Productivity Cafe

Scheduling Meetings You Have Repeatedly Using Outlook

You have a new weekly appointment with your manager because your career development is on her radar screen this year (that's a good thing!). That appointment is every Friday morning at 10am for 45 minutes. You want to populate your calendar for the next 6 months of meetings – thank goodness you're using Outlook because writing it on a paper calendar for 26 weeks would take you 20 minutes. With Outlook it will take you 20 seconds.  You're going to enter a recurring appointment. Here's how:

1. Go to your calendar in Outlook.
2. Create a new appointment (ctrl-n)
3. Complete the subject line with something like: Weekly Mtg. with Mgr.
4. Set the time for 10:00 ending at 11:00 just in case the meeting runs long.
5. Click on recurrence and complete the options in the box for frequency, start date, end date
6. Click OK
7. Save & close the new appointment
8. Look at the Fridays for the next few months and confirm that your manager meeting shows up on every one.

Some enhancements to setting this appointment that you might want to make:

Watch Out -Friday @ 5:00

This weekend have a watch out weekend (or plan one for the near future because this one is somewhat difficult as a spontaneous activity). The activity for this weekend is to put your Watch Out of Site! Yep, whether it's just for this evening or for the entire day on Sunday, leave you watch in the bedroom.

Soon you will see there are more clocks and watches than you care to know – on the DVR player, the microwave, the computer, and your friends' wrists. Ideally you'll block most of these out and…

go with your own rhythm for the day. Eat when you're hungry – really hungry (not bored or distracted). Watch whatever is on t.v. for 1 show. Go for a walk at sundown; whenever that is. Sleep when you're tired for as long as you need.

Watch out for what new joys come your way – relax – refresh!

=================

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. Many Friday @ Five entries are geared to do with your family or friends.

Fax Coversheet Shortcut

A fax coversheet shortcut that you might want to use is to reuse the one from the original fax to you. I suggest you use it to shorten the time it takes to turn a fax around. I know, some of us like a beautiful fax cover sheet that we create using our word processor standard templates. Yes, they're nice and they're seldom worth the time they take to create. The short cut is to simply strike through the TO: in front of your name and write FROM in its place. Then, strike the FROM: in front of the sender's name and write TO: in its place. Thus all the information, which hasn't changed, is already on the paper.

The sample below shows how simply this is achieved. Click on the image to enlarge it. This reuse is about effective action (and saving resources)– it gets the job done and does not reflect poorly on anyone who uses it. Give it a try on your next fax exchange.

.

In recognizing John's alternative... and as he says - they're usually not handy when you need them... but if they are... this is another quick and effective alternative.

Spectator Time - Friday @ Five

This weekend find a local sports team to cheer to victory. The team could be a farm team for a major league team or a kids' soccer league. Peer over the fence at a tennis club to spot seasoned talent, watch a college baseball game, or giggle at a game of swarm ball with the little ones. Pick a couple people on the team and cheer for them as if they were friends – it will heighten your involvement with the game.

Perhaps you will take your kids or wander over yourself. Picnic lunches or a bag of goodies always add to the 'event status' of this kind of outing. Kick back, get outside if you can, and get in the game!

=================

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. Many Friday @ Five entries are geared to do with your family or friends.

Productivity & The Grave - The Conversation Part 2 (Benefactors & Beneficiaries).

In this series of articles we're looking at systems and preparation for the time we die. We're walking through relieving yourself of concerns regarding your hard-earned assets, loved family heirlooms, and relations between your relations. The question that summaries both the benefactor and beneficiaries' mindset is, "Should we talk about the Inheritance Plan?" In my experience, and that of 35+-year veteran estate lawyer Gerald Condon, author of Beyond the Grave, YES is the answer. Mr. Condon concludes, "… common sense dictates it is the right thing to do. Nevertheless, clients seem loath to discuss inheritance issues with their children, leaving their children in a mystery…"

Here are some top reasons to have the conversation:

• You have the opportunity to surprise and astound your kids
• Your #1 goal as a parent is typically to have the kids get along forever. Their understanding the reasons behind your choices will go a long way toward preserving good relations between the siblings.
• Your wishes are more likely to be carried out when they're known by everyone. This is most important regarding your decision regarding health care should you be unable to make such decisions yourself. And, the money choices are important too.
• Beneficiaries have a chance to express appreciation for what you're leaving them.
• Someone around the table might have experience or knowledge to enhance your efforts.
• Issues can be aired and perhaps smoothed because of your input.
• Your siblings and parents will understand why your kids will be cared for by who you've directed in your will.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Reinvent to Use Your Resources Optimally

There is a 4^th R in the big movements of today – Reinvent! Key words apply to your mindset for using resources well – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Today we'll add Reinvent giving us:

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Reinvent

We often think of those with regard to natural resources. Those words apply to your mindset for being effective with career resources like time and ideas as well. Let's run through Sarah's week for examples of how being mindful of the 4Rs can apply to you.

Sarah was feeling overburdened by the number of commitments she had made in and out of work. In a purposeful examination of her schedule she decided to reduce the number of commitments by leaving half of them. She started with her calendar and viewing the next 3 months of obligations. Then, she literally struck the ones that did not significantly impact her family and professional success. After the session she called those involved with those meetings and events and tactfully explained that she's modifying her schedule to improve her quality of life and would no longer be able to be at the engagement. Sarah suggested someone who would take her place (having arranged that with the individual beforehand) or

 

 

Spring Training for the Kids – Friday @ 5:00

It's the time of year when baseball teams are in Spring Training so that they're ready for the big season. Your kids are part of the home team and they need spring training too. This weekend take some time to train them on jobs around the house they can do. Why would you want to do that? Well here are some vivid reasons:

• You can use the Spring Training analogy to get them excited.
• Young kids just want to be with you and don't see folding dish towels or wash clothes as a job so long as they can do it with you. This develops good habits when it's still fun.
• You support their family with the work you do, there is no reason for you to carry so much of the load. Training your team to participate helps lighten your load, prepare your kids to be independent and gives you time to do more fun things together
• Tasks can be brief but still make a difference. Just as using 10 minutes before leaving for tennis by writing a thank you note gets it done, gives us a sense of doing the right thing, and fills otherwise hang time giving kids a few small tasks to do every day adds up.

Sandra Felton, author of Neat Mom, Messie Kids has a comprehensive list of what kids can do at what ages. Here is a sampling that might surprise you:

Ages 2 or 3

• Feed and water pets

Productivity and the Grave – The Conversation (Part 1 – Legal People)

Productive people have systems for things and elements of their life set up. This series of articles is for everyone who will die someday. It's about leaving people with heartache and no headache. We started with Collecting a Record of Your Things. Now it's time to have The Conversation. The conversation that I'm referring to is with a lawyer. [Part 2 will be the conversation with your parents (benefactors) and/or kids (or other beneficiaries)]. By way of definition: Benefactors leave money & assets to someone or something such as a charity. Beneficiaries receive the benefit of assets left to them. Assets are things with value from a business to a ring.

Let's assume that you have this terrific (complete) list of your assets. Kudos, you've already saved yourself a lot of money in professional fees. Now you need to find a good lawyer. Then, you have to have the conversation about some major things namely your

• Power of Attorney for Health Care
• Power of Attorney for financial matters
• Living Will
• Will
• Trust

Let's start with finding a good lawyer. Go back to your pad of paper or spreadsheet, start a new sheet and write the characteristics and experience you want the lawyer to have. As a starting point, things I care about:

• Has done lots of wills and trusts