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Creating and Guarding Your Environment
By · CommentsToo many times in the past I’ve let my environment spiral out of control.
Too many times in the past I’ve failed to create and guard a good environment once it’s established.
I noticed these concepts this week after making a few quick adjustments to our home. We made the home office more of an office and the upstairs extra bedroom a full fledged study.
The office has every thing one needs to conduct business. I can keep records, concentrate on work, print, file and do everything else I need to do in running a business. However, it didn’t help me rise early and devote a few hours to working on me each morning. I like to get up and do a little writing, studying, motivational reading, bible study and prayer each morning. The home office is in the basement with dim lighting and no natural light since there is only one small window. It works great if I’m making a call, working on a customer’s project, doing my accounting or preparing a proposal.
Of course some of these are all things I can do from a coffee shop with wireless. The basement home office didn’t work so well as a study. I never wanted to walk two flights of stairs in the morning. I wake like a bear who’s been in hibernation. I would find myself going to a different room daily or sleeping later than I wished. The problem? I had not created a good environment so I could trick myself into going there long enough to form a habit.
Since we had an extra room (however you could do this in separate corners of a one room-which is what I’d rather have anyway) we turned it into a study. It’s quite simple. There is a desk with nothing in it or on it except a lamp. There are two book shelves. The first holds books that I’ve read or use for reference. The second shelf holds books I’m reading or studying currently. There is good lighting and some natural light from the vaulted window. There are some inspirational pictures and awards on the wall and a simple little white board to record my thoughts early in the morning or late at night. That’s when I have some of the best ideas. Oh yeah and there’s a comfortable office chair.
Now I’m motivated to rise early again. I can walk right down the hall with no distractions. I can kick off the day the way I like.
- Is everything in your environment serving it’s purpose?
- Is everything in your home or office being utilized efficiently?
- If not then get rid of it or put it into practical use.
- Create a good environment- I think it’s easier and more effective than making yourself do something you’re not inclined to do.
Perfect Example of Parkinson’s Law
By · CommentsTim Ferris often writes and talks about Parkinson’s law. Basically it says that a task or project will contract or expand to the amount of time you allocate for it. I believed it was true based on some simple examples in my own life and through reading about others who had more complex examples.
Well the principle is true and let me tell you why. Not that I had any real doubt before, but doing something and saying something are worlds apart.
The example: tax preparation.
My CPA sends a letter that basically says hey your stuff is due March 23rd. Problem-I am leaving for a short mini vacation with the family. A long overdue one. I don’t really have a choice because even if we file an extension the books need updated and the docs organized so an attempt to estimate payments can be made. Bummer- I thought I could sign a form and procrastinate this mammoth project until I came home. In the past few months I had estimated that this project, which I’ll explain below, would take two weeks solid. My wife never totally believed me and turns out she was both right and wrong.
Now let me paint the picture. I started my business in the fall of 2007. I didn’t have much in the way of banking statements or financials in 2007. It was mainly start-up stuff. In 2008, I had a credit card and a business checking account and all the transactions which go with them. I used Quickbooks but not properly. I knew I was balanced through my online banking and register, but I failed to enter all credit card receipts and reconcile them. The same went for bank statements. My CPA told me that it had to be done. Wow-18 months of credit card receipts and bank transactions to reconcile! Then gathering personal tax records (that part was easier as we have a system for organizing them throughout the year), and putting it all together for delivery.
I started at 7PM while watching my favorite basketball team lose in the NIT. Not exactly motivating stuff. I knew that at 9AM we were leaving for Gatlinburg, TN. I had others thing to do as well like packing. This was much easier because we live a simple and organized life, but still it amazed me that it was possible. I starting sorting all the receipts based on credit card or business checking account. I then clipped them together based on the month. All 18 of them. I went back and entered any missing transactions from bank statements, alternating the credit card statements as well. I did this all night and into the morning. I reconciled each statement as I went. I kept 2007 separate from 2008 and from 2009 for filing and tax purposes. To my amazement everything balanced. I backed everything up to a flash drive and looked at the clock-6AM.
I spent the next two hours organizing personal schedule C, D and normal deductions like charitable, medical, etc. I packed and attended to other tasks. I pulled all this together in a package and we delivered it to the CPA firm on the way. A sorry goes out to my in-laws as we did add about an hour to the commute.
So does Parkinson’s Law work? Remember when I said my wife was both right and wrong, well she was. If I had tackled this over a few weeks it would have taken a few weeks or longer. Giving myself no other options but to finish it between 7PM and 9AM, I finished it and I feel like it was a better output as well.
No, I did not drive on the trip and got some good sleep the next few nights. I’ll take that trade-off. No I’m not recommending you batch your accounting annually either- maybe monthly.
Don’t really believe whether a principle works- stop talking about it and try it!
Organizing for Less Stress
By · CommentsRecently, I was presented with the opportunity to conduct a workshop on organization (one of my passions obviously) at Lowe Chiropractic and Wellness. I had a few weeks to prepare for the topic “Organizing for Less Stress”. The topic made me rethink why I promote organization and productivity.
Why get organized? I came up with 4 big reasons.
- Free Your Mind for Creativity
- Free Your Calendar for Opportunities
- Free Your Life for the Important
- Free Your Home for the Essential
Second Question- How to get organized?
I broke it down into 3 areas which you can start working on today.
This is a simplistic cliff notes version, but it may be just enough to get you to act and not enough to overwhelm you into inaction.
Your Physical Space
Physical clutter leads to Mental clutter so use the Sort, Purge, Assign, Containerize, Assess system to rid your home, office, business and life of clutter.
Once you have removed the debris and cloudiness from your life, put things back in their home when you’re finished using them. If you fail here, you’ll be back at the previous step far too often. These two steps will renew your focus like you would not believe.
The label maker is your friend. Don’t rely on your memory. Label things to make them easier to locate.
When creating habits centered around your new found organization, do not lie to yourself and break commitments with yourself continually. When you break your word to yourself you’re putting yet another obstacle between you and a changed habit.
Getting Things Done
Learn how to master ubiquitous capture made famous by David Allen’s GTD book and training. Instead of letting thoughts, ideas, tasks, notes and projects fester in your mind, or even worse losing some of them; capture these thoughts in a system- preferably the GTD system. Get those open loops out of your head. They are holding you in bondage anyway.
Implement the someday/maybe tickler system. For example:
- Someday/Maybe books to read
- Someday/Maybe trips to take
- Someday/Maybe advertising options
- Someday/Maybe events to attend
Don’t let these someday/maybes hog the space that belongs to your next most important actions or your key project lists and plans. Keep them in their own little system and review then as part of your weekly review.Use physical file folder, use Backpack or use a simple text file; the tool doesn’t matter as much as the system itself.
Use the inbox zero philospophy taught here.
Do the aforementioned weekly review. Take 2-4 hours each week and scan every placeholder or collection bucket in your system. Follow David Allen’s flowchart in his book. You’ll have to buy it or visit his website to see if it’s referenced there.
Productivity Techniques
Pareto Principle- apply the 80/20 rule liberally to your life, home and business. It’s a great liberator.
Batching-let those routine tasks with high startup times accumulate and do them at a set time.
Parkinson’s Law-a task or project will contract or expand based on the amount of time you allow for it. Put this to work for you by planning time and projects tightly.
Elimination- say no and get rid of more stuff.
Outsourcing- find ways to delegate some of what you do to others for less per hour. Virtual assistants and outsourcing services come to mind.
Routine-makes somethings part of a daily, weekly or monthly routine. Similar to batching yet different. The credits here go to the 4 hour workweek.
Organization is liberating
By · CommentsWould you like to be able to move quickly on business decisions?
Would you like the be nimble enough to adapt to the ever changing marketplace?
Can you find the documents or files you need for the upcoming meeting?
Does your stuff work the way it’s supposed to?
Are you focused on the 20% or are you wasting time with the 80%?
Do you capture thoughts, tasks, projects, ideas, some-days, routine checklists and delegated to do’s in one place where you can review it, schedule it for action and check it done?
Do you have a mechanism for filtering information online and organizing it for it’s retrieval when you need it?
Do your customers receive service that makes them advocates?
Do you avoid duplication in your efforts when shopping, running errands or even talking on the phone?
Is your email box at zero?
Do you task switch 50 times per day and wonder why nothing you do is remarkable?
Get organized, it’s liberating.
