saw cuts both ways.
Because most of our daily actions and activities are governed by habits, we need to exercise a little self-discipline and actually plan for a productive day. We also have to develop the habit of narrowing our focus in order to maximize productivity. For most folk,s this will mean changing their focus from activities to projects.
2. Focus on Projects, Not Activities
One of the keys to getting more done by doing less is to narrow our focus to completing important projects, instead of checking off a task list. Studies show a common characteristic of successful people is the ability to stay with a project to completion. It’s not starting a project that’s important, it’s finishing what we start that really counts.
The key to finishing a project is to break it into manageable activities and then make those activities a daily priority. But here’s another key: Don’t schedule too many project-focused activities into your daily schedule. Why? Because too many priorities means having no priorities at all. Keep it simple and limit yourself to no more than three project-focused activities a day.
3. Don’t Prioritize Your Schedule – Schedule Your Priorities.
This isn’t a play on words – it’s great advice! Simply ordering our daily schedule will do little to move our projects forward. In most cases, a daily plan is nothing more than capturing the times for scheduled meetings or important phone calls. If that’s the case, why not schedule a meeting with yourself for the sole purpose of working on a piece of an important project?
A meaningful project can seldom be accomplished in one fell swoop. The project has to be broken down into specific pieces and those pieces usually require completion in a specific order. This fact in itself speaks to the need for “project time.”
In order to get more done by doing less, take a look at your daily calendar and schedule 60 -90 minutes of “me” time in order to focus on – and if possible complete – project-focused activities. You’ll be surprised to see how quickly the project comes together and, at the same time, you’ll be developing the habit of intentionally carving out small but important sections of your day to do those (few) things that matter most.
Gettting more done by doing less is a numbers game. Doing just a couple of project-related activities a day – every day – will multiply your performance and productivity exponentially. You’ll be amazed at how it works!
Tags: business, daily, doing, goals, organize, plan, prioritize, priority, productivity, professional, projects, schedule, simplify
Posted in 2010 | 2 Comments »
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Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
 I’m not sure what I’m going through right now, it can’t be midlife crisis unless I’m going to live well past 120. So I’ve started to take a real hard look at the virtues of simplifying my life.
The more chaotic the world becomes, the more interested I am in slowing things down and gaining a little more control over my day-to-day existence. As a result, I’ve started to look at areas of my life where I can simplify. I’ve discovered two things so far: In order to simplify my life, I need to identify those things which are most important to me, and second, to start minimizing time and effort I spend on all the rest. If you’re with me so far, let me share with you the Cliff Notes version of my plan.
Step 1. Limit the Number of Goals
I have a tendency to get a little carried away with the number of things I think I can accomplish in a calendar year. What I’ve decided to do for the remainder of this year is to pick no more than five goals I can accomplish which will make a significant improvement in my personal and professional life.
This isn’t as easy as it sounds. I’ve put a lot of time into thinking this through. I started with a brain-dump. I just listed all the things I wanted to accomplish this year. After I completed the list, I forced myself to consider the five things that would have the greatest positive impact on my personal life and my career.
There are lots of things I’d like to do in the year ahead. But the more important question is: What are the three or four most important things I need to do to benefit my life, my family and my career? Talk about a reality check! I’d highly recommend you give this little exercise a try.
Step 2. Stay Focused
I know from personal experience, and from four decades of studying performance improvement, that the primary reason we don’t enjoy more accomplishments and achieve truly important goals is due to lack of focus.
We live in the Information Age. In fact, we live in the too much information age. In a world of instant everything, it’s all too easy to get caught up in “the I’ve got to stay stay current on…well everything” trap. The key is to accept the fact that you really don’t have to know everything – about everything.
But what you do need to stay focused on are the most important things, and there aren’t very many of those. Our long-term success will depend on our daily focus. My strategy is not to prioritize my schedule but to schedule my priorities. Just as I minimized the number of goals I intend to accomplish this year, I want to minimize the number of tasks I intend to accomplish each day. I want to limit my focus to no more than three specific activities which, when completed, will move me toward the accomplishment of my primary goals. Anything beyond that is icing on the cake.
Step 3. Establish Routines
I think the most effective way to stay focused is to establish routines. Airline pilots do this before every flight. Notice I said EVERY flight, not just some flights or on those flights where it’s convenient. Pilots do a pre-flight checklist before each and every flight. This routine alone is probably the single greatest factor in airline safety.
To that point, I intend to establish morning and evening routines in order to keep myself focused on those daily activities which will lead to accomplishing my annual goals.
In the evening, I’ll review each day’s plan and each day’s level of success and achievement. I’ll adjust what needs to be adjusted and eliminate what needs to be eliminated. I’ll also develop my plan for tomorrow.
My morning routine will focus on getting the day off to a good start. I’ll awake knowing my day has a plan and a purpose. That alone should motivate me to get up and get after it. I’ll include a good breakfast and some productive reading before I check my email – which can become a black hole for productivity. I also intend to knock off one of my daily goals before I check any email.
GETTING MORE WITH LES means simplifying and staying focused. I’ll keep you posted on my progress. I’d love to hear from you if you decide to simplify your life as well. We’ll take this little journey together and see if we can’t make the simple – sustainable.
Tags: business, focus, focused, goals, planning, routine, simplify
Posted in 2010 | No Comments »
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Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
It’s estimated that almost everything we do – we do because of habit. That little fact may be hard to swallow but the reality is – life is about choices – and our choices create habits. Most of what we do, personally or professionally, we do because we choose to.
Habits come in two general categories, good and bad. Examples? A good habit would be daily exercise, or doing the most important things first. A bad habit would be procrastination. Since our life today represents a culmination of the choices (habits) we’ve made to this point, why not start making better choices, thus creating habits that will improve the way we live?
Here are a few ways to create positive, productive work habits. Do these for thirty days and you’ll be amazed at the increase in performance, productivity and energy.
1. Plan your work
Set aside 10 to 15 minutes at the beginning of each day to plan for important activities. I’m not suggesting a “to do” list. Put together a list of two or three things you can commit to do that will move an important project forward. Then, with the list in front of you, schedule time in your calendar to get those important few things done.
Action Item: Start your day with 10 to 15 minutes of planning time, right after that first cup of coffee and BEFORE you start checking email or checking out your favorite news site.
2. Use time efficiently.
You have more control of your time than you give yourself credit for. Be productive every hour of the day. Don’t just start the day and let whatever happens happen. You have 1440 minutes every day to use or to squander. Hint: surfing the Internet and watching TV is squandering!
Action Item: Keep your plan in front of you and eliminate as many useless tasks as possible. Use time to your advantage. Keep a reading folder with you all the time. When you’re waiting for an appointment, catch up on material you need to read. Keep an audio book in the CD player in your car and listen to that, instead of the same old talk radio show host making the same points he/she made yesterday.
3. Use your most productive hours for your most important tasks.
The important is seldom urgent – that’s why the important doesn’t get done. The two or three items on your “to do” list do not have to be the things you work on first. We all have times during the day when we’re most productive. Determine when your energy and creativity are at their highest and schedule the important tasks for those times.
Action Item: Focus on the quality of the task, not on the number of things you can get done. Spend 90 minutes each day working on those two or three important activities. It doesn’t have to be 90 continuous minutes either – break the 90 minutes into two or three segments. Just choose high energy times.
4. Start now.
Important projects often seem daunting. They’re not usually something you can do in a short period of time, so you’ll have to break the project into “chunks.” Start, for example, by outlining the project. Once that’s complete, put together the list of resources you’ll need to get the project done.
Action Item: Once your outline is complete, commit time to taking that first step, and take the action you need to take to get it done. Take small, manageable steps to complete large tasks and keep moving forward.
Remember, knowledge is NOT power. Knowledge APPLIED is power. If most of what you do is habitual, and you control your behavior, start creating those power habits that will literally transform your life.
Tags: choices, goals, habit, personal, plan, professional, time
Posted in 2010 | No Comments »
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Thursday, January 7th, 2010
In the last post, we took a look at 2009 in the rear view mirror. This is the perfect time of the year to look back on what worked and what didn’t, as well as to look ahead at the kind of year we want to have. Remember the Peter Drucker quote that says: “In order to get the life you want, you’ll have to create it.”
Instead of “hoping” to have a rewarding and productive 2010, let’s “plan” on it. So, take one last look in the mirror, then refocus on what lies ahead. If need be, pick a couple of things to carry forward in the months ahead and then close the book on 2009. Take some time now to focus on what you want to accomplish in the year ahead.
Start by Developing Perspective.
1. The key is to be VERY SPECIFIC.
Perspective describes what do you want to achieve in 2010 and why. Your vision is a clear written statement of what you want to achieve in the coming year. What do you intend to accomplish and why do you want to do it? Your vision can describe personal or professional intentions, but I don’t recommend mixing the two. The key is to be VERY SPECIFIC.
For instance, if you’re casting a vision for a business, you’ll need to answer the following questions: What kind of revenue do you want to generate? What specific product or services will you provide or develop? Who specifically will buy those products or services? What geographic area will you focus on? Notice the word “specific.” Vague visions only produce mediocre results. If you want 2010 to be a year of success and achievement, you’ll have to be both specific and intentional.
2. Clarify Your Mission
The second element of developing perspective is to clarify your mission. Your mission statement will be a philosophic explanation of why the fulfillment of your vision is so important. Here’s are examples of two mission statements that describe why the organizations do what they do: Disney’s mission is “To make people happy.” The mission for my company is “Helping individuals and organizations improve performance, productivity and profitability.”
Notice that mission doesn’t describe a product or service. It simply states the reason the particular organization exists. So, what’s your mission? Why do you want to…?
It’s important to start our plan for 2010 with developing perspective, because – until we know exactly what we want to achieve and why – we’ll only make minimal progress. Conversely, being clear on what we want to accomplish and then developing a process for getting there is the only way to make real progress and achieve real results.
In the next post, we’ll concentrate on defining performance by developing strategies, goals and actions, but now’s the time to focus on perspective. This week, concentrate on clarifying your vision and mission.
As I said last time, we have much more control of our lives and circumstances than we realize. Let’s take control of what we want to accomplish next year by working together to make 2010 the best year yet, by planning what we want to accomplish – then by working our plan.
Tags: 2010, accomplish, disney, goals, improvement, mission, plan, revenue, review, success, vision
Posted in 2010, Uncategorized | No Comments »
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