“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.
Showing posts with label time management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label time management. Show all posts
Monday, July 25, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Goals Don’t Operate in Isolation
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” ~~Larry Elder~~
During a recent strategy session for a new business venture something wonderful occurred to me. Well, really several things were brought to my attention that made this “occurrence” sort of hit me in the head! Goals don’t operate in isolation!
Let’s assume for example’s sake that you have a desired outcome about something. You care enough about how this something is going to play out, so you write down your desired outcome. It becomes a goal. Achieving the goal should bring reward. Not achieving the goal will likely bring consequences. There likely exist some obstacles to achieving that goal, or you would have done it already. You need to identify at least those obstacles that you can see or predict. Then you need to determine several possible solutions to overcoming those obstacles. Once you actually identify both the obstacles and possible solutions, the obstacles themselves won’t seem so “obstacle-like.” Then you can take it even further. You can develop actual steps, tasks, to-do’s, whatever you want to call them that will help you reach the solutions, which will ultimately help you achieve your goals, get your desired outcomes and reap the rewards!
Goals are not the end. They are a means to an end. And, while that may seem obvious to you, breaking it down like this has really helped me to feel good about the choices I make about on what to focus and on which steps to take first in order to reach the end.
During a recent strategy session for a new business venture something wonderful occurred to me. Well, really several things were brought to my attention that made this “occurrence” sort of hit me in the head! Goals don’t operate in isolation!
Let’s assume for example’s sake that you have a desired outcome about something. You care enough about how this something is going to play out, so you write down your desired outcome. It becomes a goal. Achieving the goal should bring reward. Not achieving the goal will likely bring consequences. There likely exist some obstacles to achieving that goal, or you would have done it already. You need to identify at least those obstacles that you can see or predict. Then you need to determine several possible solutions to overcoming those obstacles. Once you actually identify both the obstacles and possible solutions, the obstacles themselves won’t seem so “obstacle-like.” Then you can take it even further. You can develop actual steps, tasks, to-do’s, whatever you want to call them that will help you reach the solutions, which will ultimately help you achieve your goals, get your desired outcomes and reap the rewards!
Goals are not the end. They are a means to an end. And, while that may seem obvious to you, breaking it down like this has really helped me to feel good about the choices I make about on what to focus and on which steps to take first in order to reach the end.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Where Priority Meets Focus
“I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the years'.” ~~Henry Moore~~
It’s not always easy to determine priorities. Sometimes you need to make tough decisions about what you’re NOT going to do. I was part of an interesting conversation recently about planning and focus that centered on people being prepared for the wrong thing or planning for something that never ended up happening. These were being presented as negative; as people wasting time or effort. I agreed to an extent at the time, but then I started to think about when it had happened to me. I’ve certainly had times that I prepared for something diligently that never came to pass. I’ve certainly experienced focusing a lot of energy and effort on what turned out to be less important than other things on which I could have focused. But each of those things helps make up who I am, what I know, and how I go into my next action. While I certainly could have been better served doing something else, I don’t believe that time was wasted. I believe there is a reason for everything even when we don’t know or see what that reason is.
On the other hand, when you make those tough decisions, when you examine your goals carefully and plan specific action steps to achieve those goals, and then focus intently on those action steps, you are certain to succeed. When you can focus on the positive and not allow self-doubt or negativity creep in; when you can focus on the priorities and not let yourself get sidetracked; when you can focus on what you’re doing right now and not on what you need to do later, you’ve got a winning combination.
On what will you choose to focus today?
It’s not always easy to determine priorities. Sometimes you need to make tough decisions about what you’re NOT going to do. I was part of an interesting conversation recently about planning and focus that centered on people being prepared for the wrong thing or planning for something that never ended up happening. These were being presented as negative; as people wasting time or effort. I agreed to an extent at the time, but then I started to think about when it had happened to me. I’ve certainly had times that I prepared for something diligently that never came to pass. I’ve certainly experienced focusing a lot of energy and effort on what turned out to be less important than other things on which I could have focused. But each of those things helps make up who I am, what I know, and how I go into my next action. While I certainly could have been better served doing something else, I don’t believe that time was wasted. I believe there is a reason for everything even when we don’t know or see what that reason is.
On the other hand, when you make those tough decisions, when you examine your goals carefully and plan specific action steps to achieve those goals, and then focus intently on those action steps, you are certain to succeed. When you can focus on the positive and not allow self-doubt or negativity creep in; when you can focus on the priorities and not let yourself get sidetracked; when you can focus on what you’re doing right now and not on what you need to do later, you’ve got a winning combination.
On what will you choose to focus today?
Thursday, December 2, 2010
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!
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!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Focus
“Like sheep that get lost nibbling away at the grass because they never look up, we often focus so much on ourselves and our problems that we get lost. “ ~~Allen Klein
Focus can be a double-edged sword. I write every week about the importance of focus. Focusing on your goals, on your direction, on the task at hand, on choosing a positive attitude… but what happens when you focus so much on the wrong thing that you become paralyzed? I was speaking with a colleague yesterday about time management, and she offered this tip, “If you have multiple tasks to do in one day, do the one that you want to do least, first. If you procrastinate about that one all day, you actually won’t accomplish anything, because you’re too focused on not wanting to do anything.” Brilliant! She didn’t actually take credit for the thought, but said it was the best tip she ever heard regarding time management, and I thought it was completely appropriate to share here today. Focus is key, as long as you are focusing on the right things, and not burying your head so far in the sand that you can only focus on the sand… It’s ok to check out now and again, regroup, and then refocus.
Focus can be a double-edged sword. I write every week about the importance of focus. Focusing on your goals, on your direction, on the task at hand, on choosing a positive attitude… but what happens when you focus so much on the wrong thing that you become paralyzed? I was speaking with a colleague yesterday about time management, and she offered this tip, “If you have multiple tasks to do in one day, do the one that you want to do least, first. If you procrastinate about that one all day, you actually won’t accomplish anything, because you’re too focused on not wanting to do anything.” Brilliant! She didn’t actually take credit for the thought, but said it was the best tip she ever heard regarding time management, and I thought it was completely appropriate to share here today. Focus is key, as long as you are focusing on the right things, and not burying your head so far in the sand that you can only focus on the sand… It’s ok to check out now and again, regroup, and then refocus.
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