Feeling overloaded?  Try these two templates. (source: antwerpenR / CC 2.0)

My team hears me say it all the time, and it always goes something like this:

“We all have a hundred things on our plate, but are you working on the right things today?”

Easy enough to say, but harder still to deliver on. Why? Because we are creatures of habit.  We show up (physically) on Monday morning. We check email and voice mail and then “ping pong syndrome” begins.

What is “ping pong syndrome”?

Reacting. Bouncing back and forth between all the things competing for your attention all day long.  Reacting to emails and voice mails, trying to please our leaders, reacting to our Clients’ needs, and our teams’ issues. Reacting to the voices in our heads, the feedback from family and friends, and what the media tells us we should be doing.  We spend so much time reacting all week, that before you know it, its Friday.

Did you know?

A University of California – Irvine study showed that information workers are interrupted on average every 3 minutes.  In addition, a study at Intel showed people spending 20 hours per week processing email.  (source: IEEE Spectrum)

Here are two insanely practical tools that can help you BE CERTAIN you are working on the right things, and avoiding ping pong syndrome:

Goal Setting Worksheet

This Goal Setting Worksheet will help you organize your goals, to dos, and/or projects to help you make the biggest impact in your life or career.

Updating this each week will only take about 10 minutes if you have all of your goals, to dos, and projects organized.

Here’s what you do:

• Simply draw 4 quadrants on a piece of paper (or in Excel).
• Label the top of the vertical line “High Impact” and the bottom of the vertical line “Low Impact”.
• Next, label the left side of the horizontal line “High Effort” and the right side of the horizontal line “Low Effort”.

Now, place all of your goals, tasks, or projects in the quadrants. Quickly, you’ll find the things that have low effort/ high impact. Work on those first. Then, move to high effort/high impact!

Download the Goal Setting Worksheet Template (Excel).

Weekly Planner Template

This Weekly Planner Template (borrowed from the teachings of Stephen Covey) will help you organize the most important things to do in each “role” you play in your life.  Combined with the Goal Setting Worksheet above, you can easily identify those things that will have the biggest impact.

Creating one each week should not take you longer than 10 minutes.

Here’s how to use it:

• Simply write in all of the roles you have. As you’ll see in my example, I put in things like Husband, Father, Team Leader, etc.
• Then, ask yourself “What is the most important thing I can do in this role this week?”
• Pull the best high impact/low effort and high impact/high effort goals, tasks, or projects that you will accomplish THIS WEEK from the Goal Setting Worksheet, or any other to-do list you maintain.
• Fill in the “Sharpening the Saw” section – which contains the 4 areas of your personal development each week.  Sharpening the Saw refers to Habit 7 in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.  Learn more on the complete Franklin Covey approach.

Download the Weekly Planner Template (Excel).

Hopefully these two tools will help you focus your biggest decision – where to spend your time – much more effectively.  Will you be able to consistently do this type of goal setting each week?  Not always.  But, doing this more often than not, and getting in the habit of doing so is time extremely well spent.

Do you have feedback on these ideas or have your own to share? Leave a comment!

See also:

1. Personal Development Plan Template Are you looking for an effective personal development plan template...
2. Exceptional Client Service [The One Goal Project] This post is part of the One Goal Project to...
3. The Power of Weekly Meetings I know, the last think you need is another meeting....

Business decision making can be a maze.  Use these questions to find your way out. (source: joncampbell / CC 2.0)

Better Business Decision Making – 3 Simple Questions to Ask Yourself

“Be not careless in deeds, nor confused in words, nor rambling in thought.”
Marcus Aurelius

We all need to make decisions.  Sometimes, we make bad decisions and learn from them.  Other times we make great decisions and wonder why we even deliberated.  Some people like to make really fast decisions and adjust as they learn what works.  Others like to invest a lot of time to research the situation before making a decision.

One problem we all have – regardless of our decision making style – is that it’s very easy to go on “autopilot” and not make decisions with a lot of thought.

So, how can you make better business decisions more easily?  Try this 3 step business decision making process that has worked for me.  Just ask yourself each of the questions below, and answer them honestly.  Sometimes I’ve found that writing my answers down helps too.

1. Have I heard the whole story?

It’s critical that you make a decision with a decent understanding of all sides of the story.  Try not to make decisions based off of one person’s account of a situation. I’m not saying you should discount the person’s opinion, but remember that they might not know or understand all of the factors influencing the situation.  Take the time to use active listening skills to really understand the issues and perspectives, and then move on to question #2.

2. What was the tipping point?

A tipping point is defined as “the level at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable; the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point.”  Experience has taught me that EVERY situation has a tipping point that caused it.  If you have to make a decision, you have to understand the conditions that caused the need for your decision.  You have to identify the tipping point, no matter how unclear it may be. Doing so will help you make a better decision.

3. What OUTCOME do I want?

This question will help you gain a tremendous amount of focus, and help you think through the solutions your decision will create.  By asking “What outcome do I want?” you focus your mind on solutions, and not on problems. It also helps you to “take a step back” from the situation at hand, and assess how your decision can help or hurt the situation.  This question is also great to use when preparing for a meeting.

Need to take the stress out of your business decision making process?  I highly recommend you take 3 minutes to read 3 Quick Questions That Can Help You to Cut the Irrelevant Stuff Out of Your Life.

See also:

1. Goal Setting Worksheet and Weekly Planner Template [The One Goal Project] This post is part of the One Goal Project to...
2. Exceptional Client Service [The One Goal Project] This post is part of the One Goal Project to...
3. Exceptional Execution and Follow Through [One Goal Project] This post is part of the One Goal Project to...

-Gen. George S. Patton

See also:

1. Inspirational Quote about Ingenuity Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what...
2. Commitment to Success: Inspirational Quote The following “I promise…” statements were sent to me by...
3. Inspirational Quote about Persistence Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize...

Take time to reflect. Source: Richard0 / CC BY 2.0

5 Years ago, I lost my Dad.  He was an honest, caring man that led a life filled with great experiences.  These experiences turned into tons of colorful stories from the Great Depression, World War II, and the rest of his long life.

Through his stories, and whether he always knew it or not, he taught me many lessons about how to live my own life.  On this 5 year anniversary of his passing, here are 3 of my favorites.

1. Sometimes in life you have to sacrifice your interests to help others in need.

I was taught that I had to work hard for the things I wanted in life, but that sometimes your own interests need to be put aside to focus on something bigger than yourself.  Whether it was enlisting in World War II, or putting his own career on hold to care for his sister when she had terminal brain cancer, my Dad clearly demonstrated how to be selfless.

From when I was very young, my Dad was a stay-at-home Dad when doing so wasn’t popular.  He was completely dedicated to my Mom and me (I was an only child), and did anything and everything he could do to help us both.  He invested countless hours helping me with my homework, and teaching me to never quit – on myself or those around me.  He knew that your family matters more than anything else and investing your time with them is time well spent.

2.  Stick with an employer – or build a company – that cares about ideas.

My Dad only got to see my work at Quicken Loans for a short time, but was very happy to hear about the amazing place I had found.  He heard my stories about this new work environment where any good idea was greeted with “Great idea!  How fast can you get it done?”

Through his stories, my Dad painted pictures of different situations, where some of the employers he had were just not open to new ideas.  I spent 8 years learning for myself exactly what he meant, looking for an empowering, personal growth-focused company.  Those stories, and my experiences, taught me to be extremely thankful for the environment I work in now, because many, many people in this world are not as fortunate.

3. If you don’t have money, you don’t have anything.

I almost didn’t include this lesson because it seems superficial.  It’s not.  It’s comes from barely making it for several years, which left a lasting impression on my Dad.  You see, he was a product of the Great Depression, and survived some extremely hard times.  My grandparents, who owned a restaurant in Chicago at that time, lost everything.  The family then moved to Hart, Michigan, a small farm town to try to make a living with a new restaurant. My Dad’s stories of surviving on only milk and bread as a meal for days will stick with me forever.  And, because of that, I know that every dollar I earn is valuable.

Bonus: Tweet for ALS

Even though I didn’t lose my Dad to ALS  (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease”), I know he would approve of what we are trying to do this Thursday, October 1, 2009.

Basically, I’m working on a project with our marketing team at Quicken Loans to raise $10,000 for ALS in 10 hours by asking everyone we know to donate $1.

We’re trying to use what we know (the Internet and social media) to help people with ALS.  You can read the full story here.

So, please consider donating $1 on 10/1/09. Check out www.tweetforals.com to learn more.

See also:

1. 7 Client Service Lessons from Graham Skidmore [Interview] This post is part of the One Goal Project to...
2. How Do You Become an Explorer? [Lessons from Will Steger, Polar Explorer] Do anything you want, just set your mind to it....
3. 3 Leadership Development Lessons from Last Week As I’ve mentioned in my other posts on leadership, leadership...

See also:

1. Inspirational Quote about Focus If you focus on results, you will never change. If...
2. Inspirational Quote about Persistence Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize...
3. Inspirational Quote about Success Success doesn’t come to you, you go get it. -...

See also:

1. Inspirational Quote about Defeat Victory has a hundred fathers, defeat is an orphan. -John...
2. Inspirational Quote about Economics Markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent....
3. Inspirational Quote about Persistence Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize...

See also:

1. Inspirational Quote About Staying Motivated Big jobs go to the people who prove their ability...
2. Commitment to Success: Inspirational Quote The following “I promise…” statements were sent to me by...
3. Inspirational Quote about Trust in Others Trust men, and they will be true to you; treat...

Source: NateOne / CC BY 2.0

Do you have your eyes open for ways to grow?  When you do, you can find lessons in the most unlikely places.  Here are some great lessons from the wall at Jimmy John’s, courtesy of Matt Cardwell.  I find a lot of value in these statements, and have re-read them most mornings since Matt sent them around to our team at Quicken Loans.

I believe…

that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe…

that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don’t even know you.

I believe…

that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

I believe…

that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe…

that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

I believe…

that sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

I believe…

that just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.

I believe…

that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

I believe…

that it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe…

that no matter how bad your heart is broken that the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

I believe…

that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe…

that just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other.  And just because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.

I believe…

that you shouldn’t be eager to find out a secret.  It could change your life forever.

I believe…

that it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe…

that you should always leave loved ones with loving well wishes. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe…

that you can keep going long after you can’t.

I believe…

that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe…

that we don’t have to change friends, if we understand that friends change.

I believe…

that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe…

that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe…

that you either control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe…

that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, that passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I believe…

that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe…

that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe…

that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe…

that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I believe…

that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down, will be the ones who help you get back up.

No related posts.

See also:

1. Inspirational Quote about Defeat Victory has a hundred fathers, defeat is an orphan. -John...
2. Inspirational Quote about Focus If you focus on results, you will never change. If...
3. Inspirational Quote about Persistence Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize...

I know it’s been some time since the last Dot Connector post, but not without good reason.  May’s One Goal was Execution, specifically, honing your “getting things done” skills.  Not to be outdone in what many of you know if one of my favorite activities (getting things done), the last two weeks of May were a whirlwind for me.

Here’s a recap, with an execution lesson in each update…

Buying a House

We’ve decided to become homeowners again.  With an $8,000 tax credit, and the desire to expand and improve our living situation, we’ve taken the plunge.  While we made this decision some time ago – and looked relentlessly in our free time over the past 3 months – in May we found a house.  We went through a long, tough negotiation on the deal.  Long story short: we close next week and couldn’t be happier.

Execution lessons learned:

1. Keep your eye on the prize. The deal we put together almost fell apart 3 times, with several more bumps along the way.  By staying focused on the “prize” (a much better living situation for our family), we were able to ignore some of the small stuff and see past the issues we had to deal with.
2. Vent once in a while. There were a couple of times where we just needed to vent, to really engage in the emotional side of the negotiation, and to just be mad.  It’s important to do this as a constructive release.  Far too often, in projects at work or at home, we keep things bottled up, and don’t give ourselves the opportunity to shut a door and just vent.  It’s always amazing the clarity you can achieve afterward.

Launching Ame, the Automated Mortgage Expert

At Quicken Loans we launched a major project to help homeowners who need to refinance: Ame, the Automated Mortgage Expert.  Ame guides a person through a radically new “easy as an iPhone” interface to determine what refinance loan is best for their situation.  The results provide refinancing options, mortgage rates, and full closing cost details.  Pretty cool, but just getting started.  Expect Ame to do way more in the future.

Execution lesson learned: If you are working on a big project (Ame is a big project), you need to find those ways to strip it down to the essential to be successful.  All good ideas (and good projects) create other ideas (and projects).  It’s easy to get caught in the “breadth” instead of the “depth” of a project.  Don’t let yourself fall victim to that thinking.

Completing My First 5k Trail Race

When I was setting goals in January, I decided I wanted to run a 5k race this year.  I don’t know about you, but working out is always easier for me if I’m working toward something.  At the beginning of April, I signed up for the Boulderdash, a 5k trail race in Duluth, MN (where I live).  I had 60 days to get ready for this race.  My goal?  Run the entire way, in under 30 minutes.

Execution lesson learned: Preparing for this race was a good opportunity to practice chopping up a larger goal into smaller ones.  I knew by the end of the 60 days, I need to be able to run 5k (3.2 mi) on trails.  So, I spent the first 20 days running 1 mile every other day, the second 20 days running 2 miles, and the final 20 days running 3 miles.  The result was finishing my first 5k trail race in 25:46!

Hopefully you can understand why my posting has been light lately.  However, in June we’re focusing on Decision Making as our One Goal, so there will be more to come on that soon!

See also:

1. 13 Useful Tips to Improve Execution and Follow Through This post is part of the One Goal Project to...
2. Exceptional Execution and Follow Through [One Goal Project] This post is part of the One Goal Project to...