Studies of the brain show that laughter releases endorphins. In turn endorphins elevate your mood. And finally an elevated mood increases your effectiveness on many levels. For example, you look forward to working with other people because you have an optimistic mindset. You looking forward to working with them impacts their attitude toward working with you and the partnership, team, and even customer/provider relationship goes better. Cooperation is easier when this mindset pervades. Coming to agreements through a shared vision and compromise is easier and more effective when one’s mood is positive.

So, make yourself laugh every day to improve your effectiveness.

Find the humor in situations such as grocery shopping – loft the loaf of bread to your shopping ass’t (whether your kids or sister)… everyone will get a lift. Find humor on the internet as in this 34 second video from YouTube: 

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(Tip: limit yourself to just 1 or 2 YouTube Video- laughter is addictive and soon you won’t be working with anyone if all you’re doing is watching videos!)

Make faces in the mirror with your kids. You’ll build your relationship there, too!

Comment with what you do to laugh so we can all have better and more effective days!

What words represent keeping things fresh while progressing toward a worthwhile goal? You might  embrace all or some of these. They’re  important because the words we use influence who we are and what we accomplish. Here are some of my top-of-mind words… please add a comment that includes one or some that work for you.

• Retool

  - using what you have to come up with something different
  Example: rather than every group in a company having its own supply cabinet, centralizing supplies for more effective ordering, storage, retrieval, and tracking

• Reinvent

  - start over to create great things. Great things are those that make life better.
  Example: After Jeff ended up in a wheel chair as the result of the accident, he became one of the most inspirational physical therapists in the practice

• Reuse

  - when you’re done with something see how you can repeat your success
  Example: You’ve created a prized presentation. Take it to another organization, profit or not-for-profit that could benefit from that work

• Repurpose

  - same thing, different application
  Example: a bookshelf relocated from against the wall to divide a room

• Review

  - literally view something again. You will see different things when you’re in a different place and/or your perspective is from a different point
  Example: read a book or take a training class again.

• Recycle

  - you’re done with it… pass it on!
  Example: pluck 10 books from your shelf and donate them to the company library, a school library, or your public library

Re-words are particularly relevant in this strapped economy because they use resources that exist. One doesn’t need to go out and develop or acquire much more. He looks at what he has, might have help reassessing what resources, experience, and talents he has, and starts down a new path. What words help you?

Have you started getting the holiday catalogs of your favorite companies? Are you also getting the holiday catalogs of all their favorite related businesses? Most of us are. And, the number of trees they represent, the hours you could spend perusing them, and the duplication is remarkable. Most people tell me they'd visit with family, get a spa treatment, go for a walk, enjoy their pet more, and languish in a good book if they just had more time. Ignoring catalogs so you can do your favorite thing with your time is an easy way to claim hours each week from now until Christmas. Ah, exercise. That's the other thing readers would like to do more especially to counter the calorie fests that we're invited to attend.

This weekend begin a collection routine for those catalogs – not so you can shop but so you can stop them during the slow and relaxing month of January. Simply put a brown paper grocery bag near the door you enter the house most of the time. Rather than bring the catalogs in, simply drop them in the bag on the way in the house. Don't forget to engage whoever retrieves the mail most days in this new routine.

If the bag is full in a couple of weeks… put it aside, thank goodness that your catalog contribution to landfills will soon diminish, and start another. Check back here in January for steps to stop catalogs… and enter your favorite way in the comment section below for those that want to get started soon!

If you have many checking accounts it's a good time for you to consider streamlining this part of your life. Elaine writes that she has 4 checkbooks and uses different accounts for different things. As a streamliner I am almost speechless as I think about how complicated that must make things. Some complexities that come to mind:

• That means Elaine has to move money from one account to another just to keep the balances high enough to use the accounts.
• Elaine gets 4 statements every month.
• Each account should be reconciled every month (I doubt she does that but I can't bring myself to ask).
• I imagine promotional pieces come from each bank stuffing her mailbox frequently.
• What if she is spending money that is supposed to come out of a checking account that she does not have the checkbook for at the moment?
• She has to keep straight which account is for what types of expenses.

That all adds up to headache to me.

To streamline I suggest an alternative. First Elaine can simply move all her funds to her favorite bank and close 3 of the accounts. That bank might have the most locations close to her, offer free money card transactions, have the easiest download center online, and possibly all these features.

If she needs to track expenses by category the manual method is to put a code in the check register as she writes check. Periodically she tallies expenses by code.

The computer method is to download transactions to money management software such as Quicken or Microsoft Money, code the transactions to relevant categories, and enjoy the simplicity of automation totaling expenses by category. The great thing about the computer method is that the computer remembers how expenses from a particular vendor are categorized and automatically enters them next time she visits the vendor.

If you have multiple checking accounts please share the reasoning behind keeping them in a comment below. If you're going to close some accounts now, let us know that too.

If you are procrastinating there are a few steps you can take to get the ball

rolling and to achieve your goals. Here are some of the steps that worked on a recent bout with procrastination of my own.

1. Recognize that you’re procrastinating.
2. Narrow the thing you’re avoiding as much as possible.
3. Prepare as if you’re not putting things off.
4. When you stall, tell someone.
5. Follow their advice.
6. Report back to your someone.

Let me tell you story of my procrastination as it followed these steps.

I recognized that I was procrastinating because my desk is super organized, follow-up to almost everything pending is complete, I keep making trips to the kitchen for a snack, and I was not picking up the phone to find out the information I need (my goal).

I narrowed all the possible things that I was avoiding to one phone call. The goal of that phone call was to uncover the next step that I have to take with Dad’s estate. I know this is the thing that I was avoiding because almost everything else I need to do is done. I was happy to chat with my sister, my business Mastermind group, and almost everyone. I tidied my storage room, my notebooks, my computer, my kitchen (the curse of working at home), and my closet. I’d put getting the answers on the back burner while a presentation deadline loomed even though I might have been able to achieve both deadlines. After the other deadline past I was free to work on the estate question. I put it off for 10 days.

Finally I prepared as if I wasn’t putting off this phone call. I reviewed a teleseminar focused on the topic of the question. I made a list of the 6 specific segments of this question that needed clarification. I was really scared by this because it seemed so obtuse and like asking these questions was going to lead to a multitude of related tasks. I was sitting here with all the documentation in front of me 100% prepared to make the call.

I picked up the phone and dialed… a business friend (notice I justified the call by calling it business). This was a major stall move! After I checked in on an issue she’s wrestled with for the last week I did it. I said, “I need you to hold me accountable to making a call about Dad’s Estate.” And then, the tide turned. By asking LM to hold me accountable I had given myself the push to take the action I’d been avoiding and to make the call. I didn’t want to have to report that I was continuing to procrastinate. I was on my way to actually making the call (though with dread).

I picked up the phone and dialed – the people with the estate answers this time. Whayland said he couldn’t help me. My mind screamed, “Oh no, I knew this was going to be painful.” Wayland transferred me to Chuck. Twenty two minutes later I hung up the phone with my answers, confidence, and elation. It turned out these guys really did have the answers and it wasn’t going to require talking to a half-dozen people. The answers they gave me are manageable. The complexity I anticipated was 50 times what it actually is. And my procrastination is no more.

Of course I called LM immediately and told her the good news.

Now I have new, doable things on my ToDo list and can keep moving forward on Dad’s estate.

What have you been avoiding doing?

Why don’t you identify exactly what you’re avoiding and try telling someone about it. Be brave after you tell them about it and say, “Would you hold me accountable?” Feel free to offer a prize or penalty for yourself (whichever motivates you more). Watch and feel how your mindset changes once you’ve made your issue public. Override the procrastination and get that big thing done!

You’ve probably heard of Lean Manufacturing – a process improvement system at Toyota. Yvette Clay, Certified Professional Organizer at LivingOrder.com wrote this article and it was presented to me by Lorie Marrero former owner of LivingOrder and current creator of The Clutter Diet. I’ve had this article over a year – and the principles have staying power. I think you’ll find value in it.

The other day I was discussing a friend’s workplace with him – he is a machinist at Sanmina.  They are required to follow the 5S (Lean Manufacturing) methodology in keeping their workspaces organized and clean.  A lot of the information below is geared towards manufacturing environments, but the principals it may be used in almost any application.  I found it to be very interesting!

5S (methodology)

5S is a reference to a list of five Japanese words which ’start’ with S. This list is a mnemonic for a methodology that is often incorrectly characterized as “standardized cleanup”, however it is much more than cleanup. 5S is a philosophy and a way of organizing and managing the workspace by eliminating waste.

What is 5S?

The key targets of 5S are workplace morale and efficiency. The assertion of 5S is that by assigning everything a location time is not wasted by looking for things. Additionally, it is quickly obvious when something is missing from its designated location. 5S advocates believe that the benefits of this methodology come from deciding what should be kept, where it should be kept, and how it should be stored. This decision making process should lead to a dialog which can build a clear understanding between employees of how work should be done. It also instills ownership of the process in each employee. As a result, it is often executed in tandem with standard work which standardizes the processes in which the items organized in 5S are used.

The 5S’s are:

Seiri (整理): tidiness, organization. Refers to the practice of sorting through all the tools, materials, etc., in the work area and keeping only essential items. Everything else is stored or discarded. This leads to fewer hazards and less clutter to interfere with productive work.

Seiton (整頓): orderliness. Focuses on the need for an orderly workplace. “Orderly” in this sense means arranging the tools and equipment in an order that promotes work flow. Tools and equipment should be kept where they will be used, and the process should be ordered in a manner that eliminates extra motion.

Seiso (清掃): systemized cleanliness. Indicates the need to keep the workplace clean as well as neat. Cleaning in Japanese companies is a daily activity. At the end of each shift, the work area is cleaned up and everything is restored to its place. The key point is that maintaining cleanliness should be part of the daily work – not an occasional activity initiated when things get too messy.

Seiketsu (清潔): standards. This refers to standardized work practices. It refers to more than standardized cleanliness (otherwise this would mean essentially the same as “systemized cleanliness”). This means operating in a consistent and standardized fashion. Everyone knows exactly what his or her responsibilities are.

Shitsuke (躾): sustaining discipline. Refers to maintaining standards. Once the previous 4S’s have been established they become the new way to operate. Maintain the focus on this new way of operating, and do not allow a gradual decline back to the old ways of operating.

We’ll look into Lean for the Office more in coming months.

You might have a reputation by now and if not, you’re certainly creating one. The dimension of your reputation I’m talking about is your finishing quotient. Has the family room been under construction for the last 6 months? When you’re working on a writing project does the idea for a new business come to mind and you switch attention to writing a whole business plan for it? (One of my clients did that this summer – the writing deadline was missed – the business plan is solid.) Do you like to create and implement new ideas but not sustain them?

If you start things and don’t finish or carry-through there are times you shine and times you irritate some people out of their minds.

You shine when you’re coming up with new ideas and that’s what you’re paid to do. Essentially you score when you’re meeting the expectations that you’ve agreed to execute. If you’re in product development and coming up with viable new products you get kudos. If you’re in product manufacturing and coming up with viable new products, you get, "Is that what I pay you to do?"

You lose points when you’re doing something that is not what someone anticipates from you.  For many of us there is a great strategy for building our reputation when we’re not finishers. The strategy is to partner with your compliment – someone who loves to see things through but isn’t interested in or able to come up with the new ideas. The key is recognizing if you finish, or not, and where your strength lies. Then, build you compliment to have a whole.

Returning to the family room question above. If you’re someone who has a vision for the family room and tore it apart, "Good for you." If you’re now in the phase that doesn’t interest you or you have lots of other things to do before you get back to it, hire someone. There are loads of people who can see your vision and make it a reality. Your room will be whole sooner and you will get credit for what you do well. The other guy will get credit for their contribution and everyone will enjoy the finished room. That sure beat negative attention for what isn’t done!

Are you listening, really listening when you’re in a meeting? If you are, you’re one of 30% of the people who listen in a meeting – including 1 on 1 with your significant other.
You will be engaged if you really listen. Like this photo you link with others when you’re engaged. Successful people share the trait of really listening. Those folks are successful in business and in relationships.

How do you know if you’re listening? Here are a few of ways:

• You don’t have any distractions such as a cell phone, a blackberry, or computer active.
• You make eye contact with the speaker most of the time.
• You ask questions that summarize what you heard and confirm that you understand what the speaker is meaning to say. The speaker responds saying you’re on target perhaps replying, “Exactly.”

Take a minute and think of times you haven’t been heard. This is the ‘other side of the coin’ and usually more personal and impactful. This is what you don’t want to do or have done to you:

• Multitask with the conversation being one of the things your attention is spread across
• Have a side conversation during a main conversation
• Look away from the other person most of the time
• Interrupt to say what popped into your mind
• Ask the person to repeat what they just said more than once

Think you’re a good listener? Ask your spouse, boy/girlfriend, kids, co-workers. The impact of honest answers is worth the risk of asking.

The way to make sure that you do the things that are really impactful is to put them on your calendar. Steven Covey is the famous author of The 7 Habits Series of books and he makes this point succinctly in the quote above. When you are scheduled for the things that are really important and let the less important thing take only the 'extra' time you have, you are on the road to feeling in control, productive, and being successful.

The opposite of scheduling your priorities is letting other people take your time, reacting to the emergency of the moment (found when you checked your email no doubt), and losing site of what you're responsible to do. This usually is accompanied by stress, overwhelm, and working overtime.

Kim has an appointment with her assistant every morning at 8:15am without fail. They look at the day ahead and coordinate the things that should be done and must be done. They look at the days ahead and begin preparation for meetings and projects due soon. By scheduling this appointment every morning Kim & Allen (the assistant) stay on top of everything and are usually calm, cool, and collected.

Back in my days at Hewlett-Packard a department head, Tom, would take time at the end of the week to write a quick list of accomplishments. He had his List Making on his calendar and rarely missed those 15 minutes with his career planning. That list allowed him to sell himself into a number of positions that advanced his career quickly. His priority to keep his career front & center by making an appointment with himself paid big dividends.

What are you allowing to take over your schedule? What would you schedule and protect to reach the ends your have as goals?

In his monthly newsletter, Balancing Act®, Alan Weiss writes succinctly about being organized and going overboard with order. Here is his article in full:

Regimen or compulsion?

My bias is that we need to organize parts of our lives that are important. This varies in its significance.

I suppose if someone knows where to find something quickly, that’s the point, no matter how bad the clutter may appear to an observer But I don’t want my surgeon asking no one in particular, "Where did I leave that clamp?"

Creating a regimen around an exercise schedule, or work responsibilities, or family obligations, or civic and social commitments, enables most people to be more efficient and, ironically enough, more flexible. (In common parlance: multi-tasking.)

But an excessive regimen can become a compulsion, which is the height of inflexibility and at the margins of a behavioral disorder. (OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder, refers to an obsession with an idea and a compulsion about behavior.)

I’ve met people who have decided to remove all fats from their foods, to the extent that they concoct strange replacements, the pursuit consumes their social lives, and, to me, they look far more unhealthy than if they allowed a moderate amount of fat to enter their systems.

Exercise is a great regimen, for mind and body, but the people I see running in rain, snow, fog, and other hazardous conditions I think are more compulsive than smart. Wouldn’t a treadmill suffice for that day? And would your health be drastically affected if you skipped one day? I work out three times a week with a personal trainer, but I don’t beat myself up when I can’t get there because of other commitments. Nor do I compensate for it through some forced exercise. (The trainer beats me up enough for the both of us.)

We’ve seen people whose desks are beyond orderly—the pencils must be the same length and aligned perfectly, the phone pad squared against the phone. We recognize that as "over the edge." But there are also subtle routines which also form compulsions which we too easily overlook.

An orderly life is sensible, but a compulsive one is not. Even "order" makes little sense when you sacrifice value for the sake of order. I’ve seen restrictions placed on guests, pets, and even children to the extent that I wonder why the guests, pets, and children were included to begin with. (I knew a woman so fastidious about her Mercedes that her husband, who bought the care for her, was forbidden to drive it.)

In many cases, I love my ducks in a row. But there are times when I just run through the bushes, because it seems like fun. And, interestingly enough, the ducks on my pond have yet to line themselves up in a row.

©2008 Alan Weiss