One Simple Question About Productivity

One workshop participant asked me recently the following question,

"I've been taught that there are two approaches to plotting out your day: the priority (A1, B2, etc.) system or the process of matching up tasks with certain blocks of time.  Which system is right?"

My response tried to match the best of a FranklinCovey (top down approach, starting with goals and mission) approach and a GTD (bottom's up approach, starting with cleaning up the open loops and stuff that's on our plate) approach.  The fact is, there isn't one method of planning out the day that is superior- what helps me to get important things done is in itself good.

The Problem with A1, B2 Priority Planning
I explained to my participant that this system ignores the fact that some tasks change in their importance as the day goes on.  An A1, B2, C3 method can also get awfully confusing.  After a while, you just get tired of assigning letters and numbers to things!

The Problem with Matching Time Blocks With Tasks
This isn't the silver bullet either as a big block of time could be filled with a meaningless task that simple requires a lot of time.  I would love to prune the trees in my side yard (requiring several hours of labor) but if something else is more important, my pruning would be something of a waste of that particular time.

Here's a much simpler approach to planning out the day: ask yourself at the start of things, "By 5pm, what would I be upset about if I didn't tackle it during the day?"  It's one simple question that works for me and provides a more intuitive method to planning. 

I'd love to hear reader feedback as to other methodologies for planning out a day. 

One Thing to Blog About GTD, Another to Present On It

Emerson once said, "Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee."  As an educator, one of my primary aims is to plant seeds and open doors that might not be passed through for years to come.  While some teachers get frustrated that the fruit of their labor isn't realized for 5 or 10 or 15 years after graduation, I've come to accept that it just is the reality of education. 

Yesterday I had the opportunity to present a workshop to about 50 participants at the NCEA annual convention here in Baltimore.  I had submitted three proposals for workshops, ranging from faith and sports to my "day job" in campus ministry but the one that was accepted was about GTD. 

My presentation was slated in perhaps the absolute worst slot of all- the final block at 3pm on a Thursday and so my expectations for numbers was very modest.  When the room nearly filled just minutes before starting, my juices were flowing and I was ready to roll.

My presentation: Stress Less and Achieve More Through Time Management and Workplace Productivity.   It reminded me that it's one thing to talk about something (or blog about something- an elaborate way of talking) and another to teach it in public.  I walked the audience through the following issues:

• A definition of stress and its sources



• Some data from the Cal Berkeley study on information overload



• A working premise that work can be spiritual and transformative on many levels



• An outline of the GTD 5 phases of work-flow



• A sample step-by-step tutorial of the weekly review

After the hour-long presentation, I answered questions about work-flow management, preparing for each day and issues of procrastination.  One participant told me afterward, "I've been to ten workshops this week and yours was the best."  Not a bad way to end the day and just another reminder that the best way to learn something on a deep level is to teach it to others.

Back to Basics: Networking

Today's Baltimore Sun has a terrific blip about networking called Ties That Bind.  Citing Sue Bethanis of Mariposa Leadership Inc., three suggestions are offered which I'll elaborate on:

Get good at small talk.  Think in advance of a few questions that you could fire out at the person you are speaking with.  When things start to stall out, be comfortable with moving on.  Use geography, people in common, music, professional interests and anything else including the kitchen sink to build a bond with the person you are chatting with.  If this is someone that you want to follow up with, make a note to send an email within a day or so.  Better yet, write a hand-written note and actually put it in the mail.  Yes, people still use snail mail and it's quite effective with networking follow up.

Don't just be influential, be influence-able.  I learned early on in my education career that the following holds true, "No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care."  While it's perfectly normal to want to 'get somewhere' in a networking conversation, you should also ask a few questions and show genuine interest in the other person.  Don't settle for surface stuff, go deeper and show them that you care.

Balance your skills at advocating your position with your exquisite inquiry skills.  The best networkers do their homework and meet people on purpose.  As Keith Ferrazzi writes in Never Eat Alone, "the value of your networth is ultimately the depth of your network."  I will be attending a national conference this week in Baltimore and I've looked at the list of presenters in advance- who do I want to stumble into'?  Who is lunch-able?  What unique way can I follow up with the guy I just met twenty minutes ago who might get me a job in five years?

On a personal note, I work primarily with students and their parents.  It wasn't until I started looking at my job in terms of networking that the light bulb went off.  Now, when I'm in small talk or sending an email or chatting on the phone, I am in networking mode and instead of one light bulb, it's more like a lit Christmas tree of ideas, all firing in succession and leading to future success. 

Question: what can you to today to improve your networking skills?

Change Your Pace

Yesterday we looked at the role that physical space and layout play in getting the most out of your day. Today, let's shift gears and talk about how we prep for success.

One of my New Year's focus areas has been to "prepare for success". I wanted something that would push me to procrastinate less and plan more.

So far, I've had some projects where I've been able to work on far in advance and others which have taken me right up to the final buzzer to complete. I love the former and hate the feeling of the latter. My key: keep at it and things will progress. I know that sticktoitiveness is a personal development virtue.

How do you get ready to be successful? Some ideas include:

* Getting things ready today for your schedule tomorrow (laying things out, getting breakfast and lunch in order, checking your calendar)
   
* Practicing the "weekly review" each weekend (looking back, looking forward, looking within)
   
* Keeping your lists up to date (someday/maybe, errands, calls, birthdays, etc.)
   
* Watching for opportunities (are you doing something today that will get you ready for "the next big thing" in your life? i.e. working on a degree, reading a great book, taking a seminar, creating something wonderful, improving a relationship, praying big prayers)

The DailyPlanit has a great post today on getting ready -- pace-wise -- to be successful. Worth a click or two.

One Thing at a Time

I found myself this past Saturday at my favorite local hangout, Mark's
Barbershop. I know, some people enjoy a trip to the movies or a stroll
through the drive through at at that "unbun" fast food establishment
but not me.

I like the barbershop- what can I say?

In
front of me was an 11 or 12 year old boy waiting for a haircut. In his
hand was a car magazine and on his ears a pair of headphones. He was
multitasking, doing two things at once. The catch of course with
multitasking is that we end up doing two things poorly rather than
getting more things done.

Some great resources for curing a multitasking addiction are found at:

What's the Next Action
Breathing Space
Set Higher Standards
The Chattering Mind

As
you start your week, consider doing one thing at a time. While you
won't get two things done at a time poorly, you can at least say that
you got one thing done well.