Drake was a little irritated with my suggestions to help him claim some time for personal activities. He resisted my ideas by justifying why he does what he does – even though what he does wastes a meaningful amount of time. “I’m a smart guy,” he says.
My reply, “All of my clients are smart – and in many cases brilliant. And, they’re not experts at productivity and neither are you.” This was a little like an athlete expecting to be world-class at golf, billiards, and hockey. Impossible.
You or Drake being great at one thing doesn’t mean you will be great at another. Since you’re reading this blog on productivity I will project that you’re not advice adverse. Nonetheless I want to urge you to stop for a few minutes and examine what tips & suggestions you’ve tossed out or read right over because it doesn’t fit you. Take a second look. Try one thing before you write it off. Try another. Be open.

Some of the folks that backtrack and reconsider suggestions previous rejected have said things like
• Wow, that was easy.
• I waited long enough to try this. It’s so useful I’m glad I didn’t wait longer.
• Hey, I’m getting good at this. I’m going after your job soon!
For you smart people out there – leverage productivity coaching and implement then practice. You’ll soon have another hour per day for yourself!

Use the phone company voicemail system for your land line? If yes, how many digits do you dial to retrieve your messages? If it's more than 3, consider programming the speed dial to pick up your messages. Just like your cell phone, if you're familiar with that, you can make the dialing to get messages quick and nearly hands-free.

A tip I want to give you on using speed dial to pick up your messages is that you can put 1 sequence in to enter the access number (the number you dial to access the voicemail system) and your password. The trick here is to learn what the pause button is (often the * or P key) and enter a couple of those between the access number. Here's an example. Jay has to dial, 610-729-0220 to access the voicemail system at Verizon then he enters his password (7727 = Pass) followed by the # sign. So, he can program a speed dial on his phone to be 610-729-0220***7727#*1. That final *1 instructs his voicemail to play the first message.

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

Philadelphia Magazine has an annual issue recognizing excellence among local entities. This year Organizers Inc., the parent company of the Productivity Café is honored as The Best Of. Thank you to those who nominated me and those who put us at the top of the charts. Read about us on page 174.

At the Productivity Café we’re always sending the message about being streamlined, right-sized, eliminating waste, and having a great life. Sometime that message is overt. Sometime it is sublime. Today I watched a video that brings the impact of not being these things into the spot light. I think it’s a must-see. So, go here when you have 20 minutes: www.storyofstuff.com. Warning: this is a big dose of reality – - it can be overwhelming.

Here are a few things I learned while watching:

• A full 99% of things manufactured or created are ‘in the dump’ 6 months after the process began.
• The 4 major activities we engage in are: work, sleep, watch tv, shop.
• We get over 3,000 messages a day saying ‘You’re broken, we have the thing to fix you, buy it!’
• Those who are part of production are often paying the cost of getting the product to you by sacrificing health care, wages, and more. That’s why a radio costs only $5.99.

Comment below with what impacts you!

What paperwork and records do you need to keep to interrupt your loved one’s life as little as possible when you go? In this forth part of 5 on preparing your estate for the inevitable passing of your hard earned assets to someone else we will overview what records you should keep. The answer is not, "Everything – just in case," nor is it "Nothing – let them figure it out." That’s because the government will gladly take a huge hunk of your assets if you’re not prepared (and you’ve already paid taxes on that money), the beneficiary of your work will have enough heartache that it’s best if they don’t have a (paperwork) headache on top of that, and because you probably want your kids to have no arguing over what you’ve left them.

Note: this is an overview for typical professionals – in all cases consult with your legal team and especially so if you’re a business owner.

These are the things you need to put in one place in preparation for the last step – organizing your records, the subject of Part 5. If you don’t have any of these first consult with your lawyer to see if you should. If not, just cross that item off your list

• Will
• Trust
• Abstract of Trust
• Durable Power of Attorney
• Pour Over Will
• Living Will
• List of all your savings, checking, money market, and investment accounts (Money Accounts)
• Online access for each Money Account including URL, passwords and security keys
• Statements from each Money Account – most recent or at least the year-end from last year
• Contact information for all your professional services providers – lawyer, accountant, financial advisor, business advisors, tax preparer, etc.
• Letter to your children
• Location and access for special assets from jewelry in a safe deposit box to a boat at a dock
• Special instructions to executor, trustee, friends or family
• Balance Sheet
• Burial / cremation wishes or pre-arrangement
• Deeds
• Health Care Power of Attorney
• Family contact information (all involved or beneficiary of your wishes)
• List of Credit Cards, Issuer, Account Number
• Insurance policies (Life, Auto, Home, Health, Disability)
• Military discharge papers
• Health Care Directive
• Prenuptial agreement
• Spouse’s death certificate
• Your social security card / number

The first article in the series is here: Productivity & The Grave Part 1. The first article links to all these subsequent articles… Part 2 – the Conversation with Legal Resources Part 2B – the Conversation with Family   Part 3 – Resources   

I sat across the table with disbelief and building anger as Pepper waltzed into the business dinner an hour late. I was responsible for arranging this private meeting with Tony – a man with experience and success in a particularly profitable business venture that we wanted to learn about. Tony was in town for a convention and generously offered the evening to us. One of the most experienced people in our organization (Ben) was also able to attend and willing to contribute his expertise from 30+ successful years in other dimensions of our business.

This newbie, Pepper, held us all up. Adding fuel to the frustration was my email from 2 days before the dinner confirming that we all had to be there to be seated and we had only a 10 minute window. Luckily influential Ben worked his magic and we got a table without being a whole party. The final bit of gasoline on the fire of my aggravation was that Pepper invited her best friend to join us – the friend knows nothing of our business and seemed to think this was a cocktail party. Actually, no, that wasn’t the final bit. The final bit was the minute when Tony went to the hostess desk to receive delivery of his lost luggage – it had been lost for 13 hours so far. When he stepped away Pepper leans across the table and says, "Give me a brief on this guy. Is he a doctor? What’s the topic?" OK now, that was the part that crazed me because a briefing was sent on Tony – as well as a link to his website where particular relevant background information was offered.

You regular readers know that I’m not the type to blow up – and I didn’t. Ok, I am blowing up but it’s here on paper and the names have been changed to protect those involved. And, Pepper said, and I quote, "I don’t read email," so I won’t imagine she’ll ever cue in online. Our guests made comments, and I made judgments about this Pepper which are possibly wrong – but vivid:

• She’s a prima donna
• She’s an air head
• She’s self-centered
• She’s oblivious
• She’s a genius – just not at business meeting courtesy

How to use a computer effectively was a 5 minute interlude during a meeting on Holding Effective Meetings with a client on Monday. That discussion resulted in this quick, and hopefully relevant & useful, pair of tips because these seasoned computer users were eager to learn the tips and hadn’t learned them in all their years using PCs.

Searching your folders is often done via Explore in windows. The quick way to open the explore window is to hold down the windows logo key (between the ctrl & alt keys on most keyboards) then tap the e key (for explore).

  Try it now!

The quick way to open the find dialog is to type windows key then tap the f key (for find).

Try it now!

Will that save you time? Keep you on the keyboard rather than grabbing the mouse?  If yes, use it at least 3 times every day for the next week and they’ll be as automatic as typing words are today.

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.

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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.

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.