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self-care Tag

22 Oct

Posted at 10:08h in Change, Focus and Prioritize, Productivity, Time Management

4 D's: Delegate, Delay, Delete, Do

Have you heard of the 4 D’s?  It’s a principle that has been circulating in my professional circles for years but has gained even more relevance in today’s workplace. Given the workload my clients face, there must be solutions beyond simply working harder and longer. Lately, I’ve been emphasizing the importance of the 4 D’s as a filtering tool to help prioritize tasks on their to-do lists.

Here’s what you need to know to help you use the 4 D’s to filter your tasks.  Look at your task list and for every single item on it ask yourself:

  • Can I delegate this?
  • Is this time-sensitive or can it wait?
  • What would be the consequences if I don’t do it?
  • Is this a priority in the coming week?

Delegate It

My favorite delegation quote is by Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay. He says that “five times 80% is much larger than 100% of me.”

Delegating is hard:

  • It takes time
  • It takes effort and planning
  • It takes patience
  • You have to follow up
  • Team members probably won’t do it as well as you at the beginning

But Delegating is Worth It:

  • If you’re doing someone else’s work, you aren’t doing your own work.
  • It improves the effectiveness of the entire team.
  • It provides opportunities for growth and drives engagement.
  • Best of all, delegating gets it off your plate.

My delegation process involves:

  1. Defining what to delegate.
  2. Identifying the right person for the task.
  3. Providing clear instructions.
  4. Maintaining open communication.
  5. Supporting the delegate while empowering them.
  6. Following up on delegated tasks.

If you can, delegate the task

Delay It

Not all tasks are of equal importance. To determine what can be delayed, consider:

  • The impact of postponing the task.
  • Who might be affected by the delay.
  • Whether approval is needed to delay the task.
  • If discussing the delay with someone is necessary.

Time is limited, so prioritizing tasks based on their impact and importance is helpful. If the task isn’t time-sensitive, consider delaying it.

Delete It

Ask yourself, “What would happen if I didn’t do this task?” Some tasks lose their importance over time or may no longer align with your goals or current situation. If a task is deemed non-essential, remove it from your list.

Do It

If doing something serves you, your goals, your business, or someone important to you and it is high impact then that’s a good reason to do it now.  Other reasons are the ones I suggest you use to help you prioritize your tasks – if you don’t do it in the next few days

  • You will miss a deadline
  • It will cost you money
  • You will let someone down
  • You will be embarrassed
  • You will let  yourself down

Productivity is about intentional action, so if a task is significant and time-sensitive, tackle it promptly to maintain efficiency. With intention, doing it now makes sense.  And that is what productivity is all about.

Unlock your potential with the upcoming audio version of Productivity for How You’re Wired on Audible! If you enjoy my blog, you’ll love the insights in my book, available now in print and as an ebook on Amazon. Don’t miss out—I’m excited to share these transformative strategies with you!

01 Oct

Posted at 15:04h in Productivity, Tips for Easier Living

The Value of Systems

Some people love systems, while others resist them. Have you ever asked yourself why you have a system in place? We utilize them so we don’t have to reinvent the wheel every single day.

Most people strive for efficiency. This helps clear time for the tasks that need to be done, while still leaving room for the things we want to do. A useful tool for increasing our efficiency is a well-designed system.

What do you have a system for?

  • Getting ready for bed
  • Getting dressed in the morning
  • Paying bills
  • Establishing children’s bedtimes

These everyday tasks involve numerous steps, yet we perform them so frequently that they become routine. Initially, we need to think through the process, but after repeating it enough times, it becomes automatic. This is the process of learning and integrating new systems and methods.

What systems would be beneficial for you to develop, practice, and execute often enough to become second nature? Here are a few of my favorites:

Planning Today’s Work

  1. I review my calendar, check my emails for anything new, and look at my task list for high-priority items. Then, I assess how much time I have available for work.
  2. Based on this, I determine my tasks for the day. Sometimes I jot them down on a sticky note; other times, I work directly from my task list. It’s perfectly fine if it varies from day to day.
  3. What helps me the most is having a curated list of priorities to focus on each day. I strive to include only the work I can realistically complete. On days when I do this, I am often amazed by how much I accomplish.

New Client Onboarding

  1. I open my master Getting Started document and customize it with the specific needs of the client. I then save the document with the client’s name.
  2. Next, I open an email and use a pre-written template saved in my signature. I update the email with the client’s name, start dates, and materials needed, and add a personalized greeting. I attach the Getting Started document.
  3. I enter the client’s email address, hit send, and I’m done! This entire process takes just five minutes. I’m a bit embarrassed to share how quickly I can do this—I want my clients to feel special. Most of the time, the effort lies in the personalization.

Weekly Meal Planning

  1. I keep a running grocery list. Whenever I use an item up or get close to finishing it, I add it to the list.
  2. Before heading to the store (or ordering groceries), I plan what I’ll cook or eat for the week.
    1. My breakfasts tend to be repetitive. As long as I have eggs, fruit, and the ingredients for oatmeal and granola, I’m set.
    2. For lunch, I prefer leftovers from the previous night’s dinner. I also keep tuna fish packets, salad ingredients, and sliced turkey breast on hand—this is usually all I need.
    3. I enjoy cooking dinner a few nights a week as it helps me make healthier choices and serves as a great creative outlet. First, I look at my calendar to determine how many nights I can realistically cook. Then, I select recipes accordingly—usually around three. I try not to overdo it to avoid wasting food. I browse my collection of recipes (which I often change) saved in a three-ring binder or flagged in a favorite cookbook and write down the necessary ingredients on my grocery list. If an item isn’t available, I can figure out a substitute on the spot.
  3. I cook! Knowing I have ingredients for a few different meals gives me the flexibility to whip up whatever I’m in the mood for. However, I make it a priority to prepare fresh fish the same day I buy it.

From these examples, you can see that developing a system can apply to nearly anything. I bet you have numerous systems in your life that you don’t even realize.

Stop Reinventing the Wheel Consider applying this approach to the areas that challenge you. Can you identify one task that frustrates you and that you struggle to complete? Do you have a system for it? Probably not. Can you create one? Likely. If you’re having difficulty, please comment below, and I’ll be happy to share some ideas to help you get started.

Coming Soon to Audible: Productivity for How You’re Wired, print, ebook, and soon as an audio book, available on Amazon.

19 Jun

Posted at 17:04h in Envision Success, Planning Tools, Productivity, Productivity for How You're Wired, Time Management, Tips for Easier Living

Regardless of if you work full-time remote or hybrid there is naturally less structure when you’re not in the office. When working independently it’s important to anticipate diversions and plan for them. Here are some ideas to help you improve your productivity when working remotely or hybrid…and while on vacation or at the beach/shore/coast.

Weekly Planning 

When doing your weekly planning, identify the best times and places to do your work. Block out specific tasks for the place where they are most effectively performed. 

  • Project work, quantitative work, and focused work is best performed where you won’t be interrupted.  
  • Meetings, group work, problem solving and planning is great to do in person when possible.  

Plan Today’s Work 

Organizing your tasks by priority provides additional structure. Knowing what must be done this week and what must be done by the end of the workday keeps the focus on the right tasks.

When working hybrid, some find it beneficial to adjust their task list by changing CRITICAL and HOT to HOME and OFFICE, or add in subsections.

  • Be deliberate and identify what’s possible to do for the day depending on other commitments and amount of time the identified tasks will take. 
  • Add structure by identifying task start times and estimating duration on your “Today’s Work” list. This helps fight the “work expanding to the time available” challenge.

Delineate Work from Non-Work Screen Time

Be ruthless with your online reading time and social media time. Be selective about what you are choosing to spend your time reading and watching.

  • Set specific hours for online reading — that means articles, blog posts, texts, videos, and messages from well-meaning friends. If you stop for a quick read of everything that is sent to you, it will be hard to get enough work done. Experiment with blocking out time at the very beginning of your day, at lunch, or at the end of your day for personal reading.
  • Ask yourself, “what is reading this now keeping me from doing?” This extra nudge is helpful to keep you focused on the work you want to do.
  • Reframe and read without guilt! Build in a system to stop “reading on the ping.” Move what you want to read to a category or flag/label it for later. Then when you get back to it, you can enjoy reading without guilt.

Make and Use a Personal Dashboard  

Creating a tool to manage your own accountability is often helpful. You are doing this for yourself. There is no one to show this to, no one to judge you, and no one to applaud you. At the end of the day, it’s your life and your productivity. 

  • A personal dashboard is a simple tool that will help you monitor patterns for success. Additionally, it cues you to do your important work, builds habits, and helps you achieve your flow conditions.
  • This is especially helpful during times of change (Illness, babies, moves, new responsibilities). Once you’ve integrated the processes into your routine, the dashboard will have served its purpose and you may not need it any more.

Create a Workspace Conducive for Good Work

Most of what is written about working from home is about getting dressed first. I know plenty of effective people who work in their pajamas or exercise clothing all day. For most, what they wear doesn’t affect productivity. The bigger obstacle is not being physically set up for success. Having a workspace that supports good work is key.

Find a Quiet Space — Are you able to have a work conversation without interruption? While it’s great to have your kids close by, sometimes you need to be able to close the door and focus. If you are working in a “public” space, find a backup location designated for times you need quiet.

Create a Video Chat Friendly Zone — Of course, you want a quiet space where you can meet without interruption. And yes, good lighting and background are nice. However, you also want a space conducive to productive meetings. Do you have a supportive chair, enough space on your screen to open the chat and still see colleagues’ faces, room for your coffee or water, and space to take notes?

Have Supplies in Reach — Have pens, pencils, markers, sticky notes, letter pads, files, and your priority task list in reach. While your “office” may be your kitchen island, your dining room table, your back porch, or a comfy chair in your family room, designate a space (a drawer or cabinet close by) for the supplies that help you get your work done.

Set Up Your Technology — Many people say “I’ll do that later” and never get to it. Taking the time (or hiring someone) to get your tech set up makes a huge difference. Working from home shouldn’t be looked upon as temporary. Even if you only work from home one day a week, that’s 20% of your work week. You need it to be effective. 

    • Purchase the best internet connection possible. There is no time like the present to make this investment in your productivity. 
    • Get a printer. Is it connected to your devices? Sometimes nothing beats having a piece of paper to lay out in front of you or to read away from your desk. 
    • Create a real workstation with a mouse, keyboard, and second monitor. Buy a connector so you can easily hook your laptop in and out. A second monitor increases productivity exponentially. 
    • Designate a handy place to charge your mouse, headphones, tablet, etc. 

Intentionally structuring your time and space supports good work.

This is an excerpt from Chapter 13 of my new book Productivity for How You’re Wired available on Amazon. Many templates are included via the time tools link discussed in the book.

17 Apr

Posted at 10:35h in Focus and Prioritize, Productivity, Productivity for How You're Wired, Stress Management, Time Management, Tips for Easier Living

Counteract Burnout

Excessive busyness is no longer looked upon as a badge of honor. More and more companies are moving towards eliminating the frenzied activity and psychologically unsafe conditions that cause burnout. What can be done?

From an Organizational Perspective:

  • Shift from the quarterly results mentality to sustained positive performance
  • Support work cultures that value members of the team
  • Dismiss managers who create and promote dysfunction.

From an Individual Perspective:

Knowing that your work culture may be contributing to your burnout is validating; however, it’s probably not enough to effect change. We, as individuals, need to learn how to protect ourselves from chronic stress and burnout.

The emotional component must also be considered. Finding balance between your passion for contributing to a project’s success and caring for yourself is much easier said than done. 

In monitoring your relationship with burnout, consider the following:

  • Self–value — Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Just because you can do it better than anyone else still doesn’t mean you should. 
  • Connectedness — Do you feel connected to your work colleagues? Do you fit in?
  • Contribution — Are you part of something bigger than yourself? Are you empowered to do the work you were hired to do? Does your work matter?
  • Work Fit — Are you working to your strengths? If not, this in itself is exhausting.
  • Support — If you have a problem, is there someone you can go to for direction or to help you sort things out?
  • Balance — Can you slow down enough to relax or are you always seeking your next big rush?
  • Interests — Do you have interests outside of work? What else matters?
  • Fun and Joy — Do you know how to have fun? Do you know what gives you joy? 
  • Happiness — Have you lost yourself? Are there things that make you happy that come from inside you and not from external validation? 

What does relax mean to you? Another exercise class? Reading more? Cooking more? If these activities help you decompress, then great. But for many, they are simply personal to-dos, done for outcome and not pleasure. What makes you happy? What helps you enjoy life? We are human BE-ings, not human DO-ings. Can you identify one act of “be-ing” that helps you relax? 

Take a few moments this week and self-coach yourself around some of these questions.  You could journal, take a contemplative walk, or simply sit and “be” with a question or two.  Setting intentions about how you wish to live and creating structures that support your personal self are positive actions you can take.

This is an excerpt from Chapter 5 of my new book Productivity for How You’re Wired available on Amazon. Worksheets and online templates are included via the time tools link discussed in the book.

26 Apr

Posted at 10:33h in Envision Success, Productivity

Have you ever wondered why that book on time management didn’t help?

What about that article espousing the top 5 things you must do each morning to have a productive day?

And how about that author who focuses on the one great thing you must do to be successful?

Have you thought “what’s wrong with me – that will never work?”

I have good news for you.  Productivity is not one size fits all.  These “experts” are talking about what works for them. They are sharing the secret to their success. They are not sharing the secrets to your success.  They are not considering your unique needs; your brain wiring based on your life experiences, your learning style, your body-clock, or your temperament.

How can they even imagine what will work for you?

The one thing I can tell you with absolute certainty, after spending the last 20 years helping clients get more organized and be more productive, is that what works for one person won’t necessarily work for another.  There are many right approaches.

The secret is in actually figuring out what the best “right approach” is for you.

We look for clues:

  • What has worked for you in the past?
  • What doesn’t work for you?
  • When have you felt most in control?

And then we create a strategy based on those clues. And we don’t stop there. We test the strategy.  I tell my clients to think of themselves as a science experiment.  We test and we tweak until we end up with a “best solution” that really fits.

Meet my client Margie (not her real name!) Margie has ADD and understands the value of exercise in keeping her brain functioning optimally.  She came to me wanting to create a structure so that she could get up each morning at 5 am and exercise before her work day began.  She had read that this was the one best thing she could do to manage her ADD; her doctor agreed.

However, Margie didn’t fit the norm. She worked from home, she liked to work at night, and often got her most important work done in the wee hours of the morning.  Margie hated mornings and hated exercise more.

I had this suspicion that exercising at 5 am wasn’t Margie’s best solution.

  • We discussed when she’d been successful exercising in the past (when her daughter was young and she’d drop her at preschool and exercised right after.)
  • We learned that having a time-driven deadline prior to exercising was helpful.
  • And we talked about how badly she felt about herself when she pressed the snooze button at 4:45 am and didn’t get out of bed, though she couldn’t really go back to sleep.

Alas, Margie wanted to try.  So, we did. However, I asked her to try 5 different times to exercise and to track her success.  This is what we learned:

Exercise Success   Time of Day  to Exercise # of workouts in one-week period  
Week 1  5 am  zero
Week 2  9 am 1
Week 3  Noon 1
Week 4  4 pm 3
Week 5  7 pm zero

Turns out 4 pm was Margie’s optimal workout time. She wanted to have dinner with her family at 6:30 pm.  Working out at 4 gave her time afterwards to shower and get dinner on the table. That time-driven deadline of a 6:30 pm dinner helped motivate Margie to get started exercising at 4 pm. She found the late-afternoon break refreshing and that she actually enjoyed her workout. And the extra couple of hours sleep in the morning was really helpful all around. When the system fit it was easy to implement and easy to stick with.

One-size did not fit Margie?  Does one-size fit you? Is there something you should rethink that might fit you better?  Try the following 5-step process to create your best solution:

  1. Look to the past for clues
  2. Create an experiment with different variables
  3. Test the variables
  4. Assess the results
  5. Pick your “best solution”

I’d love to hear what you learned.

05 Apr

Posted at 11:08h in Planning Tools, Productivity, Stress Management, Time Management, Tips for Easier Living

Productivity: Post-Vaccine

We used to go to work and come home to relax.  Now we work from home and soon we’ll be going out to relax.  I heard someone say that we really don’t work from home – now we are living from work.  That sounds crazy!  What is clear however, is that things are different. Dependent on your age and where you live, your access to the vaccine varies. Hopefully we will soon all have our “get out of jail free” (vaccine) cards and be returning to our new normal.

I was on a Zoom call last week and we discussed our anxiety around returning to normalcy.  Yes, with this new freedom comes anxiety. We’ve gotten pretty darn comfortable in our yoga pants and bare feet. We’ve built in systems and supports to help us get our work done and live from work.  Now there is another shift coming.  How do we make this transition as healthfully and productively as possible?

It’s about BOUNDARIES!  What you say YES to, and what you say NO to. Building the scaffolding now will support you in reentering in a way that will get what you need, yet not compromise the learning and reevaluating that we’ve had this past year. What supports do you need? What guardrails can you put in place to protect you?

On our Zoom call, my colleague, Susan Lannis of the Time Liberator, posed her questions about our post pandemic behavior, from which I’ve crafted the following questions for you to ask yourself. I suggest you invest the time to journal on this, or open a note or document and write your answers out. Take your time. Give it thought.

  1. What behaviors, actions, or learnings from the Covid shutdown do you want to continue doing – what are you saying YES to?
  2. What behaviors, actions, or learnings from the Covid shutdown do you want to continue NOT doing – what are you saying NO to?
  3. What are the three most important things you look forward to doing post-vaccine?

Now make a list of your boundaries – what you will say yes to, what you will say no to, and what you wish to continue. Here are mine:

  1. What I want to continue doing – What I’m saying YES to:
    1. “No incoming tech” Saturdays
    2. Exercise and yoga classes via Zoom
    3. Speaking engagements via Zoom
  2. What I want to not do – What I am saying NO to:
    1. Going out socially more than 2 or 3 times a week
    2. Networking when it doesn’t serve me
    3. Traveling more than once a month
  3. Three most important things I look forward to getting back to
    1. Seeing my friends and family
    2. Going to the store and picking out what I want
    3. Taking golf lessons

Taking the time to think through and plan will support your success. Good luck as you move through this next transition. Interested in learning more? Here is what is sure to be many articles written about our post-pandemic return.