Avoid Spinning Your Wheels

The process to use to avoid spinning your wheels is quite simple. First, you need to pre-determine outcomes; next, anticipate the activities required to produce the outcomes. The most important step is to then decide which activities need to be done today and do them!

Humans are wired to follow this exact process. Think about it. Either consciously or sub-consciously, we say to ourselves all day long, “What will I do next?” We then choose a desired outcome followed by the execution of activities that will make it occur. Much has been written about this simple process. It’s called goal setting.

Goal setting actually intimidates some people, but it shouldn’t. We are, by nature, designed to:

• Create a mental picture of what we want.
• Make a plan of the activities required to get those results. (This is what we refer to as building an activity path.)
• Do the activities we’ve planned.

What we are saying is that it is impossible to be a good activity chooser without first glancing into the future and visualizing the results you want.

Once you put this process in motion, you will not be like people who spin their wheels at work. People who do spin their wheels at work are on the slippery slope of indecisiveness, and indecisiveness is the enemy of getting started. Similar to a car in neutral, one which can’t go anywhere until it’s in gear, indecisiveness puts you in neutral time.

What’s the best way to stop wheel spinning and get in gear? First, take time to create clarity of purpose or a clear understanding of your desired results. Define very specifically the results you want. Clarity is the mother of decisiveness, and is the reason for the activities you choose and execute. The skill of making effectual choices starts with this process.

Interruptions, A Productivity Killer

On a typical day, you can expect to get caught in the crossfire of interruptions, the unexpected will bubble up, and demands will fall out of the sky at inconvenient times.  Flexicuting will be required.

Yes, we invented the word flexicuting because we can’t think of a better way to describe this skill.  Events are so fluid in today’s work environment that we have to change, adapt, and shift our focus all day long.

Flexicuting involves the ability to:

• Be as willing to leave your activity list when priorities shift as you are willing to stick with it.
• Be able to turn on a dime in the middle of the day when an opportunity presents itself.
• Develop the habit of reserving some time every day to deal with the expected/unexpected.
• Be wired 24/7 without letting it be a source of distractions and frustration.

Would you like to become better at flexicuting?  Here’s how! Recognize it’s a survival skill by changing your mindset and practice the forgoing flexicuting skills daily. It can be quite fun.

Flexicuting involves the skill of both multi-tasking activities and alternate-tasking activities. It also requires the wisdom to know when to use and when to avoid either of these approaches.

We’ll talk about multi-tasking first. In our society, the term multi-tasking is overused. Even worse, the skill has been elevated to the pinnacle of desirable abilities and we often find ourselves abused—and sometimes abusing—in the execution of multi-tasking because there are some guidelines to multi-tasking that most people aren’t aware of.

The best advice we can give people is to BEWARE OF MULTI-TASKING! Here’s why. When you are executing multiple activities at the same time, none of these activities has your complete focus. If you must multi-task, it should be done only when you combine simple, mindless tasks such as opening your mail and watching the news.

TIP: Never, never, never multi-task while carrying on a conversation with another person.

Multi-tasking, when abused, leads to time contamination. An example of time contamination would be taking your child out for pizza so you can have some quality one-on-one time together, and then taking a cell phone call for fifteen minutes while your child stares into space. Time contamination is also working on your laptop while supposedly watching your child’s soccer game.

Alternate-tasking is the natural result of being wired 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year (24/7/365). Living under these conditions, it makes sense to alternate our work and personal life activities in a way that we can fully experience both. While multi-tasking can contaminate time, alternate-tasking does not.

Alternate-tasking is being 100% where you are. Be 100% in the pizza shop with your child and then place the call after the pizza outing. Alternate-tasking permits us to fully engage all activities without dilution or contamination of the experience.

Alternate-tasking can help you get more done in less time than multi-tasking because, when you are fully engaged, you are more efficient and productive.

TIP: Alternate-tasking requires FOCUS. Begin with tasks that you can get done in 15 minutes or less until and free yourself from interruptions by shutting your door, closing out email, and don’t take calls etc.

Stop letting people steal your time!

The most common activities that break our focus are interruptions and distractions by others. If we have a wimpy “no muscle” then we will be dominated by them. Dealing with them is easy. All you really need to know are the four response options and the three focus techniques for saying no.

The four response options to interruptions are easy to use. How do you decide which one to choose? Simply color your choices as we described in the first chapter. The four response options are:

1. Respond and do it now when it’s red, (required immediate action).

2. Reschedule for a later time when it’s green or yellow and can be postponed, (needs to be done today or tomorrow).

3. Refer it to someone else if it’s not in your domain.
4. Refuse to do it when it’s gray. This is when you use your “no muscle.”

The four techniques for refusing or saying no are:

1. The Immediate Response Method
This is when you refuse a request on the spot, immediately after it is made. There are four elements you can include in your refusal statement to soften the response. The elements express:

• A desire to be helpful
• A singular reason you can’t
• An expression of regret
• And a thank you for asking

Here’s an example of the refusal statement using those elements. “I’d love to help but right now I just have too much on my plate, I’m really sorry but thank you for asking.” This is a classy approach most people will feel good about.

Caution: When giving a singular reason for saying no such as your plate is full, don’t give details. The more specific reasons you give, the less persuasive you’ll sound. You are not obligated to give reasons.

2. The Delay Tactic
This is when you are unsure and you want to think through the request. People often say yes when they should say no because they are under the pressure of the moment. For example, use a simple statement such as, “I’d like to but I’m not sure I can. Give me some time to think about it and I’ll get back to you.” If, after thinking about it, you decide you can’t, then use a refusal statement with the elements described above.

3. The Helping Hand Approach
This technique is driven by a sincere desire to be helpful even though you must say no. For example, recommend to the person somebody else who might assist them, or you could suggest alternative solutions. You might also agree to commit some limited time to it. It’s good time management to always lend a helping hand when we can.

4. Just say NO
This takes courage. But when a person approaches you with “gray matter” just say NO. Remember, gray stands for activities that are a complete waste of time, such as office gossip. In our seminars we go through an exercise where participants stand up and yell in their loudest voice, “NO…NO, NO, NO. What part of no don’t you understand! Can’t you see that I am working here!”
Practice these techniques and your “no muscle” will get stronger and stronger.

Rationalization can put a choke-hold on productivity

Rationalization is an attempt to justify inappropriate action or inaction. Sometimes people see it as a friend because it can help protect self-esteem. However, it is not a friend when it is used to avoid doing a vital task we don’t want to do.

Perhaps you are avoiding a call to an unhappy customer. You know the customer or client will be angry and you rationalize by saying something like, “This probably isn’t a good time.” Of course, you know it is an excuse.

A close look at rationalization reveals its first-cousin relationship to procrastination. Why? Because rationalization is used to justify putting things off.

Here is the good news! Rationalization is a self-imposed time-waster. This means you can control it. Listen to your self-talk and recognize when you are doing it. Replace those thoughts with a “can do” and “will do” attitude.

Activities are never neutral

Some activities of long duration can have very little consequence. Some activities of short duration can have huge consequences. The most important thing to recognize about activities is that they are never neutral. They either enhance or detract from our lives by changing the quality for better or for worse. The following statements illustrate this point:

• Activities that align with what we value give us a greater sense of satisfaction than those that don’t.
• Activities creatively arranged in a sequence can culminate in the achievement of a desired outcome or goal.
• Negative activities repeated over and over again can erode our well-being.
• Positive activities repeated over and over again can make us stronger and improve our well-being.
• Activities repeated over and over again become habits. Habits can be our greatest servants or our worst masters.
• When we choose to do certain activities we simultaneously exclude other activities. It’s about choice.
• We can change the quality of our life simply by changing activities.
• Focus permits us to fully experience an activity.
• The day’s productivity is determined by the activities we choose and those we refuse.
• We live and die with our choice of activities.

For more about activities, download the first two chapter of our time management book, Attack Your Day! Before It Attacks you.

Clutter Is The Wake Of Running Rushed

A messy office and desk top, a disorganized residence, and the general chaos of clutter is often the result of being frantically behind schedule.  Consequently, there is no time to put files and physical objects back where they belong.  Things are left out or tossed here and there and become harder to find the next time.

Get ahead of the game.  Plan on the front end how much time your activities will take, and you’ll reduce stress on the back end.  You’ll have time to put things away and save tons of time by not having to search for things.  It can be done.  Work to develop the habit and “mess stress” will be gone!

This is productivity strategy #62 from the book Attack Your Day! Before It Attacks You co-authored by Mark Woods and Trapper Woods, time management experts. Attack Your Day

Decisions Are Footprints

Decisions are footprints we leave in the sands of time. We are remembered by the impressions we make in the lives of others, created with the use of our time.  We cannot escape decisions.  To not decide is a decision.  Each decision leaves an impression. Our decisions are marked with each tick of the clock!

What is the point?  Decisions create our legacy.  Positive decisions move us and others forward.  Negative decisions hold us back and can hurt others.

We complete our legacy with the impressions made with our time.  Think!

This is productivity strategy #63 from the book Attack Your Day! Before It Attacks You co-authored by Mark Woods and Trapper Woods, time management experts.

Don’t Wish Your Time Away

This is often what my Mother said to me when I wished I was a little older, out of school, or had challenges behind me.  From experience, I later learned she was right.  Whether we have a fixation on future time or past time, the result is the same.  We miss the good things about our present time.

The skill of focusing on and living in the present is one way to cherish time.  Unfortunately, it is not practiced by many until they are older and see their time running out.  Look for the good in your garden of today’s time.  It’s there to be relished.

How Is Your Time Management Vision?

For this test, don’t just cover your left eye or your right eye: close both eyes.  Now, visualize what specific and measurable things you will have accomplished between this moment and six months from now.  Can you see the results you are anticipating clearly?  If so, you have farsighted time management vision.

If you can’t see what you will have accomplished, you are nearsighted. It is likely you are a reactive time manager and are working on the goals of others since you can’t see your own.  Is it time to write a goal-setting prescription to eliminate nearsightedness?  Farsighted time managers actually write the scripts of their own lives.

How To Supercharge Your Daily Routine

Most people aren’t aware of this powerful time tactic!  When you are listing high-priority tasks for the day, list a “personal principle” to practice.  Some favorite principles of mine are being positive, praise others, smile, really listen and practice self-discipline.

Practice the personal principle you list all day long, then check it off complete at the end of the day as you would any other task.

You’ll get progressively better at living the principle, impact others in a positive way, and feel better about yourself.

This is productivity strategy #68 from the book Attack Your Day! Before It Attacks You co-authored by Mark Woods and Trapper Woods, time management experts.