Interruptions at Work

I gave a series of talks last friday to the assistant principals of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
During their spring retreat day, I discussed how one can see their work
as holy. In other words, how to connect faith and the business of life?

We
discussed interruptions and I painted a portrait of how two people
handle interruptions. Phil vs. Paula. Phil sees interruptions as
sidetracks away from his real, important work. Paula on the other hand,
sees interruptions as a part of the road. She's heading somewhere but
she knows that there will be some tough potholes to navigate. Obviously
Paula provides a better paradigm for the busy executive.

Time Thoughts has a great piece about handling interruptions as does Business Tool Chest.

When it comes to our faith, author Allan Wright
talks about the life of Jesus as a "costly display of unexpected love".
In other words, Jesus was interruptable. Now that's a new spin on the
potential value of interruptions.

Managing Your Time: Are You an Honors Student?

Last week I tried out an interesting experiment as part of Lent. I gave
myself (always the teacher) a grade based on how well I used my time.

I broke the day into 3 chunks of time that work for me: before work, during work, after work.
I then scored myself based on pure "feel" for how that chunk of time
went. Did I waste time? Was I lazy? What could I have done differently?

Here are my results:

Monday  A, B+, A (a good start to the week and work was hectic but set up the right blocks for the rest of the week)

Tuesday  A, A-, B+ (a better work day and I gave myself permission to relax a bit more in the evening)

Wednesday  C, C+, B (snow days always kill my productivity so I'll just chalk this one up to an off day)

Thursday  B+, B+, A- (a good day to recoup and recapture my productivity road signs)

Friday  No grade, B+, A-
(retreat day here; I'm always too nervous and wired to sit down for
prayer time ont he day of a retreat so I'll skip the first grade)

This new system worked well for me! I was more aware of how I was "using" my
time and managing my commitments. See how it works for you as well.

Doing What You Love & Loving What You Do

Readers of this blog know that I'm a huge fan of Dan Miller's 48 Days to the Work you Love
system. Dan is a simple, wise man with solid values and real insights
into how we ought to orient our work-life balance. His most fundamental
point: figure out the life you want and then plug work into that
equation. (rather than the other way around)

Yahoo has just listed its annual list of desirable jobs.  I always knew I should have been a physican's assistant...

Are
you doing the work you love? Is your "job" helpful in doing what you
love? To what degree does your work allow you to enjoy life outside of
work?

Speaking of someone who is doing what he loves, why not check out Gene at Brother Blue who will be featured this week Inside the Youth Minister's Studio.

What Does Your Morning Routine Look Like?

Open Loops
has a wonderful piece about using the early morning hours to your
advantage. For many folks, morning is the best time of day to get
things done. I look at it in a more practical way: I want to be
successful and the first step in that is to start well.

Oh and by the way, have you read Guy Kawasaki's The Art of the Start?  It's a great read for folks starting a business or major project.

Another great way to begin the day is through some kind of spiritual reading.  Allan Wright's new book, Jesus in the House, is finally out and should be a great day-starter.

Good day-starters which begin early in the am:

• rituals (go for a run, make coffee, listen to the same song, say a mantra)



• working out (good for the body and the mind)



• journaling (get it out of your head and onto paper)



• blogging (I'm serious- it's a sort of mind-mapping)



• meditation and prayer (start your day by putting God first on your agenda)

The Demands of Leadership

Have you ever had a moment when you said, "It was so much easier
when..."? Maybe you look back to a time when you had more free time or
before the kids arrived. Perhaps it was a time of life when you had
more disposable income or your work position allowed greater freedom.
Whatever the case, this month's newsletter (Leadership Wired) from John Maxwell sheds some light on this.

Leadership
places demands on a person. Let's face it, leadership is no spectator
sport. I am working on several projects (who isn't!) right now that put
me square in the center of criticism and negative feedback. This is
before the event has even occurred! I've learned to develop a thick
skin; the alternative would be devastating.

As my good friend
Fr. Joseph Petrillo says, "Leadership asks one thing: can you take a
good punch in the stomach?" I never knew what he meant until I had to
coordinate large scale events. Now I fully realize what he was saying.

Maxwell makes a similar point in saying that leaders develop a rugged outlook on life and engage in the following:

1. Visioning



2. Maximizing values



3. Working through challenging experiences



4. Mentoring



5. Building a community



6. Making sense of experience



7. Knowing self (Maxwell, "Productive leaders have matured o the point of honest self awareness.")

Why not take some time during your morning routine or even late at night to do a self inventory: how am I leading?  What can I do better to lead those around me?