Archive | May, 2010

QuickTip: 4 Tips to Better Command Your Workload

Friday, May 28, 2010

We entered the workforce well educated, but few entered well skilled.  Gaining skills on the subject matter of your job is critically important, but so too are skills for managing how you actually get your work done.  Workflow processing and organizational skills focus on the actual completion of your work – how efficiently you accomplish what needs to be done.  Consider, also, the perceptions others of have you based on whether you appear in command of versus enslaved by your work.

Concepts into Action

The following suggestions take these concepts – workflow processing and organizational skills – and wrap them in some productive behaviors.  Give ‘em a try:

  • Develop a Mechanism for Removing Closed Items. One of the biggest organizational mistakes people make is failing to identify when something is “closed” and handling it as such. Work is closed when nothing further needs to be done on it.  Ask yourself, does anything need to be done on this?  If the answer is no, it’s closed.  Closed work converts into one of three things: trash, archive or reference.  Trash can be tossed/deleted.  Archive items belong in long-term storage, which is someplace other than the far reaches of your workspace!  Reference materials – things you refer to often to do your work – belong nearby but shelved.  Processing your closed items efficiently eliminates a tremendous amount of bulk from your workspace and visually demonstrates a greater command of your work.
  • Use an Electronic Task Management System. Your e-mail Inbox is a good place to keep you incoming and unprocessed e-mail.  It’s not a good place to keep your tasks.  Written tasks lists suffer from the inefficiently of being rewritten periodically.  An electronic task management system allows you to put all your to-dos in one place and mange them more efficiently.  The result is that your Inbox gets cleaned up and you don’t have to constantly re-write your task list.  Note, utilizing the reminder mechanism built into most electronic tasks management systems allows you to spread reminders out into the future ensuring that you’ll never forget anything.
  • Drive for Defined Deadlines.  There is a sense of urgency attached to everything we do today.  Unfortunately, the most common deadline associated with this sense of urgency is vague.  Specifically, “A.S.A.P” and “Urgent” are not specific.  Neither deadline appears on calendars, which, ironically, marginalizes the sense of urgency attendant with them.  Whenever you are given such a deadline, diplomatically seek to further define when something truly needs to be done.  For example, respond that you’re looking forward to working on the matter and would Wednesday at noon be satisfactory?  Remember, no sarcasm or irony.  Just present an honest, sincere question that is being asked in an effort to maintain command of your workload.  The work giver may stop-up short when first presented with this much clarity, but they’ll soon adjust.  If this doesn’t solve the problem, enlist the work giver’s assistance in determining which A.S.A.P. is the most urgent and which is second most urgent.  Again, no sarcasm can be emoted or your efforts will be undermined.
  • Do One More Thing. We work about 220 days each year. Try this suggestion:  at the end of each day, before going home, do one more little thing.  Don’t do two or five.  Do just one.  And make it a little thing.  Return one quick call or e-mail.  Put something away, process a stack of files growing musty in the corner or your workspace.  If you do just one more little thing each day, you’ll get 220 more things done thing year than last.  That’s a lot of stuff!

The Benefits of Being in Command

Honing your organizational and workflow management skills does more than just increase your productivity.  It also increases your sense of accomplishment and career satisfaction.  Thus, there’s more to these work-a-day behaviors than just getting the piles off your desk.

QuickTip: 4 Time Management Tips

Monday, May 24, 2010

Time itself cannot be managed. It ticks inexorably forward. However, we can manage our behavior to make the most of the time we have. All behaviors employed to best utilize time should target one thing: sharpening focus. The more you focus on the task(s) at hand, the more productive you will be, which will also lower your stress. Increased focus is attained by reducing the interruptions and distractions that pull you away from what you’re doing.

Small Changes Make Big Differences

See if these suggestions help you stay more focused during the day:

  • Turn Off New Message Alerts. One of the worst interruptions we suffer is the self-imposed new message alerts on our computers and mobile devices. When they sound or flash, these alerts disrupt what we’re thinking about and distract us away from the effort at hand. Consider this math: a four-second distraction to look at the new e-mail preview multiplied over 100 e-mails per day totals 400 seconds. That’s six and one-half minutes of activity with no corresponding productivity. Aggregating these seconds over a 220-day work year results in over 24 hours of lost productivity!
  • Do One Thing at a Time. A recent Stanford University study concluded what we already know intuitively: people don’t multitask well. Consider the last time you tried to have a conversation with someone who was also checking their e-mail. Not very effective, right? The reason is simple. There’s a small cost to each switch of your attention. It’s called, conveniently, a switch cost and it adds up quickly. Just like the new e-mail alerts above, anytime you try to do more than one thing a time, your brain needs a moment between activities to cycle up. The solution is to work on only one thing at time. Work on that one thing until a logical breaking point, put it down and work on the next thing. The results are pretty amazing because you’ve eliminated the switch cost, making you more efficient and more productive. Dare we say that you’re “in the zone?!”
  • Schedule Time Between Appointments. Running from meeting to meeting or phone call to phone call is the norm today. The problem isn’t that we have a lot of appointments – though there’s fodder for that cannon too – the problem is how we’re scheduling them. As you dash from one meeting to the next, details about the last meeting are leaking out of your memory. In addition, as you roll into the next meeting, your brain is still processing the last meeting and you’re not focusing on the topic at hand. It’s a lose-lose proposition. Try placing five minutes between appointments so you can jot down any thoughts you have about the meeting/call you just finished before you start up on the next. You will capture the maximum amount of information about each appointment and sharpen your focus on the next event.
  • Sequester Yourself. Today’s workplaces are replete with open doors and open spaces. People passing through and by these spaces create distraction. One of the worse distractions occurs in your own workspace. There you are working away on something, intently focused and making headway. Then, all of a sudden, someone is standing there! There is no larger interruption than that. To minimize those events, simply remove yourself from the situation. Take one (or, at most, two) things you need to get done and find a quiet space to work. An empty office works, as does a conference or caucus room. A local library or meeting room in your office building/complex will also suffice. When you go to that location, sit down, do the work you have with you (remember, one or two items), then head back to your normal workspace and return any messages you received while you were gone.

What You Do Makes a Difference

You only get so much time and what you do with it affects how much you get done and how successful you feel!

The Most Important Non-Renewable Resource: Keeping Your Eye on the Prize

Friday, May 21, 2010

We spend every day in the trenches. Putting out today’s fire.  Rising to the next occasion.  We focus on moving the proverbial ball down the field.  Little thought is given to what it means to cross the goal line.

I recently had occasion to enjoy a cup of coffee with a client towards the end of the day. It was a perfect time for us to sit back and just catch up. The conversation worked its way into some “big picture” topics and the question was posed, “Why do we do what we do?”  My answer is very simple and it was refreshing to be reminded of it.

The Most Important Non-Renewable Resource

Much is made today of sustainability and moving beyond the use of Mother Earth’s non-renewable resources – oil, gas, coal, etc. These efforts are important, as are the related efforts of reduce, reuse and recycle.  But, in the end, there is one non-renewable resource that is most important – time. The reason is simple, we measure our lives by the use of time and when your allotment is gone, no more can be had.

Let me be blunt. At the end of your days, you will never wish you had more money, a bigger house, or better cars. You’ll wish you had more time. That’s because you won’t be done yet. There will be things left for you to do. And they will remain undone. Sad? Maybe, but it also presents an opportunity.

Measuring a Life’s Success

Memories are the currency of life. The number of good ones you create is the measure of your success. This applies to the professional and personal aspects of your life.

On the professional side, contrary to what Loverboy said, you should not be working for the weekend. You need to work at a job and with people you like. This is a huge part of the time you spend making memories, so make sure you’re not squandering it. There’s a whole book in describing how to do this, but here are some examples to get you started:

  • Get an officemate their favorite coffee the next time you’re out.
  • Try incorporating “please” and “thank you” into every conversation.
  • Smile as much as you can stand it.

You contribute your half to the interactions you have each day and you can only control that half.

The same goes for your home life. It was recently reported that Americans spend 150 hours each month watching T.V.  That’s five hours a day! I know, I know. It’s not you, it’s Bob in Accounting. But even if you’re only watching two or three hours a day, consider the memories you’re making. More poignantly, what was the plot of C.S.I. last week? Turn it off; do something else. Anything else, such as:

  • Go for a walk.
  • Call your mom.
  • Have a conversation with your significant other, even if it’s your dog.
  • Play Solitaire.

Engage your mind. Take a stab at making a memory worth a damn.

Making Every Day Count

Regardless of your spiritual proclivities, the gift of time is a limited opportunity. Simplifying your perspective on how to utilize the time you have makes decision making easier. Stay focused on maximizing the number of good memories you create – a job well done, an enjoyable working environment, a nice walk around the block with your significant other or your dog or both, a long-overdue and heart-felt “I love you” to your parents – and you will quickly feel more successful.

Getting the "Work" Back into Work-Life Balance – Priming America's Productivity Pump

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Recently, we had occasion to hire a new part-time person at my kayaking business – Outdoorplay.  (See the footnote at the bottom for information on Outdoorplay.)  This is usually a difficult experience given that the labor pool in our small resort town is (a) limited and (b) largely populated by people who’ll abandon their posts at the drop of a hat if it’s a good powder day up on the ski hill.  (Note, I’m not that much of a curmudgeon, but things DO have to get done!)

Anyway, it was with trepidation that I posted the position on a local online classified ad website.  The results were unexpected, exhilarating and heart-breaking all at once.

Can WOW! be an understatement?

The job posting went live at 6:00 PM.  By 8:00 AM the next morning, we had 15 applications.  We immediately pulled the ad but still received over 30 applications.  Prior to the economic downturn, we could wait for weeks before getting even one application.

Sorting through the applications was an exercise in wonder.  People from all walks of life were applying.  The resumes contained heavy-equipment operators, construction laborers, office staff, first-time job seekers, the gambit.  Remember, this was a job that paid about $950 per month before taxes! 

We selected the six most qualified candidates to invite in for interviews.

A Straight Path Wanders

The morning of the interviews, we received another application. This was from a woman we knew.  She had worked for one of our vendors before being laid off in the downturn.  She had been out of work for six months and just wanted to get back to it, no matter the job.

Catherine (no, that’s not her real name) was not a fit for the position we were hiring, but we had a very high opinion of her from her last job.  So we fit her into our schedule to explore her background and skills.  We were considering … but back to the interviews for the warehouse position.

The first candidate set the bar very high.  He was just a year out of high school, was a local guy, had taken a year off to wander the earth, was considering starting school at the local community college in the fall, and was the son of an owner in another local business like ours.  And did I mention that he’d reviewed our web site and knew a great deal about our business?  And did I also mention that he walked into the interview with a copy of his resume in his hand … just in case?  We could not have scripted a better candidate and interview, but there were others to meet.

The next several candidates were qualified but unremarkable.  I think two of them had looked at our web site and knew the nature of our business.  Two years ago, we would have jumped to hire any one of them, but Candidate #1 had really impressed us with his preparation and alignment with our needs.

The last candidate to interview was the heart-breaker.  He was an out-of-work construction worker.  He was married with a young child, living in the basement of his in-laws house.  He hadn’t worked for 18 months and was just itching to do something to be of use and to support his family.  It pained me to see the commitment and earnestness in his face for a chance at our entry level part-time job.  He said we were the only company who’d even interviewed him in the last six months.  Ouch.

The Agony of Too Many Choices

As the last candidate left, we turned to the hard work of making a decision.  First, we discussed the warehouse position and agreed that Candidate #1 was the right person for the job.  We also all agreed that we’d hire the last candidate if we could even though we knew he’d leave for a higher paying job when the opportunity arose. Alas, there was only one warehouse position available – a part-time one at that.  Candidate #1 got the job.

Next, we took up conversation on Catherine.  Throughout the day, we had talked in snippets about her skill set and our longer term needs for the company. She clearly fit the bill for a core role in the administrative part of the business.  Another bonus was that she was known and liked by our current folks, which suggested an easy transition.

With her value established, we turned to affordability and the impact hiring Catherine would have the team’s salary increases over the short term.  When asked, our General Manager stated very clearly that the current team members were happy that their jobs had yet to be truly affected by the downturn and that they’d welcome the help Catherine would bring to the over-worked group.  (We’d frozen hiring 18 months earlier leaving the existing people to wrestle with the ongoing demands of the business.)  The decision was to offer Catherine a position as well, which she took.

Lessons Learned

Both of the new hires have settled nicely into their roles.  The team is thrilled to have the support, even with knowledge that salary increases are now clearly dependent on how quickly the economy recovers. 

My lasting impressions from the experience are:

  • Americans Love to Work.  When the economy was soaring, there was a lot focus on work-life balance.  The underlying premise was that people wanted to work less.  Though downturns are never pleasant, nor do I wish financial hardship on anyone, my view is that people are hungry to get back to work.  In fact, the perspective on work-life balance may have balanced itself out a bit.  Work is a part of life, a good part.  The sense of entitlement that was developing over the last decade was destructive to the very people forming those opinions.
  • Productivity is a Good Thing.  Turning away from the media-hyped stories of corporate greed and the too-big-to-fail bleating by politicians and CEOs alike, it’s good to have Americans at work.  The sense of accomplishment and belonging are hugely valuable, not to mention the ability to provide for your loved ones.  These basic tenets get lost today in all the hysterics and finger pointing.  I was reminded of it during those interviews.  People just want to matter again.
  • Hire for the Long Term Even if it Hurts a Little Now.  Dennis Snow, 25-year veteran at Disney, talks about recruiting all the time so that when you have a need, you’ve already identified a good pool of candidates.  Most companies hire out of emergency – when someone leaves or something similar.  Admittedly, that’s what we were doing.  However, I would like to pat ourselves on the back for engaging in another good hiring practice:  Hire the right people, even if you have to create the position early.  Both Candidate # 1 and Catherine are great people.  We had a job for one of them and we accelerated an opening for the other.  They’ve been a terrific fit and we’re seeing the benefits of the decision already.

My expectations at the outset of this hiring adventure were that we were rolling the dice.  My experience was that there are a tremendous number of able and willing people looking to get the American productivity engine back to a steady purr. 

(Footnote:  I am a co-founder in Outdoorplay, an online retailer that sells kayaking gear.  It’s been 12 years in the making and we have a fantastic team of people who make it happen.  My greatest source of pride is to have been a part of its success.)