Using Time Wisely

“Better three hours too soon, than one minute too late.” ~~William Shakespeare~~

Using my time wisely sometimes involves making tough choices. The things I want to do are not always the things I need to do in order to keep appropriate forward momentum. The things I need to do are not always the things other people want me to do. Regardless of who wants me to, or whether or not I want to, I know what I need to do to get the job done!

The best way I have found so far in making sure I get the most out of the hours in the day is simple planning. I, personally, have returned to the handwritten planner. Outlook, or some other calendar, day timer or notebook would work just fine. Here’s what I do.

1. I set up categories – sections for each activity in which I am actively involved. I have 3 different sections for work, as I wear many hats. I also have a section for the non-profit I am a board member for, a section for my SendOut Cards business, a section for a networking organization I help run, and a section for personal items.
2. I set up a system where I can identify things that need to happen within each category, and assign them a priority. High, not as high (because nothing is ever a low priority, right?), and things to keep in mind.
3. I have a section for phone calls I need to make/return and a section for non-specific follow up, as well as room to take notes.
4. At the top of the page I determine what my major goal is for the week, and then I make sure that the things I put in the high priority section will help me actually achieve that goal. When those are done, I can move on.

Since I know what my goals are, and I know the tasks and action steps required to get to closer to my goals, it’s easier to make the tough choices. It’s clear where I need to spend my time and put forth the most effort. And, the best part about it is that when I see I have achieved a goal, and am able to cross something off the priority list as an accomplishment, I have a small success to celebrate, which helps keep me motivated!

What tools do you use to be sure you use your time wisely?

Today Is Your Day

“Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way.” ~~Dr. Seuss~~

The best time to start is today. In fact, the best time to start is right now. It doesn’t matter why you stopped. It doesn’t matter how long of a break you took. Even the number of times you’ve stopped and restarted is irrelevant. If you want to get going again, get going now.

Life is full. You can label that fullness however you’d like. Inconveniences, setbacks, and disappointments; or surprises, opportunities, chances, and blessings… However you label them, the circumstances don’t change. You just need to change the way you think about them, and how you react to them. Whatever they are, whatever you call them, they’re there. And sometimes they’re valid, real reasons to take breaks.

Maybe you took some time off to de-stress a little. Maybe you took a much needed vacation. Maybe you had a family situation that required your full attention. Maybe you simply lost the drive and motivation to keep going. Maybe you just needed to take a break…again. And, maybe, just maybe, now you’re just finding it hard to get back in that saddle. There are still just a “few more things” that need your attention and you’ll start tomorrow… Sound familiar? It’s a little close to home for me! And I choose, right here, right now to get back on that horse.

Life is full of forgiveness. Forgive yourself for the break. But don’t forget that life is for living, and only you can make it happen.

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go.” ~~Dr. Seuss

There’s Nothing Routine About a Job Search Routine

“The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.” ~Mike Murdock

There’s nothing routine about routine. Having a plan, and sticking to it, may be the secret to success. I’m not suggesting that you hide from innovation and creativity. I am all about trying new things and reaping fruits of inspiration. Yet, I have also learned that having a routine can significantly increase your chances for triumph. Now, I get that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing you have always done the way you have always done it, and expecting different results. So again, I am not suggesting that you stick to a routine that is not creating benefit. I am suggesting, however, that sticking to a routine can help you realize benefit.

I just got back from a wonderful vacation, and there was not one of the 23 of us who stuck to a routine. Vacation is the perfect time to deviate from routine, right? Well, it depends on what your goals are… There are so many tools available to us these days which we can use to keep up with our routines that I wonder if deviation is really the answer, or if it just causes more stress. For me, not sticking to my work routine, especially when I can automate things like sending tweets and posting Facebook updates, had me going through social media withdrawal and actually feeling guilty for not engaging online. Not staying on top of emails and at least spending a few minutes each morning and afternoon reading and responding to messages had me in a panic by last night. Not sleeping normally and eating normally and…well my body certainly has had more physical stress, but I totally understand the phrase, “I need a vacation to recover from my vacation”. Vacation may be an extreme example… how about in everyday living?

How about in job search? What if you created a weekly routine which ensured that you spent the right amount of time on each part of a full career campaign? It is my belief that if you followed said routine, at least most of the time, you would feel more productive and in fact actually accomplish more.

So let’s break it down. I believe that a full career campaign consists of research, communication and networking. Research includes things like identifying resources, networking opportunities, target companies, and people inside those target companies, as well as finding job postings to which you can apply. Communication includes phone, email and snail mail, and includes reaching out, responding, saying thank you, and following up. Networking includes professional industry and function specific events and conferences, job search specific networking, online networking and one-on-one meetings and conversations. Yes, that’s a lot. Yes, that’s a huge time commitment. People aren’t joking around when they say that looking for a job is a full time job. So, wouldn’t having (and following) a routine make fitting all this in a whole lot easier?

What if you committed to 10 hours a week of research, 10 hours a week of communication in various forms, and 20 hours a week networking? Do you think it’s worth giving that a try? How will you set up your weekly routine? Let me know what your plan is, and how you feel at the end of a few weeks. I look forward to your reports back. And as always, let me know how I can help.

Goals: On Being Overcommitted

“If you’re going to overcommit, you best at least be committed to it.” ~~Jennifer Scott~~

If you know me well, you, I’m sure, will agree that I have a tendency to take on a lot all at once. I believe that I can do anything, and was recently reminded that while that’s very true, I can’t do *everything*. Yet, in the honor of Stress Awareness Month, I am committing to being overcommitted.

I am committed to taking on however much I take on and just getting it done.
I am committed to not being “stressed out” about the amount I take on.
I am committed to doing as much as I can, in the best way I can, and knowing that it is exactly as it’s supposed to be.
I am committed to achieving my goals, accomplishing my to-do’s, and being the greatest “me” I can be, in all my overcommitted glory.

I hope that I can inspire you to be as much as you can and want to be for yourself and everyone around you. And, just remember to breathe!

Goals: Doing the Math

“When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target.” ~~George Fisher~~

The first quarter of this year is coming to a close today. I spent some time last night reviewing my goals for the year. I’m on track for most of them, but certainly not all. In fact, in an odd turn of events, most of the goals I set up for the first quarter itself have not been achieved, but I’m much further along on my mid-year goals than I thought I would be… And, some of the things I thought would happen by year-end are not even on my radar any longer. It’s time to adjust! My weekly to-do’s have been coming along nicely, and I’m certainly getting things done, so I really have to examine if my to-do’s are in fact in line with my goals. It’s an interesting exercise. If I do A, B and C, will they really help get me closer to where I want to be in a year? Or, should I try A, D, and F instead? Do things actually need to add up to what I had originally expected? Or, are my daily activities leading me down a different path? And, is that a path I could pursue?

I’m giving myself a performance evaluation. It’s been eye-opening so far, and also somewhat cathartic. I highly recommend you give it a try. There’s no better time than today.

“The human story does not always unfold like a mathematical calculation on the principle that two and two make four. Sometimes in life they make five or minus three; and sometimes the blackboard topples down in the middle of the sum and leaves the class in disorder and the pedagogue with a black eye.” ~~Winston Churchill~~

Preparation: Making Room

The Lorax: "They say I'm old-fashioned, and live in the past, but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast!"

Do you have multiple, uncompleted projects? Do you have a list of “to-do’s” that are
half-way-there; a bunch of stuff you’ve started, but not actually finished? I do right now, and I don’t like it. I feel a bit “all over the map” when I get too many of these going. I man multi-tasking is one thing, but really? I feel like I’m out of control!

I know for me, that when I recognize something in my work life, I can also typically find it showing up in my personal life. This was true here as well. So, in preparation for completing much of the “almost done” in my business, I decided yesterday to get stuff done at home. What a day! I did laundry, mailed a few cards to people (just because) that I had bought kind of a long time ago and always *meant* to send, finished some work for the Brookfield Education Foundation*, spent some time prepping the yard for Spring, and finished up some other household tasks that just never made it to the *high-priority* list. It felt great! All the while, mostly because I chose not to make this a “chore” so we were all in really great moods, we also had a ton of fun. We had our son outside doing yard work with us, and pretended that we were working with the Lorax** and speaking for the trees as we cut strangling vines down. It was a great day! And, although I spent my Sunday “working”, by the time I sat down and really was able to fully relax, I realized I *was* relaxed… due in part, I’m sure, to getting so much done!

I know that by getting things done on the personal side, I have made room for completion everywhere else, and I am so looking forward to reaping the results! What can you make room for?

*The mission of the Brookfield Education Foundation (BEF) is to marshal and provide resources for lifelong learning by Brookfield residents of all ages. For more information or to offer your support, please visit http://brookfieldeducationfoundation.org/.

** Per Wikipedia: The Lorax is a children's book, written by Dr. Seuss and first published in 1971. It chronicles the plight of the environment and the Lorax, who speaks for the trees against the greedy Once-ler. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lorax

Motivation

“Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great.” ~~Mark Twain~~

I guess it’s kind of obvious that different people are motivated in different ways, by different things. While deadlines may motivate one person, they may completely overwhelm someone else. While some find affirmations helpful, others believe they’re nonsense. People spend a lot of time figuring out what motivates them, or, at least I hope they do… One thing seems to be true, however, across the board. Momentum breeds motivation. For even the most negative, unmotivated person, staying motivated in the heat of the moment is easy. I find that once I get going, and those proverbial juices start flowing, there’s no stopping me! When you can multiply that energy it becomes even more powerful. When you bring likeminded people together to work towards a common goal, it’s virtually impossible NOT to be motivated. Brainstorming becomes fun. Planning becomes exciting. Things get done! Whether it’s in a networking group or a one-on-one meeting with someone inside your sphere of influence, find and tap into that energy. Surround yourself with great people and take action!

Motivation: On being held accountable

“Sometimes the only way you can take a really good look at yourself is through somebody else's eyes.” ~From the television show Scrubs

Can someone please tell me if Mercury is in retrograde? Seriously! I’ve spoken to 4 people in the last two days who are just so sad and feeling so alone. Stress takes its toll! It affects your health, your family, your life. Whether you’re in a job you can’t stand, or you don’t have one at all; the feelings you’re experiencing can be overwhelming. I remember those feelings all too well. And if there is one pearl of wisdom that I can share from that experience, it is this: You are not alone. There are people around you who can and will help you. We will listen, we will advise, we will motivate, and we will hold you accountable. (And, yes, that’s a GOOD thing!) If you could only see yourself through someone else’s eyes! You would see that you are capable; you do have the power inside you that you need to succeed. You can change your circumstances, and with some support and guidance, you will make things better for yourself. And, you don’t have to do it alone!

I went to my first new accountability group meeting yesterday. Three of us who are in similar places in our careers met to share our goals and “to-do” lists. We discussed some strategies which may help us get to where we want to be. We will talk (or meet) weekly and hold one another accountable. We will make sure that each of us does what they say they were going to do. We will offer suggestions, provide support and direction, and keep one another focused on the “right” stuff. I already feel more productive!

I’ve written in the past about the importance of this kind of support, and I think for a career campaign, it really makes sense! When you’re looking for a job, you are basically self-employed. You set your own rules and you set your own timeline. The only person you hurt when you don’t do what you said you were going to is you! When your self-imposed deadlines go whooshing by, the only person who suffers the consequences is you! So, you continue to spiral down. You continue to feel guilty. You may even begin to even feel sorry for yourself… and the only person who can make it better???? You guessed it. YOU!

What if instead you had people holding you to those deadlines? What if you had a group of people relying on you to get things accomplished? What if those people held you accountable? Wouldn’t you be more likely to take action and get things done? And imagine how much better you will feel when those people are actually helping you pull yourself up, offering words of encouragement, and giving you ideas that you may not have come up with on your own! It’s always easier to give someone else good advice, isn’t it? And, the very act of helping someone else might just help you help yourself!

Focus

“Success is focusing the full power of all you are on what you have a burning desire to achieve.” ~~Wilfred Peterson~~

The ability to stay focused may very well be the most important ingredient in the recipe for accomplishment. While I believe that all of the tools that I write about are critical to success, staying focused on the tasks at hand (short term) and keeping your eye on the prize (long term) are paramount. And, HARD! There is so much noise out there. And, there’s just so much going on! How many emails did you come in to this morning? How do you manage all of them? If you have separate work and personal email accounts, how tempted are you to check your personal email the second you sit down? And, I know that it’s a challenge for *me* not to get “sucked in” to Twitter or Facebook when I sit down at my computer. Even LinkedIn is in the process of beta testing a tool which will help people weed through the garbage to glean useful and relevant information from their networks. (http://blog.linkedin.com/2010/09/29/linkedin-signal/) But it’s not just the online noise that can sidetrack you. What about your own thoughts? What about the things you said you had to do, and haven’t done yet? What about all of the outside stressors in your life; your household chores, your family commitments, your good news, your bad news, your friends’ news… There is always something, and because of that, it’s imperative that you learn how to stay focused! I am practicing some new tools this year, and hoping to perfect some old ones. Meditation and affirmations are key for me. My mantra right now,” I am focused and efficient. I accomplish my goals.”

What do you do to stay on task?

Preparation

“A winning effort begins with preparation.” ~~Joe Gibbs ~~

A little preparation goes a long way! I had an odd expectation last night. I expected to be stressed. I expected not to sleep well. I expected that I would lay in bed and not be able to stop thinking about how much work I had to do today, about how far behind I was, about what I *should* have done over the weekend… I am happy to say that I was WRONG! And I believe this is why:

I planned out my week on Friday. I made a list of everything (and I mean everything) I have to do this week. Personal, work, holiday-related, you name it, I wrote it down. On paper, it just didn’t seem so bad!

I got a lot of my “honey-do” list completed on Saturday. My husband jumped in, and we just got so much accomplished. So, cross off some of that personal stuff, and some of that holiday-related stuff… Nice! And then I RELAXED yesterday. I mentally prepared for this week. A little rest, a little E.F.T. (Thanks Stephanie Dalfonzo!), a little meditation, a lot of visualization…

I slept quite well, and I woke up this morning ready to attack my day! I will accomplish all I set out to do. I am not stressed out. I can get it all done, and it’s not nearly as overwhelming as I expected that it would be. The tools work! A little preparation, both mental and physical, really does go a long way!

Goals

“The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.” ~~Elbert Hubbard~~

Prioritizing your short term goals can be a challenge this time of year. I, personally, am finding it difficult to get everything that I want to do, done. I say things like, “There just aren’t enough hours in the day!” when what I really mean is that I’d rather spend time decompressing in the evening than I would doing a little extra work. Yes, this may be both true and necessary all of the time, but I find it especially true and frankly, critical, this time of year. I have daycare commitments (PTO, class mom), holiday commitments (we celebrate both Chanukah and Christmas in this house), philanthropic commitments, networking commitments… and then there are competing work demands themselves. The holidays seem to be the time when everything happens all at once and people come out of the woodwork. You know they’re all important, and you know they will all help you achieve at least one of your goals in some way, and this time of year you get an overwhelming desire to be helpful to others…but how do you decide what to say “yes” to when you can’t do it all?

Here’s what I’ve come up with. If you know where you’re going it’s much easier to know how to get there. Write everything down; your goals, your commitments, some scheduled family time, events or parties, any deadlines (including getting the shopping or cooking or prep work done), and anything else that you feel you just “have to” do. Then, make a plan. Once it’s all on paper it’s easier to see what the “musts” are, and you can make them a “priority one.” Rank the rest and you will have a plan you can live with! See which tasks align best with your goals and make sure you do those first. And don’t forget about the procrastination tip: Do the one thing you want to do least early on and just get it out of the way. With a slight attitude adjustment, you may even enjoy doing it! Stay calm, add in some time to relax, and make sure you take care of yourself. You will be no good to anyone if you aren’t healthy, alert and calm.

This time of year can get you down… take some action now to prevent the stress, and enjoy!

Attitude

“[People] who never get carried away should be.” ~~Malcolm Forbes~~

I had the distinct pleasure of networking this morning with an entrepreneur extraordinaire. I don’t call her that because she’s “made it”. I call her that because she will! I’ve been witness to a transformation unlike many I have seen before. With more drive and determination to thrive than I have ever seen in one person, I have no doubt she and her new business will be a huge success. She is enthusiastic, gung-ho and working her tail off. Being “carried away” to higher heights is her new mission, and her enthusiasm is contagious. That’s one thing I love about networking with positive people!

“Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching?” ~Dennis and Wendy Mannering

Motivation

“Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action.” ~~Walter Anderson~~

I’m going to semi- (and probably mis-) quote my dad again. It’s not the first time I’ve heard him say it, or, maybe it really was… Anxiety (fear) is the same emotion as excitement. The day I wrote about changing my internal dialogue (http://hireeffect.blogspot.com/2010/07/preparation.html) we had this conversation. And, it’s been on my mind ever since. I think I’m really getting it.

I love feeling excited about things; whether it’s a meeting with someone I haven’t seen in a while, or it’s a celebratory event, that kind of excitement is a lot of fun. Well, why can’t the anxiety I feel about the amount of work that lies ahead, or the challenges I’m facing be called “excitement”? Why not choose to feel “excited” about all the things I have on my plate? Why not choose to have my work be a source of fun? Anxiety really does go away when you “just do it”. And it’s so much easier to do things that you’re excited about than it is to do things you’re anxious about. What will you have fun with today?

Goals

"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein." ~Life's Little Instruction Book, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you set your mind to it!