It’s easy to get overwhelmed with your to-do list at work. You’re probably managing several tasks or projects at once. Work keeps piling up. You feel as if you don’t have enough time to get it all done. You’re stressed and there’s no end in sight.
A recent survey published by the Center for Disease Control reported that more than 80% of professionals experience high levels of job stress. A lot of it has to do with the overwhelm they feel with their amount of responsibilities and tasks.
When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it affects the quality and output of your work and, at least to a certain degree, determines how successful you are.
Here are three key shifts you can make to reduce overwhelm and start working with ease:
1. Shift from “pushing” to “flowing”
When you experience overwhelm at work, your tendency may be to keep pushing, believing you can get through it using the “no pain, no gain” mantra. When you’re “pushing” to get as much done as possible during the day, it usually leads to more stress and can be counterproductive.
The physical signs of “pushing” include leaning forward, tensing, shallow breathing and clenching your jaw. When you notice these signs, simply pause and step away from work for a bit. Get a glass of water, take a few deep breaths, stand up and stretch.
Take a moment to notice why you are pushing (“I’m unclear,” “I am angry,” or “I need more time”) then see if you can get to the root of the problem so you can move back into the “flow” (you know that feeling like everything is lined up and work becomes easier).
As you shift away from pushing and towards flowing, you’ll notice a lightness in your body, mind and spirit. You can then resume work on your task or project with a renewed sense of energy and focus.
2. Shift from being reactive to responsive
With the pressure of deadlines and commitments, it’s quite easy to be reactive to your environment and those around you. However, if you feel reactive most days, it can be overwhelming and exhausting! The difference between being reactive and being responsive is simply the level of engagement you bring to a situation. Going into overdrive doesn’t help the work get done faster; it merely adds to your sense of overwhelm and reactivity.
Typically, the body will experience higher respiration rates, a faster heartbeat and more body tension when you’re being reactive. It’s much more productive to be responsive to whatever projects, interactions or situations you encounter at work. It’s helpful to rank a task or project for the appropriate level of engagement (i.e. “this needs all of my focus and energy” vs. “I don’t really need to stress about this”).
As you shift away from over-engagement and reactivity and towards responsiveness, you’ll experience much more ease at work. Being responsive in your work setting will help you effectively complete tasks and calmly interact with people on the job.
3. Shift from a limited to an expanded perspective
When you’re overwhelmed, it’s difficult to see the many options that are available to you. Seeing things in a narrow-minded way limits your opportunities and can cause you difficulty in navigating change and other potential challenges that come up in your work.
Shifting from a limited perspective to an expanded perspective involves looking beyond the “ways you’ve always done things” to create new options that reduce stress and overwhelm. You may want to research ways that other people handle their challenges. Try introducing a new process or idea into your work that expands your perspective to increase your or your team’s productivity.
Ease occurs as you expand your perspective, include other options and consider new ways to approach work.
Using these three shifts in your daily work will not only reduce your stress and overwhelm but will allow you to create better results. Working “in the flow,” being responsive rather than reactive, and expanding your perspective are all critical to the quality and output of your work, as well as your well-being on the job.
Need help managing deadlines? Clink here to join my Free teleconference on June 13 or my workshop in July.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Top 5 Mistakes that Create Stress and Overwhelm
If you’re like most people, I bet you have brilliant ideas and are committed to doing good work in the world. Unfortunately, your day-to-day tasks can create stress and overwhelm, and worse, can weigh you down and prevent you from making the impact you so desire.
It’s often difficult to “know what you don’t know” in the midst of work. You are inundated with a huge number of activities and roles to keep reach your goals. This probably creates stress and constant worry—about getting it all done, being successful and creating results.
Let’s discuss some mistakes that people make at work so that you can avoid the pain, frustration, stress and overwhelm in your day.
1. Being Unclear With Work Projects
Lack of clarity in your work can create immediate overwhelm. Many people are clear about the tasks they need to do daily want (i.e. home, travel, family, etc.), but often fail to have a specific intention and a plan to get there. If you feel uncertain and unclear, your business can feel like a daily struggle. It’s essential to have a picture of your business that includes all your requirements. Create the vision first, then build the business to fit into the vision. (Most people build a business then realize it’s not what they intended for their life.)
2. Not Having a Business Plan, or Having an Underutilized One
Similar to having clarity, you’ll want to also have a crystal-clear business plan. Without a plan, you’re very busy but may lack direction and an end goal. In my experience, over 75% of the small businesses I worked with didn’t have a business plan.
Only when you have crafted a weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly plan (with a set of clear endpoints and metrics) can you take the daily actions to fulfilling your business goals. Allow the clarity of your plan to create more ease (when you understand what needs to be done, you will naturally feel more at ease).
3. Limited Planning Time
When you operate your business with little or no planning time, you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed rather than in control. You become reactive as you “put out fires,” problem solve, and complete your work each day.
Rather than planning for the future, you end up working in the business, not on it (principle drawn from Michael Gerber’s book The E-Myth). Give yourself the gift of time and space to plan. You’ll feel great, reduce your stress and be able to identify those things needed to create the best result.
4. Lack of Self-Care and Personal Time
Most business owners feel they have to sacrifice their personal lives while they are growing their businesses. Unfortunately, the lack of self-care and personal time can actually signal the demise of one’s business. As you shift away from sacrifice and move toward self-care, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
There’s a direct correlation between your personal health and the health of your business. Simply put, if you are overwhelmed, stressed and not vital at work, you are not bringing your best self forward and your performance will inevitably slip. Build in daily self-care time to renew and revitalize yourself (i.e. music, walking, napping) and put them in your calendar as non-negotiable. You’ll feel better and get more done with less effort!
5. Losing the Passion for Your Business
When your business becomes passion-less, every task becomes stressful. You feel pushed to work rather than energized and pulled by your passion. This takes a great toll on you personally as well as on your business. Take a moment to remember your initial reasons for starting the business and what lit you up in the first place (i.e. to make a difference, to offer a new product, to bring your creativity to the world), then figure out how you can add the spice back in.
Commit to outsourcing the “un-fun” activities and allow yourself to feel good about your business again. This will allow you to decrease your stress and will naturally create better results.
I recently recognized the power of addressing these common mistakes with my client Anita, an international PR firm director. She realized that while she had completed an initial business plan three years ago, she rarely ever looked at it or conducted her business around it. When we revisited the plan, she reconnected with her passion and commitment to being a socially responsible company. She understood how many critical pieces from her original plan were missing from her current business actions. After she realized that, she was able to chart a new path with less stress and overwhelm, and much more joy and purpose.
I wish you great clarity and ease in your business so that you can make the difference you truly desire.
May you know joy, may you know peace and may you work with ease
It’s often difficult to “know what you don’t know” in the midst of work. You are inundated with a huge number of activities and roles to keep reach your goals. This probably creates stress and constant worry—about getting it all done, being successful and creating results.
Let’s discuss some mistakes that people make at work so that you can avoid the pain, frustration, stress and overwhelm in your day.
1. Being Unclear With Work Projects
Lack of clarity in your work can create immediate overwhelm. Many people are clear about the tasks they need to do daily want (i.e. home, travel, family, etc.), but often fail to have a specific intention and a plan to get there. If you feel uncertain and unclear, your business can feel like a daily struggle. It’s essential to have a picture of your business that includes all your requirements. Create the vision first, then build the business to fit into the vision. (Most people build a business then realize it’s not what they intended for their life.)
2. Not Having a Business Plan, or Having an Underutilized One
Similar to having clarity, you’ll want to also have a crystal-clear business plan. Without a plan, you’re very busy but may lack direction and an end goal. In my experience, over 75% of the small businesses I worked with didn’t have a business plan.
Only when you have crafted a weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly plan (with a set of clear endpoints and metrics) can you take the daily actions to fulfilling your business goals. Allow the clarity of your plan to create more ease (when you understand what needs to be done, you will naturally feel more at ease).
3. Limited Planning Time
When you operate your business with little or no planning time, you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed rather than in control. You become reactive as you “put out fires,” problem solve, and complete your work each day.
Rather than planning for the future, you end up working in the business, not on it (principle drawn from Michael Gerber’s book The E-Myth). Give yourself the gift of time and space to plan. You’ll feel great, reduce your stress and be able to identify those things needed to create the best result.
4. Lack of Self-Care and Personal Time
Most business owners feel they have to sacrifice their personal lives while they are growing their businesses. Unfortunately, the lack of self-care and personal time can actually signal the demise of one’s business. As you shift away from sacrifice and move toward self-care, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
There’s a direct correlation between your personal health and the health of your business. Simply put, if you are overwhelmed, stressed and not vital at work, you are not bringing your best self forward and your performance will inevitably slip. Build in daily self-care time to renew and revitalize yourself (i.e. music, walking, napping) and put them in your calendar as non-negotiable. You’ll feel better and get more done with less effort!
5. Losing the Passion for Your Business
When your business becomes passion-less, every task becomes stressful. You feel pushed to work rather than energized and pulled by your passion. This takes a great toll on you personally as well as on your business. Take a moment to remember your initial reasons for starting the business and what lit you up in the first place (i.e. to make a difference, to offer a new product, to bring your creativity to the world), then figure out how you can add the spice back in.
Commit to outsourcing the “un-fun” activities and allow yourself to feel good about your business again. This will allow you to decrease your stress and will naturally create better results.
I recently recognized the power of addressing these common mistakes with my client Anita, an international PR firm director. She realized that while she had completed an initial business plan three years ago, she rarely ever looked at it or conducted her business around it. When we revisited the plan, she reconnected with her passion and commitment to being a socially responsible company. She understood how many critical pieces from her original plan were missing from her current business actions. After she realized that, she was able to chart a new path with less stress and overwhelm, and much more joy and purpose.
I wish you great clarity and ease in your business so that you can make the difference you truly desire.
May you know joy, may you know peace and may you work with ease
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
How to Skillfully Manage Work Interruptions
In the previous weeks we have discussed how to plan interruptions into your day in order to get work done. Some times despite all of your best efforts to move your time around, interruptions can still happen from time to time. How can you manage it and get back on track? This week we are going to discuss how to manage the work interruptions as they come your way.
Amidst work deadlines and project teams, interruptions seem inevitable. At first glance, they may appear harmless but persistent interruptions throughout your workday can cause you to feel unfocused, frustrated and overwhelmed. Have you ever left your office feeling like you’ve not accomplished a thing all day? In some cases, that’s exactly what happened. Did you know that an individual gets interrupted at work about every three minutes which averages 160 interruptions per day! Whether it’s an email, phone call, employee question or project emergency, they are all disruptive to your workflow.
Interruptions pull you out of your current focus and into someone else’s world. It generally results in unproductive and inefficient work behavior. It can prove quite costly to your productivity and satisfaction at work. Rather than feeling you are at the mercy of continual interruptions, you may want to consider restructuring your time at work to maximize your productivity and sense of ease.
When you consciously manage interruptions, you can increase your results and revenue. Research from Dr. Gloria Mark of the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of California Irvine, indicates that it takes anywhere between 6 and 20 minutes to recover and refocus after you are interrupted. So, not only are you using up time during the actual interruption, you are also expending additional time to “get back on track” with the work you were doing prior to being interrupted.
Try one (or all) of the following steps to manage disruptive work interruptions:
1. Note your current source of interruptions and time that they are taking in your schedule, you’ll then be better prepared to address them.
2. Make a commitment to not interrupt yourself. When engaged in a task, resist the urge to “survey the landscape” (i.e. check email, get up and talk, read Internet news, etc.).
3. Identify your peak productivity hours then schedule your tasks appropriately (most people do things out of habit rather than honoring their natural rhythm).
4. Schedule 30 minutes per day of “noninterrupt time” during your peak hours (even if it means closing your office door or telling your colleagues you can’t be interrupted).
5. Begin to notice if you are interrupting others, ask to approach them and be willing to re-negotiate another time to talk or meet (it will model new behaviors for both of you).
On a recent call with a client, he lamented, “I feel like I can never get anything done. My whole day is a series of interruptions from my manager and my colleagues. I just have to accept that I have to work this way… even if it means I can’t do my best work and I’m always stressed.” He seemed to accept that his work would be stressful and that interruptions were inevitable. I challenged both assumptions and encouraged him to explore how he might work with more ease.
We identified the actions he could implement to change things in his work environment. Over the next month, he was thrilled with the results his actions had created. These new actions dramatically increased his productivity and his team’s. People began to respect each other’s time, kept their questions more focused, and honored the hours available in the day. My client could focus more fully on work, engage in more innovative thinking and produce better solutions.
You too can benefit from managing interruptions and creating focused time during your peak productivity hours.
I wish you well as you begin to incorporate this new information.
For more information about how to work with ease, please visit my website: workwithease.com
Amidst work deadlines and project teams, interruptions seem inevitable. At first glance, they may appear harmless but persistent interruptions throughout your workday can cause you to feel unfocused, frustrated and overwhelmed. Have you ever left your office feeling like you’ve not accomplished a thing all day? In some cases, that’s exactly what happened. Did you know that an individual gets interrupted at work about every three minutes which averages 160 interruptions per day! Whether it’s an email, phone call, employee question or project emergency, they are all disruptive to your workflow.
Interruptions pull you out of your current focus and into someone else’s world. It generally results in unproductive and inefficient work behavior. It can prove quite costly to your productivity and satisfaction at work. Rather than feeling you are at the mercy of continual interruptions, you may want to consider restructuring your time at work to maximize your productivity and sense of ease.
When you consciously manage interruptions, you can increase your results and revenue. Research from Dr. Gloria Mark of the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of California Irvine, indicates that it takes anywhere between 6 and 20 minutes to recover and refocus after you are interrupted. So, not only are you using up time during the actual interruption, you are also expending additional time to “get back on track” with the work you were doing prior to being interrupted.
Try one (or all) of the following steps to manage disruptive work interruptions:
1. Note your current source of interruptions and time that they are taking in your schedule, you’ll then be better prepared to address them.
2. Make a commitment to not interrupt yourself. When engaged in a task, resist the urge to “survey the landscape” (i.e. check email, get up and talk, read Internet news, etc.).
3. Identify your peak productivity hours then schedule your tasks appropriately (most people do things out of habit rather than honoring their natural rhythm).
4. Schedule 30 minutes per day of “noninterrupt time” during your peak hours (even if it means closing your office door or telling your colleagues you can’t be interrupted).
5. Begin to notice if you are interrupting others, ask to approach them and be willing to re-negotiate another time to talk or meet (it will model new behaviors for both of you).
On a recent call with a client, he lamented, “I feel like I can never get anything done. My whole day is a series of interruptions from my manager and my colleagues. I just have to accept that I have to work this way… even if it means I can’t do my best work and I’m always stressed.” He seemed to accept that his work would be stressful and that interruptions were inevitable. I challenged both assumptions and encouraged him to explore how he might work with more ease.
We identified the actions he could implement to change things in his work environment. Over the next month, he was thrilled with the results his actions had created. These new actions dramatically increased his productivity and his team’s. People began to respect each other’s time, kept their questions more focused, and honored the hours available in the day. My client could focus more fully on work, engage in more innovative thinking and produce better solutions.
You too can benefit from managing interruptions and creating focused time during your peak productivity hours.
I wish you well as you begin to incorporate this new information.
For more information about how to work with ease, please visit my website: workwithease.com
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
How to Build Planned Interruptions Into Your Work Day
As promised, I am now going to continue my dicussion on Time Management and Planning for Interruptions by giving you an example of a client of mine and how we planned interruptions into his work day schedule. I am going to close the discussion with tips on how you can do the same.
On a recent client call with Venkat, he lamented, "I feel like I can never get anything done. My whole day is just a series of interruptions from my manager and all my staff. I just have to accept that I have to work this way…even if it means that I am not doing my best work and I'm always stressed out." Venkat seemed to accept that his work would be stressful and that interruptions were inevitable. I challenged both assumptions and encouraged him to explore how he might work with more ease.
During the rest of our call, we identified the following actions he could implement to change things in his workenvironment:
1. Pinpoint his hours of optimum productivity (it was 10:00am to2:00pm)
2. Organize his meetings and schedule to allow him uninterrupted time between 10:00am and 2:00pm
3. Determine three time blocks during the day for planned interruption (his were 9:00am-10:00am, 3:00pm-4:00pm and 6:00pm-7:00pm)
4. Communicate the idea of planned interruption to his team and indicatethe blocks of time he would be available while encouraging his teammembers to keep the similar schedule.
5. Pilot this new schedule for 30 days as an experiment.
Over the next month, he was thrilled with the results his actions had created. These periods of planned interruption dramatically increased Venkat's productivity as well as his team's. People began to respect each other'stime more, kept their questions more focused, and honored the hours available. After one month, they decided to implement planned interruptions as a standard practice going forward. In fact, because they now have structures to handle the interruptions, they can focus more fully on their work, generate better solutions and engage in more innovative thinking.
How might you begin to build in planned interruptions during the course of your workday? Can you target "non-interrupt" time and also "interrupt" time? How can you communicate this to others and begin to manage the flow of your workday rather than
it feeling out of control and overwhelming? Consider it a gift to yourself, one that will help you move towards greater productivity and ease.
As you consider the idea of planned interruptions, you might think it's nearly impossible in your work environment. While it may seem difficult, or that interruptions are inevitable, I challenge you to get curious about small ways that you can begin to experiment with this. Once you begin to see the returns, you'll want to increase the amount of time for yourself and your
colleagues.
Willing to play? Here are a set of actions to create "planned interruption" time:
1. Make a commitment to not interrupt yourself (yes, let's start with you). When you are engaging in a task, notice the tendency to want to "survey" the landscape (i.e. check email, get up and talk, read Internet news, etc.) and resist the urge.
2. Identify your peak productivity hours.
3. Begin by scheduling 30 minutes per day of "non-interrupt time" during those peak hours (that might mean negotiating a new meeting time or closing your door).
4. Then schedule 60 minutes of planned interruption time where you can jump from task to task, be interrupted and interrupt others.
5. Communicate this concept and schedule to others, encourage them to visit you again at that particular time of the day.
6. Trust that you can structure this and set these boundaries without being curt, abrupt or rude. Gently ask colleagues to assist you in honoring your new work process of planned interruption and see if they'd be willing to experiment with you (and perhaps for themselves).
7. Monitor your increase in productivity after 30 days and celebrate your wins.
8. Increase the time as your schedule (and courage) allow.
Each of these actions will bring you amazing returns. Trust the process and enjoy your newfound jump in productivity. I would love to hear your stories about how you applied this in your workplace. Send me an email at Athena to let me know! May you continue to find ways to work with ease!
On a recent client call with Venkat, he lamented, "I feel like I can never get anything done. My whole day is just a series of interruptions from my manager and all my staff. I just have to accept that I have to work this way…even if it means that I am not doing my best work and I'm always stressed out." Venkat seemed to accept that his work would be stressful and that interruptions were inevitable. I challenged both assumptions and encouraged him to explore how he might work with more ease.
During the rest of our call, we identified the following actions he could implement to change things in his workenvironment:
1. Pinpoint his hours of optimum productivity (it was 10:00am to2:00pm)
2. Organize his meetings and schedule to allow him uninterrupted time between 10:00am and 2:00pm
3. Determine three time blocks during the day for planned interruption (his were 9:00am-10:00am, 3:00pm-4:00pm and 6:00pm-7:00pm)
4. Communicate the idea of planned interruption to his team and indicatethe blocks of time he would be available while encouraging his teammembers to keep the similar schedule.
5. Pilot this new schedule for 30 days as an experiment.
Over the next month, he was thrilled with the results his actions had created. These periods of planned interruption dramatically increased Venkat's productivity as well as his team's. People began to respect each other'stime more, kept their questions more focused, and honored the hours available. After one month, they decided to implement planned interruptions as a standard practice going forward. In fact, because they now have structures to handle the interruptions, they can focus more fully on their work, generate better solutions and engage in more innovative thinking.
How might you begin to build in planned interruptions during the course of your workday? Can you target "non-interrupt" time and also "interrupt" time? How can you communicate this to others and begin to manage the flow of your workday rather than
it feeling out of control and overwhelming? Consider it a gift to yourself, one that will help you move towards greater productivity and ease.
As you consider the idea of planned interruptions, you might think it's nearly impossible in your work environment. While it may seem difficult, or that interruptions are inevitable, I challenge you to get curious about small ways that you can begin to experiment with this. Once you begin to see the returns, you'll want to increase the amount of time for yourself and your
colleagues.
Willing to play? Here are a set of actions to create "planned interruption" time:
1. Make a commitment to not interrupt yourself (yes, let's start with you). When you are engaging in a task, notice the tendency to want to "survey" the landscape (i.e. check email, get up and talk, read Internet news, etc.) and resist the urge.
2. Identify your peak productivity hours.
3. Begin by scheduling 30 minutes per day of "non-interrupt time" during those peak hours (that might mean negotiating a new meeting time or closing your door).
4. Then schedule 60 minutes of planned interruption time where you can jump from task to task, be interrupted and interrupt others.
5. Communicate this concept and schedule to others, encourage them to visit you again at that particular time of the day.
6. Trust that you can structure this and set these boundaries without being curt, abrupt or rude. Gently ask colleagues to assist you in honoring your new work process of planned interruption and see if they'd be willing to experiment with you (and perhaps for themselves).
7. Monitor your increase in productivity after 30 days and celebrate your wins.
8. Increase the time as your schedule (and courage) allow.
Each of these actions will bring you amazing returns. Trust the process and enjoy your newfound jump in productivity. I would love to hear your stories about how you applied this in your workplace. Send me an email at Athena to let me know! May you continue to find ways to work with ease!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Build in "Planned Interruptions" to Work with Ease
In April I discussed Time Management and how you can begin to manage time with ease. In order to continue with this process, it's important to take all aspects of your day into consideration. Interruptions are a part of a typical work day for many of us. One of the keys to effective time management is to find a way to plan interruptions into your day so you can anticipate the unexpected! Through the rest of May I will focus on Interruptions. I will start with introducing interruptions and how you can plan for them. I will close the month with a discussion on how you can Manage Interruptions in your day.
In the course of a typical workday, each person gets interrupted about every three minutes (with an average of 20 times per hour). This equates to 160-200 interruptions per day. Yikes! Is it any wonder, then, that people often leave work feeling like they've accomplished nothing? In some cases, that's exactly what happens, as the day is filled with interruptions and little focused time.
Interruptions pull you out of your current focus (i.e. email, report, project or workflow) and into someone else's world. This "pull"sometimes comes in the form of a friendly
request such as "Can I have just a few minutes of your time," or perhaps a hasty demand such as "I need your help with something." Either way, it's generally unproductive work
behavior that actually creates inefficiency for both parties.
Research from Dr. Gloria Mark of the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of California in Irvine, indicates that it takes anywhere between 6 and 20 minutes to recover and refocus after you are interrupted. So, not only are you using up time during the actual interruption, you are also expending additional time to "get back on track" with the work you were doing prior to being interrupted. The brain requires cycle time to process the data needed to handle the interruption, track back to the original task, remember what the original goal was, then move towards completion of that task. While you might find yourself saying, "Oh no, I'm actually great at handling interruptions and multi-tasking…it doesn't really bother me," chances are you find yourself exhausted at the end of the day from the mental exhaustion of interrupt-driven environments.
Rather than feeling you are at the mercy of continual interruptions, you may want to consider restructuring your time at work to maximize your productivity and sense of ease.
You can begin that process by identifying times for "planned interruptions" in which all of the small interruptions that would normally happen throughout the day are fit into buckets of time. By structuring this time two or three spots during the day, you begin to create more focus, structure and management of your time. This not only protects your max productivity time but also encourages others to better manage themselves throughout the day. The simple act of declaring your desire to reduce interruptions works magic - you get more disciplined at work, others group their questions prior to approaching you and, most importantly, you save time and energy at work.
Next week I will tell you about a client of mine that needed to plan interruptions in his day and how we identifed ways for doing this. I will also give you some tips on how you can do it too!
In the course of a typical workday, each person gets interrupted about every three minutes (with an average of 20 times per hour). This equates to 160-200 interruptions per day. Yikes! Is it any wonder, then, that people often leave work feeling like they've accomplished nothing? In some cases, that's exactly what happens, as the day is filled with interruptions and little focused time.
Interruptions pull you out of your current focus (i.e. email, report, project or workflow) and into someone else's world. This "pull"sometimes comes in the form of a friendly
request such as "Can I have just a few minutes of your time," or perhaps a hasty demand such as "I need your help with something." Either way, it's generally unproductive work
behavior that actually creates inefficiency for both parties.
Research from Dr. Gloria Mark of the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of California in Irvine, indicates that it takes anywhere between 6 and 20 minutes to recover and refocus after you are interrupted. So, not only are you using up time during the actual interruption, you are also expending additional time to "get back on track" with the work you were doing prior to being interrupted. The brain requires cycle time to process the data needed to handle the interruption, track back to the original task, remember what the original goal was, then move towards completion of that task. While you might find yourself saying, "Oh no, I'm actually great at handling interruptions and multi-tasking…it doesn't really bother me," chances are you find yourself exhausted at the end of the day from the mental exhaustion of interrupt-driven environments.
Rather than feeling you are at the mercy of continual interruptions, you may want to consider restructuring your time at work to maximize your productivity and sense of ease.
You can begin that process by identifying times for "planned interruptions" in which all of the small interruptions that would normally happen throughout the day are fit into buckets of time. By structuring this time two or three spots during the day, you begin to create more focus, structure and management of your time. This not only protects your max productivity time but also encourages others to better manage themselves throughout the day. The simple act of declaring your desire to reduce interruptions works magic - you get more disciplined at work, others group their questions prior to approaching you and, most importantly, you save time and energy at work.
Next week I will tell you about a client of mine that needed to plan interruptions in his day and how we identifed ways for doing this. I will also give you some tips on how you can do it too!
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Techniques for Working Beyond Time Management
As promised we are now going to cover the techniques for working Beyond Time Management:
1. Create a Priority Management System - Ensure that you have one system that captures all of your tasks, priorities, projects and scheduled meetings. Many people use Outlook orother time management systems but fail to capture everything (yes,
everything) in that one system. Further, because they fail to prioritize their projects and tasks, they are left with an endless list of actions without a clear map to complete them. If this is the case for you, spend this next week gathering everything into one system,then schedule a block of two hours to prioritize everything for the next week (or longer if possible). This will give
you a sigh of relief and a sense of ease. Continue this practice daily and simply integrate new projects/tasks into your system as they arrive. The time this takes (10-15 minutes daily) will bring you great returns. You'll feel more calm, relaxed, focused and productive.
2. Understand Your High-Return Activities - Which activities do you engage in that bring you the highest return and move you closer to your monthly or annual goals? Which tasks move you further away? Spend some time this week creating these lists and you'll be surprised what you find. Many people spend too much time in the low-return activities and very little in the high-return activities, then wonder why their goals are difficult to achieve. By identifying your high return activities, you'll be ahead of the game and moving closer to ease each day. You'll want to spend at least 60% of your time on high-return activities while delegating or deleting the lowreturnones.
3. Resist the Urge to Rush - While rushing through activities may seem like the only way to get everything done, it actually diminishes your effectiveness in the long run. Rushing can actually activate a "fight or flight" response in your body, leaving you feeling scattered and impatient. When you rush, your work is simply not your best. You may miss details, be unclear or produce incomplete work. Plus, when you rush in conversations or meetings, other people actually pick
up an unspoken (and sometimes unconscious) "push" from you. They might feel as though you aresomewhat impatient with a likelihood of becoming a bit defensive. Resist the urge to rush by trusting your ability to get done what you can in an allotted amount of time, knowing that you can re-negotiate other deliverables if needed. The cost of re-work and rushing is just not worth it. When you resist the urge to rush, you'll begin to notice that you and others around you
feel more ease, and you can then create better work.
Enjoy this new approach to time and begin working with more ease. When you create a central repository for all your work, and then prioritize from that system, you'll gain clarity and renewed focus. As you understand your high-return activities and resist the urge to rush, you'll feel more centered and powerful each day. This will allow you to create stronger results and make the impact you most desire and deserve.
To learn some additional quick steps you can take to reduce the stress in your work, sign up for our audio program and workbook (value $39.95) entitled "Beginning to Work With Ease: 5 Powerful Techniques to Improve Your Worklife". For a more comprehensive solution, you can join the powerful Teleconference Programs or schedule an Individual Consultation.
1. Create a Priority Management System - Ensure that you have one system that captures all of your tasks, priorities, projects and scheduled meetings. Many people use Outlook orother time management systems but fail to capture everything (yes,
everything) in that one system. Further, because they fail to prioritize their projects and tasks, they are left with an endless list of actions without a clear map to complete them. If this is the case for you, spend this next week gathering everything into one system,then schedule a block of two hours to prioritize everything for the next week (or longer if possible). This will give
you a sigh of relief and a sense of ease. Continue this practice daily and simply integrate new projects/tasks into your system as they arrive. The time this takes (10-15 minutes daily) will bring you great returns. You'll feel more calm, relaxed, focused and productive.
2. Understand Your High-Return Activities - Which activities do you engage in that bring you the highest return and move you closer to your monthly or annual goals? Which tasks move you further away? Spend some time this week creating these lists and you'll be surprised what you find. Many people spend too much time in the low-return activities and very little in the high-return activities, then wonder why their goals are difficult to achieve. By identifying your high return activities, you'll be ahead of the game and moving closer to ease each day. You'll want to spend at least 60% of your time on high-return activities while delegating or deleting the lowreturnones.
3. Resist the Urge to Rush - While rushing through activities may seem like the only way to get everything done, it actually diminishes your effectiveness in the long run. Rushing can actually activate a "fight or flight" response in your body, leaving you feeling scattered and impatient. When you rush, your work is simply not your best. You may miss details, be unclear or produce incomplete work. Plus, when you rush in conversations or meetings, other people actually pick
up an unspoken (and sometimes unconscious) "push" from you. They might feel as though you aresomewhat impatient with a likelihood of becoming a bit defensive. Resist the urge to rush by trusting your ability to get done what you can in an allotted amount of time, knowing that you can re-negotiate other deliverables if needed. The cost of re-work and rushing is just not worth it. When you resist the urge to rush, you'll begin to notice that you and others around you
feel more ease, and you can then create better work.
Enjoy this new approach to time and begin working with more ease. When you create a central repository for all your work, and then prioritize from that system, you'll gain clarity and renewed focus. As you understand your high-return activities and resist the urge to rush, you'll feel more centered and powerful each day. This will allow you to create stronger results and make the impact you most desire and deserve.
To learn some additional quick steps you can take to reduce the stress in your work, sign up for our audio program and workbook (value $39.95) entitled "Beginning to Work With Ease: 5 Powerful Techniques to Improve Your Worklife". For a more comprehensive solution, you can join the powerful Teleconference Programs or schedule an Individual Consultation.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Beyond Time Management - Hidden Secrets to Relate to Time with Ease
The inability to manage time is one of the biggest challenges most people face at work. There are simply too many things to do in a day. We don't think we have enough time, energy or focus to get it all done. We may feel trapped by time and unable to master it. We know how many hours we have to work each day, yet we never seem to have enough time at our disposal. In many ways, time can seem quite elusive to us.
If you're unable to easily manage all your time, priorities and tasks, a low-level anxiety emerges in which you feel as if you are on a never-ending treadmill. Or, worse, that you're drowning in a sea of projects and responsibilities, with no help in sight. These feelings create stress, frustration and overwhelm.
What if there were truly enough hours in the day for you to get everything done? (Pssst…there are.) And what if you were able to easily navigate your tasks, set your priorities, and establish clear agreements with others around deadlines? (Pssst… you can.)
It's time to create a new relationship to time, one in which you feel you have plenty of choice, freedom and personal power! When you consider the idea of being more easeful at work, you begin to create a new relationship to time, work and relationships.
In the next few posts I will be giving you tips on how you can do this.
If you would like even more information, please click here to learn about my free teleconference"Eliminate the Deadline Dread: New Strategies to Create Results with Ease" it will teach you many techniques for managing deadlines and priorities with ease.
If you're unable to easily manage all your time, priorities and tasks, a low-level anxiety emerges in which you feel as if you are on a never-ending treadmill. Or, worse, that you're drowning in a sea of projects and responsibilities, with no help in sight. These feelings create stress, frustration and overwhelm.
What if there were truly enough hours in the day for you to get everything done? (Pssst…there are.) And what if you were able to easily navigate your tasks, set your priorities, and establish clear agreements with others around deadlines? (Pssst… you can.)
It's time to create a new relationship to time, one in which you feel you have plenty of choice, freedom and personal power! When you consider the idea of being more easeful at work, you begin to create a new relationship to time, work and relationships.
In the next few posts I will be giving you tips on how you can do this.
If you would like even more information, please click here to learn about my free teleconference"Eliminate the Deadline Dread: New Strategies to Create Results with Ease" it will teach you many techniques for managing deadlines and priorities with ease.
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