The problem is, once I had those files in my sight, other images started flooding to mind.  My file drawers are begging to be culled and my To Do list is due for an overhaul. (Seriously – did I really think I’d get to those tasks that had been sitting there for months?)

Confession #1: Productivity Consultant and all – my office organizing systems are starting to run amok. (Don’t even get me started about my garage.) This spring weather has opened my eyes to things I chose to “ignore” for a tad too long.

It’s come time to admit it: I need to get organized.

Usually I am organized. Honest. I just slipped a little over the winter.

Now I have always prided myself on being an organizing junkie. (Hey – we all need something to brag about.) It’s just that somehow things started to slip over the winter.

Confession #2: I like organizing. True statement. I like to put things in their place and to have calmness around me.   Judge me if you must, but I think that organizing is fun.

Unfortunately, a few really good excuses enabled me to fall off the wagon.

Fortunately, I am a pro when it comes to busting excuses. Here they are – with the reality check accompanying them. Hopefully my painful journey will help you to avoid plummeting into the same pit.

Excuse #1: I’m too busy working to spend time organizing

Reality Check: I can fit anything into my life, if I deem it to be important enough. And clearly yes, lots of things do not make the cut. (Case in point: I’m not doing too many sit-ups these days.)

So what I needed was a reminder that being organized is important. It saves me time (otherwise wasted looking for things), keeps me thinking more strategically (and less buried in the weeds) and helps me to be more proactive about my deadlines. (There is nothing less productive than always working in crisis mode.)

Excuse #2: I don’t have any spare time to get organized

Reality Check: I need to make the time.

After weeks of denial, my office manager realized that I needed help and took matters into her own hands: “Ann: we’re going to take 10 minutes to clear this credenza.” I tried to protest – I had a workshop that afternoon and countless other urgent things to do. But deep down I knew that any attempt to resist organizing was feeble.  She is one of those people who it’s hard to say no to. You know the kind. Anyhoo, it was the best thing for me.

Excuse #3: I know where everything is. I’m not losing any time by being disorganized!

Reality Check: I was wasting time (and impact) looking, sorting, re-printing …

Yes, there is a chance that I am an exception to the abundance of research out there indicating how much time people lose on a daily basis from being disorganized. But I’d probably have more luck with the lottery.

Excuse #4: It would take too long to set up – who has the time?

Reality Check: Getting organized doesn’t actually take that long.

I have helped countless clients organize their office. In most cases it has taken somewhere between 2-5 hours. And the beauty of this project is that you can break it down, and get a big visual payoff at each stage.

Excuse #5: Getting organized is painful (ok – this wasn’t my excuse, but I hear lots of other people say this)

Reality Check: Getting organized is one of the quickest returns on your investment. And there is nothing better than a good pay-off.

It is a simple activity that reaps immediate benefits. Turn on the music, recruit help, bring in some yummy snacks and make it fun.

Excuse #6: My job is more strategic; I don’t have to worry about the details

Reality Check: When I am not organized I tend to get caught up in the weeds and reactive (versus proactive). I also run the risk of becoming a bottleneck to other people (who are focused on the details).

Being organized is an important part of being able to see the bigger picture, staying proactive and staying focused on our goals.

 
Excuse #7: My job is simply too busy to stay organized

Reality Check: If it isn’t easy to maintain, it isn’t the right system for me.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ model here. There is no shame in trying a new system. (And even the best systems out there need to tweaking occasionally.) Figure out what isn’t working and adjust accordingly. Keep it simple though. When things get too fancy, they become too hard to maintain.

 
Excuse #8: A clear desk will make it look like I have nothing to do

Reality Check: No one seriously uses this excuse anymore, right?

It’s very easy to let the systems slip. So as the sun shines outside, I’m putting the spotlight on my trouble areas. No more excuses, it’s time to get organized. On that note, I am going to update my To Do list. Feel free to ask me to show it off the next time you see me. It will soon be a beauty.

But it’s all for a good reason.

Our driving motivation boils down to living life the best way we know how.

But sometimes, in the midst of trying to be uber-productive, we can get all caught up in our lists and deadlines.  And we can lose sight of the big picture.

Kids often have a terrific perspective on life.  Check out these To Do lists for a good laugh, and a reminder to stay focused on the most important thing – living life.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/08/the-funniest-kids-to-do-l_n_599758.html#s95829

My favourite one is “do fun things”, followed by a close second: “mix corn starch and water”.

What is yours?

At a recent productivity workshop, I was telling everyone that the root of any good productivity system comes down to the simple To Do List. Based on the reaction from the audience, I almost felt like I had to run for cover.

“To Do Lists don’t work for me!”

“I’ve tried them in the past but I give up.”

“They take too long to maintain.”

“I’m rather just focus on getting the work done.”

But I held strong, and invited the participants to reconsider.

In Search of a Reliable System

We deal with countless tasks. It can be hard – even impossible – to keep them all straight. So we tend to do all sorts of things to remind ourselves of our tasks:

• We pile
• We keep emails in our inbox
• We use sticky notes
• We run through things in our head over and over again
• We make lists, and more lists
• We stack piles on top of piles

Are you nodding your head yet?

Chaos

All of these things add up to a chaotic environment:

• Important things get buried under stacks of paper.
• We forget things.
• Deadlines pass.
• Work piles up.
• We end up jumping from one urgent task to the next.

Are you nodding your head again?

The To Do List Saves the Day

A To Do list is almost magical in its ability to corral the chaos.  It reminds us of key deadlines, lets us feel confident to put things away and allows us to stay focused on our current task – without worrying that we are forgetting something.

Which System Should You Use?

There are many different options. Generally, I prefer electronic lists that you print out and keep handy.  (Hand-written lists have to be re-written which is redundant).

Click here to download free To Do list
templates in Word, PowerPoint and Excel

3 Things

Regardless of what your To Do list looks like, it should do three things:

1) Capture 100% of your tasks and their deadline

2) Keep all of your tasks in one central location

3) Categorize by type of work (e.g., Clients; Team; Admin.)

The most important thing is to choose one system that works for you.

Get rid of your sticky notes, your piles and your inbox.

Stay Tuned

In my next blog I’ll talk about prioritizing within categories.

Download free productivity templates.

One story described Van Halen’s concert contracts.  These contracts clearly request a bowl of M&M’s “with all the brown candies removed, upon pain of forfeiture of the show, with full compensation to the band”.   The story goes on to say that Van Halen actually followed through on this clause at least once.

 My first reaction to this was: “Wow – another example of a ridiculous rock star request”.  But my reaction changed as I read more …

Van Halen’s theory was that if the M&M’s clause is overlooked, other critical clauses might also be overlooked.  When the band walked out on the concert noted above, it wasn’t because of the M&M’s.  It was because the venue had failed to read the weight requirements leading to a high risk of the staging falling through the arena floor.  When the band saw the brown M&M’s, they started looking into other details.  When I think about it this way, the M&M’s clause is a brilliant idea. 

Van Halen’s contracts are checklists, comprised of many, many details.  The M&M’s clause simply helps to determine how well the concert venue follows the checklist.  The Checklist Manifesto goes on to demonstrate case after case where complex situations benefit from a simple checklist.

Many of us deal with complicated jobs: we may need to track hundreds of different tasks.  A checklist (or a To Do List) is the best way to track all of these tasks.

Tune in to my next blog when I talk about how to create the perfect To Do List.

Getting in the habit of planning ahead was valuable. Having someone acting as my co-pilot, pushing me to plan ahead … priceless.

One of the biggest benefits of working with an assistant is that they can push us to plan ahead. What is the plan for today? Who do we need to follow-up with? What do we need to start working on?

From the newly appointed manager up to the savvy executive, lots of people struggle with how to leverage their assistant most effectively. Here are some more detailed suggestions:

Tip #1: Your assistant is your partner

The best manager/assistant relationships are true partnerships. Both parties have a detailed appreciation for the current projects and are committed to achieving common goals. Each person focuses on their areas of expertise. But they are both working towards common goals.

Tip #2: Daily meetings

Begin each day with a brief pow-wow (~10 minutes). Use this time to plan your day and review outstanding tasks. One of my clients makes it part of his daily routine to call his assistant during his morning commute (using hands-free of course). They review his plan for the day, and his assistant prompts him to think about looming deadlines. When he enters the office, he hits the ground running.

Tip #3: Your Information

Ask your assistant to help you establish and maintain one central To Do list, establish systems to organize your office and develop a strategy for the transition of information in and out of your office.

Tip #4: Your Focus

If you’ve been reading my blogs for awhile, you know that I whole-heartedly advocate focusing (versus multi-tasking). Your assistant can help to keep you focused by reminding you of your daily plan, helping to manage your interruptions and playing devil’s advocate if you find yourself distracted with other work.

Tip #5: Your Priorities

Engage your assistant to help you balance your time across your key priorities. This can include blocking off time for your work, helping to follow-up with colleagues, keeping you honest about how you balance your time, etc.

It All Comes Back to Planning

There are likely many other opportunities. In fact, some of your biggest ideas may come from your assistant. Dedicate some time to sit down with your assistant and plan how to make your partnership even more effective.

If you have any gems to share, please do so!

Turns out, despite how many times the above study is referenced, it appears to be mere folklore.  But, other studies are validating there appears to be some truth in this urban myth after all.

One study was based on 149 participants from 6 countries.  Those who wrote down their goals accomplished more than those who did not write down their goals.  To top it off, the differences were significant.  (Academics love the word significant.)  And those who shared their goals with others accomplished even more.

Why Does ‘Writing it Down’ Have an Impact?

Writing things down does several things, including:

•  Makes your goals more concrete and specific
•  Encourages you to filter out your most critical tasks
•  Adds the reinforcement that is often necessary to turn a goal into a reality
•  Creates a formal mechanism for you to share your goals with others

 Applying This Lesson

If you’re not already doing so, there are several things you can do starting today:

1)      Write down your plan for each day.  Do this the night before so you are primed to sink into a meaty project as soon as you get back to work the next day.

2)      Maintain one central TO DO list.  Don’t rely on your memory.  Write everything down.

3)      Create project plans for bigger chunks of work (i.e., 5 hours or more).  Define the key activities and timeline.

4)      Communicate your plan with other people.  This added accountability will bring you one step closer to achieving each of your goals.

5)      Ask your team members to write down their goals.  Together, refer back to these goals periodically to reinforce accountability and measure progress.

 Make it Happen

Lee Iaccoca once said: “The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen.”

We know that the best way to reinforce a lesson is to apply it.  When it comes to writing down your goals, take some inspiration from Nike: Just Do It.

As we near the end of the year, it’s a good chance to fine-tune how we manage our email. I’d like to take this opportunity to share Clear Concept’s favourite email management tips.

Clear Concept’s Top 10 Email Management Tips:

1) Limit use of the ‘cc’ and ‘reply all’ functions
Countless people tell me that their biggest pet peeve with email is being cc’d on an email that they didn’t need. Limit cc’ing someone simply to keep them informed. There are more efficient ways to do this. Also, limit use of the ‘reply all’ function.

2) Limit emails to 100 words or less
Like it or not, people are not hanging on our every word. People view email as a quick means of communication and therefore tend to scan messages. Wherever possible, keep your emails brief. And if your email needs to be longer, make sure to include a lot of structure.

3) Structure your emails
Use bullets, bold words, underlining, etc. to make your email easier to read. Limit use of paragraphs in emails.

4) Craft specific subject lines
Subject lines help to set reader expectations and to frame their actions. Both of these drive a faster response. Detailed subject lines are also helpful when you (or your recipient) need to search for an email at a later date.

5) Focus on clear communication
Just because a concept is clear in your mind, doesn’t mean it has translated well into an email. State your request in a specific and direct manner. Proof-read your email, and consider how the sender will interpret your message. Also – limit use of abbreviations.

6) Stick to fact-based or transactional discussion topics
Email is not the best venue for complex issues, contentious issues and inter-office politics. Also, limit or avoid using work email for personal messages or jokes.

7) Turn off your new email alerts
Email can be both tempting and distracting. Turn off your ‘new email alerts’ so you can focus on other things. Check your email when it works for you.
(In Microsoft Outlook: Tools -> Options -> Preferences – > Email Options -> Advanced Email Options)

Batch your emails.
It’s more efficient to do several emails at once than to process these emails throughout the hour. Identify specific times during the day to work on your emails.

9) Treat your in-box like a short-term To Do list.
Apply the ‘Touch it Once’ principle and focus on moving emails out of your inbox. File or delete emails as soon as you can. Drag an email to a long-term tasks folder if you don’t want to forget about it. Many senior executives (dealing with large volumes of email each day) are ruthless about not having to scroll down on their inbox.

10) Focus on making efficient decisions
Research indicates that one’s ability to make an efficient decision is correlated with management success. And it sure helps us to stay on top of our emails! When you have sufficient information, push yourself to make the decision required by that email.

For many of us, the holiday season is a good chance to re-group and consider some of our work habits. I hope that the above list helps you to kick off your 2009 emails on a strong note.

Does your office set-up support your productivity? Are you able to quickly find things when needed? Are you distracted by piles and outstanding action items?

Our work environment has a big impact on how much we get done and how well. The New Year is an ideal time to start fresh. Given that, here are some suggestions to optimize your office set-up.

1) File, Don’t Pile
Yes, this is easier said than done. The key is to have a solid filing system in place. If you currently lack this, consider establishing three levels of files: working, reference and archive.

• Working files are the active files you refer to on a daily or weekly basis. These should be housed in your office’s “prime real estate” or right at your fingertips, (e.g. your desk filing drawers).
• Reference files are those that you need less frequently, like on a monthly basis. Keep these in your office, but not in the “prime real estate” occupied by your working files, (e.g. latched filing cabinet behind your desk).
• Archive files are those files that are wrapped up and not currently being used. If these cannot be purged (and the majority of them can), they should be housed in less accessible locations, not necessarily in your office.

Keep in mind that your filing system needs room to grow. If your drawers are bursting at the seams, there is no doubt that you’ll choose to make piles instead of filing things away.

2) Maintain a “To Do” List
What does this have to do with office set-up? A reliable ‘To Do’ list helps us feel comfortable putting files away. We often keep piles on our desks because we think we need visible reminders to act on something. But the problem is, we often find ourselves sorting through these piles to re-prioritize items or refresh our memories. Not an effective use of time! The piles also create distractions, which impede our ability to focus on the task at hand. Once again, ineffective!

By tracking all (yes, 100%) of our outstanding action items on a ‘To Do’ list, we are more likely to put things away in our highly effective filing system (see tip #1).

3) Establish a Home for Everything
Everything needs a home: office supplies, reference materials, reading materials, papers coming in or going out of your office, notebooks, materials to bring home; I’m sure you have a long list. Each time you go to put something down in your office, ask yourself, “Is this the proper home?” If a home doesn’t exist, it’s time to establish one. When thinking about your ‘homes’, store things where you use them and keep “like” things together.

And finally, commit to putting things away and out of sight if not needed, including the shoe collection under your desk. It’s an obvious suggestion, and a key one at the same time.

H-Healthy Focus:
Preparing for the holidays is like preparing for a big competition – we need to be at our peak to make it through in fine form. Maintain critical aspects of your routine: fitness, healthy eating and getting enough sleep. All of these support your ability to function at peak productivity.

O-Overestimating:
Stress at this time of year is often associated with overestimating what we can reasonably accomplish.
How can you avoid this?
a) Make a list of everything that you want to accomplish by the end of the year. Determine what you can cut or postpone from that list.
b) Estimate how much time is required for each goal. Double that time.
c) Block off time to achieve those key goals; the remaining time is what you have available for meetings, business lunches, etc. The other stuff will wait until 2008.

L-Lists:
Keep your ‘Action Item’ or ‘To Do’ list on you at all times. Make use of short breaks to review a report or sign holiday cards.

I-In Moderation:
A ‘less is more approach’ truly resonates at this time of year. Review your list and think of creative ways to reduce your load and alleviate the pressure. Can you outsource meal prep or house cleaning? Can you take advantage of online shopping? Can you modify your full dinner party to a pot-luck?

D-Don’t be Afraid to Say No:
It’s much better to do a few things really well than to struggle with multiple things. Sometimes, saying ‘no’ requires practice. Repeat after me: “No, I won’t be able to do that in 2007.”

A-Allow for Free Time:
Work places often become ghost towns during holidays for good reason. Use this down time to update your files, catch up on reading and bring back some order to your desk. And then leave – switching off from work is important; the holidays are designed to be a time of rest and peace.

Y-Year End Celebration:
We know that our productivity improves when we take time to review (and learn from) past performance. There are likely many things that went well, and likely some things that you would like to see improved. Celebrate your many accomplishments and give yourself time to rejuvenate with time off. Grab your eggnog and kick up your feet. I can assure you that this productivity consultant will be doing that this holiday season!

1) Allow yourself to focus

A To-Do list allows us to free up our minds and fully focus on one thing. It’s much more difficult to review a report when we’re trying to remember to meet with Linda in finance and write a speech for the upcoming retreat.

2) Prioritize your work

Being able to quickly review and compare all of our tasks is a necessary component of prioritizing. I recommend spending 3-5 minutes each day identifying the most important things on your list. Identify both the urgent and non-urgent activities that you want to accomplish that day. Often, it is the important/non-urgent activities that lead to our success.

3) Follow through on your commitments

Our brains are generally not equipped to track a large number of tasks at one time. Many people profess that they can keep all of their action items in their heads. I believe that this approach can too easily lead to the 3am panic when we remember that we were supposed to send the client a replacement part.

Effectively managing a To-Do list is a key driver of workplace productivity. When we are passionate about our career and thinking ahead to the future, we are constantly identifying new tasks. A To-Do list is actually a reflection of our ability to accomplish many great things in the weeks to come. When you look at it that way, a To-Do list doesn’t seem so pesky after all!   ]]> http://www.clearconceptinc.ca/2006/10/those-pesky-to-do-lists/feed/ 0