Get Fit for Summer

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

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:

1. When you use Action Requested at the beginning of the Subject line your reader immediately knows that this is a high priority email.
2. 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?

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?

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?

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

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!

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.