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.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
You're Living the EDGE. The corporate culture around you isn't.
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:
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.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Organized Shopping in the Sky
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.
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.
Friday, July 17, 2009
How Long Is Two Minutes?
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Getting Rid Of a Bad Decision
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.
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.
Friday, July 10, 2009
A Texas Sized Swimming Pool of Email
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!
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!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The Evolution of Wellness
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!
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!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Mind Like an Elephant
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Productivity Zappers! UGHHH!
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.
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.
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