Living the Edge

Cutting EDGE Productivity

2010-03-10T08:49:00.000-08:00

To our blog readers: The content for Living the EDGE is switching gears to stay in tune with emerging practices that are aligned with new trends and tools, and how The Effective Edge is strategically planning and implementing these. We thank you for your readership and commitment to your best personal productivity. We hope you enjoy the new features: Our Favorite Things and Newsworthy in Productivity.

Our Favorite Things
What are we excited about?

Currently, "Start With Why" is being circulated around The Effective Edge by CEO, Christina Randle. Book author and speaker, Simon Sinek challenges leaders to ask the question to inspire everyone to take action. Christina feels that it's an inspirational approach for any organization that needs to go beyond the "what and how" about a business and it's existence.

At The Effective Edge, when we ask ourselves, "Why do we do what we do?" Do you agree that the answer is our Mission Statement?

"We are dedicated to inspiring our clients,
colleagues and associates by giving them the tools
to take back their lives and awaken possibility."

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Elliot Masie and The Learning Consortium are spear-heading "Learning Programs for Learning Leaders" in 2010, and Christina attended the kick-off event in early February in Saratoga Springs, NY. The program is "Virtual Leadership - Building Skills for Leading Distributed Teams." We can't wait to hear about the education and collaboration that takes place there. The buzz is all about webcams and Skype! Stay tuned for the full report and productivity resources!

Newsworthy in Productivity
Outlook 2010 in Beta Testing

Our Getting the EDGE - Mastering Work and Life Flow for Outlook will take on a new twist when Outlook 2010 is out of beta testing. There are several new features that will come to the aid of professionals by way of managing an inbox, based on the Microsoft Product Development Team's blog. With all of the bells and whistles, there are bound to be some time-wasters. The research is in full swing, and stay in touch with us to learn more about Getting the EDGE for Outlook 2010!

Are you going Google?

The word on the street is that going Google is going fast! If your organization is thinking about going Google, we would like to hear from you. Our product development team is crafting content for Getting the EDGE for Gmail. Be the first to pilot our materials to keep your Googlers less distracted and more productive.

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At The Effective Edge, we know your organization works hard. We know that results count. Are you achieving the productivity levels you need? Here's what an airplane manufacturer determined:

Overwhelm, chaos and stress were heavily present within the organization due to a shift in the economy and information overload. To combat this situation, the decision was made to pilot the course 'Getting the EDGE.' After the implementation of Getting the EDGE, the client hired an outside consultant who evaluates training to determine ROI. The independent in-depth study conducted six months after the Getting the EDGE implementation found that the ROI on the initial investment of the class was 610% per participant, per year based on the previous six months of productivity and projected into the future.

With this jaw-dropping measurement in mind, our productivity experts have come together to share insight that speaks to the corporate community's bottom line in this blog. Jump into the conversation to see where your organization stacks up and address its needs effectively!

Projects at Home too!

2009-12-11T08:23:00.000-08:00

by Skip Colfax

As one of my hobbies, I like to bake and sometimes am asked to create beautiful and delicious cakes for weddings and other cake-worthy events. Creating these cakes takes a lot of planning and is clearly defined as a project.

To manage a project like this, I use the Effective Edge best practices on projects. In many cases, the cake order starts with a phone call from the new Bride and Groom. We talk for a while and I ask a few basic questions, such as: “What date is the date of the wedding?” “Where will the reception be held?” “Approximately how many guests do you want to serve?” “What did you have in mind for your cake?”

The answers to those 4 questions usually give me enough information to get started. I create the Project in my EDGE System and give it a snappy title that I’ll recognize instantly. I will assign a due date (the date of the event) and write the first version of my desired outcome for this wedding cake. The desired outcome gets revisited after I have met personally with the decision makers.

Next is my project mind sweep, where I think about what needs to be done to create the wedding cake as my desired outcome describes. This can be a lengthy list of tasks, including everything from “pick up the cake topper from the bride” to “buy groceries needed to bake the cake”.

Then, just like any other project, I pull one or two items at a time that are the very next tasks and add them my Task list, categorized as Actions. Once each is completed, it is marked with an asterisk in my project plan, indicating that it is completed.

This process works well, keeps me on track, and when I need to get refocused, I have a wonderfully descriptive desired outcome statement to keep me motivated.

I’ve been making wedding cakes for over 20 years and until I learned about how to manage projects from The Effective Edge, I haven’t had a good tool for managing a wedding cake project; keeping tabs on all of the things that need to be accomplished to produce a beautiful and delicious cake.

The point of all of this is that The Effective Edge best practices on projects works, not only for business related projects, but for any project.

The deck in my back yard needs to be rebuilt… and soon, so that’s my next project! I’ll be creating my Project Plan and Desired Outcome in the next day or two.

Now that’s effective!

I’m drowning in Social Networking. Are you?

2009-11-25T09:01:00.000-08:00

by Zahra Petri

These days it seems as if new social networking tools are surfacing every few days between iPhone applications, twitter, Facebook and the many other computer and phone operated plug-ins. Along with each of these are the endless email notifications that quickly fill up your inbox. When faced with this daily increase of new information, questions begin circling in my mind: Which tools are the best? How many should I use? What do I do with all the emails? How do I manage all the information coming and going??

A feeling of overwhelm sweeps over me and I am brought back to my days before I had my EDGE System and my inbox was a black abyss of read and unread emails; back when I felt like I was jumping from crisis to crisis and everything was an urgent matter. Instead of going into panic mode, I decided to expand my EDGE system and apply the concepts to these social networking tools.

On Facebook I turned off all the email notifications except for alerting me of a message in my Facebook inbox. This way my email inbox is not cluttered because, frankly, I don’t need to know when Sara commented on John’s profile status or that Jenny put a smiley face on my wall. I will still be notified of these actions when I log into my Facebook profile, so why do I need an email to tell me as well?

For my iPhone applications I turned off ALL the notifications and sounds, but the notifications may be different as there are a wide variety of applications. For example, I have a chat application that runs in the background of my phone even when I don’t have that application open. It works similarly to text messages. I turned off all the notifications including sound, pop up message, text sent and received chime, and friend’s status alert. These are all distractions that I don’t need. If Tom wants to tell me he heard the new Modest Mouse song on the radio, I don’t need to know that right away. I can see the message when I check my phone later. However, if Tom has something urgent, he knows my notifications are off and to text message or call me.

It is very important when setting the standards for yourself and your notifications, no matter what the tool, that you let the people who contact you know what they are. Tell them that Facebook is not the place to let you know they won Longhorn Football tickets for a game beginning in one hour and to reply immediately.

For more updates and tips on how to manage your tools and applications, visit the ‘Programs’ tab at www.effectiveedge.com to view Whitepapers and OnDemand modules to help expand your EDGE.

What Does Your Email Subject Line Say to a Reader?

2009-11-11T13:58:00.000-08:00

by Laura Finney

A few days ago, I received an email and the subject read: “REPORT ATTACHED….!!!!!!!!” I knew the person sending the email. What I did not know was the reason I was receiving the email. Clearly all caps must mean this is something “urgent” that I need to open and read. The exclamation points (all eight of them) were clearly excessive.

I opened the email to learn that I was one of four included on the distribution list. The “report” had no relevance to me or any work that I was involved with. I responded (because this would take less than two minutes) to ask if there was any action I needed to take with the information that had been sent to me. I was told, “No, it was just in case you needed it…later.” For clarification, this was not an email from an Effective Edge colleague.

When I see email subject lines that are not clear, I wonder if the sender is using The Effective Edge’s Email Effectiveness. The Email Effectiveness allows me to send clear and concise messages. In the subject line, the reader can determine before reviewing the email, what I want them to do with the email. Clarifying the need to respond or not to respond helps the reader by preparing them for the next action. For writing effective emails, reviewing the PASS (Purpose, Actions, Specific, Supporting resources) system allows me to use a method that will help the reader determine the next course of action.

As outlined in the Getting the EDGE training program, most people will scan the email within eight to ten seconds. The reader should be able to determine PASS within that amount of time.

Using PASS allows me to be more efficient in receiving any response I may be looking for in return. It has also given me the freedom from exchanging multiple emails when attempting to relay a clear message.

Now I send emails with confidence, knowing the reader can respond effectively and efficiently.

A New Stadium Does Not Equal a New Team

2009-10-27T12:37:00.000-07:00

by Angela Ware

As many of you know I live Arlington, TX, the home of the Dallas Cowboys and their new amazing Cowboys Stadium!

As the new NFL session was approaching, commentator after commentator speculated as to how the “new stadium” would impact the Cowboys‘ chances of a post-session run for the playoffs. What?

Since when does brick and mortar have an impact on a player’s ability to excel at their position?

Commentators, fans, players and, yes, owners soon found out that a new stadium does not equal a new team. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am a Cowboys fan!! I am also I firm believer that it is what you put into the player, not where you put the player, that determines the outcome of the game.

In business, just as in sports, you can put a well-trained and professionally-mentored employee in any building and get great results. In the same respect, you can put a poorly trained and ineffectively mentored professional in a multi-billion dollar building and receive poor results. If you invest in your people, your people will build you a “new stadium of success”.

Ps. Fortunately for the Cowboys, they’ve got great mentor/coaches and a multi-billion dollar stadium! Let’s Go Cowboys!!!

Instant Messenger and Four-Alarm Fires

2009-10-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

by Paige Webb

For the past five years, I have been an instant messenger user. My managers and teams in previous jobs were dispersed across offices and state lines, and that is how we stayed in touch, how we conducted troubleshooting, and how we responded to questions. It was such a relief to have access to any of them at my fingertips. I didn’t even have to pick up the phone! What a time saver! Well, that was the beginning…

The situation now has gone above and beyond the simple one-off questions via instant messenger (IM) to my boss during the day. There have been days when I log on, and I immediately get three IMs...that’s before I even check email or check my calendar. It’s like the IM pop-ups and indicators are telling me there is a four-alarm fire somewhere. I’m hardly awake yet, but let me give you my attention towards nothing that is all that important at this very moment!

Those days when you conduct multiple conversations via IM at once: one with your manager, one with tech support, one with a co-worker, can lead you to wonder and waste time doing mental gymnastics! "Who was getting my full, undivided attention?" "What did I promise to whom?" "Did I type in one sentence intended for another?" "How much time slipped past me shifting in between each conversation when I refocused?" And here’s a zinger: "How much time did I waste conducting searches in the conversation to find what I needed after the fact?"

A recent article published by Reuters Health highlighted a study conducted by Stanford University that discussed students who immerse themselves in multi-tasking, or task-switching. The results of the study showed that those "people who multi-task" performed more poorly on tests than people who were not prone to media multi-tasking. As professionals, we are depleting our competencies by remaining distracted with tech media. When you are working your hardest to get noticed, get promoted, and to keep your job in this economy, that hurts.

Instant messenger is a common denominator in the media that multi-tasking professionals face. My advice is to adhere to a plan that when you execute on it, you are more productive and relieved of stress and the mental drain associated with multi-tasking. You will ultimately have fewer fires to put out!

Begin your day deliberately. There is a setting on most instant messenger products that allows you to disable it from starting up with your computer. Let your mind and body warm up before you go typing into oblivion.
Turn off distractions like instant messenger for a period of time when you can engage in tasks and projects on a daily basis. Don’t just place it on "Do Not Disturb." That gets ignored. Shut it down completely.
Honor your timed commitments on your calendar and the deadlines on your list. Don’t let the blinking bubble on the lower right hand corner of your monitor hold you down like a ball and chain.

Go forth and be productive!

“Control - Shift - K will make your Day!”

2009-10-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

by Skip Colfax

“Control - Shift - K will make your Day!”

Do you remember hearing that quote in Getting the EDGE? It is often attributed to my colleague, Robertt Young, but I recently learned that the source of the phrase is actually a student who participated in a Getting the EDGE class that Robertt lead some time ago. The rhyme is simple and it makes me smile. I use that short cut multiple times each day for entering new Actions into my EDGE System; knowing that my system is only as good as its user… ME!

I use Control – Shift – K whenever I recognize something that I need to do; whether I’m processing information in my e-mail inbox, reading through meeting notes, or talking with people on a conference call. I’m always processing information… and doing it pretty quickly. I guess it’s no surprise that my laminated copy of the EDGE Deciding Model is right in front of me every day, all day. I’m continuously adding to my task list, lest I forget something and let it fall through the cracks. As I’m processing, I’m not only adding tasks, I’m adding calendar items also, but not as many. On average, about 85% of my actions go on my task List.

Sometimes I get a hot assignment from my boss and jump right into it to complete it quickly. If I haven’t entered a task for it, I feel cheated! So, I “Control – Shift – K” and add the task, so I have a record of my activities. But then, I turn around and check it off as completed! Checking things off my list makes me feel good.

I do have a surrogate for Control – Shift – K for times when I’m away from my computer. As soon as I think of something that I need to do, I’m thinking, “Control – Shift – K” but I’m grabbing my trusty notebook to write it down! Those items in my notebook get a Star to the left of them, so they are easy to identify when I’m emptying my notebook. My days are full of “Control-Shift – K” with a sprinkling of “Control – Shift – A” as needed.

Control – Shift – K does make my day! It keeps my system up-to-date, reliable, and helps keeps my head clear! Sure beats trying to remember all of that stuff!

Where do you store addresses?

2009-10-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

by Kim Brewster

When purchasing a birthday card for a team member at a local card/gift shop, I commented on the beautiful journals on the counter. Two women behind the counter, appearing to me as wonderful grandmothers, replied that I was admiring address books, not journals.

I mentioned that I keep that information in the contacts of my Outlook system to which they both replied they did not know how to do that. One said, “I like the old way of writing and carrying it with me.” The other said, “I have always written everything down and I guess I always will.”

My mother-in-law keeps an address book that contains phone numbers and street addresses before the advent of area codes and zip codes. It’s practically a work of art. Her records could rival those of any county office. As an elementary school teacher when her children were young, she has expert penmanship, which is reflected in the neat lines and carefully scripted updates.

I have been storing information electronically for so long that I really can’t remember having a physical address book. Where would I be without my Outlook contacts? I can record birthdays, anniversaries, nick names, business and home addresses, websites, email addresses, and any other data I want to include. I can share the information with others and it is backed up regularly, so I don’t have to worry about losing anything.

If I lost a handwritten address book, I would be hard pressed to recreate that information quickly or easily.

I still read the newspaper every day, the demise of which has been greatly exaggerated, but my hand-written address book met its demise long ago.

What's on your Someday/Maybe List?

2009-10-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

by Robertt Young

One of the stories I really like that demonstrates the value of the Someday Maybe list comes from Lou Holtz, the former football coach for Notre Dame and the University of South Carolina. In the story, he tells about a period in his life where he had to take stock of things to figure out how he would live his life. He mentioned the lists he made during that time (which we would call a Someday Maybe list), which followed him over his 40 year career, enabling him to do and accomplish the things he did. My apology to Lou if this is not 100% accurate, but I believe I captured the essence of his story.

Lou was working in the athletic department, specifically the football program at the University of Minnesota, when a friend of his, who was head coach for the University of South Carolina, asked him to be the assistant head coach for their team. Lou was excited and when he told his family about it, they were very supportive, including his wife who was 7 months pregnant. So they sold their home and moved to Columbus, SC. For the first few weeks, Lou was ecstatic with the new job. Then suddenly the head coach was asked to step down which meant Lou’s job was also in jeopardy. As luck would have it, two weeks later, Lou was also fired. This was Lou’s first time to lose a job and when he thought about the situation he was in - no job, new to town, big mortgage and a new baby on the way - he was devastated. He went into a deep depression. His wife had to go out and get a job at a local hospital as an x-ray technician.

Now Lou’s wife was a patient woman, but after three weeks of his moping around, she decided something had to be done. So she bought Lou a book called The Magic of Thinking Big and told him to read it. She also expected him to put some of the book’s recommendations into action. Lou agreed to read the book and he was not impressed until he came across a passage that incorporated the idea, ‘if you feel like you’re not making progress in life, don’t give up and forget your dreams. Make a list of them, keep them in front of you and visit them weekly.’ So Lou followed the author’s recommendations and began to write down all of his dreams, all the things he wanted to do in life. Some of the things he wanted to do were:

1. Jump out of an airplane
2. Meet the Pope
3. Be a great football coach at Notre Dame
4. Take Notre Dame to a football championship
5. Land an airplane on an aircraft carrier
6. Become a motivational speaker
7. Be a sports announcer
8. And on and on until he had written 107 things that he wanted to do.

When his wife returned home, he showed her the list and she said, “ But Lou, your forgot one—GET A JOB! “

The interesting thing about this story is that Lou would look at his list weekly and decide which things, if any, he would actively work on. And over the next 40 years, Lou accomplished 98 of those 108 things. This was Lou Holtz’s Someday Maybe list. What’s yours?

Where is your Focus?

2009-09-30T12:58:00.000-07:00

by Russell Tibbits

Early July and my birthday presented itself again, as it does every year around this time. Only this year I had the genius idea of running a triathlon on the actual day. I can assure you that every future birthday will pass quietly, without one of these events to write about. However, I looked forward to this particular triathlon for two reasons. First, it was fairly short for a sprint triathlon which meant I could go back to sleep quicker. Second, my best friend since early high school would be racing with me.

Apparent to me, in looking at my previous race results, is that I neglected to fully train for the swim portion of the race. And while this is the shortest distance of any of the three events (swim, bike and run), I felt that more intense training for the swim would not only help with my race time in the swim, but also help me feel strong and energetic as I transitioned to the bike course. So for the six weeks prior to race day, I spent day after day in the pool. Racking up lap after lap, I felt more confident. To increase the challenge, I finished my time in the pool with some distance running. I felt very confident in both areas and knew it was impossible not to do better.

This would be great if a triathlon only involved two events. I was so focused on the swim and the run that I failed to train at all for the bike. It’s not difficult to guess what happened on the day of the triathlon. I maneuvered swiftly through the swim, faster than any of my previous races. But less than a mile into my bike, my actions from the prior six weeks began to haunt me. An improved swim time, followed by a terrible bike, ending with an improved run time. A very average finish time is not what I expected.

Something I’ve learned that will stick with me forever because it applies to every industry is: if you want a number (revenue, profits, weight) to go up or down, all you need to do is focus on it daily. When you focus on the number daily, your actions start to align with your goals. This rule proved to be true, as both my swim times and run times improved. But you can’t forsake one key number for the improvement of others. You can’t focus on revenue, without keeping an eye on expenses and profits. And as I now know, I can’t focus on swim times and run times and ignore the bike. In order to excel at any event, I have to be completely involved in every aspect. That’s the only way to ensure I’ll be satisfied with my results.

Globally Positioned…

2009-09-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

by Kim Brewster

I love my GPS (Globally Positioned System) and I know I’m breaking the rule about starting a paper with I, but I love my GPS.

Earlier this year I traveled to Kansas City, MO, for my daughter’s volleyball tournament. I Googled my route from the airport to the hotel and printed it. Another mom and her daughter were sharing our rental car and the mom brought along her GPS. I was willing to give it a try, as believe it or not, I had never used one or been in a car with one that was functioning. Plus I had my trusty(?) Google map for backup.

The female voice soothingly guided us away from the airport and on to the highway. Exits and streets were announced in miles, increments of miles or feet. The small screen mounted just below the rearview mirror above the dashboard reminded me of a video game screen. As I made turns and traveled down new avenues, the images on the screen changed color and beckoned me to head in even more directions until arriving at my destination.

Even if I made a wrong turn, my unseen driving companion calmly recalculated my journey and got me back on the right path, with nary a condescending tone or judgment of my driving or listening skills.

My husband joined us a day later in Kansas City and I practically gushed with enthusiasm for my new best friend, a borrowed GPS. Now I have my own ethereal friend to guide me. No matter what name or English variation my daughter has programmed into it, I successfully arrive at my destination every time.

I love my Outlook tools, too, and how they keep me organized and on track. My GPS motto is now Globally Positioned for Success.

In and Out of Season

2009-09-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

by Angela Ware

Like many of our readers, I am a big sports fan. Although I enjoy almost all sports, in the wisdom pointed out on t-shirt worn by little children everywhere, “basketball is life”. For me, there is little entertainment that can compare to the wonder of March Madness and the beautiful way it transitions into the NBA playoff season, culminating in the final game in June. Ahhh, a new champion is crowned!

However, shortly after the confetti falls and ESPN plays a video montage of the “road to the playoffs”, it hits me that the season is over! Now, don’t get me wrong. I enjoy baseball and I will gladly cheer for the Texas Rangers, as we await the start of the NCAA and NFL football season and then on to the glorious return of NCAA and NBA basketball. I do go through a slight mourning period. But, I don’t stay there long because if I do, I might miss out on a great moment in sports where another athlete has pushed him or herself beyond what was believed to be their best, in an effort to achieve victory and a spot on Sports Center’s “Play of the Day”.

I can’t choose the season. But I can choose to cheer in and out of my favorite season.

As professionals we all work on projects and, during the course of our careers, there will be projects that we like, projects that we love and, yes, projects that we tolerate. But if we allow ourselves to stop being a fan of our profession, we might miss out on an inspiring moment.

Although basketball is my favorite sport, I must admit that there have been moments in hockey, football, tennis, baseball, soccer, golf, and track and field that have all grabbed my attention and left me inspired.

So the next time you find yourself working on a project (season) that is not your favorite, keep cheering and stay in the game. Who knows--you might just make a play of day, become the league’s new MVP or be recognized as a number one fan. After all, at the end of the day, we all want to be on the side of a championship team.

Swimming in Email

2009-09-11T16:13:00.000-07:00

by Zahra Petri

Ever go to your email inbox, attack a set of new emails, accomplish the tasks being asked, feel great and energized, then return to your inbox to find what feels like a hundred more new emails? Well I have. It’s the feeling that you can’t get ahead. It’s the feeling that you are literally swimming in emails because your inbox is so full you can’t find anything and feel completely unorganized. The problem is not how many emails you receive; the problem is how you are managing, or not managing, them.

In the Getting the EDGE course, not only are we taught tools for staying organized, but we learn how to empty our email inboxes daily. Not until you empty that inbox for the first time, do you truly understand that feeling of liberation. When your inbox is empty, you are free to accomplish other important tasks and projects. By having everything organized into one seamless system, you know exactly where to look for the things you need, input all the new items, and maintain a clear, organized, structured schedule to keep you focused and energized.

Those were the pieces of the puzzle that came together when I took the Getting the EDGE course. The sense of accomplishment, excitement, and completion allowed me to turn tiresome daily tasks and projects into a system that I love, trust and rely upon. My email inbox is no longer a chain tying me down or a weight on my shoulders.

Now that I have my EDGE, I can accomplish anything!

Cycles of Activity – Don’t starve yourself for completion!

2009-09-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

by Paige Webb

I habitually take on projects. I don’t say “no” too often. I’m one of those people who believes that anything is possible. I visualize an outcome and go for it--no matter the hurdles or twists and turns. I love challenges and problem solving and the energy gained after the accomplishment.

Last month I witnessed my energy drop to a low that I had not seen in a while. When I wasn’t at the office, I was in bed, or on the internet wasting time. I had apathy towards everything and anything. The projects I have on my list included a new website, rebranding, training and traveling, webcasts, new products, a real estate contract, and house-sitting. I beat myself up about my personal productivity and my exercise habits that had diminished. Too many things were “in progress” and not enough of them were nearing completion. Don’t get me started on the flexibility required for my family dynamics. I was an upside down version of myself.

Last night I taught an overnight class for an international client, and I have been trying to get back to a normal sleeping pattern. I have not slept solidly due to restlessness and anticipation of seeing my project outcomes as a reality…they are right past my nose! I was awakened from a nap by a knock on the door from a neighbor. Needless to say, I was “miffed.” Gosh. I really was on a roll there with sleeping (about 2 hours). I had my phone on “silent” on purpose. Out of my bad habit, I reached for my Blackberry to see missed calls, emails, text messages and Facebook messages. Information overload!

Lying just beneath the scroll of the viewing window of my phone, I saw an email from my mortgage broker. It was titled, “Clear to close.” My house contract is now complete and the finance hurdle that came with it. My patience paid off (but I sacrificed energy with it). I just need to sign on the dotted line and write a check. For the first time in my life, I will own a home! I’ve been living in temporary arrangements for almost a year since my relocation. This is a major win!

Here’s where the cycle of activity comes in: although sleep deprived, this completion propelled me to do the dishes, take out the trash, clean out my refrigerator, sort mail that had piled up, clear my sitting area of a mass of stuff I just “dropped off,” and answer personal emails that had been sitting in my Gmail inbox for weeks. My eyes wept bona fide tears…down my face…to the floor. I laughed at myself. I said, “Goodbye, incomplete” out loud. I turned on John Mayer and rocked out, because I love the blues guitar.

The weight on my chest is lifted. My lungs can fill up now. I feel the carpet fibers beneath my feet. My legs feel stronger than ever. I would love to go for a walk, or even a run, but I may just pass out! I see the lessons from this and how I can manage commitments on the front end, instead of going for it all. I’m soaking it up and clearly…had to write it all down. I had to acknowledge this. Check. Strikethrough. Move on. Calling all completions…this train is boarding, and I’m going to sleep well tonight.

The Big Sugar Crash of 2009

2009-09-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

by Paige Webb

From several conversations and publications surrounding me, I’m finding that the health-kicks of today involve the avoidance of refined sugars in our diets. The published unofficial results site “improved mental clarity” and “uninterrupted sleep” from reducing sugar intake. I, too, got on the bandwagon in order to reap these sought after benefits. This was difficult, as most of my family will make special cakes, pies, and cookies when I visit, because each of them knows that I have a major sweet tooth. I ventured into the uncharted territory of cutting sugar from my diet for about four months. I achieved amazing results with regards to my energy level and my waistline. But, wait… once you go back, you crash! Hard!

I’ve recently discovered that sugary snacks are detrimental to my productivity. Once that ‘crash’ happens, there’s no telling how long I will be side-lined. The side-effects of sugar are different for different people, but commonly a sugar crash induces sleepiness, anxiety, and severe lack of focus. Some call this “zombie mode.” The absence of sugar in my system for those four months intensified the physical effect when I did decide to snack on a fresh patisserie-made cookie. The lesson in this for me was: moderation.

If I stick to the EDGE teaching methodology of taking ‘strategic disengagements’ (J. Loehr, The Power of Full Engagement), I should be grabbing a healthy snack to renew my energy and focus throughout my breaks during the day. Examples of healthy snacks include granola or protein bars, fruit, nuts or chopped up vegetables. Although many foods contain some form of sugar or carbohydrate, the refined sugars are what do you in. The vicious cycle involves our blood racing, then slowing down. This is a huge drain on our energy and potential for performing at 100%.

If you’re facing a day that you absolutely should be performing at 100% (when are we not?), my advice is to keep snacks and meals healthy, and skip the sugar. Avoid crashing or sugar whiplash at all costs!

Overcoming Email Addiction

2009-08-28T14:08:00.000-07:00

by Robertt Young

I recently delivered a class to a group of program and project managers at a large international engineering and manufacturing company. This company makes valves and systems for refineries, gas producers and nuclear power plants. During the class, we had a lively and stimulating discussion around the use of email e.g. when to use it, how to use it effectively, etc. At the end of the class, I received this email from one of the directors who attended. I want to share this with all of our current users as to how one person can make a difference. He sent this to all of the stakeholders in his division.

Colleagues, my name is Mike, I am a recovering email addict. Today is my first day of being "clean."

In an effort to break my addiction to email, implement new time management skills and improve productivity, I will no longer be continuously monitoring my email as I have in the past.

I will process email at only two or three discrete times during the day. At this time, your email will be read and:

1) I will reply - time permitting
2) I will delegate it to another expert who can reply more accurately or more quickly than I can
3) I will defer your message for proper analysis and reply when my schedule permits
4) I will file or delete the message if no response is required

During this transition period, you may experience delays in response to your message. In addition, I may not have read your email by the next time we pass in the hall or you pop into my office.

When fully "leaned out" I expect response times to decrease from current levels of today.

As always, I stand by my personal guidelines for email usage:

1) Important decisions are NOT documented in emails - but in memorandums that can be transmitted by email
2) Do not email anyone if a quick phone call is sufficient - yes, the art of the phone call is back
3) Do not continue an email thread more than 3 deep
4) Highest priority on message that are sent "TO" me
5) Lowest priority on messages that are "CC'd" to me

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time. Remember, it's a process.

As I mentioned, this is an international company and his group interfaces with others around the world, where email is the only effective way of communication. But even he is making the process work. I would be interested in hearing about any similar experiences you may have had and how you are dealing with them.

Pay It Forward…By Listening

2009-08-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

by Laura Finney

As an officer of an association, I had been given the task to come up with a project for my local club members. Many of the members squawked at any idea that would be time consuming and daunting. The foundation of the project was to create “community bonding” and have a lasting effect on the individual recipients.

I had recently watched the movie “Pay It Forward.” Immediately, I was touched and inspired by the message in the movie. I challenged my club to a six-month project, “Pay It Forward…By Listening.”
The project rules were simple: to engage in a “friendly” conversation with someone (we did not know), who works at a place we visit often in our community. The conversation could not be longer than a few minutes (people are working). The objective was to get to know someone by just “being nice” and taking those moments when waiting in line or participating in a service or activity to listen and learn something new about someone not in “our lives”. No place was off limits. The goal was to create a bond with those that serve us in our communities. I chose my local coffee house.

At my local coffee house, Lisa was my target. She had been wiping down the tables and appeared to be in a good mood. I felt like 007 trying to determine if this was the right thing to do. I am always pleasant, but this was taking it a step further. Timing had to perfect. Just as Lisa went to wipe down the coffee station, I went over to “fix” my coffee. We had the typical pleasantries. I asked the typical question, “How’s your day going?” I immediately noticed her big blue eyes…smiling. Then I noticed she had no hair under the cap she wore. In less than two minutes, I learned-Lisa loves her job, it pays over $10 an hour, her co-workers are great, and she has excellent health benefits. Her insurance covered 100% of the cost for her to have the tumor removed from her brain, she boasted as she showed me her scar.

Today, seven months later, Lisa has grown her hair out. I did not notice her at first. She told me she has not decided what to do about hair now that she has it…again. I told her, “It doesn’t matter, either way you look fabulous!”

I have completed my project and Lisa is aware she was my “target.” Lisa has agreed to pay if forward.

This on-going experience reminds me of how grateful I am of where I live, where I work, and where I play.

Life Lessons are Everywhere

2009-08-21T10:28:00.001-07:00

by Russell Tibbits

I walked three blocks north on Congress today to pick up lunch to bring back to the office. It was a little after noon when I arrived to pick out my soft chicken tacos and the lunch line backed up nearly to the entrance of the restaurant. As I stood in line, I glanced around at the other patrons. Almost all of them were business professionals in button down shirts, pressed slacks, matching belts and shoes.

However, the same could not be said for the person directly in front of me in the line of close to 50. His T-shirt was dusty and stained with sweat. His once black jeans, intermingling with chalky white patches, sported 6 inches of extra fabric bundled above his shoes. And while his left foot was covered by a battered black business shoe, his right foot dawned a brown sandal. It was clear this man had a life much more difficult than anyone else in the restaurant.

Standing in line for a few more moments, he cut to the right, past the others standing in line, and directly to the cash register. After speaking to the restaurant staff, he was offered a cup, which he filled with water and drank several times. I immediately sympathized with him; the heat index in Austin has been close to 110 degrees every day this week. And while I’d spent a couple of these days outside training for my next triathlon or playing volleyball, I’ve never questioned where I would go to rehydrate or when I would get my next drink of water.

Very polite and considerate, he filled his cup of water and then moved to the side to allow the other customers to fill their glasses while he drank. As I continued to watch him, I became more humbled by his presence for two reasons. Would I be willing to stand in the same line with professionals, in a stained shirt and mismatched shoes, so I could ask for a free glass of water? Or would I become embarrassed and find a reason to walk away? He also made me think of how often I care too much about what I look like, what amenities I can get, instead of being concerned with making sure my basic needs are met.

Summer has only just begun but twice already I’ve been humbled and learned life lessons in unexpected places by unexpected people.

Projects on the EDGE

2009-08-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

by Skip Colfax

Sometimes people ask me, “Why do we even have project plans in the EDGE System? Why not just list all of the tasks as “Actions” and complete them one-by-one?” These are good, logical questions, and, upon first look, one might think that just listing actions, without a project plan, would save time. But, in reality, without a project plan, just the opposite happens. We end up spending more time figuring out why we’re doing the action, and where this action is supposed to lead us… We can get lost and having to think about it all over again is a time waster.

I’ve learned that my project plans are my task management system. Not only does the Project Plan hold all of the tasks needed to complete the project, but it includes an Outcome Statement, which describes my goal and keeps me motivated to complete all of the actions. The important thing is that all of that information is in one place, so I can watch as the project actions are ticked off one at a time. That’s motivational, and drives me forward.

By categorizing my project plans as “Projects”, I have an easy view from my task list of all of the projects I’ve got on my plate. I can easily answer questions about the status of each project, and at the click of a button, I can easily show my boss all of the stuff I’m working on. Then, we can reprioritize, if necessary, to get additional, urgent actions or projects done, too.

I really like the projects category a lot. I love it when I’ve completed all of the actions in a project. There are few things in my work life that give me as much satisfaction as checking off a project as complete. But the big kick for me is by acknowledging my hard work completing the project, I find myself energized and pumped up for whatever’s next. I love that feeling!

Keeping your cool

2009-08-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

by Angela Ware

Like a number of today’s professionals, I spend a good percentage of my time traveling. And because of the amount of time I spend in and out of airports, I’ve had the chance to observe the best and the worst in airline customer service. The worst service generally occurs when there has been a flight delay, last minute gate change or the dreaded cancellation. Needless to say, the best customer service also happens during delays, gate changes and cancellations. On a recent trip from San Jose to Dallas I experienced a traveling trifecta, all before 6:00am!

At 5:25am we were told that our flight was delayed due to a mechanical problem, and then at 5:40am were told that there would be a gate change, finally at 5:55am were told that our flight had been cancelled and we would need to see an agent in order to be placed on another flight. Trifecta!!!

Although I was concerned about how they were going to handle this matter, I was also watching this one particular agent who had been walking around for the past half hour greeting passengers. She was now at a terminal counter off to the side working alone. As the other agent was yelling at passengers to be patient, this particular agent was working out a plan.

She knew at 5:30am that there was a good chance that this flight was going to be cancelled. Without saying a word she had begun identifying passengers based on their final designation and was working on rerouting them. Because she had already introduced herself before the excitement of the cancellation, when she asked us to be patient and explained what she was doing, everyone who was standing in line sat down and waited for their name to be called. In less than twenty minutes, every passenger had been rerouted and off to their final destination.

Excellent customer service. Polite, patient, organized and focused.

My take away from this experience… when you see the potential for disaster, don’t panic--look for the facts, identify your options, communicate and execute your plan.

When others are panicking, the ones who shows themselves to be patient, polite, and competent gain the trust of the crowd.

You’re our guest for the Basex Inaugural Information Overload Awareness Day, August 12th!

2009-08-10T08:33:00.001-07:00

From Christina Randle

Dear Readers,

Did you know that by 2012, the typical knowledge worker will receive hundreds of messages each day via e-mail, IM, text, and social networks? And that knowledge workers today lose 25% of the work day due to Information Overload?

Come as our guest via the Web on August 12 - Information Overload Awareness Day - to learn what you can do both for yourself and your organization as part of a world-wide effort to help decrease the impact of Information Overload . Use the code "EdgeGuest" for your guest ticket here: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/379835097

The keynote presentation will feature Nathan Zeldes, Intel's former Information Overload czar, speaking about his work at Intel and will coincide with the release of the forthcoming Basex report, Intel's War Against Information Overload. All attendees will receive a complimentary executive summary of this groundbreaking report.

Companies need to focus on what can be done to lessen the impact of this problem right now. The purpose of Information Overload Awareness Day is to call attention to these problems and focus on what can be done to lessen its impact. It is centered around the Information Overload Awareness Inaugural Event – a half-day online gathering of senior executives and thought leaders from around the globe.

Join senior executives and thought leaders from across the globe on August 12. http://www.informationoverloadday.com/

In addition to the keynote from Nathan Zeldes, speakers will include:

Noted authors Maggie Jackson (“Distracted”) and Mike Song (“The Hamster Revolution”)
John Hagel, co-chairman, the Deloitte Center for Edge Innovation
Nathan Zeldes, President of the Information Overload Research Group (IORG)
Anne-Katrin Neyer, School of Business and Economics, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg
A CIO from the U.S. Air Force
Paul Silverman, Integra
Christina Randle, The Effective Edge
Jonathan Spira, chief analyst at Basex
Executives from a variety of companies including Dow Jones and Morgan Stanley.
A panel of Visionary Vendors with tools that help lower Information Overload including Matt Brezina, co-founder, Xobni, Deva Hazarika, CEO, ClearContext, Julie White, director of product management, Microsoft, and Tomer Shalit, CEO, Nordic River.

Your complimentary ticket also includes a copy of the Basex report "Information Overload: We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us" as well as access to archived sessions from the Inaugural Event, so, if you want to review some of the sessions afterwards, you can!

Over 500 people are expected to attend worldwide. I hope you will be one of them so please reserve your place now! http://www.eventbrite.com/event/379835097

I will be a guest speaker and hope to have you join us.

Warm regards,
Christina

Your Summer is Over!

2009-08-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

by Kim Brewster

With the start of high school three weeks away, my daughter returned from the first day of volleyball tryouts rather dejected and forlorn. “Guess what they said to us first thing?” she asked me. “YOUR SUMMER IS OVER – practice is at 6:45 am, Monday through Friday, and you are expected to be on the court and ready,” she replied.

A friend of mine with a son the same age as my daughter, but who is in band, said to me a day later, “Guess what the kids were told first thing the first day of band practice?” “YOUR SUMMER IS OVER – marching practice is at 6:45 am, Monday through Friday, and you are expected to be on the field, instruments ready,” she replied.

I imagine this was the same militaristic announcement was delivered to all kids in athletics. But does the message serve to motivate? Of course these kids realize that summer, as they knew it, is over. They chose to be present for tryouts and practices because of a love or dedication to the sport or fine art.

What if these students had been greeted with, “Welcome – we are so glad you are here.” “We realize that you are cutting your summer short to participate in ___________.” “We honor your commitment to and dedication to ____________.” “We have high expectations and have set ground rules to help you succeed.”

The same message delivered from a different perspective can radically alter the motivation, for better or worse. These messages are no different in the workplace. Which style of coaching or leading encourages and motivates you? See if you can figure it out before summer is over.

Use Categories to keep Interruptions at a Minimum

2009-08-04T15:37:00.000-07:00

by Skip Colfax

In Getting the EDGE, you remember turning off the indicators that tell you of new e-mail. I really don’t miss those incessant chimes and flags. In fact, when I’m around a system that still uses them, they irritate me, and I’m glad they’re gone from my life! I get so much more done.

Speaking of interruptions, another best practice I’ve learned that reduces interruptions is using categories along with one-on-one meetings with my boss and my team members. I remember the days when I managed 24 smart, capable training writers. I had an open door policy, so they each came to my office frequently to interrupt me with a question or to give me status on their projects. I was kept well informed about my team, but, with 24 of them, I was constantly interrupted, and I found that my projects were getting done at home or on the weekends, instead of at the office.

When I learned the EDGE system, and how to incorporate the use of categories into the one-on-one weekly meetings I have with my boss and team members, I found that all of us were having fewer interruptions and more productive time.

Here’s how I use the Team and Boss categories with my one-on-one meetings:

My Boss

When I have an item that I need to speak with my boss about, I create a task, and categorize it with the “Christina” category (Christina Randle is our CEO and I have weekly meetings with her).
When I have a few minutes with Christina or during our weekly one-on-one meeting, I open my tasks list, look in the “Christina” category and see my list of all of the things I need to speak with her about.

My Team

In the same vein, when it comes to my Team, I have only one category for Team, so to help group items together for each team member; I enter their initials at the beginning of the topic.
Then, when I open the Team Category in my task list, all of the items for each team member are grouped together by their initials.
This is the method that Christina uses with her team (of which I am a member)

It’s a great system. We reduce interruptions all around, and all stay as productive as possible. If you’re not using categories this way today, give it a try, you’ll see what I mean about reduced interruptions and increased productivity.

Managing the Reading List Avalanche

2009-07-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

by Kristi Willis

I read everything. If you took away all my blogs, magazines and newspapers, I would read the cereal or tissue box. I have even been known to read Golf Digest while waiting in the doctor’s office if I have forgotten my own reading material.

Because of my voracious reading habit, tracking key readings for our office has become part of my job. Like many of our clients, I’m expected to keep up with current trends in the fields of Productivity and Learning and Development. Also, like most of my clients, I struggle to stay up with the reading when my schedule gets busy.

Keeping up with the stack of magazines and books is challenging, but there is a physical stack on the desk, so I know when I’m getting backlogged. Blogs are a different problem. I follow quite a few and some of the writers post daily. Trying to keep up with them on my own was completely overwhelming.

I tried checking weekly using an Outlook Task to keep up with the blogs I wanted to monitor. I would land on a site and realize I’d missed 10 articles and two were information I really needed. It would take ½ a day to get through all the blogs. Next, I tried checking daily, but I would waste time visiting sites that hadn’t posted recently. I almost gave up.

Then, I found Google Reader; a free application that allows you to manage your blog and RSS feed subscriptions. You can easily view all of your unread articles or articles specific to a particular subscription. You can share articles with others, tag articles or, in my case, easily clip them to your database (for me, Evernote – see separate blog article on it).

You can also organize your subscriptions using Folders. For example, I use Google Reader for both work and personal blogs and have created Folders to organize the blogs for each. I can easily access the work-related blogs when I’m in the office and focus on the personal blogs at home.

My favorite part of Google Reader is the search feature. Let’s say that I want to find the recent blog articles on Information Overload. I can enter the term in the search box and it will pull any article with that term from any of the blogs I follow. I have saved hours of time in product development research using this feature alone. I no longer have to search the entire web for key articles and wade through useless websites. Instead, I can search the sites I know to be reliable and reputable with ease.

The Effective Edge doesn’t endorse products, but I have found Google Reader to be invaluable in staying current with information and finding it again quickly. I highly recommend that you work with it or a similar tool to maximize your productive time and tame the blog avalanche.

You're Living the EDGE. The corporate culture around you isn't.

2009-07-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

The team at The Effective Edge has received copious emails and course evaluation feedback asking, "When will Getting the EDGE be mandatory for all employees at our company?" The reason behind this question is clear. The 20 individuals that sit throughout a Getting the EDGE course know their individual takeaways from the day, but often the culture or environment surrounding them is that of "swimming upstream" among their overwhelmed (and overwhelming) colleagues.

Although we don't have the authority to make the course mandatory, there is another approach that can be considered. Our product development team asked themselves the question, "What if...on-boarding professionals can Start with the EDGE?" It's certainly a step in the right direction! So, a new solution offering was born. It's not listed on our website yet, but here is a preview of the course details that can be tailored to your organization:

Starting with the EDGE™ 4-Hour Workshop or 2-Hour OnDemand:

Kick off your on-boarding professionals on the “right foot” by maximizing the productive use of Microsoft Outlook® or Lotus Notes®.

Most professionals start each day with a parade of voicemail, email, paperwork, interruptions, and responsibilities. Stress takes over and by the end of the day they're wondering: What have I forgotten? How did my to-do list get longer? I just started here, and I’m already behind!

Starting with the EDGE™ uses our proven best practices with the full power of Outlook, or Lotus Notes. Workshop attendees become more productive individuals and collaborative team members, and experience repeatable results they'll value for the rest of their life and career.

The Efficiency Experience

Learn productivity shortcuts and management using the Outlook or Lotus Notes account you will use everyday. Attendees log on to their individual systems and by class end you'll set up your electronic desk to set the stage for a seamless system to move forward using. You'll start work with a life-changing philosophy and tackle new things and change with ease!

The Productivity Payoff

-Gain 1-2 productive hours per day and increase efficiency by 15-20%.

-Manage and reduce interruptions, email, and information searches.

-Create action items using tasks and calendar features.

-Integrate email, voicemail, and paper files, using existing tools.

-Manage day-to-day tasks efficiently, using our unique process.

-Learn skills to stay focused, relaxed and empowered.

Organized Shopping in the Sky

2009-07-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

by Kim Brewster

Ever present on most commercial planes, in the seat back pocket, is SkyMall, the catalogue for a captive audience. In it are items you may not encounter in your brick and mortar mall or unique gift ideas when shopping for the person who has everything. Many offerings purport to make your life easier and save time.

Got pets? SkyMall offers the latest in furniture that houses litter boxes, ramps for your pets to get on the bed (yours) or in the car and motion activated alarms to discourage pets from getting on furniture and countertops. Hope the four-legged friends aren’t too confused about where they are allowed to be.

Organizationally challenged in the bedroom? Not to worry – available for purchase is a platform bed containing 12 drawers, 2 attached bedside tables and lighted headboard with storage above. You may not remember which drawers your things are stored in, but the handy out of sight, out of mind reference comes to mind.

Unless you host a lot of backyard parties or work at carnivals, would you need a 53” high popcorn or snow cone cart? What is your time worth to clean and store something which can’t be disassembled? That 19” margarita mixer is starting to look good – at least it can be stored more easily.

After practicing EDGE techniques for the past few years, I sift the idea of potential purchases through buckets of a deciding model:

Is the item that has me salivating its purchase a Want or a Need?
Is it in my Budget?
Can I benefit from it Immediately and Long Term?

Often the answer is to defer the purchase to my Someday/Maybe list. When or if all my questions about the potential purchase align, it may even be on sale. Deferring definitely has its benefits.

I look forward to each flight with a new Sky Mall, wondering what will they come up with next.

How Long Is Two Minutes?

2009-07-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

by Laura Finney

When I give thought to what tasks I can complete in two minutes, I am reminded of situations where two minutes were longer than I realized. Two minutes can feel as though it’s a long time if you’re anxiously waiting at a stop light, holding your breath under water, brushing your teeth, trying yoga for the first time, or five minutes late for your next appointment.

However, two minutes for tasks in the office can and has increased my productivity and reduced the amount of action tasks I may be tempted to create. For example, in two minutes or less, you can answer at least one or two emails, return a call, leave a voicemail message, confirm or cancel an appointment, or update a report.

The Effective Edge’s “Do it in two minutes or less” method has reduce my stress level by giving me a formula to use and balance my work for the day. This action has taken my productivity to the next level, allowing me to be more efficient throughout the day.

During those times when my inbox has twice as many emails as the day before, the two-minute or less rule kicks in…quickly. And, it actually increases my energy as I COMPLETE these items. This also reduces the amount of work I will need to do later. .

Living the EDGE system keeps me from being overwhelmed and in control of my daily tasks.

Getting Rid Of a Bad Decision

2009-07-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

by Russell Tibbits

When I was little, my dad owned a boat. Almost every weekend in the summer, we would go fishing and water skiing. Many times, he would take me after grade school for an afternoon of skiing and cruising the lake. But as we got older, we stopped boating as frequently. Busier weekends and a new brother and sister left me and my dad with little time for this extracurricular activity. In fact, the boat never touched the water during the last few years we owned it. It spent more time collecting pieces of trash and taking up space in our driveway than anything else. This seemed to grate my dad’s nerves a bit. It was around this time that I heard the saying, “The two best days of owning a boat are the day you buy it and the day you sell it.” This concept echoes our clean up and clear out method on a grand scale and I recently found myself in almost the same situation.

In January of 2008, with just a few months left on my lease, I began enjoying the thought of having a 4-door sports car instead of a 2-door. Researching my options and thinking completely with my heart, I headed to the Acura dealership where I upgraded to a new lease on a new car. I found myself almost giddy as I drove home with my new heated seats, my GPS navigation system, my XM radio and my empty back seats. Not only was this car more exciting to drive, it had all the amenities I obviously needed.

This feeling lasted until I received my first lease payment. And reality began to sink that I was paying an additional $230 per month for this new lease. It also began to sink in that I didn’t really need GPS for my 3- mile commute to work. And I couldn’t really feel the heated seats begin to work until my 10- minute commute was almost complete. And by the time I pulled into the parking garage at work, I was able to listen to ESPN radio in crystal-clear XM radio, but was often limited to the absurdly long commercials. The backseat, like the boat, collected more empty glasses and bits of trash than serve its actual designed purpose. Oh, and did I mention it got 14 miles per gallon in the city?

Only a few days ago, I ended that lease early and bought almost the same car I had before the gas-guzzling amenity monster. On the drive home, I, again, found myself giddy. I’m in a car that fits my lifestyle and my budget. Most importantly, I was able to clear out something that I wasn’t using and replace it with something that is more manageable.

A Texas Sized Swimming Pool of Email

2009-07-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

by Zahra Petri

Ever go to your email inbox, attack a set of new emails, accomplish the tasks being asked, feel great and energized, then return to your inbox to find what feels like a hundred more new emails? Well I have. It’s the feeling that you can’t get ahead. It’s the feeling that you are literally swimming in emails because your inbox is so full you can’t find anything and feel completely unorganized. The problem is not how many emails you receive; the problem is how you are managing, or not managing, them.

In the Getting the EDGE course, not only are we taught tools for staying organized, but we learn how to empty our email inboxes daily. Not until you empty that inbox for the first time, do you truly understand that feeling of liberation. When your inbox is empty, you are free to accomplish other important tasks and projects. By having everything organized into one seamless system, you know exactly where to look for the things you need, input all the new items, and maintain a clear, organized, structured schedule to keep you focused and energized.

Those were the pieces of the puzzle that came together when I took the Getting the EDGE course. The sense of accomplishment, excitement, and completion allowed me to turn routine tasks and projects into a system that I love, trust and rely upon. My email inbox is no longer a chain tying me down or a weight on my shoulders.

Now that I have my EDGE, I can accomplish anything!

The Evolution of Wellness

2009-07-08T08:59:00.000-07:00

by Paige Webb

I can recall driving down a busy street in my hometown and seeing a “Health and Wellness Center” tucked away behind some trees. The sign wasn’t bright. Traffic in and out was scarce. My intuition about the center during my “workaholic” years told me that it wasn’t a place for me. I thought that at the least, that’s where people went to improve their health, and to get “well.” I superficially placed it in a medical category of sorts, similar to a doctor’s office or injury center.

Early last year, the drastic tug of the economy began to affect me personally and professionally. Instead of traveling 50-60% as per my job description at a software company, I was traveling 80-90% to cover twice the territory I should have been covering. I was a road warrior. If the economic times were hurting my company, I knew that since I was the "top performer" I would be able to keep my job. When my eyes shut at night, whether I was at home or in a hotel, my laptop closed, too. It was sickening, literally.

One morning I woke up at a hotel, and I couldn't move my neck. I couldn't lift my arms, and I could not hold back the tears from the pain I was in. I was at the end of my assignment, so I chose to grin and bear it on the two hour drive home to San Diego. When I hit the city limits, I didn't go home. I went straight to the emergency room. The pain was shooting through my skull and down to my toes. I thought, “What have I done? I must have lifted something incorrectly?” After tests, x-rays, and a brief conversation, the ER doctor sat across from me and said, "All that you have here today is a stress injury. Stress attacks the weakest area of our bodies, and in this case, it's your neck."

Where do stress injuries come from? Looking back at this and considering what I know now from my experience at The Effective EDGE and living the EDGE system, it was my mismanagement of what needed to get done, the constant distractions I allowed to take over my day, and lack of focus. These are the only real reasons my laptop stayed on until I fell asleep, these are the only real reasons I never let go of my BlackBerry in the emergency room. I couldn't let go of work. I had neglected to take care of myself.

After this rude awakening, I dedicated efforts towards “health and wellness.” My attitude and aptitude changed. I discovered what work/life balance was like (by force). When I was laid off in October, I soon found work at The Effective Edge. Since my professional transformation while using the EDGE system combined with a fresh perspective, my laptop stays at the office. Gone are my days of “workaholicism,” thank goodness. Hello, health and wellness!

Mind Like an Elephant

2009-07-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

by Kristi Willis

Getting the EDGE at work was one challenge, but Getting the EDGE at home was another story entirely – more like a nightmare. I noticed that while I was now organized and effective at work, I was flailing at home and it was causing problems. It was time to take control, so I initiated Project Clean Up/Clear Out at my house.

I started small, one drawer or shelf at a time, and separated things into Action, Reference, Recycle, To Someone Else and Trash stacks. The project went much faster than I thought it would. I delivered things to others, filed my important paperwork and old bills, and then stared at the stack of leftovers. What was I going to do with this stuff?

Some of the items were straightforward things that I could add to my Outlook system at work, like an upcoming party of a friend or a gift I needed to order for a friend. But other things were more ambiguous – they were someday/maybes or reference things that didn’t have a home like vacation ideas or recipes that I had ripped out of magazines. And, there were a lot of them. Hmmmm….

The problem is that I read a lot – magazines, newspapers, blogs, books, you name it. All this reading spurs great ideas; those “ooh, I want to do that/try that” moments. I needed a place to put those things and the Outlook Notes feature wasn’t going to cut it. Keeping it all in paper binders wasn’t practical either. I needed a technology solution.

Enter Evernote (http://www.evernote.com/), one of the coolest applications I have ever used. Evernote is a database application that allows you to store information and access it from just about anywhere. It loads a copy of the database on your computer and syncs it with an online version (this is called cloud computing). If I load a recipe in the database, I can log on to Evernote from anywhere, including my iPhone, and find that recipe.

You can tag the documents with keywords so that they are grouped and located easily. I have recipes, travel ideas, gifts, crafts and exercise routines all saved in Evernote. Each month, when I read my magazines, I find the articles that I want to save online and clip them to Evernote. When I’m out doing errands and see something that I want to keep up with, like a gift idea, I can take a picture of it with my iPhone and store it on Evernote.

While The Effective Edge doesn’t endorse applications as an organization, I have found Evernote truly helpful. If you have a paper “issue,” I recommend using it or a similar tool to help you stay organized. I also recommend that you find a solution that will synchronize with your SmartPhone/PDA so that you can access it anywhere.

I no longer have stacks of magazine clips all over my house and I can find what I need quickly. Definitely EDGE-y.

Productivity Zappers! UGHHH!

2009-07-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

by Skip Colfax

Imagine yourself sitting at your desk totally engrossed in creating a document you need to complete today. You’re totally focused and making great headway, feeling on track for getting the document finished. Finally, you’re being productive. It seems that many of your days are spent spinning, instead of getting your work done. As you’re working, a little flag scrolls up in the right hand bottom corner of your screen that says, “You have a new message.” It’s a small flag, not really alarming, not even colored brightly. What happens when that little, innocuous flag appears? Most of us stop what we’re doing and go into our email to see what the message is. Sometimes you’ll handle the need right now by making a phone call or simply responding to the email, but usually you don’t do anything with it because you don’t have time to work on it now, so you leave it in your inbox with the thought that you’ll come back to it later. Sound like you?

My point here is that you were working hard, being productive and, “in the zone” when that little flag distracted you and pulled you out of productivity in just a split-second.” Can you count how often that happens every day? It used to happen to me countless times every day. I was so tied to my email, I couldn’t get much else done. One of the best golden nuggets I got from “Getting the Edge” training, was reducing those pesky productivity zappers.

For most of us it takes 2-3 minutes of concentration to get into “the zone”, where we’re really being productive, and only a split second to get pulled from “the zone”. Even if we ignored the insidious little flag and went right back to our task, it would take us another couple of minutes to get back into the productivity zone. If that happens often enough each day, it’s no wonder we feel like we’re spinning rather than being productive.

Since I’ve completed the “Getting the EDGE” productivity training, my ability to stay in the zone for longer periods of time has remarkably increased! By removing as many of those annoying little productivity zappers from my environment as I could, I get more things done. As I implemented the EDGE system, I learned many new ways to think about my work and new ways to use Microsoft Outlook, but removing those distracters has enabled me to be much more productive, right from the beginning.

I miss the flags, beeps, buzzes and flashes sometimes, but getting so much more done each day motivates me to easily deal with my separation anxiety.

Sleep Filled Nights

2009-06-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

by Angela Ware

In our classes, we ask our participant to engage in a process called the “Mind Sweep”. This activity allows everyone to clear their mind of all of the stuff floating about in their subconscious in an effort to gain greater focus.

In as much as I teach this process on a weekly basis, I am always thankful of the reminder of its benefits in my professional and personal life.

With an abundance of the technical gadgets clipped to my belt, in my purse, backpack and on my desk top, all capable of holding my ideas and To Do’s, I occasionally succumb to the impulse to use my head as a note-taking and reminder device. Why!? All of that “stuff” just sits-in-wait in my subconscious for the right wrong moment to rush to my conscious mind.

And when is that? Two minutes after I lay my head on the pillow. Sleep interrupted!

Here’s my play by play… Just as I get comfortable and begin to relax, my eyes pop wide open and my To Do list and don’t forget items all begin to fight for position as active thoughts. Now, the old me would fight the thoughts until sleep won out, after about 30 minutes to an hour or two or three. Not anymore!

When I fail to Mind Sweep during a busy day, I make it a point to grab my note taking device and clear my mind before heading off to sleep. The benefit of my routine is “sleep filled nights.”

Work/Life Balance

2009-06-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

by Kim Brewster

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” This ancient village proverb is as relevant now as it was then. Jack had no work/life balance.

To some, work/life balance is a phrase completely devoid of meaning or attainment. To others, it is a delicate balancing act where some days work consumes more of our time yet life is able to assert its rights mightily on other days, so the scale once again becomes level.

If you have taken our Getting the EDGE course, you may remember the section on the Weekly Recharge. This is a set time per week (because you set a task reminder) to capture the prior week’s events, successes, sales, everything from your calendar. The recharge includes completion of outstanding emails, voice mails, and items without categories. It’s your creative place, if you will, of your outlook on life (not necessarily the Microsoft program). Who knows, a review of the items on your someday/maybe list may have borne fruit.

A cursory read of the above paragraph may lead you to believe that all those items are work related only. However, you know you have just one life, so why would it be separate from work? If you are using your Outlook tools to the fullest, your hair appointments, workout times, shopping, cultural events, et al, will be there. Moreover, the things you long to do, like take a fabulous trip, remodel your house or setting aside time to read a book, will be there in your someday/maybe.

By assembling the information from the weekly recharge into a weekly update email that is shared with my colleagues, I have a snapshot of my life at work and life not at work. I can see where imbalances may be occurring.

Intuitively we know when we need to take a break. This is where PTO or vacation time comes in handy. Just like having a savings account, having a PTO account ensures a bank of time for me to use as I wish, even if only half a day. As my own PTO banker, I am in charge of making sure I have extra time stored for an emergency, but it is also my responsibility to take time for myself. I don’t want to end up like Jack.

A Good Night’s Rest

2009-06-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

by Laura Finney

I remember hearing a quote that said, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” The reference was from a billionaire, who worked countless hours to achieve that wealthy status. The successful billionaire was known to sleep 4 hours per night. Many successful people have followed this very same way of living.

Many average everyday employees sleep only 4 to 5 hours per day, and not because they are working on a career or financial goals. This particular group of people is not getting good night’s sleep because their minds are not at rest, which means their bodies are not at rest. They are not resting because of the mind clutter that is being stored in the conscious and unconscious parts of their minds. This group has not learned the value of Emptying Your Collection Points.

Remember the commercial about a specific nighttime cough medicine that will help you get a good night’s rest? The commercial used two people to give a visual example of someone who had taken the medicine and of someone who had not. The person that had taken the cough medicine is shown sleeping peacefully while the other person, who had not taken the medicine, was coughing, tossing and turning the entire night.

Would it not be wonderful to sleep peacefully and not worry about what you may have “forgotten” to do? You can rest assured by consistently emptying your collection points and putting those thoughts into a single seamless system. Then you will be free of worry and wondering if you have forgotten to remember something. You will no longer have to worry or wonder if you emailed everyone that is supposed to be on the conference call in the morning. Or, trying to remember to remind yourself, everyday, to schedule the doctor’s appointment. Or, if you packed everything you need for your trip.

Always remember to empty your collection points into your single seamless system. Then you will be able to go and enjoy a good night’s rest.

Look for the Signs

2009-06-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

by Angela Ware

I recently experience a situation that I had only heard about and had often laughed about. After attending a concert a group of friends and I decided to go to a local restaurant downtown for breakfast before heading home. The parking lot in front of the restaurant was full but we were able to find parking in the lot across the street. Great location!

After an hour or so we left the restaurant to find that all of our cars were gone; and not just the cars of our group, but a number of others as well. A crowd of about a dozen irate people had formed in the parking lot. After about two minutes of people asking each other “did you see anything?” a gentleman comes over and points out a small sign on a Pay Box at the north east corner of the lot. Mind you most cars enter in from the south west corner, because all of the streets in the area are one-way driving. Meaning we would have seen the Pay Box on our way out, not on our way in.

As I walk toward the Pay Box I notice a sign about two feet off of the ground that reads “All cars must pay, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week”, then I see a sign that reads “All violators will be towed at the owner’s expense.” This is no longer a great location!

As I am calling the tow service to get information about our cars and the process for getting them back, I hear one of my friends say, “I knew it was too good to be true, free parking downtown on a Saturday night”. I thought about his comment for a moment and decided he was right! Free parking on a Saturday night? We should have looked for a sign.

Because we were so eager to find a parking spot we forgot to consider our surroundings. Downtown on a Saturday night in a dining and entertainment district, we should have looked for a sign. Because we didn’t, we learned a $195 lesson.

My take away from this experience… when you are in a hurry, pause and look for signs that you are making the best decision. Acting fast may get you the first seat at the table but it may also cost you more than the price of the meal when you leave.

Unexpected Help

2009-06-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

by Russell Tibbits

It’s triathlon season again and I just started training for my second of the season. While the first race was the shortest triathlon I’ve completed, the next one, in July, is the longest, so I’ve ramped up my training. My last workout was a few days ago, Sunday and I typically don’t remember workouts, but this one stands out. My goal was to complete a long, intense swim workout followed immediately by a standard run to downtown and back. Sunday proved difficult however, because the temperature in the late afternoon hovered around 95 degrees. As I finished the swim, I felt better than anticipated. And with my running background, this run should be no problem. I started my jaunt through the neighborhood to the main road that leads to downtown. Upon hitting the main road, I began to pick up speed. I felt really good; my legs still had power. Tired but managing, I approached the halfway point, when I suddenly I realized why my legs and my lungs still had more to give. I had been running slightly downhill the entire time. The final half was all uphill.

I looped around and began my ascent to the top of the hill. As I eyed the top far in the distance, the lactic acid started to creep into my legs and lungs, and I began to notice how hot it was. I would run for a few minutes, but seemed to be no closer to my destination. Toward the top of the hill, about a half mile from my car, I was gassed. I thought to myself, there’s no shame in walking and jogging back after this run. As I was about to give up, I passed a homeless man, weathered by the blistering sun, sitting on the curb. He looked up at me from underneath his dingy white hat and all he said was, “You can do it.” I don’t know if he was trying to be funny or actually motivate me, but I easily made it back to my car, feeling like I could run another loop.

Here is someone that probably aches constantly, can’t find a place to escape the heat of the bright sun, thirsts for a cool drink all hours of the day and he’s helping me. It was such a humbling experience. How often do I complain about the little things in life? How frequently do I miss out on chances to support or inspire someone? If I can accomplish something I didn’t think was possible from a single line of encouragement, what could he accomplish with my support?

Am I the Hamster Running on the Wheel?

2009-06-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

by Zahra Petri

I was watching TV recently and although I DVR everything to skip the commercials, I kept noticing this one interesting commercial. It begins with dozens of hamsters each running on a wheel on roads, highways, intersections…etc. Then a zippy little red car pulls up next to the hamster wheels at a red light and there are 4 hamsters inside smiling with sunglasses on giving the thumbs up. The light turns green and they zip off leaving all the hamsters stuck on their wheels running in place.

Now even though this is clearly a car commercial, it always catches my attention because I sometimes feel like that hamster on the wheel, stuck in the middle of the road, getting nowhere. When this happens, I used to stress and feel my anxiety level immediately rise. However, I now have a series of trouble shooting processes to turn to. Instead of panicking, I look at my task list to see what I need to accomplish next. I first see which items have due dates to determine which task takes priority. I also check my calendar to see if I have any upcoming appointments that I need to prepare for. This is all part of my system, my Getting the EDGE system.

If I ensure that I am using my system appropriately, inputting new tasks as they appear, marking my calendar correctly, emptying my inbox and managing my project flow, then I know that I can trust my system to guide me and push me forward when I feel stuck. The most important question I ask myself when I am in that place is: what is it I want to accomplish, what is my end goal? The answers to these questions are in my Desired Outcome statement, which is a statement I’ve created for each project I am working on and can easily refer to for a motivational reboot. This combined with my GTE system gets me motivated and energized so that I can speed off past the other hamster wheels in the zippy red car!

Protect Your Private Time

2009-06-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

by Alison Chapman

You would probably think twice before skipping out on work, a business call or a doctor's appointment. Your private time deserves that same respect. You need to ensure you take time for yourself and your personal relationships. You should guard this personal time and do not let work or other distractions intrude on it. During this time, do not check your email, make any business phone calls, or even think about work. There are not many people or things that are so important they cannot wait until you finish.

If work constantly interferes with your personal time, you need to make the necessary adjustments. If you are working long hours, you need to reevaluate your work schedule. More hours does not necessarily mean more work or better work. Protecting your private time often leads to more satisfaction in both work life and personal life.

You have to create boundaries for yourself. For example, I am completing my Master in Business Administration and working part-time. I have minimal personal time so when I have it I value it. I schedule in a portion of it every week or on the weekends. I will usually turn my phone off on Friday night and I will not turn it back on until Sunday evening or Monday morning. If someone really needs to get a hold of me, they know how to do it.

I think that this down time is important to refresh your mind, body and spirit. I also believe that if you truly honor the different aspects of your life, such as work, play, and family, you will be more successful and fulfilled in each area. If I neglect my personal relationships or 'me' time, I would not consider myself successful. I think it is important to maintain a balance between each part of my life. I am much happier and more self full-filled.

Getting My EDGE on Sleep

2009-05-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

by Skip Colfax

Ahh Sleep! It’s time that our bodies and minds need to refresh, energize and rebuild. The importance of getting enough deep sleep is difficult to overemphasize. There is nothing better than sitting up as the sun is peeking over the horizon, stretching with a yawn, and looking forward to a great day ahead. Being well rested helps us:

Make good decisions.
Be more creative.
Handle our stress more effectively.

I rest very well these days, but there were times I’d find myself waking up in the middle of the night, feeling very anxious, thinking, “Oh no! I forgot to …” or, “I cannot forget to...” My mind would begin racing with worry about all of the “what if” scenarios that could happen. Worrying like that certainly didn’t contribute to getting the rest I needed. Consequently, I wasn’t as effective nor productive as I would be with good rest.

One of the best practices I learned in the Getting the Edge, is the practice of “mind sweeping” and entering all of the things I need to remember to do into my EDGE System. I know from experience that my mind is not very good at storing and organizing information, so by entering them all into my system, I don’t worry about forgetting anything. In Getting the Edge, we refer to a wonderful Chinese proverb that I have come to know as a truth, “The palest ink is better than the brightest memory.” I’ve learned to Write It Down! and I’ll sleep better.

One of my colleagues, Robertt Young, says, “Control/Shift K, will make your day!” That has become my mantra, and, as I said earlier, I’m sleeping great these days!

Organized Shopping in the Sky

2009-05-26T09:21:00.000-07:00

How Did This Happen?

2009-05-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

by Laura Finney

During the first week of December 2008, I had purged my "perfect" chronological filing system with the files from 2007. No, not 2008, because I may need those (or so I thought) for reference in 2009. This was my tradition every December in the previous years. It was such a feeling of relief and pride, relief to be rid of the old and pride in being "pro-active" by preparing and filing empty folders for the upcoming year.

In January 2009, something happened. My two, very full, yet very organized desk file drawers were almost empty. How did this happen? What happened to my (at least twenty) categorical green hanging file folders and tabs? Where did all my "reference" aka inactive files go? All of the "projects" files and the "just in case" files are gone. This was no mystery. This was my old system being streamlined into my new system, my Paper Effectiveness system.

Getting the Edge's Paper Effectiveness system has transformed my working file drawers. The two drawers have gone from full to almost a quarter filled. From twenty (or more) tabbed file folders to three tabbed file folders (Project Reference, Actions, and Handy Reference). Implementing this system has allowed me to create a work environment that is neat and easy to manage. The Paper Effectiveness system has eliminated my using the file drawers as storage space filled with bulging file folders; full of information I would not need immediate access to. There are no "just in case" file folders in my newly organized file drawers.

The Paper Effectiveness system uses three categories: Project Reference, Actions, and Handy Reference. This system focuses on what works. In Project Reference, I put my supporting materials for current projects. Under Actions, you will find only paper that is needed to take action on any of my categories that begin with a double dot. And, the Handy Reference contains the paper of my frequently used list such as my phone list and contacts. That's it!

This sort of relief cannot be explained, it can only be experienced by using the Paper Effectiveness system in Getting the Edge. Using this system will give you the transformation to a clean, neat, and organized filing system.

What Does It Really Mean to Prioritize?

2009-05-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

by Robertt Young

Before I joined the Effective EDGE I tried several types of time management programs. You could say I was a time management groupie. if there was a time management course to be attended within 50 miles, I was there. While I picked up a lot of great ideas over the years, the one thing that never seemed to work for me was how these classes would teach prioritization. The first class I ever attended taught to make a list of the top ten things we wanted to accomplish that day and work on job one until it was done, then work on job two and so on and so forth. This process was to continue until you had completed everything on your list, then you could go home feeling satisfied, productive and absolutely great about what you had accomplished. They told us that this worked because it was invented by Benjamin Franklin. Well let’s see what did old Ben have to do in those days; what did his list look like?

Buy a kite
Buy some string
Get some keys
Wait for a storm
Buy a ticket to France

Not anything like mine in 2009. So, I quickly found that didn’t work for me. The next class I attended suggested that I make a list of everything I had to do everyday, then look over the list and rate my high priority things “A” mid priority things “B” and low priority things “C”. Then, I was to work on my A’s until they were finished, then the B’s, then finally the C’s. That seemed like a great idea until I tried to put it into practice. I would spend 30 minutes each morning planning my day this way and boy was I ready to start attacking those A’s and then my day happened and my A’s turned to B’s and C’s turned to B’s and a whole bunch of new A’s got thrown on my list. Now I was just as confused as before. It wasn’t until I began working for The Effective EDGE that I found a prioritization model that was practical, usable and effective. It was as simple as it was elegant.

So what are the best practices around prioritization?

There are several:

Collect everything in one place. Have all your action items on your task list/to do list or on your calendar depending upon the timing of the action item, i.e. if it has to be done to day, it goes on your calendar. All the others go in the proper category on your task list.
Manage from your lists not your head.
Move expiring action items, those that are due today, from your task list/top do list to your calendar.
Complete all your day specific items first.
Then, look at your ..Actions category and ..Calls and apply the EDGE TEST Criteria to determine the Next Action.
T = Time, how much time do I have?
E = Energy, how much Energy do I have?
S = Location/Context, Where am I? Can I make calls? If not, then I can’t do anything in my ..Calls category.
T= Top Level, what is the highest leverage action you can take at this moment?

If you work from your calendar/task list during the day instead of your email inbox, and look to your calendar and your task list/to do list for what you need to work on throughout the day, you will easily regain 1 – 2 hours a day, minimize distractions and feel a real sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.

Quicksand: Then and Now

2009-05-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

By Paige Webb

Do you recall an era when fictional television characters like Tarzan and Zorro came to the rescue of damsels in distress or travelers who found themselves in the unfortunate situation of sinking in quicksand? The sight of this always caused me to writhe with anxiety. Would they make it out of the quicksand? Would they suffer injuries? How did they get there in the first place? Despite the fictional nature of the television program, and the fact that there was a 99% chance the episode had a happy ending, the anticipation of a scene in quicksand caused me, and I’m sure other viewers, stress.

The era when we were more in tune with television has evolved. Our society is now more in tune with the internet, and with the internet comes email. I like to think of an email inbox as a modern-day quicksand scene, where I find myself in distress and in need of a rescue. I go about my days committed to my calendar appointments and tasks on my list, but if I am not careful, I slip into my email inbox, and begin to sink. The “pre-EDGE” me would sink and sink further, flounder, and stress out from digging myself out of email quicksand. By leaving emails in my inbox, each time I view it, I get stuck. It’s the perfect analogy, including the stress associated with that feeling.

Each of us is forced to process our email inboxes to get through our days to prevent things from falling through the cracks. In fact, I can’t recall a day in the last ten years when I didn’t have new email every day, and each required a decision about whether to store the information for reference, or how to take action. Client questions, project updates, those pesky “reply to all” emails, family updates, newsletters, and advertisements are just a few examples of the types of emails that make up the quicksand effect. The EDGE Deciding Model comes to the rescue, much like Tarzan and Zorro did. The sinking in the quicksand will cease when the process is applied. Whether the email is something I can delete, do, delegate or defer I know the next action I’m responsible for.

When I began trusting my EDGE system soon after being taught, I had no problems leaving my inbox alone more often. The “EDGE-y” me might visit my inbox a few times a day, because I keep it lean and clean. There’s no sinking or drowning allowed, nor do I find myself in the stressful situation of digging through quicksand! My EDGE system is my hero.

Is Change That Difficult?

2009-05-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

by Russell Tibbits

I recently read an article about a unique high school football team in California. While the typical offense contains linemen, wide receivers, tight ends, running backs and a quarterback, Piedmont High School lines up with, what is in essence, 11 wide receivers on the field. This offensive formation is known as the A-11 and causes nightmares for a defense because almost every offensive player on the field can run, throw or catch the ball on any given play. Could you imagine a giant defensive lineman trying to cover a wide receiver 20 yards down field? In fact, the A-11 has been causing so many headaches for opposing defenses that the national organization in charge of high school football is thinking of banning this type of play, considering it “unsportsmanlike” and “deceiving.” What’s interesting to note is that this style of offense, just a variation of a style many schools already run, is completely legal. So why is it being banned?

A friend and I discussed the genius behind this style of offense. And while I’d love to talk about this at length, what really struck me is that we couldn’t find one reason why the A-11 was being banned, other than it is just too difficult to defend and opposing coaches don’t want to deal with it. It made me sad for the coach who designed it and the kids who participated in something groundbreaking. But it made me sad to realize that, in some way, we all do this. We hate appearing weak or flawed. We fight change, even if it makes us stronger, smarter and faster. We resist ideas that may make us better so that we can continue with familiar actions. Often times, we choose short-term comfort over long-term improvements.

I wonder where I would be if I was always resistant to change? And where would I be if I never feared change? But I also wonder where our country would be if we didn’t fear change. And maybe the more painful question is where is our country headed if we don’t change?

My Favorite Shortcuts

2009-05-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

by Kristi Willis

Recently a reader of the blog asked for more shortcuts. I totally understand where he is coming from because I love shortcuts. I hate doing anything in two steps that I could have done in one.

Since we teach Getting the EDGE on Outlook and Lotus Notes, I have provided a few shortcuts for each. I hope you enjoy them and hope that you’ll share your favorite shortcuts as well.

Microsoft Outlook Shortcuts

In class we emphasize the keyboard shortcuts for creating the different Outlook items. CTRL+SHIFT+K to create a new Outlook Task is by far my favorite shortcut because I know as soon as I press CTRL+SHIFT+K, I’m going to be able to get that task out of my head and give it to Outlook. As one of my colleagues says, “CTRL+SHIFT+K will make your day.”

My other favorite keyboard shortcuts is CTRL+SHIFT+M to create a new mail message. The great thing about CTRL+SHIFT+M is that you can bring up the new mail screen from anywhere in Outlook without getting sucked in to your inbox. Try it the next time you need to send an e-mail but don’t want to get stuck in your inbox.

I discovered one of my other favorite shortcuts because of a problem I ran into when traveling. If you only attach the e-mail to a Task or Calendar item, you can’t see open it from your phone. I need to be able to see the details of my airline, hotel and rental car reservations in the text box of the calendar item and I want the e-mail attached to it in case I need it. You can accomplish this by using the Move to Folder command.

First, open the e-mail. Then, click the Move to Folder button on the toolbar. Select the Calendar or Task folder from the list. Outlook will create a new Task or Calendar item, put the text of the e-mail in the text box of the item and attach the e-mail. Now you have the details you need on your phone and you have the e-mail attached in case you need it.

Lotus Notes Shortcuts

Unfortunately Lotus Notes isn’t chock full of shortcuts, but there are a few that I’m particularly fond of. My favorite is the Copy Into New button. In order to create a new To Do or Calendar item from an e-mail, select the e-mail in the inbox and then click the Copy Into New button. You can then delete the e-mail from your inbox.

If you want to turn the Calendar or To Do item back into an e-mail message, select it then choose Copy Into New Memo to return it to an e-mail form.

Copy Into New lets you have just one copy of an item in the place you need it, but still be able to have the e-mail format when you need it as well. It’s a great tool!

Gen Y - Learning for the Future

2009-05-05T12:45:00.000-07:00

by Zahra Petri

Have you ever felt that you were failing at everything you tried? Maybe you have many projects and tasks to accomplish but feel that you are not making progress. You may wonder if you’re doing anything correctly because no one is checking your work. This may not be the big problem you think it is; in fact, you may just learn differently.

At the end of last year, my company talked about learning styles in a team meeting. Much of the conversation was centered on the learning abilities of younger generations. Some of the highlights of Gen Y learners were:

They want constant feedback to track their efforts and know what they can improve upon.
They are creators and collaborators and do not adapt well to the work styles of three previous generations of learners.
They are technology savvy and will jump from source to source until they find what they’re searching for.
They are highly relationship and team oriented because they feed off brainstorming together and combining ideas.
They can be impatient and skeptical, causing them to ask lots of questions and disengage quickly.

Does any of this sound familiar to you? It did to me. As soon as I heard some of these learning styles, I finally realized that I was not alone and nothing was wrong with me. I simply learn differently than some of my colleagues. I realized that I was not bad at the things I needed to accomplish, but in fact needed to go about them differently.

For projects, in order to stay on track and continue forward, I must follow The Effective Edge’s best practices for organizing a project. I must first state my desired outcome then lay out all the actions and steps as well as attach a timeline, if it’s time sensitive. Without this guideline and structure, I feel lost and have trouble completing what is necessary in order to excel at my job.

Trusting my system and performing regular maintenance checks keep me on track. Now I can spend more time learning and collaborating with the other generations of learners I work with.

Managing your Distractions

2009-05-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

by Alison Chapman

Personal distractions will always be a part of your life. I am not talking about interruptions. Although, those are not going anywhere either. I am talking about those leisure activities that some consider distractions, such as TV for hours or lying out by the pool. Often times there are individuals that think you need to completely abandon them. They think there is no way you can be successful if you have some fun.

I do not agree with this. Unfortunately, a lot of people that think you should abandon fun activities, use guilt to get their point across. There is a huge difference between giving up distractions, and managing distractions. One is hard and one is not as hard but also less productive. Additionally, talking about how you need to get rid of them just makes matters worse. Do not get me wrong, you are never going to get anything done if you come home from work and watch 6 hours of TV every day.

Personally, I think most of us are mature enough to understand the difference between distractions and leisure activities. Whether you are trying to run a household, lose weight, run a business or get an advanced degree, you need to be able to manage these distractions.

Managing personal distractions is like managing any other part of your life. The first step is realizing they are a part of your life and accepting that. Then make a plan for managing them because, as we all know, you can’t completely erase all distractions. You need a plan to fit them into your life in a way that does not take too much time away from your goals. The goal is making unconscious distractions, conscious distractions. For example, get DVR and set aside some time each week to watch your shows. Make one night movie night, or gaming night, or clubbing night. Then go and have fun without the guilt, because it’s scheduled and part of your plan. It’s a conscious decision, not an out of control waste of your time.

Managing distractions is no different than managing any other part of your life. The key is being conscious of what you are doing, then making a plan and following it. Personal distractions can be very loud and demanding. They can also be fun and could always be a part of your life if done at the right time.

Get Fit for Summer

2009-04-24T07:43:00.000-07:00

by Angela Ware

I can always tell when winter is over, because my television and radio all of a sudden become sounding boards for how I can shed my winter weight and fit into a smaller size by summer. The television commercials are layered with before and after photos of someone who has tried the product and was amazed at the results. The customer is often quoted as having said, “This product changed my life.”

After giving it some thought I realized that the benefits of getting fit for summer are not just limited to dropping a dress size. When it comes to our homes, many of us get fit by performing a ritual of spring cleaning. We downsize our closets and remove clutter in preparation for the new season.

In the professional world this would be the equivalent of downsizing the amount of clutter in your work space, including your computer. Therefore, I would like to offer you a few tips to help you get your work-life fit for summer:

Block out an hour on your calendar to weigh in. Evaluate where you are and the goal you desire to achieve. Set aside additional time over the next week to workout/achieve your goal.
Start with your paper; file the items you need to retain and recycle the rest. (Use your company’s business and legal standards for retention.)
In your e-mail Inbox use the 4D’s to process all of your information: 1. DELETE what you do not need to retain or file items that need to be referenced in the future, 2. DO IT if you can complete the action requested in the e-mail in two-minutes or less, 3. DELEGATE it if the action requested can be effectively completed by another colleague then forward the e-mail and any necessary instructions, 4. DEFER it by dragging the e-mail to the appropriate application if the e-mail needs to be placed on your calendar or task pad.
After you have processed your Inbox, look to do the same with your sent and deleted folder.

By using these steps, you may very well drop a full storage unit size by summer. Then you can say, “This has changed my life!”

The Subject Line: A Critical Key to the Success of Your Management System

2009-04-21T14:20:00.000-07:00

by Robertt Young

When we send an email or create a new action item in our EDGE Management System, what we put in the subject line becomes critical for the reader (either ourselves as in the case of our ToDo list in Lotus Notes, the Task List in Outlook or for the reader of an email). Think about how you feel when you get an email from someone with a blank subject line. Or think about how difficult it is figure out what you are suppose to do on an action item in your Task List/To Do list if all that is written is “call Fred” or “Fortune 500 report”. Do you remember what you need to call Fred about or what you need to do with the Fortune 500 report? This is especially true when you see those items along with all the other things you have to do on your Task/To Do List. Psychologists tell us when it comes to viewing a long list of things our scan rate is only about 8-10 seconds. That means we only have 8 -10 seconds to decide what we are going to do with an item on a list before we move on to the next item.

Let’s take email first. There are some small things we can do at the beginning of the subject line of an email. For example, when you need something done by another person just begin with “Action Requested” it can help your reader in several ways:

When you use Action Requested at the beginning of the Subject line your reader immediately knows that this is a high priority email.
When your reader is processing their email they can sort by subject and handle all their action items first. Then they can move to the others like FYI or FYI Delete.

When you are working with the Task/To Do List, you want to remember to use the ACTIONS criteria. ACTIONS is an acronym that stands for:

Action: put an action verb at the beginning so your attentions is drawn to the action you want to take. If you have several actions of the same kind they will group together alphabetically.
Can you see yourself doing it – if you can’t see yourself performing the action you will procrastinate.
Thought Process – think through what really is the next action. If I want to go from one side of the room to the other I cannot do it in one step, I must take one small step after another.

Independent: Is it a single independent step?
One Sitting to complete: Do I have everything I need to complete this action?
Next Strategic Step: Is it the next step in a large task or project or are there steps I need to do first?
Specific: When I do the 8 – 10 scan will I know exactly what I need to do?

Try these steps and suggestions and see how they help in your everyday activities.

What is Success?

2009-04-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

by Diane Holz

What is your definition of success? Is it temporary? Is it permanent? Do you think all the people that have gotten a pink slip lately are successful? They still have the same skills, talents, knowledge and experience when they started working for the company. Success is not an end result. It is an ongoing process. There are ups and downs. One day you might have a great day, the next day is so-so. Life and work have become hectic and complicated. There is too much to do and not enough time. There are meetings, voice mail messages, scores of email messages, paperwork, letters to write, proposals to prepare, things to follow up on – that’s a lot of stuff. Everyone has a cell phone now – we are afraid to be out of touch for even a few moments – but how well do you manage all your stuff?

The Effective Edge teaches people how to pare down their data in life to four collection points – your e-mail inbox, voice mail, an In/Out tray for papers and a note-taking device. Then we teach you how to manage those collection points so that you can get to the Executing step as quickly as possible. Why? Because that’s where your success is. Success is based on how much work you accomplish and how many projects you complete.

Many of us strive to achieve a success rate of 100% in all we do, but the goal is to try our best, learn from the experts and take that knowledge to do better the next time. The ultimate goal in life isn’t just to succeed; it’s to continue to succeed; to continue to improve; to continue to be the best that you can be.

What seems to be the problem?

2009-04-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

by Angela Ware

Like many professionals in this age of cost efficiency and fiscal management, I have the privilege of working from home. This is more often than not a perfect arrangement for me. However, there are times when my attempts at maintaining work-life balance are met with a rub.

Case in point: I recently had guests staying at my home during the week. As a good host, I got up every morning and prepared breakfast for everyone. Then at 8:00 am I would go into my office and begin my work day, stop around 10am to visit with my guests for a few minutes, and head back to work. I would disengage, for lunch with my guests and take an afternoon guest break.

After a couple of days, I noticed that my guests were showing less and less appreciation for my attempts at “balance”. Therefore, I was compelled to ask the question, “What seems to be the problem?”

Their answer, “You don’t seem to want us around.” Wow! I didn’t see that coming…

Like many of us I had developed an effective plan and routine for my day. But I failed to communicate my plan to those who were in the wake of my decision, leading to a misunderstanding and potentially damaging a relationship.

If you have ever had your intentions and someone’s perception of your actions (personal or professional) fall out of alignment, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

So what lesson did I learn (if not relearn) from this experience?

It is not the development of a plan, but the effective communication of a plan that will determine its ultimate success. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.

Do You Pandiculate?

2009-04-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

by Kim Brewster

The answer is “yes”, if you sneeze or yawn. But those are mostly instinctive actions that are not predicated on forethought.

Dictionary.com defines pandiculation (pan-dik-yuh-LEY-shuhn), noun, as an instinctive stretching, as on awakening or while yawning. Further, the word is from the Latin pandiculari meaning "to stretch oneself."

Unlike animals, humans rarely physically stretch without planning. I believe this is due mostly to overriding one’s bodily cues that it is time to get up and move about. You know ahead of time that you will be stretching before and after a run, in a yoga class, or reaching for something on a high shelf.

We are not limited to physical stretching, however. Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” What an ideal combination – physical and mental pandiculation!

If you have taken our live EDGE class or the online version, you learned proven methods for management of your email, calendar, and tasks. The instructor asked you to do several things during class that may have been stretches you were not quite ready to take, such as turning off email notifications, deleting emails or, heaven forbid, placing your PDA on silent or off mode. Maybe the stretch for you was carving 8 hours from your day to take the class.

Six weeks following completion of the class, you received an email from us showing your personal results in the areas of stress reduction, increase in productivity, and a sense of clarity and focus at work and home. All of these results were achieved because of your willingness to stretch your boundaries, to try something new or different.

Consider reading a book from another genre or author than your favorites. Sign up for dance lessons or step up your exercise regimen. Now you know that not only do you pandiculate daily, you owe it to yourself to do more.

My New Best Friend; My Notebook

2009-04-07T10:11:00.000-07:00

By Skip Colfax

The “Getting the EDGE” productivity training got me to look at what wasn’t working for me in my work and in my personal life. It helped me change my behavior to become much more organized. I’m a casual kind of guy; tee shirts, jeans and tennis shoes at home; business casual at work. I like to be spontaneous and enjoy a relaxed lifestyle. Although, “relaxed” is good, being out of control is not so good.

I used to find myself double booked with friends on the weekends or searching for a phone number or email address at the office. My “relaxed” way, was making me lose important information and miss important meetings. I felt badly too often. Not good!

Before implementing the EDGE System, I would often misplace sticky notes where I wrote important contact information like phone numbers and email addresses. Sometimes I’d miss out on opportunities to network with prospective clients, coworkers, or friends. I’d even miss important interviews or meetings! Because I couldn’t’ keep track of those little sticky notes. I felt like I was not in control of my information, and I wasn’t. Also, not good!

I made a life change and am now committed to collecting information in only 4 places: my note book, my email, my voice mail, and the In/Out tray on my desk. My trusty notebook has become a critical part of my system. I empty it of information almost daily and integrate my gathered information into my EDGE System quickly. Once I’ve entered the information into my System, I can tear out the pages and dump the paper, or in rare cases, file it away if absolutely necessary.

Now, I carry my notebook with me almost everywhere I go. I quit using and then losing sticky notes. My trusty notebook and a pen are all I need now to keep track of my information. The EDGE System has been a godsend for me! I don’t miss appointments or commitments anymore, thanks in large part to my notebook.

I’m not perfect with it yet, but I feel much more in control of my information. My notebook is my new best friend. If you see me around, I’ll probably have it in my hand or in my briefcase. I am glad to show it off… it may not be pretty, but it sure is functional!

Get over it!

2009-04-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

by Alison Chapman

Procrastination is something everyone struggles with. You find yourself putting things off because you just don't want to do it. Often these are things that you really can not delegate to someone else so you need to find ways of motivating yourself to get moving. The following approaches can be helpful:

Make up your own rewards. For example, promise yourself a steak dinner if you have completed a certain task.
Ask someone to keep you on track. Have them ask whether the task is finished and, if it is not, you have to provide them with an explanation. It is a way to keep you in check. Get the task done and they won’t have to ask you again.
Identify the unpleasant consequences of NOT doing the task.
Work out the cost of time with your employer. Your employer is paying you to do the things that they think are important. You are not delivering value for the money if you are not doing those things.

If you are putting off the start of a project because you find it overwhelming, try taking a different approach. Here are some tips:

Break the project into smaller, more manageable pieces. You may find it helpful to create a detailed plan of action.
Start with a few quick, bite size actions, even if these are not the most logical first actions. You will feel that you are achieving things, and perhaps the whole project won't be so overwhelming after all.

With a little effort, you can overcome procrastination. These are just a few helpful tips so that you may progress at a better, more effective rate. Assess the tasks that you procrastinate about and either use these tips or come up with your own approach that will prevent you from continuing to procrastinate.

Excelling Personally and Professionally

2009-03-31T12:30:00.000-07:00

by Kristi Willis

One of the key lessons I’ve learned at The Effective Edge is that we have one life, not two. I joined the business world during the era when we were taught that business was business, personal was personal and the two did not mix. Nice idea, but that doesn’t work anymore. Now that we carry our e-mail with us on our phones and have the speed of the 24/7, global world, we carry work with us everywhere.

Many of us have let work squeeze out our personal lives, making us unhappy and unfulfilled. I was one of those people and what I learned is that you cannot live by work alone.

When I joined the TEE team, I learned that I needed to dedicate myself to my personal life and growth as much as I did to my professional work and growth. I thought I’d never have time to do that, but using my EDGE system helped me accomplish what I needed to at work in a timely manner so I had time to do those things I wanted in my personal life.

It isn’t always easy though. Particularly when I’m traveling for work, it is easy to ignore the home life and give it lower priority. Yet, while I’ve worked for this team, I have accomplished some enormous personal goals – I’ve written a cookbook for friends and family each year, started a blog about cooking and increased my fitness enough to complete three triathlons last year. How did I manage all of that? I created projects for my personal goals and treated them like I do my work projects.

I noticed that I was very good at staying on task with my work projects and decided to apply the same tenacity to my personal and home projects. Using the EDGE methodology, I create Project tasks, write meaningful desired outcomes and mind sweep all the steps I need to complete. Then, each week, I review my progress on the project. Even when I’m on the road, I find at least one small thing I can do to make progress that week. And, one baby step at a time, I get them done.

Now, I may never be a celebrity chef or grace the cover of Triathlon magazine, but I am moving forward and achieving the things I want for myself. And, I’ve noticed that when I’m happy with myself and at home, I’m much happier at work, which means I’m happier at home. Hmmm… maybe you never could separate the personal and professional, we just didn’t realize it.

Begin the Day Deliberately

2009-03-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

by Kirk Miller

There is a daily process we teach in our Getting the EDGE classes called Begin the Day. It consists of a set of steps at the beginning of each day which enables us to start the day with a clear head, an empty inbox and a plan of action for the day. This process is key to maintaining and living the EDGE system. I can always predict what kind of day I am going to have by one simple measurement, and that is how I begin the day.

I work in downtown Austin and live in one of the surrounding suburbs. One of the keys to beginning my day well is to get an early start in order to make sure I am well ahead of the morning traffic. It is truly amazing what a difference 15 minutes can make. If I leave my house at 6:30 am I am virtually guaranteed to be in the office at 7am, with a quiet hour of time to begin the day calmly and deliberately. I am also then able to plan out a course of action, gather my thoughts and set my sail for the day. It allows me to start with a clear head, an empty inbox and a strategy.

Interestingly enough, if I hit the snooze button for an extra few minutes or spend extra time getting my things together instead of preparing the night before, it usually causes me to leave later. Even 15 minutes later can make a huge difference, and in some cases put me right in the middle of the morning rush hour traffic. By the time I get to work on those days, I am in a state of rush, sometimes getting into the office after others have arrived and having no time to give any forethought to plan out my day. This is the equivalent to an athlete rushing out onto the field without any stretching or preparation whatsoever. How we begin can set the course for how the rest of the day plays out.

Plan ahead and commit to your own Begin the Day process and see what a difference it can make in your life and your work. It is one of the key best practices of the most productive people in the world.

Life Rewards Action

2009-03-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

by Kirk Miller

Years ago, I remember reading the book, “Life Strategies,” by Dr. Phil McGraw. Now, don’t worry, I am not necessarily a card-carrying member of the Dr. Phil fan club. But there was one particular principle from the book that has always stuck with me: Life Rewards Action. We can plan, strategize, visualize and ponder what we will do, but until action is taken, nothing of any consequence happens.

This is precisely why we find many highly-educated, competent and talented people who do not end up accomplishing much. On the other end of the spectrum, we find people with very little skill or talent, who simply took action and kept taking actions one step at a time, and finally achieved things many of us can only dream of.

I recently attended a sales training conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, and this timeless principle came glaring back at me once again. We know from statistical research that about 95% of people in the sales field never succeed (statistic from Brian Tracy, a well-known training and development consultant). This is alarming, considering a large number of people choose to make their living (or not) in the field of selling. One of the great lessons I took away from this Training Conference was that where the vast majority of people fail in sales (or in many other areas of life for that matter) simply because they talk themselves out of taking action. They lose the battle between their ears. They spend time thinking, planning, prioritizing and strategizing, but run out of time before they ever end up doing anything.

My wife, Lisa, is a wonderful example of action, especially when it comes to running. For years I have studied running, read up on running, analyzed running programs, and planned running schedules, whereas my wife simply gets up daily and runs. By the time I get done studying it all, I am too worn out to run. Currently she is on track to run her second marathon while I am not.

Action is the key. One of the effectiveness principles we teach in our EDGE System is prioritizing our Actions so we can execute them. There is a time and place to plan. We suggest using the Mind Sweep best practice to dream, plan and get those great ideas out of our head and into our system. But we don’t suggest living in the Mind Sweep. From there, we teach making decisions about how to group these ideas into action categories. Finally, and most importantly, we must execute on our Actions.

The moral of the story is simple…until we take action, all has been for naught and nothing happens. Use the Mind Sweep to empty your head of all you need to do, then make decisions about where these ideas go. Last, but not least….TAKE ACTION!!!

What's Your Desired Outcome?

2009-03-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

by Russell Tibbits

On my afternoon commute last week, I was listening to ESPN radio hoping to catch insight into what team to pick for my college basketball bracket. What I heard instead was an ESPN broadcaster talking about his movie script. Apparently after working sporadically on his script for over two years he was convinced this project would actually never be completed. There are many things that I look forward to hearing on ESPN radio; the announcer talking about a poor attempt at a movie scripts isn’t one of them. However, in the end, he gave some really great advice.

This ESPN announcer had once attended a script writing class. The teacher of this class explained that he actually enjoyed reading almost all of the scripts that he received. The plots in these scripts were, for the most part, genuine and creative. When there was a problem, the teacher found it often occurred about halfway through the script, when the writer lost sight of his or her original goal. At that point, the story began to lack energy, creativity, continuity. The teacher prescribed a remedy, which many thought was the one action not to take when writing a script: write the title and subtitle first, no exceptions. The reason for writing the title and subtitle first, the teacher said, was that it gave the writer a constant reminder of his or her goal when the project got tough. This constant reminder of your goal kept all writing consistent and progressing forward.

This idea is in line with a piece The Effective Edge teaches. In our Getting the EDGE class, we teach professionals how to create personal projects. The first two steps in the five step process are to create the title of the project and then to write the desired outcome, what the project will look like and feel like when completed. The reason for this is the same reason that teacher advised creating a title and subtitle for a script. Without a title and desired outcome, we tend to lose sight of the original goal for the project. Creating this desired outcome keeps our actions consistent with reaching our goals, regardless of any outside influences.

Try creating desired outcomes for your projects; this should help us all to keep our actions focused on our goals.

Working on a Dream

2009-03-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

by Paige Webb

Do you know who “The Boss” is? Well, my boss is Christina Randle, but does Bruce Springsteen ring a bell for you? The famous singer/songwriter is making a comeback… Or did he ever leave the scene? With the latest release of an album, an appearance at the Super Bowl, and the headlining act at an inaugural party, he’s around every corner. Not only can I not get the song “Working on a Dream” out of my head, I cannot help but think about those words and the meaning behind the song.

The last time I heard the tune on the radio was this morning as I was sitting in traffic. Why was I in rainy, cloudy, dark, 7 a.m. traffic? When clouds and a sea of brake lights bring my spirit down and I get the overwhelming desire to exit the freeway, turn around, and go back to bed, what keeps me driving forward? Is it a beckoning cubicle, a laptop with the connection to the world at my fingertips, or just a paycheck? I’d like to think there is larger meaning to why I do my job and commit 40+ hours a week to it. After all, I’m part of this thing called the human race, hoping for prosperity as an individual and for my family in the present time and for the future. I’m working on a dream.

At the root of the big picture and the larger meaning…this dream I have, is to make a difference in the lives of people who have lost a little faith in processes and how we manage our day-to-day business. Brightening the light at the end of the tunnel of work/life balance is not always easy. As I hum along to the chorus, I find that Bruce wrote this song like a love song, so, why not put some heart into this? Each day, new life experiences shape the messages I share as a trainer, or otherwise, I’d get tired of sharing the same stories. A reflection on a lesson learned or a celebration worth sharing are not special just because they’re mine, but they are a means to connect and to relate. I’m not the only person with a dream!

Each of us as individuals is in control of the path we take towards our dreams. The little changes we make in the name of progress and productivity can add up to make a big difference. Dreams can become a reality when your life is in your control. I don’t know that I’d put anyone else at the helm of the ship I’m sailing. “The Boss” sings “…hands are rough from working on a dream,” and I’ll admit there have been some choppy seas on my path, but persistence really pays. Rough hands and all, positive evidence of our efforts surrounds us—in our relationships, in our homes, and in our communities. This results in a sense of peace when we go to sleep at night and as we wake up to face the day to follow our dreams. Each day, we do our best.

To Print or Not to Print

2009-03-13T13:38:00.000-07:00

by Zahra Petri

One tree provides approximately 16.67 reams of paper, about 8,333 sheets of paper. Although that may seem like a lot of paper, an office of approximately ten people uses one ream of paper a week, which is slightly less than average. That’s about 26,000 pieces of paper a year in just this one office. Imagine how much paper is used in a company with 1,000 or 100,000 employees? Many more trees than I’d like to think about.

You may be wondering what can be done to remedy this issue and I’d like to share with you a few ways that my office has found helpful. Instead of printing every email, research item, or document, consider organizing the data you would like to save into a system of files. Our company’s Getting the EDGE course teaches you how to manage and organize your daily routines and processes. It helps bring balance and structure when you feel consumed by chaos. Imagine seeing an empty email inbox instead of hundreds or maybe thousands of emails in your inbox. Would your stress level be greatly reduced? Imagine actually getting to the projects and tasks you keep putting off because you just can’t find the time. All this is possible with the EDGE system by replacing old, ineffective habits with new action related habits.

Another way your office or home can help reduce paper waste is remembering to print on both sides and to recycle. If you do not know whether your office has the option to recycle, ask your office manager or the building managers, you may be the one to make the change for your whole office. When you clean your office space and recycle the unneeded papers, you are giving back to the environment and helping keep a more organized work space.

You may think that as just one individual you cannot make a difference, but you can. All it takes is one person to form these best practices into habits and share them with friends or colleagues. Before you know it, everyone is making a difference.

When “Because I Said So” No Longer Works

2009-03-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

by Kim Brewster

Congratulations, you’ve implemented the EDGE process for your email inbox at work: delete, do it, delegate or defer. How about the same implementation for your home email inbox? Taking it a step further, would those same steps apply to your home processes with family members?

If you are a mom, dad or someone with perceived authority over children, you most likely have encountered the whiney question, “Why do I have to do it?” For awhile perhaps your reply, “Because I’m the Mom (Dad), and I said so” was sufficient.

At some point maybe your request for action was met with, “You’re not the boss of me.” Now you have arrived at a defining moment in your child’s development where you can agree and reply, “Correct – you are the boss of you, but being a boss comes with responsibility.”

Getting action items completed by self-absorbed teens (and maybe the spouse as well) requires the same steps as processing your email inbox. A few items of clothing on the floor – two minutes tops to complete the pick-up. Resort to the Nike motto if necessary: “Just do it!” School project due in two weeks – possibly deferred for a few days. Typically something qualifying as a parent “to do” but benefiting a child old enough to take responsibility – delegate it to the child.

The more you can instill these processes at home and demonstrate that you use and benefit from them as well, the more your “observers” will notice. And they observe and listen to everything, as you well know if you have ever accidently uttered an expletive, believing there was no audience within earshot.

How will you know when the 4Ds are working at home? When your child issues a request and says, “But mom, you can do it in less than 2 minutes!”

Decisions, decisions… 4 Critical Questions for Processing Email

2009-03-06T09:24:00.000-08:00

by Skip Colfax

Staying organized and keeping on top of email wasn’t always easy for me. I was the guy who was frequently late for meetings because I couldn’t for the life of me find the email invitation telling me where the meeting was being held, or what the dial-in information was. My inbox had more than 500 emails on any given day and I often printed them, thinking, “If I have it on paper, surely I’ll get it done!” Well those led to some of the piles of paper that ended up on or around my desk. I was a disorganized mess!

Now I keep my inbox clean as a whistle at the end of each day. To make that happen, I process my email using the EDGE Deciding Model and ask 4 basic questions:

1. What is this?

I read the email and determine what it is, an assignment of new work? Is it someone’s contact information, a reading assignment, new project, or a simple request for some information?

2. Is it actionable?

I need to identify what I’m looking at and if it requires action or not. About half of the emails I get are not actionable. Many contain some information I want to keep or will need later, so I create contact files, or make notes. Sometimes I’ll file an email in a project or reference folder, or I’ll put it on my Someday/Maybe list. I’m glad to say that today, many of my emails get the X….. I love using the delete button; it gives me control over my inbox. “Nice to know” information is indeed nice to know, but I don’t clutter my inbox or email folders with it anymore.

3. Is it a project?

If email requires action, I ask, “How much action?” If it is simple 1 to 4 steps, I create my next action in my task list.

If it is larger than that, I create a project plan, including a desired outcome statement and a list of tasks needed to achieve my desired outcome. My desired outcome statement keeps me motivated to do all of the tasks required, even the tasks I don’t particularly like doing.

4. What is the very next action?

I create my very next action so that it is doable in one sitting. These are the next tasks needed to forward my project, or the next task from a smaller To Do. Actions show up in my daily activities and keep me moving forward. For all of my projects, I have at least one “next action” in my action list. I love checking them off as they are completed! That’s satisfying and motivating too! I love getting stuff done, it makes me feel good and raises my energy level.

Using the EDGE Deciding Model and asking those 4 questions keeps my email inbox in check and my projects and goals moving forward. I love this model and use it a couple of times daily. I can’t imagine going back to my old ways.

Making Big Impact

2009-03-03T12:13:00.000-08:00

by Russell Tibbits

Two weeks ago, a close friend moved to Austin to enjoy the sunny weather, the exciting nightlife and to start the next phase of her life. While she recently finished her Master’s degree and said goodbye to many friends and family members, she moved here without a job and knowing only a few people. For some people, this might sound exhilarating; for her the idea was terrifying. On top of this, portions of her new home needed immediate repair, making her feeling even less at ease. Over the course of the last two weeks there have been tears and many moments of frustration.

When I moved to Austin three years ago, I learned through a tool taught by The Effective Edge to look back at the end of each week and celebrate all of my accomplishments. I still do this weekly and in fact now use this to track progress for my larger goals, like attending Toastmasters in 2009 or completing triathlons. This tool keeps me positive and focuses my thoughts on the long-term effects of small, bite-sized progress. What may seem like little or no progress each week can add up to large changes when looked at over months or quarters.

I shared this new tool with my friend. We created a list of her accomplishments to celebrate the progress she has made. In the two weeks since she moved, she has walked and run Town Lake at least 5 times, practiced yoga, connected with sorority sisters in Austin, interviewed for two different positions and accepted a job offer. This is quite a long list for someone new to a city and unfamiliar with her surroundings. I encourage everyone to use this tool, not just for work accomplishments, but personal achievements as well. I think you’ll quickly see how small steps done consistently make big impact.

The Weekly Recharge

2009-02-27T13:22:00.000-08:00

by Laura Finney

Imagine not combing or brushing your hair for a week. Okay, I know that’s a fashion style for some people, but not most. Imagine not brushing your teeth or bathing for a week. If the trash at our homes was not picked up weekly, it would double by the next week and so would the smell.

The same holds true for remaining organized and productive throughout the week. A Weekly Recharge is the key to maintaining a seamless system of organization. ‘Recharge’ means to regain, make new, or simply to charge again. Our bodies and minds are recharged after each session of sleep or rest. We recharge batteries to use them over and over again.

In the office, a Weekly Recharge is most beneficial in keeping the EDGE System working for you. And, it keeps your mind, desk, and workload clear of unnecessary clutter. This will also give you an opportunity to review or add upcoming tasks and potential projects.

The Weekly Recharge is just as important as any other weekly appointment you participate in, such as hair appointments, worship services, conference calls, meetings, sporting activities, etc. But, more importantly, the Weekly Recharge is a way of life in growing and remaining organized and productive.

Not using your system will have a trickledown effect that will be counterproductive of your goals. This system has become a critical factor for my success and it can be for you as well. It’s the habit that will keep you on track and moving forward with Getting the EDGE.

You can choose any day of the week for your Weekly Recharge. I prefer Friday. Friday is the end of the work week and a perfect time for me to reorganize the past weeks’ work and organize the upcoming week. This is also a great opportunity for me to enter the weekend not worried about what’s completed (or not completed). I also feel better about entering the new work week free and clear knowing what lies ahead.

Keep your EDGE by using your Weekly Recharge. I promise you will have a new level of organization and positive energy!

Are You Really Beginning The Day Deliberately?

2009-02-24T13:41:00.000-08:00

by Robertt Young

Are you really Beginning the Day Deliberately and doing the Weekly Recharge every single week? As many of you know, in addition to the one day class Getting the EDGE (GTE), we also have one-on-one coaching with professionals and executives in their offices. After I coach people for several days I like to implement a few follow up sessions to see how they are doing and receive their feedback. The first question I ask them is: “How are you doing with your management system, what’s working and what isn’t?” Then I listen.

Usually they are doing great but sometimes they experience falling back into old habits and fail to process their email boxes to empty or don’t capture things on their Task List/To Do List or Calendar. This takes them back to managing with their heads instead of effectively using their lists. When I hear this from them my next immediate question is: “Are you Beginning the Day Deliberately and are you doing the Weekly Recharge?” Begin the Day Deliberately is a daily recurring appointment that occurs the first half hour of each work day to get a head start on your day. The Weekly Recharge is a weekly review of everything you promised you would deliver the previous week and an opportunity to empty your email Inbox as well as to make sure you can deliver on what is coming up. With the Weekly Recharge you can regain the EDGE every seven days. So I ask them that question and if they are having difficulty it is almost always because they are not doing one of the two routines or both.

These are two routines that can help you to continuously stay on top of your workload and regain control of your professional and personal life. Beginning the Day Deliberately only takes 2.5 hours a week and performing the Weekly Recharge will only take one hour a week, a small price to pay to regain many hours of productivity and not have pieces fall through the cracks. At the end of a coaching or a GTE class, I emphasize the importance of this crucial process. It takes 21 days to form a new habit. If you continue to work hard to instill the new routines and minimize distractions, the old habits will disappear and the new ones will take their place. So Begin the Day Deliberately and perform the Weekly Recharge and stay on top of your workload and maintain excellent work life balance!

Sometimes We Need a Mind “Dyson”

2009-02-20T09:11:00.000-08:00

by Paige Webb

Do you ever have those days when you are so distracted that you collect new information in your head, rather than anywhere else, just out of habit? Do you flinch and think, “OH, I hope I remember that!” Despite what I know to be true about my conscious and un-conscious mind, since I started on the EDGE system about a month ago, I’ve caught myself in this situation at least two times, and I failed miserably at remembering what I was supposed to.

These two instances I speak of have caused a chain reaction of missteps in my life. I proceeded to give a presentation at work the same week, and completely faded out of the context of my presentation, and drew a “blank.” After talking to my training advisor about this, she replied, “You didn’t do a mind sweep. You have to do a mind sweep before every speaking or training engagement, or your consciousness will suffer.” What a great point! This is why I have to live what I teach, and the mind sweep is a critical piece of EMPTYING. Mind sweeps are vital to pushing forward with completing things and acknowledging them as such. This creates energy for me to thrive in all other things and move on.

Another example of what not to do is to attend a meeting with your boss and not perform a mind sweep prior to. I’ve found myself stumbling with, “Oh, and I forgot to mention…” as I begin walking to the door at the end of a meeting. Time can be precious with a busy senior manager’s schedule. Make it count! Every last detail and action should be swept clean out of your head so that your strategy for a meeting and actions required are clear. The same can be said for any team meeting. Give them your best energy, and you may turn some heads, get noticed, and be the reason the project is completed on time and on budget.

After years of “memorizing,” and walking around with a brain full of stuff, the EDGE system forces me to believe I need a Mind “Dyson” rather than just a mind sweep. I’m talking about the super high-tech vacuum cleaner that advertises the power of suction to clean floors. Yes, I need one for my brain. With all of my necessary actions piled up in my head, tucked away in deep corners, I need help. As I enter each action in Outlook as a task and follow the guidelines for GROUPING, I can feel those cobwebs in my head being swept away.

Every one of us has personal and professional actions that can benefit from a mind sweep. When’s the last time you got home from running errands and had to go back out again? What have you thought about on your “mental” list since you started reading this? Is it time for a mind sweep now?

Disengage So You Don’t Flail

2009-02-17T09:25:00.000-08:00

by Kristi Willis

I am a swimmer. We discovered this when I took lessons at the age of 6 and the coach told my parents to immediately get me on a swim team. After months of practice, I was ready for my first swim meet.

I got on the blocks for my first race and got into starting position. I dove in the water and started swimming as fast as I could. Unfortunately, I was moving my arms at light speed, but I wasn’t using good stroke technique so I wasn’t moving forward at all. My arms were flying, I was splashing water everywhere - I was flailing. After about 10 meters of that, I realized I wasn’t making any progress, took a deep breath and slowed down a bit. Suddenly, I was flying through the water and I recovered enough to place 3rd.

This story came to mind recently because since the first of the year, I have felt like I was flailing at work. My schedule has been non-stop busy and I’ve felt like I’ve been going 0 to 90 and not making much progress.

Recently, I was in the office and my day was back-to-back meetings. When I got home that night, I was absolutely exhausted. As I reflected on the day, I realized that I had never taken a break. I had even eaten lunch at my desk and answered e-mails while I woofed down my sandwich. No wonder I was exhausted; I never took time to disengage.

One of the key concepts we teach in Getting the EDGE is the power of taking strategic disengagements, an idea developed by Jim Loehr in his book The Power of Full Engagement. Even when we are busy, if we will take 5-15 minute breaks every 1.5 to 2 hours, we will be more productive overall throughout the day. It gives our bodies and brains a chance to reboot so we can give 100% throughout the day, even in the afternoon.

Think about it. In all sporting events, athletes take breaks. In tennis there are breaks between sets. In basketball and football they have half time. If athletes need rest for a 2-4 hour game, then professionals definitely need times to catch our breath during our 8 to 9 to 10 hour days.

I know what you are thinking – “I don’t have time for a break.” What if taking a 5 minute disengagement means that your 3 pm meeting will yield an answer instead of just another round about discussion on the same topic? Do you have time for a break now?

I have now reworked my schedule to make sure that I am not in back-to-back meetings for more than 2 hours at a time and that I have time to disengage throughout the day. I have noticed an enormous difference. When I return from my disengagements, my head is clear, I have more energy and I’m able to really contribute to each of my commitments.

When I start to feel like I’m flailing, I immediately disengage. Nothing like a walk around the building to keep me from splashing water on the whole team.

A Love For Notes

2009-02-13T07:43:00.000-08:00

by Laura Finney

Ah, Valentine’s Day, a holiday known for expressing love, a time for individuals to show love and affection toward who is very special in their heart. There are those who will celebrate this holiday with candy or chocolate hearts, balloons or cards with love written all over them, or romantic dinners and roses to express sincere love to or for someone else. This all represents the theme of St. Valentine’s Day.

I have fallen in love with Notes. That’s right, MS Outlook Notes. Now this was not an immediate attraction or anything. As a matter of fact, one of our trainers, Angela Ware, told me I was going to learn to love Notes. I remember thinking, I may learn to like it and use it efficiently, but love…nah!

Well, I’ve been hit by Cupid’s love arrow during the course of learning the value of Notes with the Getting the EDGE System. You see, I was one of those people who would print my list of websites and passwords to have as a handy reference. I would also print any confirmation details and numbers that I may need. I printed or would jot down quick reference numbers for calls I needed to make (regularly).

I have learned that not only will Notes hold all (and more) of the information listed above that I was printing, Notes will sync right into my PDA. All of my quick and handy reference items will be right there when I need them. Notes is the place to hold information that I may need to access quickly, or a place of storage for reference information.

I was even more impressed when I learned I can even color categorize my Notes for easier reference. My love for Notes has grown to the next level. And, in honor of St. Valentine’s Day, I have now changed my Notes color from Yellow to Pink.

Go ahead and use to Notes to become more efficient. You too will fall in love with Notes.

Getting a Hold on Stress

2009-02-10T16:07:00.000-08:00

by Alison Chapman

A couple of weeks ago I travelled to Prague and Germany. It was such an amazing experience, and I learned a tremendous amount about other cultures. Before I left I stressed about completing everything for school and work, on top of being stressed about my trip. When I returned from my trip I became sick. This put me even more behind and added more stress.

I know that because I had a high level of stress, I put my health and well-being at risk. Stress wreaks havoc on your emotional and physical health. It narrows your ability to think clearly, function effectively, and enjoy life. By allowing myself to get stressed, I burned out and I was not able to perform my best at work or school. The stress caused me to be so exhausted that I was barely getting through the days. This is not a healthy way to live.

I needed to come up with a way to manage my stress. The first thing I did to get a hold of my stress was identify what was causing the stress. I knew I was constantly worried about school and work deadlines. But I realized that my procrastination, rather than the actual job and school demands, were what led to deadline stress.

I have looked at some of my habits, attitudes, and excuses. I have to accept responsibility for the role I play in creating or maintaining my stress. If I continue this way, my stress will always be outside of my control.

I learned that I need to find ways to deal with my stress. The goal of managing my stress levels is to bring my mind and body back into balance. By adopting a positive attitude, learning healthier ways to cope, and changing the way I think, I can reduce its hold on my life.

Keeping Connections

2009-02-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

by Paige Webb

Do you remember the days when the time it took to re-program telephone numbers in a new cell phone just about broke you down? How about updating your hard-bound address book with ever-changing work and cell phone numbers for friends and family? How much time did we take to ensure that we had the right information to stay connected?

In the Spring of 2005, the company I was working for at the time suffered a reduction in force, and my colleagues that were less fortunate stopped to wave their good-byes and to say, “Let’s stay in touch. You can find me on Linkedin.” I gave a big smile right back, and said, “Okay, and good luck to you!” Little did they know that I had not joined that professional networking bandwagon. What was Linkedin?

I couldn’t wait another minute to figure out the ways I could stay connected with the brilliant minds that made my work days more enjoyable and inspiring. I logged on to www.linkedin.com, and I created the most basic profile to get past the point ‘about me’ and get to finding my connections. I proceeded to connect with one after the other. I viewed their profiles to find that they had each crafted a polished message about themselves, their resumes, and what their current projects were. A bell went off in my head. Linkedin was where you promoted yourself in professional networks online. I completed my profile immediately.

What piqued my interest the most about what my colleagues had written were the insights shared that were relevant to business and the technology world evolving around us. These were personal insights, not the insights of a company, corporation, or marketing guru. I had some thoughts to share on a subject, and submitted a response to a discussion through a Linkedin Group. My personal experience and insight were given appreciation by the audience I intended on sharing it with. This felt awesome!

Linkedin has grown quite a bit since 2005, and The Effective Edge is growing with it. The demand for professional networking struck a chord with us because we’re professionals who teach and coach other professionals. The lessons taught in the Getting the Edge course do not stop in the classroom. Our lives and jobs change, and The Effective Edge now intends to keep connections with the Getting the Edge (GTE) Alumni via a group on Linkedin. Save yourself the time to dig up our contact information. Log on to Linkedin, find the group for Getting the Edge Alumni, connect with our network and be inspired!

The Mind of a Champion

2009-01-30T09:51:00.000-08:00

by Angela Ware

With the Super Bowl fast approaching I cannot help but to think of what it must be like for the players and coaching staff of both teams. The anticipation of arriving in Tampa Bay, walking into the stadium on game day, running out on to the field, the opening kick-off, the culmination of a year of hard work!

Last year the New England Patriots had a perfect season going into the Super Bowl. By all accounts they were favored to win it all. But there was a team in the opposing locker room who felt that they had just as much right to the title of champion. Therefore, the New York Giants, led by a young Eli Manning, ran out onto the field at game time with determination and the mind of a champion.

For Eli there was the prevailing comparison to his older brother, Peyton, who lead the Colts to a Super Bowl victory the year before. Many critics claimed that Eli was too young and needed a few more years before he would be ready for a stage as big as the Super Bowl. But quarter by quarter, half by half, the mind of a champion led us all to believe in the impossible. When the clock ran out on the game, the scoreboard said it all: Giants 17 - Patriots 14.

If the Giants had listened and believed the rhetoric of the critics, they would have walked out onto the field saying to themselves, “These are the Patriots. They have won every game this year. They can’t help but to win again.” The mindset of defeat. The very idea of thinking your way into failure sounds crazy. Yet many of us do this every day.

We attend meetings, read the newspaper and watch the morning and evening news shows only to hear about how bad things are, how economic defeat and continued layoffs are forthcoming, and we stop thinking of new and alternate plays. We stop creating ways to win. We anticipate defeat and choose to just wait out the clock.

In our current economic times, remember it is not what the commentators and critics say, it is what you allow yourself to think that determines the outcome. A true champion, in business, sports and life, always believes that they can win no matter the adversary or the odds.

Therefore, I challenge you to think like a champion! Prepare for the game, execute your plan and when necessary adjust your plan. But never stop thinking like a champion and playing to win!

PS: Go Steelers!

Relax Your Mind

2009-01-27T13:09:00.000-08:00

by Zahra Petri

The 25 mile commute from Middle-of-Nowhere, Texas to our downtown Austin office takes me approximately 52 minutes. Those 52 minutes give me a large window of time twice a day to be alone with my thoughts, which seem to be streaming in at a rate faster than I can process these days.

Sometimes my mind simply wonders, sometimes I worry, and other times I think of specific projects and ideas. These are the times that I wish I had a device which could record all my thoughts so I could refer back to them when I am unable to write them down. Unfortunately, technology of that kind does not exist and instead other ways must be found to organize my thoughts, take note of ideas, and quiet the voice in my head.

The Effective Edge team follows and teaches a process called the Mind Sweep. It offers exactly what is needed when I cannot turn off the little voice in my head. This exercise not only allows me to empty my head so that I may think more clearly, but it puts everything in front of me visually, either on paper or in my task list on MS Outlook. That way I am able to work through those thoughts in a list format and sort, organize, and expand them as needed. I am able to use those thoughts and clarity of mind to help me produce the best output at work and productively finish all my tasks and projects. By taking a moment to clear my head, I can focus my mind and relax the little voice that is constantly running and thinking of the next idea, project or task before the first was even written down. Without this rest and relaxation it is much more difficult to function in every aspect of my life, not just at work, making the importance of clarity that much greater. By following the Mind Sweep exercise I am able to center myself and function at a higher level while producing the best results.

One, Two, Three….WHOOSH!

2009-01-23T06:57:00.000-08:00

by Diane Holz

Last year our company had quarterly sales meeting that all the staff got to attend. What? Yes, I said ALL the staff GOT to attend the sales meetings. For some people attending a sales meeting would probably be the last thing they want to do. I think they are invigorating…I get to see where the company wants to go, what clients they are courting, what is said to court the clients…making me want to work for this company even more.

At one of the sales meetings I was introduced to a concept new to me. The staff aligned themselves in a circle and then alternately a staff member got into the middle of the circle. While the one staff member was in the middle, the rest of the staff were instructed to clap three times throwing both arms forward while saying WHOOSH! When I was the person standing in the middle of that circle, I felt invigorated…like I could conquer anything.

I have fiddled around with energy flow, but most of the time I don’t have the foggiest idea what I am doing. However, this concept was so easy and changed the whole energy flow. A big WHOOSH! really turned on the vibrations to an elevated feeling: excitement, delight, deep appreciation, power, etc. This is something so easy to do to create a feel good vibration...a power vibration that gives you a rush or buzz.

Why don’t you try it out for 2009, it is still the first month of the New Year. Select one of your 2009 goals and create an intention statement. Put that intention statement into a recurring appointment in your calendar. Read the intention statement daily then clap three times and say WHOOSH! (pulling your outstretched arms over your head like you are pulling in and receiving all the positive energy).

I have to admit I am experimenting. I am calling it my feel good bodily buzz.

How can we do more with less?

2009-01-20T13:32:00.000-08:00

by Angela Ware

I was having lunch with a friend of mine last week when I asked her how things were going at her job. I knew that they had just announced a series of cutbacks and wanted to know how she was handling the change.

She shared with me that she was overwhelmed. She went on to say that everyone in her office was “trying to do more with less.” I am sure that many of you have heard, if not said, this phrase once or twice over the past year. But what does it mean and is it even possible? How can we do more with less?

When you think of a sporting event, teams are often forced to “do more with less”? Over the course of the game players get hurt and or foul out, leaving the team with fewer resources on the bench. Also players exhaust themselves during play, leaving them with less energy and mental agility to play at peak performance as the game goes on. Yet, some of the best sports highlights come from last minute plays. Why? Because when you have a will to win, you have a desire to find a way.

Yes, it is possible to do more with less. In the business world this translates into identifying ways to maximize our efforts and our energy using fewer resources. Team members have to place an emphasis on organizing their work to allow them to spend their time and energy on the right things at the right time.

Over lunch I shared the following tips with my friend: (1) remove clutter from your desk so that you are better able to focus; (2) use your Outlook tools to organize your workload so that you will be able to see everything that you are working on in one place; (3) identify the mental resources and skills sets of the people around you so that you can get answers to your questions and delegate work efficiently and effectively; (4) revisit your goals on a regular basis to confirm that your goals are taking you in the direction needed and (5) celebrate small advances as well as large victories.

In the end it is not a matter of doing more, it is a process for doing better.

Learning Life Lessons from Kids

2009-01-16T13:54:00.000-08:00

by Alison Chapman

Sometimes we let simple things in life stress us out. I have a lot on my plate at the present so this happens to me frequently. I babysit for two families here in Austin. Their kids range from 4-12 years old. When I go to their homes to babysit the kids, I immediately lose all negative thoughts and feelings because the kids make me smile with the things they do and say.

It’s amazing that as children we perpetually look forward to the time when we will grow up and can do anything we want. Then, once we grow up and become overwhelmed with responsibilities, we look back to those carefree childhood days. When I am around the kids I babysit, I think how wonderful childhood is. By looking at how children see the world, we can learn some things to introduce in our own lives.

As we grow older, we focus on either the past or the future instead of the present; we pick up the habit of nursing our grievances and worrying about small things. But for a child, everything is unfolding right before their eyes and they have not learned to let themselves be consumed by past or future.

A couple of weeks ago, I was babysitting two boys named Zach and Nick. We were outside playing basketball and Nick pushed Zach over. Zach started crying and I ran over to comfort him. He had a little scrape on his knee; nothing too bad. He saw another toy he wanted to play with so he stopped crying and ran over to it. I was amazed at how quickly his focus went from crying to playing with another toy. If something like that happened to an adult, they would remain upset for days.

We can learn simple lessons from children. They are resilient and carefree with little worry in their lives. As we go through our day, when things get us down, we should stop and think back to the simplicity of our childhood. Hopefully that will lift our spirits and help us to let the little things roll off our backs.

Focus On The Desired Outcome

2009-01-13T11:37:00.000-08:00

by Russell Tibbits

Anybody who has read our blog in the past has seen me write about being active. Staying healthy and active encompasses so much of my life outside of work. Today’s experience is no different.

Our season of flag football ended today, with disappointment. We ended last season fighting our way into the playoffs and losing to the eventual champions by 1 point. As a result, I signed up for this new season having high expectations, knowing we could at least do as well as we did last season. After weeks of struggling in the unusually high fall temperatures, a 3-3 record is all our team had to show for it. We won’t make the playoffs this year.

Okay, I’m done with the pity party; however, as a competitive person, it sometimes makes me wonder what it is we’re playing for. This loss ends our fourth season of football as a team and we have yet to win a playoff game. I’m not typically the type of person that always enjoys playing despite a loss, but I find it hard to see the good times or let go of mistakes when we can’t muster enough points for a victory.

When frustration shows its face after a loss in business or in sports, I’ve used the idea of creating a desired outcome statement at the beginning of large projects. By creating a desired outcome statement, we have a visual reminder of what our end result will be. This gives us motivation to complete the task at hand. Just like going through the down times with any other project, I have to quickly remind myself of the real reason I undertake these challenges and what my real objectives are. I suddenly realize that winning championships for flag football were never in the picture to begin with. Having fun, getting exercise and creating new friendships were the real objectives above all.

It’s always been the objective to help grow customers and ourselves; and with tips from the class, I feel like we can do just that.

Information Overload

2009-01-09T12:37:00.000-08:00

by Kirk Miller

Have you heard about the epidemic that’s sweeping the nation? It’s called information overload. It’s really nothing new. But it has crept up on us during the information age and is spreading out of control, like wildfire in a Texas field. Everywhere you turn these days we are being bombarded with information.

We wake up in the morning and immediately rush to get all of the necessary information together before we leave the house for the day. In our cars (if you have not yet decided to give up the radio all together), there’s a continuous influx of more information. All of this while talking on our cell phones and PDA’s. Then we get to work and information really comes at us from all sides, from our peers to our boss to our inbox, voicemail and let’s not forget…our EMAIL !! It is estimated that the average information worker receives over 150 emails per day. On average, each day brings us 200+ decisions to make about all of this information. That’s just during the workday. When we get home, there is mail and other information waiting for us as well. No wonder we have a hard time simply deciding what to make for dinner after a typical day at work. I am exhausted just writing about it.

Last year I attended the first meeting of the Information Overload Research Group (IORG). It was the inaugural meeting of a number of C-level executives from companies like Intel, Morgan Stanley, Xerox and others, along with academic researchers in the area of information overload. This group has, as its focus, begun seriously addressing the issue of information overload in large corporations. Large companies like these are beginning to take a real look at this issue and its effects on the bottom line. It is estimated that it’s costing U.S. companies approximately $65 billion per year. And if you look around, there doesn’t seem to be any indication that information is going down anytime soon.

So the question is, how are you going to deal with it? Do you have a system in place to handle this ever-increasing amount of information coming at you every day? With the EDGE system, you do. The EDGE system allows you to narrow down all these collection points of information to just a few. It empowers you to then clearly make decisions about this information and immediately move it to where it needs to go. Finally, it gives you a best practice methodology to execute and get stuff off your plate, creating a relaxed flow to your workday and a return to sanity. So the only question left is…..do you have the EDGE?

It’s All in the Prep

2009-01-06T10:32:00.000-08:00

by Kim Brewster

Are you a fan of cooking shows? How about home remodeling shows? Cable tv offers us a plethora of opportunities to show our creative side, enhance our hobbies or make us better at our jobs.

Take Emeril, since anyone who has watched a cooking show or seen his cookware at the store may be familiar with him. His countertop has bowls of different sizes, knives, spoons, cutting boards, hot pads; his cooktop has the pans. In essence, he has laid out the tools he will use to prepare the meal. His tools allow him to ready the ingredients – seasonings in their separate containers, cutting the meats/vegetables and heating the oil/butter/broth. The actual cooking process itself is rather seamless and, BAM, it’s done.

The home remodeling shows make painting walls look so easy. If you dissect what is done before the paint is applied to the wall, you will see a drip cloth, paint tray, brushes (angled or straight edge), a can of paint, stir stick, roller and roller cover, paint can opener, and a vacuum cleaner or lint-free cloth. These are the basic tools. After dust and dirt are removed from the walls, the drip cloth is spread, the paint is opened and stirred and poured into the paint tray, the roller cover is on the roller, you are ready to apply the paint. Now ultimately how the actual painting application goes is dependent on having a steady hand with an eye for neatness.

What is your prep process to begin your day at your desk (after you have pre-prepped by exercising and eating a nutritious breakfast)? (1) Do you dive right into you email inbox? (2) Do you spread papers and files all over your work surface? (3) Are your desk tools (pens, portable note taking device, PDA) readily available and easy to reach? (4) Is your Outlook Today tool set up so that you can quickly scan your Calendar Today and Tasks? (5) Do you take a few deep breaths?

Only three of the above options are necessary and the remaining two are not useful. Just like a cook or a painter, your day will be more effective because you took the time to physically prepare for your day, ultimately saving time. At the end of the day you will feel confident your tasks, emails and projects were handled thoughtfully and expeditiously.

Did you remember to savor the aroma of garlic in warm olive oil or bask in the glow of your freshly painted walls?

Education Through Life

2008-12-02T09:22:00.000-08:00

by Zahra Petri

Growing up in a world of organic food, spiritual thinking, and creating harmony and balance for yourself and those around you would seem out of the ordinary anywhere in Texas but Austin. I grew up not only surrounded by all those wonderful elements but also grew at a school for thirteen years that instilled the backbone of who I am today. It was not solely an education; it taught values, creativity, cooperation, and most importantly, how to thrive as a strong, dynamic individual.

It was called the Austin Waldorf School and was a branch of the Rudolf Steiner schools that began in Stuttgart, Germany in 1919. Rudolf Steiner was an Austrian philosopher and the founder of Anthroposophy, Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture, anthroposophical medicine, and much more. He advocated a form of ethical individualism and strongly viewed anthroposophy as “a path of knowledge, to guide the spiritual in the human being to the spiritual in the universe” (Rudolf Steiner). It took me thirteen years of Steiner education to understand and develop the ability to appreciate its teachings and the meaning behind them. It was not until I finished college that I realized I missed the Waldorf education system. The curriculum incorporates every aspect of learning possible from music, art, history both ancient and recent, humanities, advanced levels of math, every type of science feasible and so much more. It offers not only a fully well rounded education, but it becomes a home where each child develops and grows with and from its peers and the entire community; because that is what it is, it is not just a school but a whole community where families interact in every step of the process. It is a place where teachers play an integral role in the development of that child and are not distracted by a whole class of children but are able to give each individual child the help and attention they thrive on.

This education, community and lifetime relationships that were built while I attended school will never be lost or forgotten. They are instilled deeply within me and have created a desire to never stop learning and furthering my goal of life balance. Without structure and guidance it is nearly impossible to get on the right track and push forward to achieve one’s highest goals. If you do not recognize imbalance and how it can be corrected, it creates an undesired path that is often difficult to find your way off. You have to ask for help, and accept change in order to move forward, increase your desired intentions and have success in achieving them.

Preparing for Change

2008-11-14T12:52:00.000-08:00

by Angela Ware

All around us there are signs of individuals and industries adjusting to change. The housing market, auto and finance industries are all relevant and national examples. Our current president-elect campaigned under the axiom of change. We are being reminded that change is the normal flow of life. As proof, I offer the seasonal fact that at this moment autumn is giving way to winter.

Many of us have heard the adages “change is inevitable” and “change is good.” If these statements are true, why is it that so many of us find it difficult to change? Why after change has occurred do we often hear people say, “I didn’t see that coming?”

Well, it’s not that we didn’t see it coming; rather we were reluctant or unwilling to move from a place of knowing to a place of learning and/ or trying something new.

Like many in our current economy, I was laid-off once. Can you say, “Change?” Now, in as much as this situation forced me to change, it also revealed a long thought truth: Preparation is the number one resource needed during times of change.

If your situation of change is coping with the peeks and valleys of industry, being placed on a new project at work, a new position within your company or the newly elected leader of the free world, you can only speculate as to what the actual change will entail. You must allow yourself the freedom to prepare for the possibility of what’s to come. Therefore, I would like to offer the following four tips that have served me well in times of change.

· Prepare daily - read blogs, articles online or in magazines and/ or the newspaper on a daily basis in an effort to remain current with your industry or an industry that you are interested in transitioning to.

· Invite discussion – join a professional society or networking group in an effort to build relationships and enhance your understanding and communication skills regarding your profession.

· Continuously seek opportunities for training and certification – the more you are skilled at doing increases the amount of what you are capable of doing!

· Remain organized – keep your current and long-term goals in front of you and keep your information organized for effective access. When change falls your way being organized will allow you to keep your mind clear and focused.

Now, go out and embrace change!

Practicing for Hard Times

2008-11-04T14:29:00.000-08:00

by Alison Chapman

During tough times, we should try to keep a handle on our mood and energy levels if we hope to maintain our work life balance and achieve success. Some people are hardwired to respond to things optimistically, others are simply wired differently. Fortunately, we can improve our chances of staying resilient and hopeful by acquiring positive thinking skills.

The process of building optimism and positive thinking is similar to working out. You have to focus on your goals and commit your time to it. If you approach a workout program with that focus, then you can improve your fitness and the ability to successfully reach goals. Similarly, if you approach improving your resilience this way, you can improve your ability to think positively.

The first hurdle to get over is realizing that you need to change your way of thinking in order to think positively. You can not change the person you are but understand that you can get overwhelmed and anxious at times, which is okay. Do not complain about how you are feeling but realize that you have the power to control your work/life balance. Start thinking this way immediately, not only when you decide you are ready or when it’s convenient. Do your best not to interpret your progress in the short term, just as you should not measure an increase in strength and endurance after a single workout. However, you should take note that you will see a small change in the short term that will eventually build to envelope your whole self and the changes that will come about as an end result of the process.

People who think pessimistically tend to dispute the positive and accept the negative. People who are optimistic tend to assume that their life balance will be restored, good events will eventually occur and that bad events are an exception. You have to work at restoring your work life balance so that you will have good events and avoid the bad ones. We should all strive to be optimistic so we can continue to maintain work life balance and be successful.

Volleyball Court Drive-By

2008-10-29T14:40:00.000-07:00

by Russell Tibbits

Wednesday afternoon and the sun, like a majority of afternoons in Austin, is shining on the sand volleyball courts at Zilker Park. My friends and I are engaged in the traditional Monday and Wednesday ritual: after-work volleyball and catching up on the week’s events. As the sun begins its descent behind Mopac Expressway and the surrounding hills, hunger pains and tomorrow’s work responsibilities beckon each of us in our own direction.

Spending our last few minutes of sunlight talking and cleaning away the excess sand, our group discusses the next outing and the weekend’s future events. During our conversation, Lyssa remembered that she needs Boone to be at her house at 1PM tomorrow; her dog is being trained to behave well around men. Boone will be the male representative/ guinea pig. Lyssa asked Boone for the favor to which his response was a simple, “Email me so I don’t forget.”

I have been an observer of our Getting the EDGE class many times, but I rarely get to experience how concepts from our class are applied to others’ work or to real life situations.

Lyssa pulled what’s often referred to as the drive-by. This may be the worst type of task you can ever get. The drive-by occurs when a co-worker gives you new information verbally and typically without warning. “Hey Russ, you headed out to lunch? When you get back, be sure to send me the results for all of last year’s classes. I have a huge presentation today at 4PM and I need to share those with the CEO.”

Drive-by’s commonly occur on your way to the next meeting, pacing to the bathroom or headed home for the day. You have no way to record what the action is or when it’s due, never mind record that there is even a task required. And the worst part is that the responsibility for this task is now assumed to be yours. By asking the driver to send you an email, you have now switched the responsibility back to that person to remind you, allowed yourself to get a reminder email that you can make into a task or calendar event and freed your mind to think creatively instead of juggling all of these tasks in your head.

Boone headed home able to enjoy the last few minutes of his day and Lyssa got the help she needed through that gentle reminder of an e-mail. It’s nice when you can end the day with everyone winning.

Be Like Water

2008-10-15T15:22:00.000-07:00

by Kirk Miller

I studied Karate and other martial arts for several years and have always been a huge admirer of Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee was widely held as the foremost expert in martial arts. I have also been intrigued and fascinated for most of my life by the Eastern philosophy and approach to life. Not only was Bruce Lee the individual who introduced Martial Arts to America, he was also an avid student of philosophy and was way ahead of his time in terms of his views and philosophies on life.

In one of his last interviews, Bruce Lee talks about his approach to martial arts and life. He says, “Be like water. Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless….like water. You put water in a cup and it becomes the cup. You put water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow, or it can crash. Be water my friend.” He speaks of water as the ultimate metaphor for being fluid and adaptable to whatever comes.
He also emphasizes clearing your mind. In martial arts, if you are not operating from a clear mind or you allow yourself to become distracted, you could wind up flat on your back. In our course, Getting the EDGE, we teach the daily Mind Sweep exercise and use a similar metaphor with water. Water represents stillness and peace. The daily Mind Sweep allows us to empty our minds, get everything out of our heads and onto paper, and to flow more peacefully throughout our day. It frees up our energy and creativity.

Be like water. Water is alive and sometimes flows, with a sense of power. Water cannot be held down or forced. When you see a stream with rocks put in its way, the water simply flows peacefully and quietly around it. It does not meet it with hard resistance. Over time, water will quietly wear down even the hardest of rock. Be like water. Empty your mind at least once a day with the Mind Sweep exercise and get your commitments, to-do’s, appointments and responsibilities into your Outlook Tasks. Turn them into Actions and execute, freeing your mind to flow peacefully in a state of ease and tranquility.

Overcoming Email Addiction

2008-10-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

Getting Punched By a Girl

2008-10-03T07:35:00.000-07:00

by Russell Tibbits

Experiencing a euphoric sense of accomplishment after a physical feat like a marathon or triathlon is not unusual for me. Regardless of my time or rank, completing a grueling task is worthy of a few moments of self praise. On September 1st, however, the feeling of confidence and superiority lingered longer than most. Not only had I just completed The Austin Tri, my second triathlon, but I pulverized the time from my previous outing.

Indeed, as I drove home, my car floated under the sun that felt warm and bright. My dingy, aged floral- print couch enveloped me and comforted me more so than normal. I savored every bite of my lunch, which only that day tasted fresher than normal. I must have exuded a confidence when ordering it that shouted, “I have just moved mountains (essentially). Make my burrito with care today.”

Waking from my extended nap that afternoon and still feeling anything but modest, I logged on to the Austin Tri website to view my overall time and calculate the improvements in each event. I searched for my age group and, as I suspected, I surpassed last month’s times, in each event, by a sizable margin. Shaving time from each event while competing in a longer distance triathlon clearly left me with a high sense of self worth. And if my search of the Austin Tri website had stopped there, my sense of self would have continued to pat its own back for the great work I had done over the past three hours.

But my search didn’t end there. And while scrolling back to the top of the page, I realized that I had been beaten (more like trounced) severely…by 16 minutes…by a 14 year old girl. Being beaten by 16 minutes, in no way, signifies that, had I not tripped or dove in front of a car to stop the poor girl from getting hit, we would have been neck and neck at the finish line. To give you an idea of the extent of her domination, while I was finishing the bike portion of the race and sucking in gasps of air to wrap up the first mile of my run, she was most likely getting a free massage or eating complimentary pizza and ice cream. Who knows, she might have even watched me cross the finish line.

Regardless of how it actually happened, it is sometimes tough to swallow the idea that there will ALWAYS be someone who can do what you do better, smarter or faster than you; and yes, that includes 14 year old girls. It’s probably the better mentality to stay humble, appreciate the opportunities you get and appreciate the gifts you have.

Prioritizing With the EDGE

2008-09-26T07:25:00.000-07:00

by Kristi Willis

This morning I booted up my computer in the San Jose airport with the intent of shooting off some e-mails before I got on the plane. I logged in and an error message popped up on my screen. My Windows profile was corrupted and it couldn’t log me in using my profile settings.

Oh boy.

I quickly checked to make sure all of my files were still on the hard drive. Phew – I didn’t lose any data. But when I opened Outlook it took me to the install screen. Oh boy.

I called IT to let them know that we would have to doctor my PC when I got home before my trip to Detroit next week. Then, I opened Outlook Web Access (OWA) to send a few e-mails while I was still in the airport. But what was I going to do on the plane?

I had planned to respond to e-mails that came in yesterday while I was in class and do some work that I no longer had access to. Was I dead in the water or could I still make productive use of my three hour flight? Temptation was whispering in my ear that I could just watch a movie. While I’d love that, I don’t want to have to work extra hours next week to play catch up.

I took a deep breath and regrouped. I reminded myself of the TEST model for prioritizing that we teach in class. What will I have the Time and Energy to do and be in the right Situation to handle the Top level thing?

I looked at my Task list in OWA (which is ugly since it won’t categorize) and found the things that were due today. I realized that several of these weren’t dependent on Outlook but could be done with Word or Excel. I could still work on those. And a few items are paper-based and are in my Pendaflex. I could do those too.

As I looked through the list, I realized I had a number of things I could still work on during my flight. They might not be the most “urgent” things, but I could at least get them out of the way so that on Tuesday I could focus on the “urgent” items.

This experience reminded me that we become so dependent on our e-mail tool that when it’s not working we feel dead in the water. I still had access to my Task list through OWA or on my PDA which I referred to during the flight to keep myself focused. I don’t need Outlook to get things done, and in some ways not having it today made me more productive.

Now, back to those Actions in my Pendaflex…

Drills For Life

2008-09-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

by Kim Brewster

Fire drills are required for most office buildings and our building recently participated in one. We had plenty of notice by the building management so a number of folks had alternative plans on their calendars which took them out of the office. It’s still pretty warm in Austin and being without air conditioning for a few minutes is rather unbearable to some, even with the enticement of free ice cream from our local ice cream maven.

As the alarms sounded, hundreds of tenants began to make their way through the stairwells to the first floor and out of the building and I marveled at how organized and quiet it seemed. Since we are hardwired for the release of adrenaline in a threatening situation, I wondered if that same sense of calm would have prevailed had it been an actual emergency. Or would I have been in a hurry to get down the stairs and out the building? Even in this organized evacuation, I found myself lacking some patience for those who descended the stairs at a snail’s pace, or those who wore shoes more appropriate for the fashion runway. After all, we had been given notice that elevators would not be an option for exiting the building.

All in all, the drill was a success. After the drill, the lines for the elevators were a little too long for the return to work, so I headed up the stairs. 16 flights later, I was back at my office and thankful for the lessons learned.

There are things in life that do we do not get drills for or cannot adequately prepare for ahead of time. However, our EDGE training helps us keep a handle on small, large and all items and events in between.

You may not always be rewarded with ice cream, but your participation in life’s drills will often be the ultimate reward.

Honoring Ourselves and Giving Our Best

2008-09-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

by Christina Randle

Bonking is a term mostly used in endurance sports. It is the point when you hit a wall. There’s nothing left physically, emotionally or mentally. I became familiar with this term several years ago when I took up the sport of cycling. I’d go on a ride and get so excited and focused on keeping up with the more experienced riders that I wouldn’t stop to hydrate, rest or eat. Next thing I knew, I had bonked.

It’s hard to recover and manage through the pain or tired or feeling that you just can’t go on. The body, mind and emotions seem to conspire against every desire there is to finish, to succeed. In unison, all aspects of one’s being scream STOP!

Over time I got better at managing this bonking in cycling with training, stops for water, and snacks.

This past week it happened to me. But I wasn’t on my bike; I was working. I’m a big-picture, desired outcome, delegate the details and inspire others to complete them with great success gal/ manager/ leader/professional. So the pressure to complete four significant and mission critical projects by the end of the month, with all the endless details, left me dry and spent. I don’t do this much research and detail work naturally. These detailed projects weren’t my forte. All of this on top of the rest of my life, which is very full in itself.

It felt like a heavy weight was keeping me from breathing, keeping me from moving. All the details were screaming at me to handle them – and now. But there wasn’t the energy to do them.

When you bonk, it’s fruitless to keep going no matter how determined. It doesn’t produce any results. I needed some different perspective. So, I left my work and went for a bike ride.
During my ride, I heard myself replaying what we say to clients- we are holistic people, all the time; even at work. We are physical, mental, emotional and spiritual beings. But I’d pushed myself too far mentally and emotionally to drive these projects. I’d stopped taking care of the physical and spiritual. I’d stopped exercising and taking time out to find the beauty, listen inside, be quiet even if just for a few minutes.

It was a good reminder. With a fresh perspective, I returned home, stretched and sat quiet for a few minutes. When I returned to work, I felt balanced, focused and energized. I felt as if I’d re-learned one of life’s beautiful lessons. It’s only when we honor all of ourselves that we give our best.

Stated another way, thank goodness for bonking!

Take a Timeout

2008-09-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

By Angela Ware

As an avid sports fan, there are times when my favorite teams are struggling in a game, and I find myself yelling at the coach, (sometimes via the TV) “Take a timeout!” When they don’t hear me, I yell even louder. Then I start soliciting agreement from those around me by asking the proverbial questions, “Did you see that? Why don’t they take a timeout and regroup?”

As a fan and “pseudo” former athlete, I know the importance of taking a timeout in an effort to regain perspective and set a strategy to gain momentum. I’ve seen coaches call a timeout which results in the players returning to the game with a new found energy and determination. On the flip side, I have also seen the opportunity for a timeout slip away along with the chance for victory, resulting in disappointed players, coaches and fans.

Regardless of the sport, every team takes timeouts. They have incremental breaks and half times. I have seen athletes who are at the top of their game request to be pulled out of the game in an attempt to catch their breath or seek advice.

In today’s fast-paced business world, we would do good to follow the lead of some of our favorite athletes and teams. When your day is running “full press”, give yourself permission to take a time out, catch your breath, regain focus, and set a plan for gaining momentum.

If you spend your entire day on the field, in the trenches of your work, you are missing an opportunity to step back and see the entire field of play. You are also draining yourself of the energy needed to have a clear mind and full life after the game.

So, go ahead. Call a time out! Then get back in the game with greater focus and an effective strategy for gaining the edge.

Desired Outcomes for Long-Term Goals

2008-09-10T15:05:00.000-07:00

by Russell Tibbits

In training for my first triathlon I learned about workouts called bricks. Bricks are two activities back-to-back. So a brick would not just be a run, but a run and a bike workout, or a swim then a bike workout. They are more intense than a single activity and are meant to train your body and your mind to switch from one activity to another without rest or recovery time. For one of the last workouts before my triathlon, I planned a swim at a free neighborhood pool followed by a three mile run.

I waited for the heat of the day to pass and showed up at Big Stacey Pool at 7:45PM…without my goggles. Angry with myself, I rushed home and returned 10 minutes later mentally prepared for a grueling workout. After stretching for five minutes I entered the pool to be greeted by the lifeguard’s whistle announcing the 8PM close. A 25 meter swim wasn’t quite the intense workout for which I had prepared. Like a child, I stomped back to my car, steam pouring from my ears, disappointed that I had wasted time forgetting my goggles and not getting to the pool early enough.

Calming myself, I focused on my desired outcome for the day’s events; a successful swim before my run around Town Lake. Because I knew my desired outcome, I determined quickly what my next action should be. With a credit card but no cash on hand, I decided to drive to another pool, knowing it was open for at least another hour and hoping that they took credit. I arrived to find out that they did take credit, but only for season passes. But fortune was on my side. The pool was out of season passes and let me swim that day for free. Taking the next action, I was able to complete a solid swim workout. And because this pool was closer to Town Lake, I immediately threw my running shoes on for the second half of my workout.

Looking back on that evening, it would have been so easy for me to give up when I hit the first, or second, roadblock. But I was able to refer back to my desired outcome for this small event and stay focused on how it would help me with my much larger event, my first triathlon. Having this desired outcome kept me on track not only for this brick workout in my immediate future, but my long term goal.

Emptying Your Cup

2008-09-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

by Kirk Miller

There is an old story about a university professor went to visit a famous Zen master to learn. The master began quietly serving tea, while the professor asked about Zen. As the professor spoke, the master poured the tea cup to the brim. When it reached the top, he kept pouring. The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself and shouted, “It’s full, it’s full! No more will go in!” The Zen master replied, “You are like this cup. How can I teach you anything unless you first empty your cup?”

Many of us are like the professor, with our cups and our minds completely full. Then we keep on filling, or should I say, life keeps on filling for us. Since joining the Effective Edge team, I have been immersed into a full cup of new information, new things to learn and new responsibilities. Between my roles as a trainer as well as member of the business development team, there have been many things to learn, materials to study, books to read, tools to implement, classes to teach and plans to develop. Being a trainer is a full-time job. So is being in business development. I must admit that I have begun to feel a sense of an “overfull cup” myself. And life keeps on pouring.

In our Getting the EDGE course, we teach and implement some basic fundamentals that enable us to appropriately manage whatever amount of information that comes our way. EMPTYING is the first key step we teach in our Getting the EDGE course. Until we empty, whether our mind or our inbox, there is nowhere to put new information. Beginning the day intentionally and emptying our heads and our inbox allows us to manage all that comes our way in a peaceful and relaxed manner. It’s nothing complicated; very simple to practice, but deceptively easy to overlook. Beginning the day intentionally and emptying your head and collections points is the first step on the road to peace in your workday. As I return to these fundamentals on a daily basis I find myself returning to that peaceful place and that “Zen state” in my work. So can you.

Balancing Obligations with Social Temptations

2008-08-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

by Alison Chapman

Football season has arrived again. I am anticipating many weekends of fun-filled social activities. They start on Friday night, and they do not end until Sunday evening; sometimes even later than that. Friends come into town, dinners, tailgating, and numerous parties to go to. These are always fun when the season starts, but they get tiring after a month or two. It is difficult when Monday comes around and you haven’t gotten enough sleep. You drag and barely make it through the day.

In addition to working and social activities, I am now in graduate school, working on my MBA. I work, go to school and study during the week. On the weekends, if I need to, I study. But I try to relax and enjoy myself as much as I can. The problem is I have friends coming in town, weddings, wedding showers, happy hours and parties that I want to go to as well. I enjoy going to all these events, and I hate missing even one. After starting graduate school, I had realized that I have to make sacrifices and say “no” when I need to. I need my energy for work and school right now, and those are my priorities. It is difficult enough for people that work to have enough energy to get through the week, much less someone that is going to school in addition.

As much as I have hated it, I have learned to decline social events that I am invited to. I realize that there are sacrifices that I have to make in order to accomplish my goals. I have also realized that, although I am missing out on some small things now, there is a much greater goal down the road. This is something we all have to realize when we are trying to accomplish our goals, whether that goal is going to school, raising kids, buying a house or advancing in your career. It is a difficult thing for people to realize. But if you want something bad enough, you will learn to balance.

Get Out of Your Own Way

2008-08-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

by Diane Holz

In our office we have a couple of bookshelves with self-help books, and other books to inspire us. Every time I walk by the bookcase one book in particular always sticks out. It is entitled “Get Out of Your Own Way.”

I always want to stop and read that book. If I can read that book I can switch off the counterproductive parts of my brain and use the parts of my brain that are waiting to align my best energy and brainpower to my goals, hopes, wishes, dreams, and aspirations. If I can just read that book…everything will be better. But that means I would have to let go of something.

We talk about being so busy all the time. But a lot of times, we are distracted by things that are not very important; falling into ruts and routines instead of seizing every chance to give our best to each other and to our work and our family. I chug along on autopilot, a lot of times sidestepping anything new or challenging.

Do you beat yourself up because you don’t have the time to do things for yourself? One of the things taught in our trainings is to schedule time for you. Stop now and take the time to put you on the calendar….go for a walk, watch a movie, listen to music, go to dinner with a friend…or read a book! So easy, so simple.

Handle Email or Watch A Movie

2008-08-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

by Robertt Young

Last Saturday I travelled home from New York and observed several people around me on the airplane. They had their laptops open and were working during the two hour flight. The one thing that they all had in common- they were all checking, reading and doing who knows what with their email. I felt a little guilty as I watched a movie on my computer while these folks tried desperately to get out of email jail before they got home. It occurred to me that these people were just like so many in the business world today; taking every spare moment they have to catch up on their email. Watching this scene in the airplane reminded me of something we talk about in the Getting the EDGE workshop. “Small things done consistently in strategic places create major impact.” And depending on the small thing, this can either be positive or negative.

What I saw on the plane, people handling email, was an example of a small thing done consistently in a strategic place that created a major negative impact. This small thing was opening an email, looking at it and making the decision not to do anything with it at that time. They made the choice to come back to the email later and do something with it. On the airplane was the later time. Instead of sleeping or reading a good book or watching a movie and relaxing, they were then forced to be heavily engaged and focused, catching up on all the stuff they let accumulate during the week.

The small thing they could have done consistently in a strategic place that would have created a major positive impact would have been to open each email and make a decision to either Dump it, Do it, Delegate it or Defer it. They would then be facing an empty inbox on the plane. The only decisions they would be making is whether they were going to sleep, watch a movie, read a book or magazine or having a conversation with a seat mate who might just be a potential new friend, client or the next President of the United States.

Someday, Maybe

2008-08-15T07:44:00.000-07:00

by Kim Brewster

“Death, taxes and childbirth. There’s never any convenient time for any of them.”
--Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind, 1936

In our day and age, childbirth, however, can be scheduled for the convenience of the mom, should she and her physician make that choice. Taxes – well, let’s no even go there.

I recently attended a funeral; something all of us do from time to time. It was for the father of my brother-in-law, an elderly gentleman I had met several times. I never really got to know him that well, mainly because he lived several hundred miles away. By the end of his funeral though, I had a come to know him in a much deeper way and I attribute that to his foresight in leaving his story.

He approached his son-in-law several years ago and asked his assistance in writing his obituary and what he wanted said at his funeral. He was not in ill health or in a hurry; he just wanted to “get it out and have it right.” They met regularly to add or make changes to the story, a story which began in early childhood and was completed a few days before his death. He had even selected the songs he wanted sung and the bible references he wanted recited. He may have even selected the menu of fried chicken and mashed potatoes which was served at the church following the gravesite ceremony.

Maybe this is a subject you would rather not address now. Maybe it’s an idea for the distant future, or never. But if this idea connects with you, the perfect place to have those gentle reminders to keep a record of your life is your Someday/Maybe list. After all, who can tell your story better than you?

As Van Morrison sings in his song, Precious Time, “…precious time is slipping away.”

Multi-tasking. The Wave of the Future?

2008-08-13T07:02:00.000-07:00

by Kirk Miller

In our Getting the EDGE course, we speak extensively about the downside of multi-tasking; even the negative effect it can have on our health and well-being. As a father of two daughters, it is especially alarming to see that multi-tasking seems to be the wave of the future, as opposed to showing any signs whatsoever of slowing down.

I recently sat at a restaurant with my 14-year old daughter and her friend. I sat bewildered, watching my daughter’s friend, not only eat and have a conversation with us, but all the while texting back and forth with multiple friends at the same time. She was proud of the fact that, in school, she is able to text friends while in the classroom with her phone in her pocket. She is part of the “MySpace Generation.”

In an effort to better understand what is going on with my daughter and her friends, I picked up a book called “Me, MySpace and I: Parenting the Net Generation”, by Larry Rosen, PhD. In the book, he goes into the topic of multi-tasking in great detail. He describes one evening sitting in his daughter’s room, watching her not only doing homework with an iPod on, but also manage 8 IM windows open on her laptop, while also checking her MySpace page.

We reference an article in our Getting the EDGE course that describes the damaging effects of multi-tasking on IQ. In light of this, one can only shudder to think of the effects all of this multi-tasking will have over time on the MySpace Generation. Culturally, multi-tasking seems to be not only here to stay, but gaining momentum. Keeping the EDGE reminds us to prioritize our tasks into single actions that we can execute single-mindedly, giving our full attention and focus to that single task. We still get everything done, but in a peaceful and relaxed manner.

The Outcome is in Your Attitude

2008-08-05T14:53:00.000-07:00

by Angela Ware

I recently relearned the importance of keeping a positive attitude in the midst of an unpleasant circumstance.

In preparation for a recent business trip I logged on to a popular travel site to find the most cost effective car rental company to meet my needs and save on expenses. After viewing all of my options, I made my decision and booked my car. Great! I’ve saved the client some money and secured dependable transportation for myself. Or did I?

Yes, I did book a car with, let’s call them Rental Car, and the price was the second lowest price of all of the companies listed. But that is where the fairytale ends.

I arrived at Oakland International Airport and proceeded to the Rental Car Shuttle service. While riding the shuttle I noticed that the rental car company I had chosen was not listed on any of the shuttle signage. I asked the driver if this was the correct shuttle for Rental Car. He said, “Yes.” He went on to tell me that I would need to call Rental Car once we arrived at the shuttle station. I smiled and said, “Thank you for your help.”

Upon arrival, I called Rental Car and, sure enough, within five minutes they had a company van out front to pick me up. Apparently Rental Car did not park their vehicles on the same lot as the other companies.

After driving four blocks we turned into a motel parking lot. That was a clue!

In front of the motel was a small sign reading Rental Car. I couldn’t help but to ask the driver, “Is this the correct location?” To which he replied, “Yes, mama”. I smiled and said thank you and proceeded to the rental “counter” where I met an agent who was clearly bored with her job. We completed the required paperwork and I smiled and thanked her for her help. Before walking to my car I asked if I could get a local map, only to learn that they do not have maps. I smiled and said, “Thank you.”

A gentleman, also clearly bored with his job, pulled my car around. The car had not been washed. The interior had stains and smelled of smoke. I asked for another car, only to learn that this was the only car available.

Upon returning to the rental “counter,” which was a pop-up table, to cancel my reservation, the woman explained that it was too late to cancel my reservations without penalty and that it was not there policy to take noncustomers to the shuttle station. I smiled, said thank you and went to give the rental another look in the hopes that it had transformed while I was inside.

After two or three minutes the agent came outside. She thanked me for being so polite to everyone during an unpleasant circumstance. She agreed to cancel my reservation without penalty and the driver volunteered to take me back to the shuttle station.

Needless to say an agent for a company that is known to try harder got me into a clean, fresh smelling car with a local map. For this, I smiled and said, “Thank you.”

Get that Monkey Off of My Back

2008-07-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

by Kristi Willis

I am participating in my first full sprint triathlon in three years on Sunday and I have pre-race jitters. I felt them for the first time this morning when I was doing my last big workout before the race. As I was riding my bike around the neighborhood, the thought “you haven’t prepared enough” ran through my mind. Ugh!

When I did the Danskin triathlon in 2005, the race spokeswoman told us that this would happen while we were training and even during the race. She said monkeys would jump on our backs and try to weigh us down from being successful. And she was right. Smack dab in the middle of my quiet street, I had a monkey on the back of my bicycle.

I was able to silence it long enough to have a good workout, but then I heard it again while I was getting ready for work. And then it popped up again while I was driving into the office. Clearly, trying to ignore the monkey wasn’t going to make it go away.

I decided that the best way to silence the monkey was to look back over all the things I have done in the last six weeks to get ready. On my flight to Arizona today, I opened up Outlook and went through my calendar starting with the Danskin relay that I did in June.

Despite a busy travel schedule, vacation and taking care of my niece and nephew for several days, I have managed to exercise at least 5 days each week for at least an hour or more. I even swam a mile and a half the day I moved. I’ve trained on my hybrid and my road bike, practiced using my new bike clip pedals and have all my equipment lined up.

Sure, I could have worked out more. I could be in better shape, have eaten better, slept more, but I have done enough. I am ready. And after looking through the list of what I’ve been up to for the last six weeks, I feel pretty good about it. I’m not trying to win; I just want to finish injury free. And I will – without the monkey on my back!

Do you have a monkey on your back? What are you going to do to get rid of it?

Hit A Target

2008-07-23T13:50:00.001-07:00

By Diane Holz

Most companies have one year, three year, five year and ten year strategic plans. I used to call them the pie in the sky. In our personal lives, do we even have a strategic plan? I used to not bother with the pie in the sky in my personal life. Then, I learned about affirmations. It is a simple thing to do. Write a sentence that states positively or affirms your goals in life. One sentence that I started with was “I have a thousand dollars in my savings account.” When I reached that goal, I changed it to “I have two thousand dollars in my savings account,” and so on. That doesn’t mean that I never spent any of it. I did, over and over again! But somehow repeating that affirmation made it easier for me to put money in savings and harder for me to take it out.

Many of our goals are to stop doing a certain activity; stop spending money, stop gaining weight, stop procrastinating. But as we teach in the class, when you tell your brain a negative statement, it only hears the positive part. So if you keep telling yourself, “I will not spend beyond my limits” your brain recognizes that as a command to spend beyond your limits, and happily complies.

Start thinking about your own goals and write them down as affirmations. Remember, they should stretch you; they should feel uncomfortable. Be sure to include anything you can imagine-education, hope, love, achievement, invention, caring for others, security, you name it.

I still have one affirmation that I keep working on. “I am 125 pounds and my firm, tight body enjoys thirty minutes of exercise every day.” Miracles have happened, right?