Plan to take back your day!

New projects come at us all the time, don’t they? With already full workloads, this understandably causes some stress… how can we carve any more time from our day to get it all done?  I recently tracked my daily activities to identify behavior patterns that don’t serve me well and  discovered some surprises, including mismanagement of my environment (a.k.a., interruptions), as well as a few items that took longer to accomplish than expected.

The first step in taking back control of your time is to track your activities and the time spent on them:

1. Place a lined pad on your desk, within easy reach.
2. Make two columns on the pad – one labeled Start Time and one labeled Activity.
3. Upon starting any activity, write the start time in the first column, and a brief description of the activity in the second. Write all tasks, including
   phone calls as they occur. (Don’t get fancy with the form, or you’ll waste time, rather than creating a simple tool to help you analyze it.  Don’t worry about logging End Times – new Start Times will indicate when you ended the previous task.)
4. At the end of the day, you will see how many times you began a task and how long you spent on it before (either voluntarily or involuntarily) beginning a new one.
5. Tracking this for just 2-3 days will allow you to see emerging patterns.

Analyze the form for:

• Heaviest and lightest phone times
• Physical interruptions by your boss, and by others; it’s important to note whether interruptions come from your boss (more difficult to change or control) or from others (easier to do so)
• Big chunks of time spent on dedicated activities (this identifies naturally-occurring chunks of “uninterrupted time”)
• Tasks that took longer than anticipated
• Tasks that can be broken into smaller pieces and spread over a longer time period
• Tasks that are small and can be done in one “chunk”

Once you’ve discovered patterns that can be changed or corrected, you can develop a plan to make the necessary changes and effectively communicate them (in order to allow others to help you by respecting those changes).

WOW (don't "OW") others!

I once ordered 1,000 business cards, requesting lamination on only one side because I like writing notes on the backs of business cards (don’t you?) – and you can’t write on a laminated card.

The company from whom I ordered the cards had a big snafu, delaying the cards by almost a month!  In an effort to do the right thing and make up for causing me to miss a big deadline, and assuming that I’d requested lamination on only one side for cost purposes, the company did me the “favor” of laminating BOTH sides of the card without charging me extra for it.

The result?  By assuming that everyone would want to laminate both sides if they had the opportunity, they gave me 1,000 cards that didn’t benefit me.

This forced me into another decision:  either take the cards and be unhappy, or feel badly about asking for new cards… and about having to wait another week or so for them to be reproduced the way I wanted them.  So, I kept the cards, and was frustrated literally 1,000 times after that (every time I gave one out and wanted to write on it).

The moral of the story:  Be sure the WOW you provide to customers is one they’d want to have… and not just one you ASSUME they’d want to have – which could actually turn out to be an “OW” instead.

By the way, this also applies to employees and co-workers – what do they really want?  Find out… you’ll be glad you asked before doing something they don’t appreciate, and then feeling a little un-appreciated yourself as a result.

Smart or Stoopid? (Fun Trivia Quiz)

Here’s a fun trivia test I came across – it’s called Smart or Stoopid… they call it an “IQ Test” but it’s really a trivia quiz… actually – it’s just a lot of fun if you like trivia:

Smartorstoopid

Be ready, though – it goes FAST!!

Enjoy!

In the first one, they put 60 days worth of outfits into one 22″ rollerboard!  In the second, a woman shows how to pack for 6 days (she went to two conferences in two different climates during that time) – and shows other great tips for packing.  Enjoy!

Packing for 60 days in one rollerboard:

Packing Light for Women (with great additional tips for using “wasted” space in your suitcase):

What I wouldn't give...

Two years ago, one of my dearest friends in the world called me.  Her husband of 21 years had just suffered 3 strokes…  I flew to New Hampshire to be by her side because she was scared to death and her heart was breaking as she was forced to contemplate what life would be like without him by her side.
As I walked into her house on the day I arrived, I noticed a pair of his socks on the floor. She shrugged and said, “I put them there… I just feel better seeing them there because they remind me of him. What I wouldn’t give if he were here to throw them on the floor himself.”

All the “little” things that had frustrated her for years – the piles of magazines he wouldn’t move, his socks strewn on the floor, and the way he waits around the house for days for the handyman to deliver wood for their woodstove rather than just going about his business and letting the handyman deliver the wood without him having to be there – suddenly
seemed insignificant when compared to the possibility of losing him.

However, in spite of being told TWICE that she should gather the family because he may not make it, her husband made a miraculous recovery and was released from the hospital. They’ve had to deal with the after-effects of the strokes, but she is grateful to have him home with her for more holidays together, and thankful for the love and support of friends.

During this season that is traditionally given to contemplation and gratitude, let’s continue to spread a little kindness, compassion and hope, no matter what our profession or position, by:

1. Offering a little extra kindness to customers and co-workers who may be dealing with problems we can’t even imagine. Every phone call, visitor and interaction offer an opportunity to make a positive – or negative – difference to another person in need.
2. Showing respect to others, even when we don’t receive it from them, choosing to act according to our values, and not allowing the actions of others who are under duress to change us, or our behavior, for the worse.
3. Being thankful for the petty little “annoyances” of our loved ones, appreciating the fact that they are there to annoy us… and recognizing that we most likely have our own annoyances that they must deal with, and for which they are probably thankful.

So, as we end this year and begin another, let’s be prepared to respond with kindness, respect and hope – no matter what is thrown our way…

Time Clock... or Time Bomb?

Creating WOWs involves every aspect of communication with customers – and especially with employees.  In fact, one idea recently offered by an attendee at one of my programs dealt with communications at the time clock… the first formal communication location for hourly employees when they arrive, as well as the last before they leave.

What do these employees see (and feel) when they “visit” the time clock? Are they inspired to connect more with customers and do more for the organization – or are they de-motivated by being lectured (or even “yelled at”) with notices, notes and warnings placed there so they don’t miss them?

One organization decided to take down all the “notices” from the time clock, opting to put only inspiring messages there from that point forward.  Fun sayings, inspiring quotes, and other positive messages are the only ones now posted at this location.  Management finds other ways to communicate formal messages to employees.

In fact, all employees, not just those who are paid on an hourly basis, are constantly bombarded with messages - in the break room, on bulletin boards, in hallways…

What messages are you sending? Take a look at every point of communication with every employees and be sure that the message they’re receiving is really the one you intend to send.  If not, change them – inspire them at every turn, remind them of the difference they make and the WOWs they can create for customers and for each other.

Do this consistently and you’ll definitely help turn your workplace into a WOWplace!

Gadgets are like buses... another one is right around the corner!

If you are frustrated by a lack of success with the “latest and greatest” time-savers, join the club! Every new gadget or program comes with incredibly convincing hype… and we fall for it!  Although we may need at least some of these items, the only way to be sure is to analyze whether the offering fits our communication and productivity styles.

Here are a few tips to help determine if any new gadget is right for you:

1. Know your learning and productivity styles:  Just because an item works for your friend doesn’t mean it will work for you.  Are you apt to respond and be more productive with visual reminders than auditory ones?  If so, “hiding” all your To Do’s in electronic form and waiting for audible reminders may not be the best idea.  Try it for a week – if you forget to do important items because they’re not visible, this may not be for you.
2. Use a combination of styles:  Use electronic gadgets for some purposes, and manual systems for others. I love my iPhone for my calendar and address book, but hate it for my To Do List.  I can’t seem to take electronic “To Do’s” seriously. Call me old-fashioned – or just weird – but if I hand-write a list of important items, they seem more real, I remember them better, and I get a great feeling of accomplishment from manually crossing them off my list as they’re done!
3. Ask yourself, “Will this make my life easier… or harder?”  Analyze how much time you spend doing a task, and which steps cost you the most time.  Will this technology shorten those steps?  Is it worth the cost (of money and time spent learning it)?  Don’t buy it if it the answer is no!

Technology doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition.  Most technology today has SO much functionality built into it that you’ll never use it all – so don’t even try! Just find out which seem to have the right functionality for you, try it before you buy it (if possible), and then spend your valuable time and money on appropriate items that will make your personal and professional life a little easier and give you back a little balance.

And don’t worry if your friend’s new “toy” doesn’t work for you – remember that gadgets are like buses: if you miss one, another one is right around the corner!

When she told me she’d inform Cindy that the current plan would continue until “the end of the month”, I asked if Cindy knew that “the end of the month” really meant the 13^th; she replied, “I assume she does… it’s always been that way!”

Hmmm… what problems and potential time wasters are hidden in this scenario?

1. The student pays the bills and is constantly reminded of the plan dates, but Cindy isn’t.
2. She may have told Cindy those dates (two years ago) but without reminders, Cindy may have forgotten by now;
3. Cindy could have easily misunderstood and thought that because a change was occurring, she really had until the end of the month (as the student said) to take action;
4. If she switched before Cindy was ready, Cindy might overrun her minutes, have to pay extra fees, or be left without service… all of which would take time and resources to correct.

Watch for these simple, innocent-looking miscommunications!  Thinking ahead, analyzing our words, and keeping in mind that assumptions are just that: assumptions, not facts – as well as being very clear in all our communications will not only save other people time and energy, but save ourselves time and energy by avoiding the necessity to repeat, clarify or correct situations that occur when things happen according to what we did say, rather than what we meant to say.