Productivity Cafe

Sleep Longer This Weekend – Friday @ 5:00

This weekend make a plan for sleeping longer to get your energy stores high. Say your internal alarm clock has you getting up at 6:30 no matter what day of the week it is (mine has me up at 5:45). If that's you, go to bed really really early one night. You might settle in to watch a movie from bed at 7pm. With a 2 hour movie you'll be asleep by 9:30 pm getting 9 hours of sleep. Whoa. If you sleep that long you know you needed it.

If you can't do that for whatever reason, consider a two-a-day. That's a technique athletes use in training to amplify their training time and results. Apply the same to your sleeping. Get the usual night sleep. Then, plan and take a nap for 20, 45, or 90 minutes. These are good durations for real rest – you get Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep which provides refreshing rest.

If the kids get you up, set up a sleep-over swap with their friends. Send them all out one night – to sleep at friend's houses. Don't use the child-free time to shop, see a movie, or anything but stay at home and relish the peace of quiet. Have all the kids friends sleep over next weekend.

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Friday @ 5:00 is a weekly suggestion for R&R (rest and regeneration) for the weekend. Recharging your batteries so you're energetic is an important part of being productive. For related posts, click on Friday @ 5:00 under the categories heading in the right column.

Books Books Books

 

How many books do you have cluttering your shelves that you are going to read someday? Is there a pile of books near your favorite chair waiting for you to pick one up and crack the cover? Have you converted to listening to audio books during your travels so that paper books are somewhat replaced? How much money are you spending on books that are gathering dust?

Most of us would answer those questions… loads, yes, sometime, and a lot. That is I own loads of books and want to read them, yes there is a pile of books waiting for me to get started, audio books are a regular part of my commute, and those books around my house are worth a lot of money.

A year that I left a corporate position I spent a chunk of time analyzing where my personal money was spent and a measurable percentage was spent on books. Spending nearly a thousand dollars in one year could be justified by learning for my job – it's cheaper than going back to school. Reading is a great pleasure. And, that's only 40 books or so – less than one per week and a cheap luxury.

However, most of the books that I bought were not terrific. Good information, yes. But once through the thing,  it was never going to be opened again. Keeping them here would start to become clutter. So I generally passed them on.  After my analysis I created my own policy for book purchase, keeping, and use. Perhaps it would help you manage a book mess so here it is:

1. Borrow books from the library. My library has a system where I can reserve it from home. I receive an email when it arrives at the branch and I dash over to pick it up. The 15 minute walk is a good way to clear my head and get a bit of exercise.  Or, I drive by when I'm out doing other things, forgo the fitness and have my books in minutes.
2. If a book from the library is terrific – buy it.
3. Use the book case in my office to limit the number of books I keep. When the shelves are full, a book must go to make room for one to stay. That's my bookshelf pictured here.
4. Read the book in the 3 weeks that it's on loan from the library. If you're taking longer than that to get through it that duration is a clue that it's not got your interest.
5. Buy books that you want to write in. You might never read it a second time but the simple act of writing and making notes in it might mean the material is more meaningful to you.
6. Do not buy on impulse. Just because the big box store has a title that appeals, don't grab and go. Put it on your someday list and if you think about it again, buy it later.

Dancing with the Stars Lesson on Winning

Millions in America are watching the reality show Dancing with the Stars finale on November 26 & 27. One of the finalists has been described as "Not one of the best dancers, but with a huge following." That is Marie Osmond.  Marie's success so far reminds me of the coworker who gets the promotion while others are viewed as working harder or longer. She's got her network and it's working for her to get ahead. Here are a few places where she's built her support:

• QVC as a regular seller of dolls (an audience that places orders using the phone and internet to buy, so easily adaptable to placing votes for their favorite to win)
• As a singer on stage with and without her brother(s) for the last 2 decades,
• Fainting in one of the earlier shows. This unintentional drama put Marie on the lead-ins on the news and front pages of an untold number of newspapers.
• A possible sympathy vote for her fainting and losing her father during the course of the show.
• She seems to have lost lots of weight along the way. That's another attention getting factor.
• Marie is improving each week though she isn't the most capable dancer, she's good.
• Marie has the Q-factor – she's genuine and appealing to TV viewers.

In business we have all seen someone come out on top and get a promotion when they're not viewed as the most skilled for a position. And those situations are probably like this competition with Marie in it. It's the package that gets the vote and promotion. Quite simply one needs to take some lessons from Marie on winning and success. These lessons are:

• Start building your network now. It will grow and give you more and more opportunities as time passes.
• Work with other people as well as make individual contributions.
• Allow people to see the real you. Everyone has circumstances they deal with – the birth of a baby, the loss of a parent, or the anticipation of a vacation.
• Stay in shape. Studies show that people that are close to their recommended weight make more money than their peers who are somewhat to very overweight. You will be viewed well for staying in shape. You will also have a competitive advantage by having more energy by staying in shape.
• Continually improve. Take classes. Read books. Talk to those with experience. Grow. It won't always be what you do know but what you're capable of learning that will encourage people to give you the vote of confidence and the job or promotion.
• Be likable. For a whole slew of ideas on that read the perennial favorite by Dale Carnegie How to Win Friends and Influence People.

 

 

Give the Gift of the Year 2007! – Friday @ 5:00

Ah, the age old question of what to get someone who has everything or who is so special that you want to give a perfect gift. Since you may be shopping today, Black Friday in the USA, here's something to put on your list.

It's the end of 2007 and magazines are coming out with December editions with the themes: 'Best of 2007' 'Worst of 2007' 'The Year in Pictures' and more.  Collect 2 or 3 magazines that memorialize the year. Wrap them up in plain brown paper or glamorous shiny paper. Add a bow. Then deliver this collection to special people. This gift is particularly well received by:

• Moms & Dads with a new baby. This collection of magazines represents the world as their baby is born.
• Babies – well Mom & Dad will have to hold onto them until the baby is old enough to appreciate them. They'll enjoy pulling the magazines out each year.
• A couple that got married this year.
• A graduate who wore the cap & gown this year.
• … you get the idea.

Some things from the year I graduated –

• Surfing was something done on a board in the ocean.
• High Speed Access was for cars entering a highway.
• An airbag was someone who talked incessantly.
• Remote meant a secluded place off the beaten path.
• Cable was something that supported a bridge!

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R & R (rest and rejuvenation) are the intentions behind the Friday @ Five entries. Often these are inexpensive and low key because you recharging your batteries can be more easily achieved without running around and doing, doing, doing. A refreshed you will be a more productive you. Many Friday @ 5:00 entries are geared to do with your family or friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for YOU Productivity Café readers!

This is my favorite time of the year because it's the time to slow down and look back at the 11 months that make up this year. And, interacting with and serving you here at Productivity Café is one of my absolute highlights! Thank You for stopping by month after month in 2007. We look forward to hearing more from you in 2008!

Happy Thanksgiving to You!

 

What Everybody Ought to Know About Car Washes & Productivity

A car wash takes a messy car and in a matter of minutes delivers that same car with an overall sparkle and a bit of protection when you choose the super seal finish. When you take a close look, a car wash is a perfect example of a productive and efficient system. Let's break the system down to its basic and masterful components and examine how it parallels an effective personal system.

A Car Wash	A Masterful Productivity System
A person vacuums the car.	Where necessary delegate to a specialist.
The wash bay is laid out sequentially	The process is broken down to the basic steps which are then executed sequentially.
The only machinery that operates is that related to the services selected: Scrub exterior, a must Wash undercarriage, optional Final seal, optional Vacuum, optional Blow dry, a standard	Only the elements necessary to complete a project are used, the other steps of a system have been defined and lay inactive until the next time through the system.
The car wash takes exactly how much space it needs and no more.	A system is pared down to the pieces that actually contribute to getting a project complete. For example, one retains only the manuals related to the machinery that is actually installed.
Water is recycled.	To optimize the use of resources systems are implemented, modified, improved, and used over and over again.
A car wash gives choices – you do not have to take all or nothing. You have options.	A good system provides alternatives. When things come up that affect the project, alternatives support forward progress. You avoid a standstill.
A car wash is created with a clear purpose.	A system is developed to handle specific steps to achieve a particular end or goal.
A car wash can be run by many people with appropriate training.	A system is clear and gives the sequence of events to someone with appropriate background and can easily be used by him or her.
A car wash makes the car owner satisfied!	A productivity system allows you to work smarter – and not harder. It allows you to get your work done so you can go have fun!

 

What projects do you have that could be broken down into sequential steps that are easily followed yielding the efficiency of a car wash in your life?

Who Else Wants to Go Home at a Reasonable Hour?

There are a number of characteristics shared by people who get out of the office at a reasonable hour. They collect their portfolio, put on their coat and walk with a quiet confidence. Hmmm... "How does he do it? How does he meet his commitments yet leave here when I have an hour or two or work left to do?

I've collected the list of the top reasons people are walking out the door 'on time' so that you might find one or more that works for you.

• Have a reason to go home. A clear, goal with a specific time attached to it is what motivates people to leave the office. Start with the time: say 6:00.Identify the reason to be home and write it on your calendar like every other meeting. Possibilities to get you started: dinner with your family, appointment with a professional, specific exercise time, and a class you take. Commitments with other people tend to have an accountability factor that is motivating – you don't want to stand someone up or have to pay for an event that you don't attend.
• Schedule wrap-up time at the end of the day. People who leave at a reasonable hour start tying

Write a Compliment Letter – Friday @ Five

When customer service or a product isn't up to par you write a complaint letter. Conversely plan to write a compliment letter. There is bountiful good that will result from writing a compliment letter. It might be:

• Good karma
• An invitation to be on tv
• Satisfaction within yourself
• Improved relations
• Free stuff
• Recognition, and more.

Review the last few days and identify when a product performed above expectations or a service person went above and beyond the call of duty or simply did their job well. Notice three things that were outstanding in the person or item you identify and write a letter listing those three things.

In a letter about a person, write it to her or him and tell them what they did that impressed you and why. Copy his or her boss.

In a letter about a product write to the marketing department head and list the things you noted about the product.

Enjoy the process of writing it and the grounded happiness of sending it off.

Your letter might look like this:

Dear Verizon John:

I am writing to say I appreciate your installation of my FIOS last week. You concentrated on getting the work done and seemed to progress smoothly from step to step. You worked independently yet I appreciate you asking for the okay about where to run the cable in the garage. What you did there looks good!

And, when you left the only trace of you having been here was operational FIOS – TVs, internet, and phone all performing ideally. I have to say that the rainy weather made me hope that you wouldn't track in mud or fallen leaves. You were Mr. Clean in that regard.

Thanks for your work – well done!

Signed, Happy Customer!

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Friday @ 5:00 is a weekly suggestion for R&R (rest and regeneration) on the weekend. Recharging your batteries so you're energetic is an important part of be productive. For related posts, click on Friday @ 5:00 under the categories heading in the right column.

7 Ways to Improve Your Daily Commute

Do you go crazy when you think of the time you spend in traffic during your daily commute? Do you check the traffic report each morning and afternoon to gauge how long you're going to be stuck in traffic in your car, again? Have you considered moving or getting a new job as housing develops faster than the roads in your area resulting in more time spent behind the wheel each year?

There are a number of things you can do to shift things in your life to make the daily commute better for you. I offer this because your commute, arrival time, and routines might be the same as years ago while the driving scene is not the same. Shake it up a little – you might end up with some free time of your own.

Here are some ways to re-view your commute time.

1. Arrive to work early and leave before traffic starts in the afternoon. Flex time has become popular in many corporations and yours might have a policy of supporting you. Ask the HR department. Or, ask your boss, she might support flex time 'off the record'.
2. Drive to work early, during light traffic times, but do other things before the work day begins. Perhaps you going to a local coffee shop for an hour would allow you quiet time to read those

Shredding resource

One of the things that hold people back from clearing their offices is the question, "What am I going to do with the confidential things I want to throw away?" Specifically, you need to be protective of anything listing your social security number. Some of you have burned through one or two home size shredders from the office supply store and can't stomach the idea of buying another one. And now there are good alternatives. Commercial shredding services will come to your home, shred the stuff, and give you a written guarantee of shredding protecting your confidential information.

In my neighborhood the company that handles automobile title transfers, Wiggins Auto has expanded their business to shredding. They have destroyed confidential information for years, have the equipment, and have the knowledge for doing document destruction correctly. Makes sense. They can come to your place or you can take your stuff to them.

So you don't live in my neighborhood. Alternatives abound – hopefully one is near you. Check at the website for the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) for a company near you. You need to enter your state and click GO. Then, a whole list of certified destroyers of sensitive and confidential information will be returned.

Here is a short list to get you started thinking about things that you can destroy – it is incomplete and offred simply to stimulate your thinking on document destruction. Talk to your accountant and lawyer for absolute direction on document destruction.

• Mortgage papers for mortgages paid off (do not destroy the payoff documents, just the original document).
• Tax forms that won't be needed in the future (usually those over 10 years old)
• Old credit card statement (talk to your accountant)