Organizing for success-2

Chapter 5 Apply the veggie principle

a "veggie" is a task, activity, or project that's good for you and your career or personal life but that you have a hard time "eating," or doing first.

At work, I start with the most difficult task that has the highest payoff in the morning

You're more focused

you have more energy (because that caffeine just kicked it)

Studies show that your veggies will take less time in the morning (because for more population the morning is their best energy cycle)

Your day will flow more smoothly ( because you got them out of the way)

You will make fewer mistakes (because you're more focused)

you will have more confidence and feel great.  Didnt you feel like you could handle anything after that?

Friday afternoon is one of the least productive times of the week...its the perfect time  to "reload" for next week. Not only plan next week, but also delete emails, throw away paper, file, and clean off our desk. Get ready for the big push on Monday.

I used to fly by the seat of my pants. It wasn't until I added structure to my day that I rreally increase my discipline and what I accomplished

8-8:15	When you check email and voice mail first, only look for veggies. Com0pare the emails and phone messages first thing in the morning to the veggies you already have scheduled from the night before. If you see any veggies, complete them, add the others to your list, close email, put the phone on voice mail, and jump into your list.
8:15-9:15	Work on your biggest veggie, or important task. This slot is one hour. Try to defer any interruptions that come your way during this hour.
9:15-10:15	Complete your veggie and check email, listen to voice mail, and allow interruptions. Look for the veggies and respond to them as quickly as possible. Allow sixty minutes to complete as many request as possible.
10:15-11:15	As soon as you are done, close your email, put the phone back on voice mail, and try to defer interruptions for the next short block of time. Go to the second biggest veggie. Try to work on it for 60 minutes
11:15-11:30	After you finish veggie #2, return lower priority emails and phone calls. Get back under control before you go to lunch. You will notice that people are very quick with you during this time slot.
11: 30-12:15	PM schedule in a lunch break so you stay fresh for the afternoon. Remember, don’t work and eat at the same time.

start your morning the night before

think of all tasks that you could do  the night before to make the morning easier and more toutine

select what you're going to wear tomorrow; iron it ahead of time

if you have children, prepare and pack their lunches that night

set the timer on the coffeepot

put the items you are going to take to  work by the door.

make sure your car has gas

Batch like items

Do you jump from task to task all day long? Does it seem difficult to get anything finished?

The best way to leave work at work is to organize for tomorrow before you leave work at the end of the day. Many people say they feel out of control when they leave work at the end of the day. There are so many unresolved issues and tasks. Spend he last 10-15 minutes updating your Master List and putting your files away. It's necessary to leave every night with a clean desk. It's very hard to get off to a fast start the next morning when you come in and the top of your desk looks like a tornado hit it. By cleaning your mind and desk before you leave work, you will greatly reduce the chances you will be thinking about work all night.

Don't Overplan

Start your morning the night before
Chapter7. Finding more time in a day

The law of subtraction

If you are currently leaving work each night at 7 PM. and you want to be able to leave on time, say 5 PM., you have to figure out a way to eliminate two hours' worth of activities. You won't find all two hours in one place. It will be more like five minutes here and ten minutes there. When you add it all up, it can be two hours or more.

This was difficult for me to do at first because I was already successful. But the real question should be "Do you want to stay until 7p.m. every night or do you want to go home and have a personal life?" My mission statement is that I want to watch my two small children grow up. That caused me to make some difficult choices. I had to value my time at work more. I had to look for ways to organize and control myself and my day more effectively; otherwise, I'd never get out of work on time.

If, in the back of your mind, you tell yourself you can always fall back on 5 to 7 pm, how can you create a sense of urgency? The answer is, you can't. Every Friday, when I reviewed what I had done that week. I accomplished a little more in less time. After a year, my life was much different. The key is that you must be willing to embrace change and look for opportunity to save time.

Here are some tools you can use:

Your Timekeeping Journal 

You Master List and Daily List

Typical fires (interruptions and unplanned events/tasks)

As you look at each activity that shows up in your journal or on your list, ask them two questions:

Was working on that task the best use of my time?

Was I doing the right task at the right time?

When you review your journal:

which activities could be eliminated?

which activities could I reduce the length of time spent on?

Which activities could I have delegated?

Which activities could I have batched with other similar ones?

Chapter 8. Control your desk

A clear desktop reduces the likelihood of self-interruptions; but when our desks are cluttered, we lose focus. On the average, 45 minutes are lost everyday hunting for information (paper) on and in our desks.

Many people are afraid that a file out-of-sight is a file out-of-mind. But if you want to add focus to your work habits, try to only have one file open on your desk at a time. This way, there aren't any other files on your desk to distract you.

Many people use the top of their desk as their to-do list. In fact many times their piles actually have names. Remember, though, that you won't take those piles off your desk until two things happen:

Have a clock visible

When the phone rings, look at the clock and it helps to keep the call short and focused

When I check and respond to e-mail

when people walk into my office 

set up specific times to work on my veggies and fires

to get the majority of work done before noon

to leave work on time

Remove the future and past from your desk file

Set up your working files:

Chapter 9. Manage, control, and write  more effective email

in the first time slot each day, you are only looking for email veggies that have a specific deadline to be done today and their importance is explained

Tell people if they have a time-sensitive question or request that needs attention sooner than one hour, they should call you instead.

Don't use your in-box as your to-do list

At the end of every day and on Friday afternoons, file, delete, and/or archive messages to keep your in-box under control.

If you mus forward a message, give instructions

Put your comments at the top in the subject line or first paragraph. This will save the reader time. "FYI" doesn't really tell the reader anything. A brief comment will take less than thirty seconds and could save each reader hours.

Rules for using email rather than the phone:

Email is for information; the telephone is for discussion

need only information/need an immediate response
provides a written backup/need to ask questions

some respond faster to email/want to hear someone's voice

multiple people can receive it/privacy

Write email that gets results and save time:

The fastest  wa to speed up responses to your email is to improve your subject line.Use it to tell the reader what your email is about. Dont use it to announce the topic. Make them curious about your email. Make your subject line stand out in his or her in box. All readers want to know:

Why did I get this email?

what do I have to do, if anything

when do you need it?

To create the urgency, move the deadline into the subject line.

A reader's first impression when he or she opens your message is the most important. If it looks complicated and difficult to read and/or understand, he or she will often close it.

What the purpose of your letter or email?

Are you trying to persuade, inform, ask/respond to a question, or thank someone?

Have one key point or issue per message

Other suggestions:

Keep your first paraphraph short

put the action you want the reader to take in the first paragraph

Always try to finish your message with a dealine for the reader and a reason why they need to respond by your deadline

keep the tone of your message positive

Chapter 12 Delegation that empowers

10 steps

when delegating, the most important thing to remember is to put it in writing. This eliminates misunderstanding, improves communication, helps you track the task you delegated, and improve the chances the task will be done correctly and on time. If you delegate a lot, keep a notebook. Loophole will be gone

write down:

the date you assigned the task

who you assigned it to

a clear description of the task and your expectations

a review and due date

notes from your discussion

Identify tasks you can delegate

Remember, not everything you do can be delegated. Also, not that you will run out and do this,

1. Identify tasks you an delegate

but don't try to delegate everything at once. Develop a plan and timetable for delegating tasks. DIscuss with your subordinates, and check for interest level. 

What not to delegate

poorly defined tasks or projects where there's a high risk of failure

tasks or projects that require management involvement or decision-making authority

Choose the right person for the job

If you choose the person, tell why you chose him or her for the task. Make sure the person has adequate skills, knowledge, and interest to do the job. A common question I hear all the time is " how do you delegate so it doesn't seem like your are dumping? This tip will usually eliminate the feeling...

Be sensitive to his or her feelings. Show your appreciation...

Adjust your expectations to the person's abilities

IF the person has a question, make him or her write it down before coming to you. It will make him or her ore focused. 

Try starting with smaller tasks and build up, increasing the person's confidence

3 define the project, desired results, and expectations

Be sure to set aside uninterrupted time with the person you delegate to so you can explain the task and make sure he or she knows what's expected. Don't assume that he or she knows how to do something. Don't end the meeting without full agreement that he or she completely understand all aspects of the task. Make the task seem important, or it may get put off.

Tip: give your direct reports an example of how you do the task, report, or project so they can follow the same format.

4 establish the starting and ending times

Make sure you are very specific about when you want them to start, when you will be reviewing their progress, and the deadline for the task or project. Get them to put it on their calendar right away. You will write the task and designee in your logbook, along with a follwup date on your Master list

Tip: give sufficient time

5. Agree on a review time and dont hover

If you delegate a task on Monday and its due on Friday, set up a review time on Wednesday. This will give you time to make adjustments, let them work on it alone, ensure that task is a success, and increase their confidence.

6. Make sure they have proper training

the number one reason why delegation often fails is the person delegating doesn't have time to train the designee. Make the time to train! They will get it right the first time

7. Give the necessary authority

send an email message in advance on behalf of your designee to those whose cooperation will be needed so things will run more smoothly

8. If possible, delegate the whole task

 Be supportive, they will feel like they are a more important part of the team

9 Share the spotlight and give feedback that encourages

give them the credit

10 Accept that others can do the project as well and learn efficient way

tip: even though you delegate the task or project, you must supervise it throughout its completion. You don't want to micromanage, but you do want to follow the project or task.

CHapter 13Planning an effective meeting

Why is it that those who have something to say cant say it, while those who have nothing to say keep saying it?

3 types of meetings

informational 

decision making or problem solving

brainstorming

Do you really need to schedule this meeting?

Many times people choose the wrong communication vehicles to achieve their goals, for example:

They choose-instant Messaging or send emails back and forth every few minutes, when they should have schedule a meeting

They schedule a meeting or conference call to keep everyone updated (no discussion) when they should have sent an email

Have an agenda and distribute it early

state clear objectives

the more detail you give, the more focused the meeting will be and everyone will be on the same page before the meeting starts, not after!

Write the purpose or objective of your meeting on the whiteboard so participants will see it when they walk in and throughout the meeting. Also mention it at the beginning of your meeting.

Limit the objective

short, to-the-point meetings are the most effective. They will remember you positively when deciding whether to come the next time you scheudle a meeting

Bring up items from the last meeting first

Discuss the action items from the last meeting first.. folw up will make people pay attention at the meeting.

Organize your Agenda and meeting this way

1/6 of the meeting should cover your introduction and minutes format he last meeting

4/6 cover the items on your agenda

1/6 put closure by summing up the meeting, going over action items for the next meeting, and setting up a date and time for the next meeting

Cover the most important issues first

Cover only the topics on the agenda

tip: if other issues  come up, write them down on the flip chart, and if there is time at the end of the meeting

lose the door and begin at the specified time let latecomers know it is not ok to be late

Give assignments to participants

leader:

note taker

timer:

observer

door person

meeting survey taker

Get people involved in your meeting as quickly as you can by asking them to share somehting like their name, their position, or what they are responsible for talking about at the meeting. This gets the participants engaged and males the meeting more interesting for everyone

Keep minutes

IF you don't keep it...chances of action items being completed by the next meeting are very poor

make a list of the participants before the meeting

write up and distribute the minutes right after the meeting

Tips

send out a reminder before it starts

make sure everyone shares

use