3 People to Share Dreams With Today

When you think about the future, what comes to mind? Do you start with work and go to life? Do you start with family and then go to career?

Can you imagine your work/life a year from now?

Can you “image-in” experiences you hope are on the way and (perhaps) even plausible surprises that could show up? This is NOT “wishful” thinking. It’s your chance to direct your thoughts and energy toward what will change your future.

Build Team You

There’s a secret to getting (more of) what you want from your life and your work.

It’s not a secret because it’s hard to learn or because no one wants you to know it. It is a secret because you just haven’t heard it put this way before. If you want your life to be different, there’s just one thing you need to do:

Organize Your Contacts

In just a moment, I’ll coach you to arrange the group of 10-25 people you talk with the most into three distinct categories.

(If you just can’t wait, and want to see the video, just click here.)

No one person is enough for you to build a future that’s bigger and better than the present. Look around, there are people you spend time with today that you didn’t know 5 years ago. Your life looks what it looks like today BECAUSE OF the people you spend more (or less) time with.

Your network (in person, online AND in print) is there to inform, influence and support you as you engage in the actions required to make progress on your goals big and small. The people you spend time with, the communities you’re a part of on the Internet and the books you read and magazines you subscribe to will all come together for you if…

…IF you know where you’re heading!

To get you started, open your notebook and do some visionary writing. Here are my favorite THREE prompts that I use in my coaching with executives, leaders and managers worldwide…

60 months from today…

Open to a blank page of your notebook, set a timer for 15 minutes (here), and respond to this prompt by writing 500-700 words:

“Over the next 5 years, in my roles as _______, ________, and _______ I want to be known for …”

I challenge you to go year-by-year as you do this:

  • 2019
  • 2020
  • 2021
  • 2022
  • 2023

Think about your work, your life, your community, your family and - of course - your age.

Write, and Write, and WRITE some more!

52 weeks from today…

For this next exercise, I suggest you use 12-24 note cards (the 3X5 ones you used in college!). One note card for every 2-4 weeks over the next year. (Oh, this one might take a. little longer. Set a timer for 30 minutes, and make sure you have your CALENDAR handy!)

When I do this, I line up the 24 cards in order of the next year. Then, I “challenge” myself to write down AT LEAST 3 bullet points (ideas, projects, goals, ideas, etc) on EVERY card.

Here’s the prompt you can use:

What do I ALREADY know is on the way that I’d like to spend ENOUGH time thinking about, working toward or managing with grace and ease?

Over the next 48 hours…

No matter what day you’re reading this (or watching the video at the bottom of this post), you’re going to be doing something, somewhere, spending time with SOMEone within a couple of days.

Here’s your challenge (in just 3 steps):

  • Open your calendar and review your time hour-by-hour over the next two days.
  • Make a list of EVERYONE you know you’re going to talk or meet with.
  • Next to their name, write down ONE thing you could discuss.

As you’re getting ready to take on your next project or step toward a promotion or begin making a work / life change, think about how you can think in those terms. Once you’ve done the thinking about TIME, now it’s time to think about PEOPLE.

THREE kinds of people to share dreams with today

1. The Realist

As you’ll see in the video below, my friends who are realists are there to find the holes in my theories and to test my resolve. I go to them when I need a project edited, or if I want to know what OTHER realists (who I haven’t worked with or met yet) might think about my crazy idea.

The question they ask, “And…do you think you can really do that?”

2. The Visionary

I smile as I write this, “My visionaries are the people who can easily “add a zero” to my thinking. If I tell them I’d like to write a 1,500 word article, they ask me if it could be a 15,000 word booklet. If I share a goal to speak at a conference with 50 people, they challenge me to apply to speak at one with 500. If I plan to enroll another 100 members into the GET MOMENTUM Leadership Academy…you get it.

The question they ask, “And…Have you thought about…?”

3. The Accountability Buddy

Have you ever told someone you’d meet them at the gym? Have you ever asked someone to edit a paper or slide deck you are building? Have you invited someone to enroll in a course or program (like GET MOMENTUM!) with you? If so, you intuitively understand the value of having someone to hold you accountable.

The question they ask, “And… what are you going to do next about that?”

Think about it: The next 60 months are going to go by in a flash. Not convinced? Write down the year 2013 and ask yourself, “How fast have the past 5 years gone?” In order to get to where you’re going, find the three kinds of people to share your dreams with and you’ll go further. Ready?

A VIDEO

More than 100 College Seniors heard about the three kinds of people to share their goals with. If you know of someone who could benefit from thinking this way, please do share this with them!

As you watch that video, leave a comment with YOUR ah-ha or I’m gonna. I’ll check those comments from time to time and add any coaching I can!

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…

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!

 

 

 

Emotional Intelligence, Part 1: Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

Thank-Full.

That’s how I feel having reviewed my notes reflecting on the EQ/Emotional Intelligence STUDY GROUP hosted by our very own #Momentum Maker: Stephen Collins.

What IS EQ?

Emotional Intelligence is the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage emotions in an effective and positive way.

The benefits of knowing (and growing) EQ are many…and great. A high EQ helps individuals to communicate better, reduce their anxiety and stress, defuse conflicts, improve relationships, empathize with others, and effectively overcome life’s challenges.

This was the FIRST of three sessions (click here to join August 7th, and here to join August 14th).

For an hour, Stephen led us through a session titled, “Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself.” GET MOMENTUM Reader’s Club members from around the world attended via our virtual reading room. The feedback is positive!

Of course, Jodi and I were there for the full hour; we didn’t want to miss any of the fun…or the learning! As intently as I listened, my notebook pages kept filling up with ideas, ah-has and some “I’m gonna’s.”

There were three main themes I focused on during the discussion:

1. PERSONALITY and WORKING TOGETHER.
2. Look for what’s inspiring to THEM.
3. Defining a friend as different from someone who is friendly

1. PERSONALITY and WORKING TOGETHER.

Those of you who’ve read our book Get Momentum or every spent time with us in a workshop or on the phone KNOW how different we are from one another. I loved how one of our GET MOMENTUM Leadership Academy members introduced us during a workshop we facilitated for leaders at her company:

“Next, I want to introduce my coaches. I work with them both - on different skills - because they are different. Jason’s the straight arrow. Jodi’s the gentle wave.”

On any Personality Assessment we’ve ever taken, we score the opposite in nearly every category. For example, in the Meyer’s Briggs, I’m the E (Extrovert) and Jodi’s the I (Introvert). If you haven’t taken one of the personality assessments lately - and had your team/family take it with you - make that your homework this quarter. Ones we can recommend:

StrengthsFinder 2.0 and the KOLBE. When you know who and how you are, and when you learn that other people are different from you in their own way, it makes it easier to work better together. It makes it easier to be more emotionally intelligent.

As an Adjunct Faculty professor at Air University, US Air Force at Maxwell Air Force Base, I co-teach a course titled: “Know Yourself to Lead Yourself.” The more you study want it takes to make you…you, the more understanding you an bring to the table when you work with the people you serve.

2. Look (out) for what’s inspiring to THEM.

Oftentimes, leaders want to do things to “BUILD THEIR TEAMS.” You’ve probably been on one of these kinds of tours. Maybe a dinner out. Maybe pizza brought in. Or, driving race cars. Or, attending a sports game. Or…

Here’s the deal…

…you probably did what the leader likes to do.

If you want to maximize the engagement of those on your team (and this goes for work just as much as it does at home) see if you can find out what THEY like to do. If you get a chance, and want to hear more about this, book some time with Jodi and have her tell you about the time her group wanted her to join them for a baseball game!

3. A friend = different from someone who is friendly.

Ask yourself “How do I feel?” after spending time with that person. In one of the Course Work activities, Jodi talks about this way she has of monitoring the engagement she wants to continue having with the people that she knows. Not only that, she authored a BONUS Course on this topic of building your network/team LONG before you need it. LINK HERE.

  • Friend: a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
  • Friendly: kind and pleasant

When you think of those two words, consider who you’d put on the least of each. Then, decide where to spend more time.

See you in St. Louis, MO

Welcome!

Congratulations, you’re in! To invite a friend, send this link to them! (Check your email, if you’ve registered. We’ve sent you a note with a copy of your receipt AND we’ll send you the location and all other logistics and details soon.)

Remember, for just $69 you get:

  1. Us! Jodi and Jason Womack, unplugged for one hour.
  2. A copy of GET MOMENTUM, the best-selling book that teaches you how to get unstuck.
  3. TWO Months of membership (PROFESSIONAL level) at the Get Momentum Leadership Academy.
  4. A follow-up webinar JUST for you to be scheduled 2-5 weeks afterward!

We’re looking forward to meeting with you on August 18th, from 1-2PM.

This “GET MOMENTUM” session consists of information for people leading teams. This one hour-long program will benefit you and dramatically transform your LEADERSHIP and MANAGEMENT skills.

Walk away with ideas on how to GET MOMENTUM, and how to share it with others on your team, at home or in your community.

 

“Jodi Womack is a world-class speaker and traveler, and her network is vast. She is an incredible resource for pooling talent and for helping those around her learn innovative, time saving ways to work. I walked away from her workshop feeling inspired, supported and rarin’ to go!

CARLA ROSE FISHER, SaidandSung.com Corporate Writing Solutions

“Jason is a most inspirational speaker and business consultant. He has the ability to usefully link work and life when engaging his clients and audience in helping them plan to achieve their goals and desires. I have and continue to recommend him to any client/leader looking to become more efficient and productive.” MICHEL KOOPMAN, former CEO, GetAbstract, Inc.

 

[MasterMind] You can inspire someone to become a better presenter

Think about it…

  • Delivering the Keynote at an industry conference,
  • Updating your team on next years projections in the conference room,

…and even…

  • Talking to your spouse about your ideas for weekend/dinner plans.

What do they ALL have in common?

You’re presenting yourself, and influencing others.

If you’ve taken the GET MOMENTUM Self-Assessment (click here) you know where you need to IMPROVE as a presenter.

GET MOMENTUM members, be sure to join the MasterMind group coaching call this week!

On Thursday, May 11th GET MOMENTUM members will share their insights on becoming a better presenter.

Join to share a “lesson-learned.”

Who knows, you could be the inspiration someone needs to become a better presenter themselves!

STEP 1:

  • Open your Momentum Journal to a fresh page.
  • On top write, “A Lesson I Learned.”
  • Write a few lines describing where you were, the presentation you gave where you learned something and whether it was a POSITIVE or NEGATIVE experience.
  • Finally, respond to these 3 questions:
    1. What happened?
    2. How did it impact you?
    3. What is the REAL lesson?

STEP 2:

  • Add your MasterMind group coaching call to the calendar.
  • Call in for 3-5 minutes and share your experience…and the lesson you learned.

Just think, if you share what you learned (maybe even learned the hard way!) you may help a fellow GET MOMENTUM member avoid that hardship sometime in the future.

That is was the GET MOMENTUM community is all about!

 

PS: Please do STEP 1 of this note because we know sometime this month you’ll have an opportunity to share that lesson with someone you know.

And, we invite MEMBERS to bring their answers to the MasterMind group coaching call on Thursday.

Master Class REVIEW - “Present Like a Pro”

More than 200 leaders living in 9 countries are members of the GET MOMENTUM Leadership Academy.

Many of them tuned in to this month’s Master Class titled:

“Present Like a Pro”

As you can see in this short introduction video (scroll to the bottom HERE), there are two VERY specific goals for this leadership course:

  1. Practice identifying key points in EVERY presentation.
  2. Utilize ALL the resources you have access to.

The Master Class is a 45-minute executive summary of the GET MOMENTUM Course Work:

Immediately after the program, I heard from THREE members about the impact and importance of this month’s Master Class:

  1. “I get it now, everything is a presentation.”
  2. “I learned that I can present the same thing in different ways to different people. Easier.”
  3. “I need to video record myself presenting. Not to show anyone else or publish, but to watch and study myself.”

What is the GET MOMENTUM Master Class? In just :42 seconds, we explain it right here.

(We do have ONE big announcement, read all the way to the bottom to find out!)

Now, some of you may be thinking, “How is ‘presenting’ a leadership skill?”

Think about what you could do, if you were more effective at bringing your ideas to the people you hope use them the most. You’re presenting all the time, you are!

  • On a stage in front of dozens
  • In a conference room of just a few
  • Across the table from your family
  • On the phone with a friend, client or vendor

Over the course of just one month, you’ll learn to “win over” the people you’re speaking with. You’ll practice organizing your main points that are backed up with and by research, as well as have some call-to-action. Finally, you’ll practice lining up your message with the facts with the stories with the suggestions that make it easier for people to believe: “Your ideas matter.”

Who is GET MOMENTUM for?

I always look to our current members to help us answer that question. So, here is a list of the most recent leaders to join:

  • The co-founder of a recently-sold communications company in Tennessee.
  • 19 Associate Professors at a university in Alabama.
  • 3 recently-promoted Directors in New York City.
  • A designer in Australia.

Are you a member?

If so, log in here and watch the recording (or, download the audio as an MP3 to listen to in your car or while you’re exercising). Would you like to see the Table of Contents for the Master Class?

Here you are:

  • Introduction and Welcome
  • Get the Most From Your GET MOMENTUM Membership
  • Practice Makes _______ (be careful here!)
  • MEMBER Spotlight “Kinds of Presentations”
  • Everyone Has a Story
  • Jodi’s Perspective: “The Energy Flows Through Me.”
  • 1: The Ingredients of a Presentation
  • 2: Resources at Your Fingertips
  • 3: Going Beyond the Basics

Not (yet) a GET MOMENTUM member?

It’s ok, Start Your Membership here, we’re ready to serve you as your coaches!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT:

As a GET MOMENTUM member, you get access to the Video AND Audio recording of the Master Class. Well, NOW you can see we have transcribed and closed captioned the presentation…you’ll love it!

Challenge an Assumption Today

When was the last time you made an assumption and found yourself wrong. Just plain wrong? Well, Andy Cohen has published another book I highly recommend: Challenge Your Assumptions.

I love this book for three reasons:

  1. I felt like he invited me in to his living room for a “man-to-man” chat.
  2. The tools he provides have ALREADY saved me time (and made me money!)
  3. Andy gives us a tool to use in the Appendix that is worth 5 times what it costs to buy the book.

[Full disclosure: I have met the author for a #CoffeeChat in New York City, and I consider him a friend!]

New Problems

1. Einstein reportedly said, “We cannot solver our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” What I really liked about reading this book is that I didn’t feel judged or ill-equipped to dive right in. Sometimes authors do something early on that makes us feel they’re above us, better than us and that they know more than we do.

Instead of taking that route, Andy invites us in to how he sees the world. He looks out and doesn’t mind what ISN’T being seen … yet. On page 4 he writes, “You just need a way to see the multiple paths that others don’t see and then show them how to follow those paths.” Sound easier said than done? Not to worry, he gives us everything we need to see more.

To Assume

2. The verb assume: suppose to be the case, without proof. You see, an option is not proof. Past eexperiencesdon’t dictate future results. Instead, Andy gives us the very tools he uses to challenge what we THINK we know, and see things differently. Often times, that’s all it takes to reduce the stress and increase the likelihood that we’ll see something useful.

A GREAT tool comes with the advice he shares on page 24: “…asking your contact for an agenda instead of bringing your own.” Now, I might add to BRING your own, but be sure that the person you’re meeting with ALSO has done her or his homework in relation to meeting with you. Since reading this book, I’ve included the following note in EVERY meeting conversation I’ve sent:

“Is there anything you know you’d like me to bring to our conversation? Also, will you please write just two or three bullet points to let me know what you’re looking forward to - or concerned with - discussion? Thanks!”

That one note has paid off over and over again. The people I’m meeting with tell me that they appreciated how it seems like I value their time.

Dangerous Assumptions

3. What industry are you in? And, as you look to the future you’re building for yourself, where do you need to Challenge Your Assumptions? As you read through the “Dangerous Assumptions Database,” you’re sure to see a section that jumps off the page. Let me share just a few that stood out to me as an Executive Coach and Keynote Speaker at conferences:

Marketing and Sales
+ “I have a clear understanding of who the decision-maker is.”
+ “I understand my target audience completely.”

Leadership and Management
+ “I seem to be the only one worrying about the issues.”
+ “The strategy is clear to me. It’s my teams who don’t get it.”

Failure
+ “Let someone else make the decision and be wrong.”
+ “A public failure in my organization will haunt my career forever.”

Public Relations
+ “If I get written up in The New York Times, I’ll have it made.”
+ “There is no one like us.”

Bottom line: Get this book, start reading it and challenge what you think you know to be true. Out there in the field, there’s a rock to turn over and see SOMETHING about your work - and possibly your life - anew. Go, challenge yourself!

Portland, Oregon: Federal Executive Board training “Secrets of a More Productive Day”

If there were a handful of secrets - great advice that is tried and true - that would make it easier for you to have better days, when would you want to know?

Thank You For Attending!

For those of you were there, it was a distinct honor and privilege to share my 45th birthday with you all, outlining the practical tactics and techniques Jodi and I know will help you move from where you are…

…toward where you want to be.

More than just a seminar on adding reminders to your calendar or making more to do lists, we see this workshop as offering leaders like you a beacon of hope. Keep reading, here’s some “extra” for you, beginning with the Slide Deck (and a video embedded) for you.

Slide Deck

Sure, you can click slide-by-slide through that deck above, and below a few more resources for you by topic. Remember, by attending the workshop - “Secrets of a More Productive and Fulfilling Day” - you gain immediate access to a full 15-day FREE membership to the Get Momentum Leadership Academy.

Click here to start your membership at no charge for 15 days. (That is where you access the Microsoft® Outlook® Dashboard information as well as learn how to Use Your iPhone better. DO share that link with anyone who’d like to learn with you!)

How to Manage Time:

Catch up OR get ahead.

At the end of most days, do you feel further behind?

“Too much to do, and not enough time to do it all…”

THAT is the battle cry of managers today, describing their work-life experience. Now, there isn’t a magical land of “work/life balance.” Every task will either get you closer to caught up OR that task can get you ahead.

96 X 15 minutes = 24 hours

15 minutes…It’s about 1% of your day. A one-hour meeting: there goes 4%. 90-minute commute: 6%. 8-hour training class: 32%. If you have ever tried to “manage time” you know that at the end of an hour that the hour is gone. To get the most from the time you have, start thinking about the “focus line.”

That is, the duration that you can hold your attention on one task/problem/ project with minimal distractions and maximum productivity.

 

 

Manage Interruptions:

Can you interrupt them less?

When it comes to getting things done, the most important resource you have at your disposal is NOT time… It your “focus.” The ability to sit down and work on ONE thing for 5 or 15 or even 30 minutes is a rare occurrence these days.

“Do you have a minute?”

The most popular reason people interrupt you as much as they do is: They do not have a system to hold on to something to tell you until later. And the reason people email you so much: They think about something and assume they have to do it right now.

If you give your colleagues the gift of THEIR own attention, you just might find you, too, are getting things done more efficiently and more effectively.

Be At Your Best…Better:

When you know…

Do you know THE superpower that is as important as Superman’s x-ray vision or Wonder Woman’s truth-lasso? Knowing when you’re at your best is crucial to your success as a leader, a colleague, and an individual contributor. It is equivalent to speaking a 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) language; you can call on this knowledge when you need it.

When It’s Important to Be At Your Best

When it’s time to be productive, it’s too late to get ready. You need to have done the work necessary to be ready. Building your own Personal Productivity statements of “At My Best When” make it possible (and much more likely) that you’ll make a positive and proactive difference at work and in your life.

 

Be Productive With Technology:

“I didn’t know it could…”

Think about when you drive behind someone and think, “They really don’t know what they’re doing.” As you watch them, you have ideas about how they could be doing it better. Well, the same thing happens if and when someone watches you work. Especially if you work with tools like email, word processing or presentation software. Let someone watch you work for a half-an- hour, and they will find ways you could be “doing it better.”

  • Efficient: Get Things Done
  • Effective: Get Things Done WELL
  • Engaged: Get Things Done that MATTER

Your tools could help you do more of the things that make a positive difference to your work and in your life.

Manage Meetings More Effectively:

Where did the time go?

There are 168 hours in a week and chances are you spend about 50 of those working. Now, how many of those hours do you spend in meetings? As much as you might complain about having to be in meetings, they are a reality of business. People meet, they talk, they make decisions, they check project status.

“Are we halfway done, now that we’re halfway done?”

If a meeting lasts an hour, you’ll want to set a timer for 30 minutes as soon as you start. When the timer rings, check your agenda list of items to discuss. By now, half the time is gone, have you talked and made decisions about half of the items on that list? If a meeting lasts for 30 minutes, set a timer for 15 minutes. If in a day-long planning session, time-block in sections of 2 hours max.

Now, how else can Jodi and I help you? Remember, we’ve brought this work to military bases, schools and churches and even the White House (in November of 2016).

Would you like us to come and share any of this life-changing information with your department or at your organization?

Do you plan an annual conference we can speak at?

Let us know! Click the More tab above, and choose Contact Us.

* BONUS stuff (email me, ask me for specifics, and I’ll post them here!)

Advanced Time Management (Get Momentum course)

Take the Self-Assessment here to find out where you’re losing the most time, and what to do about it next!

Lotus Notes Dashboard

If you use Lotus Notes, click here and download this PDF. Better, print a copy for everyone on your team and watch your productivity soar (and time wasted drop!).

gMail (gCal and GoogleApps) Info

This will FIRST be rolled out to Get Momentum members. So, join! (Hint Hint!)

TRO - Transactions / Relationships / Opportunities

Infographic - click here

Questions to ask during discussions - click here

Workbook (handout from the training)

Want a fresh version of the workbook? click here

 

Thank you for the opportunity to serve your community, Portland! Let us know! Click the More tab above, and choose Contact Us.

 

 

3 reasons to take that class (3-minute video)

What are you bringing to the table?

Given the opportunity, every one of you would want to do a little bit better. How do I know? Easy, you’re still reading this post! The question you’re asking yourself - most likely - is something like: “How, when I’m already as busy as I am, will I ever find time to be better?”

  • A better leader.
  • A better friend.
  • A better parent.
  • A better spouse.

Well, that is exactly why we suggest you take courses.

Now, if your organization sponsors classes you can attend please register for them. If you find course you’d like to take, figure out a way to get that day/time off, and go! I can give you at least three reasons why in this video; just click the play button to get started (it’s 2 minutes and 28 seconds long…).

 

In all of our work, we suggest you take a FOUR stage approach to improving your professional (and personal) skills. It’s easy to remember them with the acronym: IDeA. Before you read what each letter represents, open a notebook to a fresh page and on top write the name of either (1) a PROJECT you want to start, or (2) a CHANGE you want to make. Ok, are you ready?

IDeA

I: Identify: be specific about the project to start or the change to make. Clarify not just WHAT you want to do, but why you want to do it. Author and TEDx speaker Simon Sinek wrote a book titled “Start With Why.” I remember listening to his TEDx speech thinking, “This is really, really important!”

D: Develop strategies to engage in specific actions and techniques to direct your professional improvement and personal development. The easiest way I know of to do this is to surround yourself with and by other people who have similar goals as you. Personally, I get ideas on how to work out when I’m at the gym with other people who work out. I get ideas about how to be a good husband when I’m out in an environment where other couples are treating each other well. I get ideas… you get it.

e: experiment by planning for and taking actions that generate bursts of momentum. (The e is small on purpose… it just takes a bit of experimenting to know if you’re on the right track.)

A: Assess the value the effort has created. In every course I teach for the United States Air Force - USAF - we schedule time to DEBRIEF the mission. Sure, my missions are not to fly airplanes or maintain bases, but that doesn’t let me off the hook. Every course I teach, every PPT deck I build, every article I publish gets a full assessment. Think about what YOU can look at that you’ve done over the past 3-6 months and ask, “What can I learn from this?”

As YOU think about your themes for the coming year (or, even the next 3 months) ask yourself how YOU will be better.

Please…Join us!

Questions: the breakfast of champions

Change. It happens to you, or you drive it. Often, you get to choose!

I clearly remember a coaching session with the CEO of an online service provider invoicing his clients +600K per year.

The topic of our meeting was a debrief of lessons-learned after the day he problem-solved two separate teams managing through a crisis [server-side coding error] that negatively impacted a client.

He told me that TWO questions made it possible for him to focus in and solve the problem with less stress and more efficacy:

Instead of just telling you what those questions are, I’ll ask you to answer these TWO questions:

  1. “How did you start your day today?”
  2. “How will you decide you’re done for the day?”

For more than 17 years I have I facilitated discussions for leaders (click here) on workplace productivity and performance. Over and over again, I follow up with EVERY person who emails me for 5 days and I ask the SAME question:

“How did you start your day?”

If they answer that email, I’ll follow it up a few hours later and ask:

“How did how you STARTED your day impact the next few hours?”

Are you ready? Add a question or two to YOUR calendar, and see what happens!