Clearing the Air

Posted on by Scott

gas-mask-469217_640I have a small workshop in the backyard. I learned woodworking from my grandfather and I get a great deal of satisfaction from creating something with my own hands. I spend a lot of time out there and have made several improvements to the shop over the past several months in order to make it a safer and more enjoyable space.

This weekend I added a piece of equipment that I’ve needed for years – an air filtration system. Working with wood creates a lot of dust, especially when you are sanding a finished piece. Much of this dust can be captured by filters or vacuums attached to the tool, but the most dangerous particles aren’t picked up by these methods.

I’m talking about invisible dust particles. These are so small and light (1-5 microns) that they float around the shop and linger long after the tools have been turned off. This dust does eventually settle, leaving a fine powder everywhere; but not before causing itchy eyes and a runny nose. When you inhale these particles, they cause tiny wounds and scars on the lungs. Our bodies have a difficult time expelling these microscopic bits and the long-term damage can be significant.

Isn’t it true that the tiniest things often cause the most hurt? Ever had a paper cut or a splinter? These smallest of injuries create a lot of pain. What about a derogatory comment or a backhanded compliment? Ever been the recipient of one of those?

Workplace offenses are rarely huge, show-stopping events. More typically, they are every day slights, indignities, put downs and insults experienced during day-today interactions with others. Often the offenders are well-intentioned individuals who have no idea that their behavior has caused any harm. But for the recipient, they can be very damaging; leading to lower levels of self-esteem, job satisfaction, employer loyalty, and performance.

As with micro-sawdust particles, an effective filtration system can help minimize the impact of these actions. I recently read an article by David Mayer in Fast Company magazine that offers four strategies for processing workplace offenses.

  1. Walk back from the conclusions you’ve jumped to. We tend to make assumptions about the intentions of others and allow negative feelings to morph into worry about our own place in the organization. Confiding in a trusted colleague can help us gain some perspective before taking action.
  2. Take the moral high ground. The natural reaction to a perceived attack is to respond in kind. We need to resist this urge and look at the situation critically. Doing so allows us to learn and grow, a much more productive option than creating or escalating conflict.
  3. Look for what’s still good, fair, and right. Human nature is to dwell on the negative – what we stand to lose versus what we have to gain. Taking stock of the positives can help bring some level-headed context to our emotional reaction.
  4. Forgive whoever’s responsible. This is probably the hardest step offered by this article, at least for me. It’s been said that holding a grudge is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die. You don’t necessarily have to verbally forgive the one who slighted you; but in order to recover, you need to find it within yourself to let things go.

It didn’t take long for my new air filtration unit to make a difference. It had only been running for a short while before I noticed a lack of dust particles floating in the air of my shop. A glance at the filters showed that the damaging bits were being swallowed by the machine, rather than accumulating in my lungs. I am already breathing a lot easier about spending time in my work space.

Happy to Work

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achievement-3556676_640Last week, my daughter Abby started a new internship at Covenant Hospital here in Lubbock. Over the next several months, she’ll rotate through different departments to learn about what they do and potential employment opportunities they have. There’s also a classroom training aspect where she and the other interns (all young adults with developmental disabilities) will learn about important work-related behaviors, personal management techniques, and other “real life” skills. If she impresses a department manager, she could be offered a position at any time and become a full-time employee.

When Abby graduated high school in May, she immediately wanted to focus on getting a job. While other graduates spent their summer swimming, traveling, and hanging out, Abby went to work. Don’t get the wrong idea; there were plenty of summer fun activities happening in and around the Voland household. But Abby also managed to squeeze in another five week work program at an elder-care facility and works two or three shifts a week on a snow cone truck.

As we were driving to the hospital for her first day, Abby simply couldn’t contain her nervous energy. At one point she asked me “Dad, why do some people not like to work?” She was referring to some of her friends who been given similar opportunities over the summer, but turned them down. Instead, they stayed home all day, watching television, playing video games, and sleeping.

I had to admit, I don’t know why others might choose to skip such opportunities. As I often do, I turned the question back to Abby. “Why do you think you are so interested in getting a job, especially when your friends aren’t?” When I got to work, I wrote down her response as best I could…

“It’s a way for me to make money. I like to pay my own way. It gets me out of the house so I’m not bored. It puts my mind to work and I can learn new things. I get to meet new people and help them. I have something to talk about with you and Mom and other people. I don’t know. I guess I just like to work.”

I think my daughter captured the essence of what meaningful work is. It goes beyond just earning a paycheck. When we’re engaged with the work we do, our effort pays us back in so many ways – emotionally, socially, mentally, even spiritually. Abby’s off-the-cuff response has made me really think about what I do and why I do it. Am I here just for the money, or is there something more significant that I’m chasing?

I’ve never been one for just checking the box. I don’t like doing a job just for the sake of getting it done. I enjoy digging in and pursuing the larger picture represented by my occupation. I want to be part of something big. And I enjoy collaborating with others who feel that same sense of purpose in what they do. I want to be around others who feel the same passion.

Like Abby, I like to work. I hope you do too.

Inner Space: What Your Desk Tells Other People About You

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desk
This is my creative corner.

He called it the “writing box.”

It had a surface area roughly the size of a laptop computer, but was deep enough to house a drawer for paper, pen, and ink. Designed by Thomas Jefferson while a delegate to the 1776 Continental Congress, this portable work space would serve him well. It’s where he wrote the Declaration of Independence – and it’s where he would draft many important documents over the next 50 years. That simple box now occupies a place of honor in the Smithsonian.

You may not have designed your current desk or work space, but there’s no doubt that important work takes place there. Significant decisions are made, agreements are signed, and innovative ideas are born. Think about the lives you have been influenced from the few inches of real estate you occupy from nine to five. Imagine the lives you’ve yet to touch. Yet, most of us take our desks for granted.

According to psychologist Sam Gosling, the way you arrange and decorate your workspace can reveal insights into your personality. In his book, Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You, Gosling shares some basic assumptions that customers and coworkers are likely to make simply by observing your desk.

For instance, a well-organized desk communicates dependability and punctuality. While some argue that a messy desk is a sign of creativity, Gosling says it usually sends a negative signal. He suggests you keep things tidy and showcase your personality in other, less obtrusive ways.

One way to accomplish this is by decorating your workspace with unusual or original pieces that hold significance for you. If you avoid cluttering up the space while displaying one or two personal items that communicate an open, innovative spirit, others will be drawn to you. They are likely to see you as someone who can solve problems in new and different ways.

Interestingly, Gosling advises we stay away from displaying inspirational quotes. These are clichéd and often used by people who are highly stressed as a means to calm their anxiety. Instead, seek to create an inviting space – one that encourages communication and collaboration. An open door, a comfortable, and even a candy jar can serve to foster relationships. The goal is to appear open and approachable.

Ultimately, you want a desk that allows you to do your best work. That involves balance. Create a space that inspires you, promotes efficient activity, and intrigues those you want to partner with. Pay attention to organizational policies, but give it some thought. Like other aspects of your appearance, your work surface shouldn’t be left to chance.

What does your desk, your cubicle, or your service window say about you? Does it send the right kind of message, or could it use a make-over? Sometimes all it takes is a small change to create a space that changes the way you approach your work. And given the amount of time we spend in such a small environment; shouldn’t we maximize its potential?

My desk may never find its way to the Smithsonian, but it has great significance to me. I’ve done great work here. I’ve had incredible conversations. I’ve created things that I’ll forever be proud of. By no means am I finished yet.

Change the Way You Act

Posted on by Scott

weary-traveler-1631369_640Welcome back! I hope you had a merry Christmas full of family, friends, and good cheer. I’m actually enjoying a second round of Christmas this week. My parents flew into town last night and are spending the week with us. I anticipate a week of much needed rest before hitting the New Year in stride.

Speaking of the New Year, I promised to share my three personal challenges for 2017. I’ve already laid out the first two – changing the way I think and changing the way I talk, having provided specific ways in which I plan to address each of these goals. Today, I want to explain the third challenge I’ve decided to take on for 2017. It’s to change the way I act.

It’s easy to say you will change the way you think. After all, no one can read your mind and see the actual thoughts swirling around your brain. And it’s only slightly less difficult to change the way you talk. Despite the occasional slip of the tongue, choosing to say “the right thing” comes easy for a lot of us. After all, words are cheap, right?

But changing the way you act is something altogether different. It is through our actions that we are defined. I’ve known plenty of people who acted in ways that seemed remarkably different than the way they spoke. Many of us act in ways that run counter even to what we believe to be best. Actions can betray not only our words, but our thoughts as well. So I’ve chosen some specific ways in which to try and tame my own behavior.

I’m going to try and act with intention. I’m one of those people that like to say “yes.” I like being viewed as a go-to resource, someone who can get the job done. But saying “yes” too often gets a lot of people in trouble. Taking on too much can put you in a position where you’re running behind and trying to please a lot of others people while still trying to get your own work done. In the end, you wind up short-changing everything. No one project gets your best effort and no one, including yourself, is blown away by the result.

To combat this trend, I’m challenging myself to be more purposeful about my actions. When I take something on, I want it to be intentional. It needs to be something I believe in and will commit to owning. I want to execute. It may upset a few people that I have to say “no” to, but then they wouldn’t be happy with a lackluster effort anyway. I’ll be happier with myself having committed to only those projects I believe in.

I’m going to try and act with passion. Having ideally pared down the number of commitments I’ve made, I should be able to approach each one with a lot more gusto. You know that feeling you get when you’re working on something and just know deep down that you’re doing your best work? Time seems to slip away because you get caught up in doing the very best job you can. That’s the feeling I’m going to shoot for. I want work I can be proud of. That means I can’t allow myself to “dial it in.” If I’m in it, I’m in it to win it.

I’m going to try and act with focus. I can’t do my best work with a lot of distraction. Multi-tasking has been scientifically proven to reduce productivity, and I know it’s been killing me. So that’s got to stop. Likewise, interruptions pull me out of “the zone” and make it that much harder to get back in the swing of things. So I’m going to have to block out chunks of time to focus my energy on specific tasks knowing that the end result will be better having done so.

Now, I’ve shared my three personal challenges with you for a couple of reasons. Obviously, I feel this is a good practice and I want to encourage you to identify a couple of challenges for yourself. If I’ve hit a chord with my challenges, feel free to adopt them and join me on this quest. Regardless, write down specific things you want to improve on in 2017. I write mine on sticky notes and post them on my bathroom mirror as a daily reminder.

I also invite you to hold me accountable. Accountability is something of a lost art these days. People didn’t always feel so free to make promises knowing they could ignore them or weasel their way out at some point. I thinks that’s a shame. So, ask me from time to time how I’m holding up against my personal challenges. If you feel so bold, share your 2017 goals with me. I’ll be your accountability partner if you’ll be mine.

Let’s make 2017 the very best it can be. The New Year is blank canvas, just waiting for us to make our mark. What do you say we make it a great one?

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Change the Way You Talk

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listen-1702648_640Each year, I identify a handful of personal challenges. This is different form setting resolutions – something that millions of people do as part of their New Year’s celebration. I used to set resolutions as well, but switched to challenges for a couple of reasons.

First of all, resolutions are often too vague. The most popular seem to be things like “get in shape” or “get organized.” While those are admirable goals to shoot for, they are simply too innocuous to mean anything. There aren’t any measurable steps spelled out which means people rarely start them or have a means to track their progress, a key part of self-motivation.

Secondly, resolutions that are specific tend to create pass/fail scenarios. People who resolve to start working out twice a week will often go through the process of joining a gym. Then they hit the weights for a week or so, only to suddenly miss a week due to work travel or conflicting commitments. Once the streak is broken, they fall back into bad habits and abandon the resolution because they missed the mark of perfection.

The whole point of year-end reflection and goal-setting isn’t perfection, though, it’s improvement. That’s why I like the idea of challenges vs. resolutions. Stating my goal as a challenge affirms, from the beginning, that this isn’t going to be easy. I’m going to have to work at it. I expect to stumble. So when I fall short, it’s ok to get up and try again. The game isn’t over just because I haven’t succeeded out of the gate.

Last week, I shared my first challenge for 2017: to change how I think. The second of my three challenges (my mind tends to work in threes) is to change the way I talk. Now there are those who say we should all just work on talking less. In fact, a friend at church one said “I never miss an opportunity to keep my mouth shut.” That’s sound advice, but given the chance to speak, what kind of words ought to come out? Here’s what I plan to focus on…

I’m going to try to speak in ways that encourage people. If there’s anything that this year’s election cycle proves, it’s that hateful language hasn’t gone anywhere. I find it incredible that so many people find it so easy to voice derogatory and hurtful things about someone else – typically someone they don’t even know. As I write this, I’m thinking about an interaction I witnessed Saturday night.

My wife and I were on the way to a Christmas party and stopped at the store to pick up something we’d forgotten as part of our gift package. As we checked out, two ladies entered. Something had apparently happened in the parking lot as they were glaring at each other. Suddenly they both began shouting. Profanity, insults, and threats were all there on display for the rest of us – including the young daughter of the vilest participant.

Though I haven’t been part of a spectacle like this, I’m not always very encouraging either. I need to stop participating in gossip. I need to stop shooting down ideas I don’t agree with. I can work harder to recognize people for the positive qualities they bring to the table and be a better cheerleader for their efforts.

I’m going to try and speak in ways that add value to outcomes. As I mentioned, I’m not always supportive of ideas that I don’t agree with. However, just because they aren’t my ideas, doesn’t mean they are bad ones. I’m challenging myself to either voice my support in a way that adds value or take my friend’s advice and keep my mouth shut.

The world of improv comedy has a number of valuable lessons for leaders. One of these is to replace “no, but” with “yes, and.” This means that instead of immediately identifying ways something won’t work, we look for ways to add value and assist in making the effort a success. It’s a subtle shift of two words, but a giant shift in attitude.

I’m going to try and speak in ways that invite participation. Sometimes I have a tendency to keep really great ideas to myself. I do the same thing with difficult projects I’m working on. I guess I’m either embarrassed to ask for help, or want to present a perfect solution. Neither is a healthy reason for keeping others out.

The third part of changing the way I talk is to invite more people to work with me on things. Instead of holding all the cards until I (hopefully) have things figured out, I’m going to try including others who might be able to help me be more successful. It’s more fun to work with others anyway, and burdens are lighter when shared with a friend. Plus, victory is that much sweeter when you have someone to share it with.

There are just a few days left in 2016. Are you thinking about what you’ll do differently in 2017? How does the language you use play into those plans? I’ll share my third personal challenge for 2017 in my last article of the year next Monday.

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Change the Way You Think

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woman-1148923_640As a young professional, I used to listen to motivational guru Zig Ziglar. He was a top salesman turned motivational speaker who published a number of books and other materials regarding the keys to success. During my long work commutes in Nashville, Tennessee, I would often forgo the radio in favor of an audio book by Zig or one of his contemporaries. They always used to fire me up and put me in the right frame of mind for a successful day at the office.

Zig Ziglar used to say “If your thinking is stinking, then so is your business.” His point was that your mindset has a huge impact on the course of your work. The way you think determines, to a great extent, the outcomes you experience. Stinky thinking involves focuses your mind on negative things – failures, problems, worse case scenarios. Ruminating on these things causes you to unconsciously encourage them to come about.

I’ve seen this play out in my own life. The days where my mind is occupied by negative thoughts are my worst days. The more I let my mind drift into stink thinking, the more my mood suffers, and the more bad things happen. Conversely, when I consciously decide to focus my mind on positive things, my mood is better and good things tend to happen.

Mental health is a lot like physical health in that what you choose to put in determines what you get. If you want to feel better and be more physically fit, you have to eat the right kinds of food and participate in the right kind of exercise. Doing so prepares your body to move in ways that are beneficial vs. harmful. The way you approach your mental diet and exercise is, I believe, just as important.

As I prepare for the new year, one thing I plan to focus on is the way I think. I stopped making resolutions a long time ago. Instead, I make a list of three personal challenges. I write them down and post them on my mirror where I can see them every day. This helps me stay committed throughout the year.

My first personal challenge for 2017 is to change the way I think.

I’m going to picture success. Too many days find me in a bad mood before I even hit the office. My mind is picturing a confrontation with someone who cut me off on the drive in. I’m anticipating a heated debate regarding a controversial issue. I’m dreading a meeting that I don’t want to attend. These are symptoms of stinky thinking and I need to address them before they take root.

Before tackling the day, I’m going to try and create a mental image of a successful day. What will my meetings sound like? How will the various interactions unfold? What will I have accomplished by the time I go home that signals a good day? By envisioning the future that I want, I will be taking the first step toward making it a reality.

I’m going to focus on what’s possible. How often do you find yourself worrying about things beyond your control? There are times when I spend valuable mental energy griping internally about other people who don’t think the way I do or act in ways that seem counterproductive. I waste time waiting for others to get engaged or decide to move on projects I feel are important. These are also symptoms of stinky thinking and I need to redirect my thoughts in a sweeter-smelling direction.

I’m going to train my mind to zero in on the actionable steps that I can control instead of the things I can’t. What forward movement can I take, however small it may be? How can I prepare for opportunities that might lie just around the corner? What can I do with what I have, where I am, right now? By keeping a forward focus, I’ll be able to identify specific ways to contribute to my success.

I’m going to seek out positive inputs. My mental diet over the past several months has been horrendous. I’ve consumed a steady stream of negative political ads, name-calling, bickering, and general doom-and-gloom based news. Everything from my television to my Facebook feed has trended negative. This can’t possibly be good for my own mental outlook.

I’m going to make a conscious effort to seek out sources of positivity. I’ve already taken steps to block social media friends who post nothing but negative news or attacks on others. I plan to identify some constructive podcasts and excuse myself from gripe sessions when they start up around me. When what I listen to, watch, and even participate in is stinky, my thinking starts to smell as well. It’s up to me to fix it. By inviting more constructive things in, I’ll leave little room for the negative.

I’m confident that purposefully addressing the mental part of my game will have significant benefits for me in 2017. I’m curious to know what your mental diet looks like. What does your image of success look like? What do you do to keep yourself focused on the right things? Where do you find positive inputs to exercise your mind constructively? I invite you to share. Next week, I’ll share my second personal challenge for the year.

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The Best Time Management Tool You’re Not Using

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tool-384740_640In 2004, researchers flying over a Scottish field made a startling discovery. The team, working for the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), were photographing the landscape in order to update their catalog of various archeological sites. As they passed through an area known as Warren Field, they spied some unusual markings in the crops below, variations in the terrain that would not have been noticeable at ground level.

When a team later arrived to investigate, they discovered evidence of an ancient calendar carved into the ground. Twelve pits, arranged in an arc, appear to have been created in order to track the movement of the moon as it tracks across the sky over the course of the year. These pits vary in size and shape, mimicking the moon’s appearance, and were created 10,000 years ago – well before the earliest known formal calendars were created in Mesopotamia.

Today, calendars are a staple of human existence. They’re everywhere – on our walls, desks, refrigerators, computers, and even the cell phones constantly at our side. We’ve perfected timekeeping to the point where clocks automatically update and maintain incredible levels of accuracy. But for all of the advances we’ve made in tracking the passage of time, we’re not very good at using it.

It’s rare that I talk to someone who says they have plenty of time on their hands. Most people spend the majority of their day jumping from task to task without ever feeling like they make headway. They’re stressed and worn out from constantly trying to dig themselves out of a hole – a time hole. And a lot of that stems from the way they use (or fail to use) their calendar.

Most people only turn to the calendar when it’s time to schedule events that involve other people or a serious deviation from their normal schedule. Events include meetings, conference calls, work trips away from the office, and vacation. Items that don’t involve others, and therefore don’t have specific time parameters around them, wind up on a to-do list. This list represents all the things we need to get done and serves as a constant reminder that we can’t relax. As long as items remain on the to-do list, we have pressing work to do and, as the list grows, so does the stress.[Tweet “It’s time to rethink our approach to the calendar.”]

It’s time to rethink our approach to the calendar. By unlocking its potential, we can regain a sense of control over the day and relegate the to-list to its proper, less prominent, role in our lives. Follow these steps to transform your workday.

  1. Divide your to-do list into two columns. In the first column, write down those items that would take more than 10-15 minutes of your time to complete. I find these tasks either require a larger amount of brain power to work through, or involve monotonous, repetitive steps. Either way, they often stay on the list for a long time. I just keep putting them off due to the amount of time/effort necessary to complete them. In the second column, list those tasks that are super short, less than 10 minutes to knock out. These might include phone calls to return, documents to sign, etc. These are the legitimately quick and easy items. There probably aren’t many of these on your list because we instinctively turn to them as a way to cross something off and gain a sense of accomplishment.
  2. Transfer the tasks from the first list to your calendar. Taking each item in turn, identify a specific block of time to work on it and schedule an appointment with yourself. Think about how long the task will require to complete and take into account your natural energy pattern for the week. For example, avoid scheduling brain-intensive tasks for right after lunch. Rather, slot some of the “boring but necessary” items here and use higher energy blocks of time for the mental heavy lifting. Mark each of these off of the to-do list so that you’re left with only the second column – a list of items that can be knocked out quickly as time permits.
  3. Schedule periodic blocks of open time. Don’t fill your entire day with back-to-back appointments. That’s a sure-fire way to invite burnout and sabotage the entire process. You need regular breaks in activity to allow your brain time to shift gears in preparation for the next appointment. Use these breaks to stretch your legs, knock out one or two of your revised to-do list items, or engage in some water-cooler talk.

An approach like this does take discipline, but then all things that matter do. You have to actually honor the appointments you’ve scheduled and spend the designated time working on the assignments you’ve made. Going forward, you’ll have to discipline yourself to scheduling important tasks on the calendar. Only the quick and easy stuff makes it to the traditional to-do list.

We only have so much time. Man has yet to find a way to generate more of it. That means we have to be good stewards of the time we have. You can either choose to take control of your day, or let the day control you. How valuable is your time?

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How Well Do You Juggle?

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circus-1415339_640At some point in high school, I decided to learn how to juggle. I don’t recall the catalyst for this impulse, but I grabbed three tennis balls from the garage and a short how-to book from the library. I spent weeks practicing, standing over my bed so the errant balls wouldn’t fly all over the room. I started by tossing a single ball into the air over and over. I had to learn how to toss it to the same spot in the air (same height and distance from my body) consistently before adding in the second ball. I can still remember the rush I felt the first time I successfully completed a three ball cascade sequence.

Juggling has been around a long time. A wall painting found in an Egyptian tomb suggests the ancient Egyptians placed a great deal of significance on the act. Warriors from China once practiced juggling as a way to showcase their agility and intimidate enemies. By the 20th century, juggling had come a form of entertainment, though the spinning chainsaws and flaming hoops used by some performers still add a sense of danger.

While physical juggling may not be as impressive as it used to be, mental juggling is still seen as a valuable trait. People who can multitask are thought to have above-average intelligence due to their ability to manage several important tasks at once. We even use juggling terminology to reference the many projects we often have in play at any given time. “Keeping multiple balls in the air” at the same time makes us feel powerful and more competent.

But recent studies suggest that multitasking actually has a negative effect on productivity. Earl Miller, a neuroscientist from MIT, says that multi-tasking is simply switching from task to another very rapidly. When we interrupt one task to complete another, such as checking an email or sending a text message, our brains release dopamine. This makes us feel good and we associate it with completing the small task. The more we interrupt significant tasks to knock out smaller ones, the more dopamine we release and the better we feel.[Tweet “Multitasking can drop your IQ by 10 points or more.”]

Miller says this cycle is actually very damaging. Multitasking reduces our efficiency by making it harder for us to organize our thoughts. One study at the University of London indicates that our IQ actually drops by 10 points or more while multitasking. It also boosts the production of the stress hormone cortisol, making us feel tense and worn out by the end of the day.

Perhaps it’s time to give ourselves a break and let go of multitasking. By allowing our brains to concentrate on a single meaningful task when necessary, we can lower stress, improve IQ, and produce better work. It makes sense to me. Here are three steps for breaking the mental juggling act:

  1. Track your energy level throughout the day. Determine the time blocks that suit certain types of work best. There are times when your brain is better prepared for individual creative tasks such as writing, and other times when you’re better able to work as part of a team. During some parts of the day, you can be a significant contributor to strategic discussions, while others are best used for completing less intensive tasks. Knowing how your energy ebbs and flows throughout the day allows you to anticipate the kind of work you are best able to perform.
  2. Schedule tasks to take advantage of your natural energy cycle. Armed with an understanding of your own daily rhythm, take control of your work by scheduling tasks when you are best prepared to tackle them. If the creative juices are flowing early in the morning, use that time to write, dream, and plan. If energy drops in the late afternoon, anticipate focusing on low-energy tasks during that time.
  3. Minimize distractions. Make a conscious effort to avoid multitasking. Turn off email notifications and cell phone alerts during those times when you need to concentrate. Use your calendar to block off time periods you need to protect so others can’t steal that productivity.

I have to admit, I am really bad about multitasking. Just writing this article took longer than expected because of my tendency to check email, respond to texts, and chase other, random thoughts that pop into my head. I’m going to make a concerted effort to improve my concentration on single tasks. I may even take up juggling again. That’s a great way to train the brain. If you choose to join me, this weekend might be a good time to start. Saturday is World Juggling Day.

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Get Your Priorities Straight

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road-sign-663368_640“Too much to do and not enough time to do it in.”

That’s how most people typically describe their work day to me. They’re buried under a mountain of work and don’t have a second to breathe. They keep their nose to the grindstone, but no matter how hard they work, the mountain only seems to grow.

When I hear things like this, one of two thoughts pops into my head. Either this person is lying, or they don’t know how to prioritize. A lot of people aren’t nearly as busy as they say. They talk a big game, but their desks are empty, their inbox is cleaned out, and there’s nary a customer in the vicinity. They feel like being busy is a sign of productivity, so they put on an air of exasperation, but they really don’t have that much going on.

The other group is legitimately busy. These are usually the go-to people in the organization. They have their own projects to knock out and are also highly sought out by others as partners. The problem here is they don’t know how to prioritize their work in a way that ensures projects are tackled in a way that ensures a quality result delivered on-time. They always seem frazzled, pressed for time, behind schedule. They wind up pulling long hours to get things accomplished “just in time.”

Truth be told, I’ve been in both positions. More often than not, I’m in the latter group, though. My job has me working with a variety of people on all manner of initiatives. At times, work is steady and manageable. At others, I seem to be in a mad scramble for days on end. I’ve found the key to managing an uncertain workload is knowing how to prioritize appropriately.[Tweet “The key to managing an uncertain workload is knowing how to prioritize appropriately.”]

When it comes to prioritizing, there are two characteristics of each project you have to take into account. The first is importance. How critical is it that this task get accomplished? How heavily does it factor into achieving your goals? How significant are the repercussions if it falls through the cracks? Is this a must-do or a nice-to-do activity?

The second characteristic to consider is urgency. How quickly does the work need to be finished? Is the timeline fixed or adjustable? What happens if it’s not completed immediately? Is this a do-now or a do-soon activity?

The combination of importance and urgency should be what dictates the priority given to any particular project. Visualize a grid and plot your projects based on these two factors, then prioritize your do-to list in the proper order.

Priority Matrix

#1. HI-HU Tasks. These items are both highly important and highly urgent.

#2. HI-LU Tasks. These items are highly important, but not necessarily time sensitive.

#3. LI-HU Tasks. These items are hyper-critical, but have a short timeframe attached to them.

#4. LI-LU Tasks. These items should receive the lowest priority, if they even belong on your list at all.

This idea may seem like a no-brainer. However, many people have a problem prioritizing their workload appropriately due to misperceptions of a task’s relative importance and/or urgency. Taking a couple of minutes to objectively plot out the various items on your to-do list runs counter to the way we normally think. Our tendency is to place more emphasis on tasks that are perceived as urgent – we may even create a false sense of urgency in order to justify working on less important tasks.

Also, there’s a tendency to focus on completing a large volume of work. Most people get a sense of accomplishment from checking off a large number of tasks from their to-do list. Some of us even write down things we’ve already done just so we can cross it off. But this focus on the easy, short-term bits eats up time we should be spending on more important (albeit, more complicated) projects. In fact, completing a lot of Low Importance/High Urgency tasks can lead me to feel like I’ve earned a break – time to waste on Low Importance/Low Urgency items.

Want to take control of your day? Try rethinking how you prioritize your to-do list. Take a couple of minutes to objectively plot the importance and urgency of your work load and see if a new approach is in order.

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Why You Should Stack Your Mulch

Posted on by Scott

mulch-e1464739373618A couple of weeks ago, I took a trip to the local home improvement store to buy some mulch. I was finishing up a backyard landscaping project and needed quite bit. Fortunately, it was on sale for about half the normal price, so I bought 20 bags. Back at the house, I asked my son to help me unload it from the truck and stack it behind the fence where it would be ready for the weekend. Here’s a picture of the results. My 10 bags are on the right, his are on the left. This one exercise speaks volumes about how the two of us approach organization and time management.

I’ve always resented super-organized people. You know the ones I’m talking about – they have a place for everything and everything in its place. Their desk is always clean and their staplers never go empty. They make the rest of us feel like slobs, always trying to play catch-up. Organization has never come naturally for me. I have to work at it, and my progress usually takes the form of short bursts of focused cleaning and organization followed by a slow descent back into chaos.

Despite my struggle with staying organized, I am a huge believer in its power. Organization is an investment that pays BIG dividends. In fact, there are three benefits to being organized that I feel are especially significant.[Tweet “Organization is an investment that pays BIG dividends.”]

  1. Being organized improves my efficiency. I don’t know about you, but it seems like some days I spend most of my time looking for things. At the office, I’m looking for files or emails I know I have saved. At home, I’m looking for the screwdriver or remote control that I just saw yesterday. And the more time I spend looking for things, the less time I have to actually get work done. Having well thought out homes for things that are important – and using them consistently – saves me time. It allows me to get more work done in less time. Since time is such a precious commodity (we can’t make more of it), it makes sense to spend it wisely. Disorganization is a waste of time.
  2. Being organized improves my creativity. There are those who say a messy desk is a sign of a creative mind. That may be true for some people, but not for me. When things around me are disorganized, so are my thoughts. I have a hard time focusing on new ideas when the environment around me is chaotic. If I can’t see what I have to work with, it becomes harder to create. If I can’t easily lay my hands on the tools I need, it becomes harder to turn my ideas into a tangible product. When the creative muse speaks to me, I have to be ready to write – not searching for a pencil. Disorganization is a waste of mental effort.
  3. Being organized improves my mood. I’m not a big fan of chaos. It makes me anxious. It makes me antsy. I like peace. That’s not to say that I can’t handle it. We all have to manage through situations that test us. I just prefer not to add to it. When the parts of my life that I can control are under control, I’m better prepared to take on the rest. Being organized helps me center myself and focus on the challenge at hand. Disorganization is a waste of emotional energy.

If organization is one of your super powers, I admire you. I see your effortless, orderly existence and fight to emulate it. You have been blessed with a gift. For those who share my ongoing pursuit of all things organized, know you are not alone. You have a kindred spirit who also digs through stacks of paper searching for that important note scribbled on the back of a restaurant receipt. Your fight does not go unnoticed. Together, we can tame the chaos. The benefits are worth the struggle.

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