Do you want things to be any different?

Ever worked with an executive coach?

19 years ago, I found someone to help me realize I was doing it ALL wrong.

Then, just 12 years ago, I took everything I’d learned, and started to serve leaders as a “voice of reason” and someone who “looks at things differently!”

I talked with one of my clients 1:1 today, and after the call I sent an email…

I took out some of the details, and left the rest for you!

Hi ______,

Remember, there are three kinds of work:

  1. Catching up - uh oh
  2. Keeping up - stamina
  3. Getting Ahead - oh, the glory!

That last one can push on you two ways:

  • Handle what is in my control
  • Recognize what is out of our control

Here’s a little of my thinking…

You want to organize your Email Inbox. And to-do list. And meeting schedule. And calendar.

You crave a sense of control; you want to believe that what you WANT to do and what you HAVE to do can get done.

A long to-do list isn’t the problem.

Nor is email. Or too many meetings. Or a calendar out of control.

The problem is this:

The way you used to work doesn’t work anymore.

Brute force, sheer will, working after hours or on the weekend won’t help.

You’re going to have to change the way you work; how you THINK about how you work must change.

100 0009 2

I was there too. I understand.

I got the call one evening - it was after 6pm, dark outside, and I was still at work - and Jodi asked, “Are you coming home for dinner?”

I hemmed and hawed; I made up an excuse about having SO MUCH to do and I suggested she go ahead and eat dinner without me.

It was Saturday night… and I wasn’t near done with all the work I’d had to do.

And so began my journey of becoming more productive.

  • A class? I took it.
  • A book? I read it.
  • A notebook? I bought it.

I interviewed HUNDREDS of people asking the same question:

How do you manage your SELF so you have time to do everything?

And, it took me a few years to discover the secret…there are just a FUNDAMENTALS to managing myself, my time and my productivity.

Not just one; but not 100 either. (Good news!)

The plan I provide is simple to follow, and easy to implement.

Your success depends on deciding to put yourself first and keep your word.

Let’s start with your morning… the first 60 minutes of each day. Here are the three things you’ll have to do:

1. Wake up when you say you will, and review your THREE kinds of work for the day.

If you set your alarm for 6am, get up at 6. Not 6:30. Not 6:15. No Snooze. If you’re going to snooze, then set the alarm for 6:08, ok? Next, sit down at your desk or at a table with a glass of lemon water or coffee (doesn’t matter to me) and review your list. Look at your calendar. Yes, even check your email. Look for these three kinds of work. (Don’t DO any of them, just review it all.)

a. Catching up: What is the work that’s overdue that you need to DO or DELEGATE?
b. Keeping up: What meetings are scheduled? What discussions do you need to continue? What planning needs to be reviewed?
c. Getting ahead: Look at your calendar 30-90 days out and ask, “What will we wish we’d started thinking about sooner?” Whatever the answer, add a next step to your to-do list. Delegate some research. Send an email. Make a phone call and leave a message. Do something(s) today that move you ahead.

2. Commit. Tell someone on your team - via text, email or face to face - what your 3 PRIORITIES are for the day.

If you’re going to WIN, you need to let them know what you’re thinking about that THIRD kind of work: Getting Ahead. Clearly identify what you’re going to work on that is IN YOUR CONTROL and discuss or bookmark what’s OUT of your control. Too often, people get “hung-up” and don’t plan far enough into the future because they wave their arm and say, “It’s all unknown.” As a leader AND manager, your job is to identify and handle the 10%-20% that is IN your control and control it.

3. Set up to win. Organize your nutrition, transition and completion plans for the next 10 or so hours.

The energy and focus you have RIGHT NOW is based on the past 2-5 hours of movement…rest…nutrition. The more you set up yourself for those three, the better you’ll be at getting the important work done.

But, that’s a topic for another session…

Could a single question change everything?

In 1995, I was a first-year Graduate Student, at the University of California. My job was to question everything.

At the end of one especially difficult day, I asked for a meeting with a mentor. For about an hour, I explained how hard it was, how challenging the program was, how I might be re-thinking my career choice…

He listened. And then, at the best time possible, he asked:

“Would you know a good day, if you saw it?”

That question… Rocked. My. World.

That the question I needed to hear, because, quite frankly I was so myopic in my views that in fact I DIDN’T have a vision of what a good day would be! And, in that moment I discovered my love of questions.

A well-placed question…it can change everything!

So, last week when I got FIVE questions from a buddy who’s writing a book, you can imagine how exciting that was for me. Below, the questions and (as of today) some of my ideas in response:

* How important is it to balance your daily schedule between “work” and “life.” If it is important, why? What percentage of time should you give each endeavor?

I’m one of those guys who goes “all-in.” If I’m working, you’re going to see an intensity and drive that walks along a line you’d call perfectionistic and overachieving. If you see me racing an Olympic-distance triathlon, you’ll see that everything I’ve got is right here, right now; I’ll give you 95%-97% of my heart rate for those 2 and a half hours. And, if you catch me sleeping, well of all the guys that I’ve interviewed, I constantly rate at the top of Deep Sleep / Light Sleep / Awake metrics through each night.

Now, my daily schedule needs to reflect the movement [not balance] between living…and making a living. It’s really challenging for me to give you a percentage, so here’s what I’d say:

Divide your day into natural sections, blocks of time that mean something to you.

Think about times of the day you need to think, plan, visualize and discuss the future. At other times of the day you need to “work.” You know, make the calls, write the emails, talk to people 1:1 or in small groups, read and review the documentation you’re studying. Then, there will be other times of the day you need to relax, recharge, refresh. Make sure you take care of your BODY and MIND needs, this way you can come back stronger and more focused than ever before.

* You’re a bike racer and triathlete. How much time to do you devote to those activities? And why do you think it makes a difference in your overall success?

I schedule my workouts 15-30 days in advance. Every Sunday, I review and renegotiate those workouts based on what city I am in, where I’m traveling and scheduled athletic events. Personally, I need something to train for; the people who can “just exercise because they’re supposed to” amaze me! I’ll always have 2-3 events (a ½ marathon, a triathlon, a Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim hike at the Grand Canyon…) on the calendar!

A workout is an hour. Unless it isn’t! That’s why I schedule them so far in advance. I know on a travel day, to get that 60-minute session in will be a challenge. And, on the weekend, the 2-hour run and 1-hour bike ride won’t happen if I “hope I have time.”

Now, how does all this help me overall?

Well, the first part is what I shared earlier: I need a goal, something to go toward that has an objective finish line. When I step on that treadmill for a 2-hour indoor training session, I’m not bothered by the fact that I’ll be in one place for 120 minutes; I’m training to make it to the finish line of an upcoming event! Too many times entrepreneurs start with goals that aren’t objective enough, and they aren’t 100% willing to do the long, boring, unglamorous, behind-the-scenes work.

In my business life, as a writer, author and coach, I’ve found that my hardest projects are the ones where I don’t have clear goals. I’ll work overtime, stay up late and get up early, to clarify not just the goal, but iterative milestones that I can take on that will get me closer to what I want.

* You have a lot of things going on in your day. How do you prioritize?

In our book, “Get Momentum: How to Start When You’re Stuck,” Jodi and I give you a great “prioritization” tactic called the #KnownFor exercise. If you happen to read that book, and make it to chapter three, you’ll read the question we give you there: “What do you want to be known for?” This question is not meant to freak you out, or making you re-think your life. Instead, we ask you to bring it down to more immediate and more practical levels.

Here’s now:

Step one: Identify 8-15 roles you have, at work and in life. My own examples (of course!) would include: Author, Husband, Executive Coach, Triathlete, Volunteer, Keynote Speaker, and Homeowner.

Step two: For each role, pick a particular project/event/milestone that is 6-12 months out. I like that time frame because it gets me OUT of the day-to-day overwhelm, into thinking about what those MOST important things are.

Step three: Write a 3-5 sentence #KnownFor statement for each.

It could look like this:

As an author, by September 10th I want to be known for submitting a book proposal to my publisher. I want the proposed idea to be exciting for me to want to write about AND tested by and in the market I’m writing to. I want to be known as an author who constantly brings new and useful things to readers worldwide.

My job NOW is to review those #KnownFor statements “as often as I need to so that I’m working on my priorities.” How often is that? Honestly, I’ve found the best cadence for me is every couple of days.

* You’ve said the hardest part of your job is to decide what NOT to do every day? How do you it?

First off, I gotta know what shouldn’t be on the list anymore. That’s where the #KnownFor process kicks in. ToDos and even projects have a sneaky way of making it to the list of things we think we should do. Check your calendar, your email inbox and today’s list. About once a week (Thursdays for me), I stop working for about 30 minutes, maybe an hour. And for that time, I go through every inventory of “work” I’ve collected that week. My goal?

To get rid of 50% of what is there! I will tell you the challenge, ready? While I’m cleaning up, I always see something that I added to my list and think, “Oh, it’ll just take a couple of minutes, I’ll do it right now.” Then, I watch a couple of short videos, read a few saved articles, draft a short 250-word article for one of the magazines/websites I write for. I make a phone call or two, even type out an email. And then…

And THEN, I’m right where I was before.

So…NO! My job during this clean-up process is to look at a list of 10 things and GET RID of 5 of them. I may delegate 2, delete 2 and move one 5-8 weeks out on the calendar. I do ANYthing I can to clean up my system so that I know what I am doing, have to do, and can get by without doing.

* What advice would you give to those so-called “workaholics” that think success lies in the amount of hours you put towards your work?

I looked up that word in the dictionary and found, “a person who compulsively works hard and long hours.” I’m not here to judge if you’re working hard (and not smart) or long hours. I’ve met people who have a position, situation or circumstance that demands they work 10-12-15 hours a day. My question is always one of “sustainability.” That is, can you work 15 hour days…for a career?

There are going to be projects you’re on and events you’re a part of that dictate you work hard…and long. Alternatively, there is other work you have to do that COULD be easier! The advice I have, look at your #KnownFor statements that I wrote about earlier. Go back through them, and add how you want to be known as being, not just doing. If you know you get tempted to work long, hard hours, put something in there about working efficiently, asking for help early on in your projects and getting things done in the time that you promised.

One of the MAIN reasons that people work long hard hours is they give themselves too much time to get things done. Instead of telling yourself you’ll have that “thing” (whatever it is) done by Friday next week, set a timer for 30 or 60 or 90 minutes, and go ALL OUT right now on it.

Wanna prove me wrong? Go!

I shared earlier that a well-placed question just may change everything. So, I’ll ask you: “What’s the question YOU need to ask yourself to take what you do and how you do it to the next level?”

Get Momentum 3 ways and improve your life

Change Your Perspective…

…change your life!

“How are you?” a colleague asks.

“So busy,” you reply.

Does this sound like a typical day in the office?

Also, it’s the #1 reason we co-founded the GET MOMENTUM Leadership Academy in 2012 and wrote our book by the same title in 2016. Your routines can be valuable when they streamline your workflow.

Now, if you’re feeling stuck, change your perspective.

It’s what we coach leaders to do…

Keep reading below to learn THREE ways you can change your perspective.

But first, a video:

Change the way you see (and do) things

Below, you’ll learn 3 ways to change your perspective, get MORE of the more important things done, and be a better _________ [fill in the blank!].

#1. Go. There.

Work where you won’t be interrupted for 30 minutes.

Reserve a conference room and go there to think deeply about a big, long-term project. You’ll get more quality work done in a shorter amount of time if you protect yourself from interruptions by other people, your own workspace and your technology.

How do you find this time? Here’s a video to get you thinking…

#2. Meet. Them.

Meet with someone and talk about what’s real.

A mentor, a coach, a therapist, a sponsor…you need someone you can talk to in confidence.  Hearing another point of view on your problems can give you a fresh perspective, relieve some stress, and it may even produce new solutions.

So much stress is caused by you thinking about (and REthinking about!) something that should be different. Once you know you want things to change, you’ve GOT to have the conversation - a NEW conversation - with yourself and someone on your team who can help you get there.

#3. Be. Mindful.

Think. Do. Then think again.

It’s all routine: how, where, and when we think. So, change it up. Write the name of a project on a note card, get a pen, and go for a 10-minute walk outside. When you get 5 minutes away, stop and write down what you’ve thought of about the project. Then, walk back to your desk. Changing your location changes your perspective. Stimulating your brain with fresh supply of oxygen can give you the creative boost to notice what was right there all along.

Of course you’re busy…

Change and see old things in new ways, get ideas to work smarter, and achieve more of the goals you’ve set.

Extra Credit

Download this Conversation Guide infographic.

You just may get an idea you can use to have a better conversation and change your perspective today!

We cofounded the GET MOMENTUM Leadership Academy to serve leaders who serve others. You receive training AND coaching in 12 Leadership Skills you’ll be called on to improve year after year. We coach you In Person, In Print, and Online.

Interested?

Take a look at the 12-month Curriculum here…

Brain, Consciousness, Gratitude and Productivity

Thanks, Happy-Giving!

In 2007 I sat down with a mentor of mine - his name is Jim - for one of our quarterly breakfast meetings. Between bites of oatmeal (him) and pancakes (me), Jim asked me a question that changed my life.

Have you ever had that happen? Have you ever walked away from a meeting with someone KNOWING that that conversation had the potential to change everything?

Here was the question he asked, “Jason, what’s your gratitude plan for your business?”

I had a business plan. A financial plan. A marketing plan. I even had a “hire-a-freelancer” plan! I had a customer care plan, as well as a product development plan. But…a “gratitude” plan?

As a social psychologist, I study interconnectedness. I write down hypotheses and then I go do my research. I read studies, I interview experts, I find information and statistics that prove (or disprove) what I set out to find. Well, this one discussion almost 9 years ago was one of the most “interdisciplinary” ones I’ve come across.

Here’s that question, and I invite YOU to answer it:

What’s your gratitude plan for your business?
Tweet: A question:
Click the Twitter icon above to share this question…

Brain, Consciousness, Gratitude and Productivity

The Brain

I consider myself a “Journeyman Neuroscientist.” Not unlike the 3 summers I worked as a journeyman carpenter, I continue to learn, study, ask questions about, and take classes on the Human Brain. I’m currently mid-way through an 18-hour course titled, “Understanding the Brain” led by Professor Jeanette Norden, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

As I consider the main premise of the course - to make the case that the brain and the mind are related - I continue wrestling with an attempt to understand WHY we do what we do, HOW we do what we do, and WHAT we can do in collaboration to make things better for one another.

Consciousness

The “game-changer” as I have labeled it…If we are aware, SO much happens. When our awareness is compromised, so LITTLE happens. The Get Momentum THEME for November is “Building Meaningful Relationships.” As I reflect back on that question I heard in 2007, and think about the next decade of the work I plan on doing, I understand that those questions the mind/brain wrestle with are the SAME ones that can keep me up at night…or wake me in the morning.

“Fear comes from uncertainty; we can eliminate the fear within us when we know ourselves better. As the great Sun Tzu said: “When you know yourself and your opponent, you will win every time. When you know yourself but not your opponent, you will win one and lose one. However, when you do not know yourself or your opponent, you will be imperiled every time.”
- Bruce Lee

But, many business owners today feel bound by the Age of Information management to stay connected, especially checking email about as often as a new one comes in. Students at Stanford University* proved that heavy multitaskers paid a price for their continued refocusing patterns. Since no one thing got all of their attention, many smaller things were attended to, often at the cost of not getting the most important things done. In 2009, Professor Clifford Nass put it best, “They’re suckers for irrelevancy. Everything distracts them.”

Gratitude

Ah, and HERE is what I’m thinking about. But, I am not just thinking about it THIS week; I think about this every day. Every day I sit down at a desk, a restaurant table, an airplane seat…somewhere, and I write a thank you note. Handwritten. To someone specific. In that letter, I share with someone who helped me that day; someone who did something special, someone who made my day a little bit better.

Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.
- Oprah Winfrey

This wasn’t the plan when I had breakfast with Jim that day. But, over time, it became the plan. I don’t always write my last name, I rarely add my return address to the front of the envelope, and I NEVER include a business card. These letters are my way of connecting with the human BEING behind the human DOING. That is, I acknowledge what they did, but I focus on who they are.

Productivity

And, here’s where it gets crazy…

I notice movement more and more these days. I notice people getting things done. I notice me creating time in the day to write my gratitude card. I notice good things going noticed in and around the organizations I serve and the leaders I support as an executive coach. And, more than anything else, I tune in to the “why” more and more.

A lot of people get to the end of the day and think about the things they DIDN’T get done. Many people leave work only after they’ve spent time organizing the work they need to work on tomorrow. Some people even continue working after dinner, well in to the night. What we are learning about the social and personal pressure to perform proves the opposite is what we need to be doing.

When you think about your own “gratitude plan,” start with the Process of Acknowledgment (PoA). (Click to Tweet)

Every day before you leave the office, reflect back on SOMEthing that happened that day that is positive. If possible, reach out via an email, a text message, a phone call or (gasp!) a handwritten letter and let someone know that what they did matters.

People want to know…

The (*Lost) Art of Letter Writing

Does your company have a book club?

Write a letter.

Heard a good story lately? Write it down. Done something amazing? Write it down. Worried about something? Write it down. You get it, right? Spend a little more time today thinking…and ink it in your Momentum Journal.

Just about everything I do begins as an idea in a notebook. Or on a white board. And, every now and then, on a restaurant napkin (hopefully, a paper napkin!). This gives me the chance to write a “rough, rough draft,” knowing that if I really do ultimately write that letter that I’m thinking it’ll have gone through a few revisions.

Whether I’m working on next book (click here) or writing a Keynote speech (here) or dreaming up another Micro Momentum Activity for our readers (over HERE), I like to start things in the safety and security of my own journal. I can write without publishing, I can draft without finalizing. It’s important…

Just Do It. (Thanks, Nike.)

Today, tomorrow, this weekend… sit down for 5 or 10 minutes and write a letter. Want some help? Here’s your three step plan:

  • Find a pen or pencil.
  • Open a notebook to a fresh page (or, grab a piece of paper from your printer!).
  • Read the three prompts at the end of this post.
  • Click HERE to start the timer…

Write a letter…

Me, I write at least one a day.

Yup. Every day…more than 7 a week, most weeks!

The letters I write have an opinion. I like to acknowledge the people I write to. And, it’s really easy to find people to send these letters. When I look out at my world and see an action, a movement or an event and have the thought, “Wow, I’m grateful,” that’s my indicator to take out my journal and write.

Many times, I keep the original letter I send. It’s easier than you think…all I do is take a picture with my Smart Phone, and add that jpg as a note in my digital filing system. I label the photo with the name of the person I’m writing, that’s it. All the meta data (when I wrote it, where I wrote it) is saved in the file itself.

As you can see from the picture below, I’ve been doing this for a long, long time!

From the White House

Over time, I’ve experimented with different formats for my letter writing exercises. For a while now, the letters I write follow a loose format which includes responding to the following prompts:

  1. I call out in 4-7 sentences exactly what I saw (or learned) that person did.
  2. Next, I describe how “what they did” makes me feel.
  3. And, I include what I’ve learned from their action.

Now, that’s all a loose suggestion, and I’ve only been practicing writing letters like that for a few years. I can imagine in a decade or so I’ll have changed it up again, but that’s not the point. The most important thing is that you ask yourself THIS question:

“Are there people in my world I could write a letter to?”

If the answer is anywhere near YES, open your Momentum Journal and write that person’s name on the top of the page. Over the next couple of days, add a few lines, ideas or paragraphs as you begin to respond to the three prompts above.

Want some help? I write and talk a lot about “Journaling” in my books. Click here.

What are your “Must Dos” that help you have better days?

Do you have your own way?

Recently, a journalist reached out after reading Your Best Just Got Better (chapter 1 here) and asked:

“Do you have a list of “To Dos” that you make sure to do every day?”

I opened up my favorite application for “free-thinking” and wrote out a quick mind-map of the things that I know “if I do, my day is #Better.”

So, here’s my list:

  1. Start the day w/ gratitude. Write a letter to a client, vendor, author, or other to let them know what THEY do makes MY life better.
  2. Increase the heart rate, for at least 30 minutes. Walk, ride, run, swim, do SOMEthing to strengthen the HEART muscle; I need that blood system runnin’ to strengthen the MENTAL muscle.
  3. Eat. Better. The NEXT 5 hours of productivity will be affected by what I do/don’t put into the system right now. Snacks that are high in fat, low in sugar…At least two a day.

Oh, and I’d add two more ideas for you here…

  • Think big…As in “Predict. Adapt. Improve.” I know that my work and my world 12 months from now will be limited by the thoughts I didn’t have today. So, I do this by reading, watching, listening or interviewing someone to help me think bigger.
  • Scan social media, find a place to lend a comment, idea, activity, etc … something that comes from http://wmck.co/ybjgbreviews that could help that person move further…Faster.

Think about it, these are not just “To” dos, for me they are the things that increase the likelihood that I’ll have a good day. No, it’s not a guarantee, but boy does it go a long way in creating the conditions that are just right.

How about you?

What are your “Must Dos” that help you have better days?

 

Information that leads to new results

Courageously, 47 Federal and state government leaders from Oregon and Washington attended a course I taught titled:

Secrets to a More Productive Day

Together, they spent a day studying productivity habits and tactics they can use to:

  • Reduce Stress
  • Collaborate Effectively
  • Get The Right Things Done
  • End Each Day Feeling More Productive

I won’t attempt to describe all the tips and tools I shared during the program, but I will include a list of the materials that participants asked me for during and after our day together. Feel free to click and print any of these!

Time Management (or How to Say No) - click here

For many leaders, Time Management isn’t about how many things you get done, nor how efficiently you work. YOUR next level of self-management and ultimate productivity will be:

  1. look out 12 months
  2. identify what you want to be #KnownFor having done
  3. say YES to the things that matter, and NO to the ones that distract

 

3 Kinds of Conversations (or What to Interrupt Them With) - click here

  • You WILL interrupt people, and you WILL be interrupted. To be more effective, make sure you’re interrupting people with the right things at the right time.

 

iPhone tips (save 15 minutes a day!) - click here

  • Take this FREE online course to learn how to maximize productivity on your iPhone or iPad.

 

Questions to Ask (or How to Interrupt…Better) - click here

  • Want to get more out of the interruption you’ve just received? Want to attend a more productive meeting? Make sure you ask those questions.

 

Microsoft® Outlook® Dashboard (or How to Save Time in Outlook) - click here

  • Under your fingers is a tool that can save you hours a week. Be sure you learn what Microsoft® Outlook® can do for you.

 

Microsoft® Outlook® email Signatures - click here

  • In less than 10 minutes, you can learn 1-2 things that Microsoft® Outlook® can do to save you hours a week. Start now!

 

Stop Procrastinating (NOW!) - click here

  • Don’t put it off. Click and learn how YOU can stop procrastinating.

 

My promise to everyone attending the workshop was that they would learn the tools, mindset and practices to improve daily productivity by 20% or more every day. Here’s what I said:

You will learn how to regain 30 minutes. EVERY DAY.

30 minutes to focus on your priorities. 30 minutes to beat traffic home. 30 minutes to help an employee through a challenge she is facing. 30 minutes to each lunch. 30 minutes to exercise.

What do YOU need 30 minutes for?

Hover over the More tab above and choose “Contact Us” to let me know. I’ll reply right away!

 

 

 

Control your next thoughts.

Good morning, from Bogota, Colombia!

Quick question for you: How “happy” are you? Right now, on a scale of 1-10.

1 = This* sucks.

Ten = Off the charts happy.

(*This can equal: Life. Work. Relationship. Health. Community. Etc.)

On Tuesday (in Medellin) and yesterday (in Bogota), I spoke at an International Congress of Innovation Beyond Risk.

The themes were:

  • Risk
  • Innovation
  • Happiness
  • Productivity

During the panel discussion, one of the 563 participants submitted a question via WhatsApp that I got to answer.

Here was the question (followed by today’s answer…a little more well-thought-out):

“What is the one thing we can do to increase our happiness through productivity?”

Click here for my updated answer!

Building High Performing Teams

Each month at Get Momentum we coach leaders to improve their management and productivity skills. In August, we focus on:

Building High Performing Teams

This month, individual contributors, project managers, entrepreneurs and leaders around the world will spend 2-6 hours learning to become a better team leader…and team player.

We serve our clients as Executive Coaches and corporate leadership facilitators.

Specifically, we help you to balance a healthy dose of focus on the present WITH time, energy and focus spent on the future.

But, how do you do that?

If you read the book “Get Momentum,” you know that we ask you several #momentum causing questions. The first one - found on page 27 of the book - is:

“What do you want to be known for?”

Note: When we ask “What do you want to be known for?”, we’re really asking you to focus on a specific role for a specific period of time.

When you combine this method of thinking along with the focus of this month’s Get Momentum theme (Building High Performing Teams) you’ll be able to chip away at the more important projects that you’ve been waiting until you have time to get to!

Here’s what one Get Momentum member in Portland, OR wrote:

I am relatively new in my company and the monthly theme for “High Performing Teams” came at a great time.

Our problem was a lack of clarity and alignment around our future roadmap and a general feeling that the company has lost its sense of urgency. I’ve pulled together a cross-functional team to talk about our future roadmap, and started by working with them to develop a high-level strategic focus for our team. This has helped to engage everyone in the group, and we’re having a weekly meeting with assignments and accountability check-ins to keep things moving. We’re still early in the process, but I can already feel a shift from “waiting for someone else to tell us what to do,” toward “deciding to do things and moving them forward toward a mutually understood goal.”

At the end of this phase of the process, I expect us to produce a set of roadmap priorities that has buy-in, that the team can be proud of, and that is aligned with the overall company goals. The main benefit is that people don’t think it is OK to sit on the sidelines, and they are beginning to embrace the principle of “speak up about things you disagree with” so that we can resolve the issues, decide, declare, and move forward.

Have you ever felt invincible? Here’s another video you can watch:
 

One Size (Thinking) Doesn’t Fit All

Last week I spoke to two groups of managers in Seattle, Washington about the topic: “Optimize Your Time and Focus to Get Momentum.”

My intention was to demonstrate how important it is to think differently and plan out the different “sizes” of projects to start and changes to make. When I coach leaders to achieve success while working in alignment with their purpose, we use a tool called “So that…”

Recently, a client texted:

“I am using the ‘So that’ process every day to be more productive at work.”

What are the “So thats…” that drive you to do your best work for the individuals, groups and organizations you serve? You know… as author and TED Speaker Simon Sinek asks, “WHY? do you do what you do?”

Do you have important things to get done? Do you want to be more productive and reduce your stress at work? Think differently, and you will get more done.

What’s the purpose of you working as hard as you do, worrying about problems that need to be solved, and raising your opinion - and your voice - about what’s happening around you?

Get Started Here

Sure, you are working on many projects, but right now choose one meaningful project. It could be personal, or something at work to get done. Open your Momentum Journal, and write 3-5 “So thats.”

Here’s an example: I am working on my 5th book this year.

“I am writing another book so that:

  1. recently promoted managers have a field guide to achieve success in their first 100 days;
  2. our past and current clients have new material to offer to their staff through the book, website, workshops and coaching programs;
  3. we have new articles to publish in magazines;
  4. we have new material to share for free via social media and podcasts;
  5. I think differently about my coaching practice.”

Different Kinds of Thinking

Continue thinking of three different “sizes” about the project. Do this to be more productive, reduce your stress and work in alignment with your purpose. Whether you chose a personal or professional project, you can go up and down the scale of thinking.

Large Thinking: The WHO. Describe the community and specific reasons they will benefit when you are finished.

When I wrote my third book, Your Best Just Got Better, I had a wall of pictures I had taken from magazine covers and printed from websites. They were all the people I had wanted to send a copy of my book to for their endorsement. Some people I knew, some people I had not met yet, and the common denominator was simple: EVERY person was in a position to ask hundreds or even thousands of other people to read my book.

Medium Thinking: The WHAT. What is a “rough draft” picture of the deliverable? Describe in detail what it will look, sound and feel like when the client or community uses it.

When we launched v3 of the Get Momentum Leadership Academy, I had (on the same wall in my office, of course!) printed out 13 different “Requests” from current members. Throughout the rebuilt of the website and revision of the materials, we constantly referred back to that information asking ourselves, “What do our members want from us?”

Small Thinking: The HOW. Open your calendar and choose (this week) a 75-minute block of time to talk about, plan and work on that project. Create the desk/office space you need to have a successful practice session.

Getting Things Done isn’t just about managing time anymore. Back in the early 2000’s, I was a GTD facilitator and coach; I helped people organize their office, empty their inbox and make lists of things they had not done yet. What do I know after having facilitated more than 500 days of those seminars in 6 years?

Time is not the ONLY factor that limits your ability to get things done. You need to add in three other elements:

  • Environment
  • Ability to focus
  • Energy Available

Where Are You?

If you need to work without distraction, you might need to move somewhere for a day (or an hour…or a week!). If you want to Get Momentum on the project, create the environment you need to get it done. Find a conference room you can sit in at lunch. Sit in your car for 15 minutes in the morning. Invite someone to meet you for coffee to talk about your project and brainstorm how it will help people you want to serve.

What’s Distracting You?

Notice, I did not say “Who?” I said “What?”. That is, if you go to that place you CAN focus, you do not want anything left on your mind that will distract you while you are there. Want a tip? Take this one that you can read about in David Allen’s book, Getting Things Done:

“…you will want to collect anything else that may be residing in your psychic ram.”

How do I do it? Before I start any work session (writing, planning, thinking, even facilitating a workshop!), I make a hand-written list of at least 30 things that are on my mind. When I do this, it lets a part of my mind relax so I can go to work. Later on, I will come back to and look at that list to see what I need to do.

How Much Energy is Left?

Ok, so are you a morning person? An evening person? Do you get energy by being around people? Alternatively, when you work alone? There are two ways of looking at this third prompt:

1) How can you boost your energy on the front side of a work session; or

2) How much energy do you have, and what are you good for?

Look, I am a morning person. I know it, my wife knows it, my friends know it, and I have even trained my clients so that they know it! If anyone around me wants the BEST and most I have to give, they know to plan something in the morning. However, this does not mean I cannot work later in the afternoon, or into the evening.

If I am going to work at my non-prime times, then I will have my tricks and tools handy that help me stay engaged when I need it most.

You are not going to find a one-size-fits-all when it comes to being as productive as possible. Start by identifying your “So thats…” and continue by making sure you are thinking at all the levels you need. Use this “So that…” process to think – and work – productively and purposefully.

 

The Ways of Momentum

In less than a minute, we’re here to share the Get Momentum Leadership Academy with you. Here is a process to practice for when you need it most.

From around the world, GET MOMENTUM members tell us they use this program to reduce their stress and overwhelm.

Welcome to the program…

 

What Members Say:

See My Life In A Whole New Way
“Get Momentum has helped me craft the lens that I use to create focus in not just my work but my life.”
- Ryan Speed

 

Swift Kick in the Butt!
“As silly as it sounds, attending your program gave me that swift kick in the butt I’ve been needing so desperately.”
- Jill Bonafide

 

The Oprah Effect
“You’re still my Oprah.”
-Shelley Stinson
Alameda County Office

 

Stepping Up!
“I received an AAA grade in my end of year performance review last year, and I believe that the support, tools and techniques I gained from Get Momentum played an important part in stepping up my contribution.”
- Fabien Modoux

 

Productivity Boost!
“My productivity increased 300%”
-John Weller
VP, Megastar Financial

 

EFFICIENCY BEAST
“JWo is an efficiency beast!”
-Rick Crozier
VP, Prime Lending Group

 

As you GET MOMENTUM, your results improve, your influence increases, and new opportunities arise.

Change the way you work, the way you think, and the way you see yourself as a leader.

If you’d like to be experiencing some of this momentum for yourself, you’re invited to visit the website and compare the membership levels to find the perfect fit for you before the membership tuition increases (significantly!) this Friday.