Archive for September, 2008
How Transitions Can Dramatically Improve Your Productivity
You may swig down your coffee between emails, trying to get all your tasks done, but you still can’t keep up with all your work. This hyper-active pace creates productivity gaps.
Instead of smooth transitions from one task to the next you are probably jumping around like a caffeinated dog. I’ve seen my friend’s dog drunk on coffee and it isn’t pretty.
You’re missing out on a vital need.
The time to process your thoughts from the previous task to the current one. Sure you’re getting your work done, but how do you feel at the end of the day? Do you feel energized to hang out with friends and family?
Our brains are sponges constantly soaking up information, but we need to take the time to squeeze it out every once in awhile (well, it really should be all the time) to keep ourselves healthy. Burn-out wastes more of company money than vacations. Actually people need to take more vacations in America because we are over worked. When employees take time off they are able to shake out the emotional crap that builds up throughout the year. When they come back to work they have new ideas that they can’t wait to share with their co-workers. Well…not everyone, but the ones that enjoy their job.
Wring Out Your Brain More Often
All the information builds up and like any memory drive it needs to be cleaned out or it can’t run efficiently. 
When you just go, go, go until you just can’t “go” any longer then it’s time to squeeze that brain out by giving it a break.
A break is always good for your health, but most of us only take short breaks in the morning and afternoon. This isn’t enough. And most of the time we are so busy worrying about work that it doesn’t even feel like a break. You need to take the time to process the emotional data that had built up over the past couple of hours.
To take an actual break that leaves you refreshed, you should take small breaks between tasks. When you finish an email, give yourself one minute to process and set up your next task. I usually make a mental note, but you may want to make a physical note when you first start (I’ll explain in the 4 step process).
My 4 Step Process to More Motivation and Less Stress
Step 1: When you finish an email then it’s time to take a moment to let out a breath. By actually being aware of this out breath you are taking the transition by the horns. This allows you to process the email then think of what you need to do next.
Step 2: Let’s say you need to edit a three page report next. Lean back in your chair, get up and do a stretch or just take a moment to let your thoughts settle. If you need to look busy because you work in a cubicle (I’ve been there), then write down what you will do next on a little Post-it note or create a small list on your computer. This keeps you looking busy while allowing yourself to relax your mind.
Step 3: Before you dive back in to the next task I suggest a ten second inner dialog. Tell yourself what you want to accomplish in this next task and how long you expect it to take. This helps create mental leverage.
Step 4: Then right before you start, notice how you feel before you begin your next task. This last step is most important. Why? Because it reinforces the good that you do when you take time to process, relax and set yourself up for your next task. The only way to change a bad habit and replace it with a good one is to show yourself that the new one is worth doing. If you do this once an hour, that’s only eight minutes in an eight hour work day. We can all spare eight minutes to reduce our stress and improve our productivity.
Results: Taking the time to transition between tasks will keep your motivation high and your brain functioning at an optimal level. This small reoccurring gift to yourself will allow you to relax on your breaks and during lunch. And when you get home you won’t feel as tired. This is the best part. My wife has seen such a difference in my attitude, she asked me if something changed at work.
I smiled and replied, “Yep, me.”
You have the ability to make work fit into your natural rhythms. It will take a little pig-headed determination and discipline, but believe me once it becomes a habit you won’t ever go back to rushing through your work. If you encounter any problems, just let me know in the comment section and I’ll help you find your own way to improve your happiness and productivity.
Do you have a routine that you use to transition between tasks? Let’s discuss in the comments. You probably have another idea that could help people enjoy their job just a little more.
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Image courtesy of Carplips Family and jj judes
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My Work Happiness Week in Review – Grand Plans, Aha, and ACL
My week was filled with interactions with co-workers and customers. It’s a part of my job that I will miss. I’m not going to stay at my job forever and when I do leave, I’m going to miss them. (No job lined up yet, if any of my co-workers are reading this.) I’m going to miss the jokes that only co-workers laugh at. The smiles that come so easily.
I had a conversation with a co-worker about the creativity in plants. I know it sounds cool: here is how it went…
Blond Haired Texan (Him): Man, this plant needs some water.
Me: Isn’t it amazing how they find a way to stay alive even when we neglect them for weeks at a time.
Him: Yeah, look at this one. The soil is bone dry, but yet the leaves are green.
Me: Such creativity to stay alive.
Him: I never thought of it that way, but yeah. Any way they can keep it going.
Grand Plans
I’ve got grand plans for “Work Happy Now” and I plan to build some ideas on this website and launch some cool programs. I wanted to give you some of these by now, but I’m still working through some issues. Getting things done (GTD) issues.
The next year will be an exciting time for me. I’m still unable to GTD, but I’m working on these weaknesses. Fear plays a big role in this, but that’s for another post. This post is positive and upbeat.
Keep an eye out for an ebook and a secret product that I’m not ready to announce. All I can say is my heart picks up a beat just thinking about the possibilities.
Communication People!
My wife had a snafu at her job. Communication breakdown. This happens at every job. I wasn’t surprised, but the conflict never would have happened if they would have talked about their intentions. It was resolved quite painlessly, but there was no need for pain.
Co-workers need to convey their choices before they make them. If a decision needs to be made then inform the person why it was made.
Keep people in the loop.
It’s not too much to ask. It’s a courtesy that managers should extend to their employees.
Aha!
I’ve been reading “The Fluent Self” from Havi Brooks. An interesting take on dealing with patterns that hurt us.
She wrote about becoming friends with our feelings. As if they are there just talking to us, telling us what’s really wrong.
It was an “aha!” moment for me. I ignore my feelings (typical guy) and try to detach. Havi talks about giving those feelings a big hug and saying it’s okay to feel this way, let’s work on this together.
Go check out her blog and give a read, you won’t regret it.
ACL Music Festival
I have an awesome friend who arrived for ACL. My wife, friend and I are all going to hang out and listen to music all weekend. (The first day of the show, yesterday, was awesome.) My friend is also going to help me to create my first podcast. I don’t know how it will turn out; hopefully not as boring as my video. He, he. Hey, I tried.
I’m trying to add more creativity to this site, so you can get more of that work happiness that we all need.
If you are coming to Austin for the 100+ bands, but don’t know where to go at night or just want to get together for a beer just shoot me an email and we’ll meet up. If you are already in Austin then we can still meet. I just wanted to be a good host and help the out of towners.
Another great week of working…What was your favorite part? Any good business deals or good laughs with a co-worker? Let us know in the comment section. We want to share in the fun.
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Image courtesy of Oberto
Pig-Headed Determination and Discipline
I read a fantastic book, The Ultimate Sales Machine, that every salesperson should read. Forget that, every person should read this book.
We are all sales people, whether we are selling ourselves to our boss, or telling someone about the latest Apple product that we absolutely love. We are constantly influencing people whether we like to admit it or not.
Chet Holmes, the author, makes sure that he honestly sets up his sales people’s expectations. He tells his staff that they will be rejected on average 8 times before they get a yes. Let’s say your first sale is beginner’s luck and you get it on the first try. The next client may take 16 calls before they decide that your service is for them. The next one might take 5 calls and the one after that might take 11. Some clients may take 20 calls before they agree. This is a lot of rejection before sales start really rolling in. Chet makes sure that his sales people understand that it’s all a part of the process, so they don’t take it personally.
Specific Expectations
When a company creates specific expectations, employees are more willing to put in the effort to meet these needs. At most of my past jobs, it was all about flying by the seat of my pants.
I didn’t know whether calling a client to gather more information was good or bad. I just did it and hoped it went over well. Too many choices strangle an employee’s motivation.
Self-Discipline
Chet reiterates throughout his book the value of pig-headed determination and discipline. If the employee stops meeting expectations, you can sit down and point out what you first discussed when they were hired and do this again and again, until they grasp the importance of your system. If they can’t grasp it, you know what to do.
I used to hate Excel. I thought it was too rigid. That was until my boss showed me the error of my judgments. He believed in consistency. We creative types hate inflexibility. At first my Excel sheets were a mess. My boss showed me how to set them up the same way every time. Eventually I started formatting the Excel reports exactly the way he wanted. My boss was right. It saved me time and energy because I could go back to any report and know exactly where my information was. I didn’t have to search my tabs for ten minutes every time I looked for information within the report. I resented him at the time, but now I do my own reports like he wanted because he was right.
My boss never gave up on me and he knew that I would come around. He had the pig-headed determination and discipline to make me see his vision.
Determination
Never give up. You are going to be rejected for new jobs that you so desperately know you would be good at. You are going to be denied promotions. You are going to be deprived of new clients. Your success is all about not taking it personally and fighting through the “no’s.” It’s about trying every possible angle to scale the problems until you have enough strength and tools to get yourself to where you want to go.
Look in your recent past and remember a time when you were determined to succeed. How did it make you feel when you attained your goal?
It could be cooking a difficult dish or bringing your grade up from a C to an A. It was this determination that motivated you to make the difficulty a reality.
Workshops
Do you ask your girlfriend, brother, or mom to sit down with you and conduct a sample interview before a big interview? Good. You are trying to build the skills it takes to answer every possible question the right way to get the job. Believe me, there is a right way.
If someone asks you what your biggest weakness is and you answer… “I can’t help but steal office supplies, but I only steal the stuff that everyone already steals anyway.” Then guess what? You aren’t going to get the job. You have to be well prepared for every possible scenario.
That means workshopping every scenario. If you are in sales then workshop with a co-worker. Work together and refine those skills that help close a sale.
If you are in customer service then ask your boss to do a workshopping session with you every week for the next two months. Believe me, after you are done you’ll be leaving the customer with a smile almost every time.
You have to have the pig-headed determination and discipline to make good habits. Reading this article may put some good ideas in your head, but they aren’t going to stay there if you don’t practice them to help sharpen your skills.
What Does This have to do With Working Happy?
Having a career that challenges and stimulates your whole being is when pig-headed determination and discipline will be your most important attributes. To build the skills to create your own business or become a CEO of a Fortune 500 company you need to constantly work on your skills.
Working happy means optimizing your talents so you know what brings you and the people you are trying to reach the most value. A great painter like Picasso understood that he was meant to bring visual beauty to millions of people. It’s why Mother Teresa became a nun; if she could have been tested for empathy I bet that she would have been in the top 1% of all people ever born. She would have been a superstar in any charitable occupation she immersed herself in.
Without the passion to make your goals a success then you are floundering. I’ve never met a person who was happy with his or her career who floated around, never sticking with any one occupation. It’s your pig-headed determination and discipline that will help bring career happiness.
Have you ever been so pig-headed about something that you couldn’t help but succeed? What was it? Have you ever been so pig-headed that it hurt you? Let’s discuss it in the comments.
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Picasso image courtesy of wallyg
Imagination Isn’t Just for Kids
We tell our students, kids, nephews and nieces to use their imaginations to the max. If they get a little carried away we tell them that “it’s okay” that happens. As we get older we lose this connection because of social standards. There are exceptions like actors and other artists, but the rest of us are often locked down by our fear of being labeled “weird.” The weird guy in the office doesn’t get asked to join in on lunch.
Yep, that was me, but luckily I didn’t care and I won their hearts over. It was a boring lunch without me.
I’ve toned down my old ways and I’ve succumbed to social norms, but I’ve never given up my imagination. I refuse! Poetry, cartoons, and stories must come out or I become emotionally constipated. My wife has seen this happen to me and it ain’t pretty.
Conventional Vs Unconventional
I used to be the guy that danced on tables, asked the stranger at the bus stop what book they are currently reading and laughed during inappropriate moments. I wanted to be a poet, still am, but my passion has become more conventional - work happiness. I still do all those things, but only during appropriate moments. Hey, dancing on a table can really get a party going.
My imagination has refused to wither away. You shouldn’t forget the strength you can garner from your imagination. When I see an old man that reminds me of a friend I used to work with, old stories flood my brain and new stories too. I might imagine the old man ripping off his suit to expose his white glittered outfit then dancing like he just won the lottery.
It’s fun to let my imagination get carried away when I know that dancing on tables just won’t be tolerated by my boss. We all need internal and external stress relief; we must take advantage of any way we can obtain this. Stress relief is just a byproduct of an active imagination.
The real reason I want you to use your imagination is for your career. Only the “core you” can truly know if you are happy with your current situation. Every job I’ve held in the past eventually bored me. It was my fault. I let myself become complacent. I was so comfortable that I stopped taking risks. I stopped indulging my fantasies.
Challenge Your Routines
Never stop indulging your imagination, otherwise you’ll end up like the people that are boring, predictable and tired.
The older I get the more I want routine, but the “core me” still wants excitement and challenge. It’s why I started this website to challenge my thoughts, writing and ability to attract people to the work happy cause.
What are you doing to challenge yourself to new levels?
You may have just read that sentence and don’t feel like answering it, but it’s one that you should ponder. It’s the simple ability of letting your thoughts wander around in new directions.
Don’t stop using your imagination because you feel comfortable. Do you always take the same route to work or eat at the same place? Then it’s time to take a baby step and switch it up. This is the spark that many of you might need to unleash those creative thoughts. Don’t be afraid. Next time someone suggests a change, don’t just look for the negatives, encourage their thinking by playing off their idea suggest something even crazier like buying a new client a beer on the company.
Just remember how you felt when you were a kid. The excitement of a new path that no one had yet discovered. Tap into these feelings and give your career that creative boost to take you to a new level. You may not want to get that stressful new position, but I sure hope you want to get better at your job because that’s what will bring the fun back into your routine.
What was your most creative job? Was it your favorite job? Let’s continue the conversation in the comment section.
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Image courtesy of Rickydavid
Does Luck Play a Role at Your Job?
Do you get lucky at work? No, I don’t mean that. Some of you have such dirty minds that it shocks me. I mean lucky as in good fortune comes to you and it comes often.
I really do believe in the luck that most lottery players are hoping to have. I believe in making luck happen, although even lottery winners have to take action to win. No one is going to win the lottery sitting on their butt while watching TV. They too need to act. They need to get up off that couch and buy a hundred tickets and pray to the lottery Gods to be kind and gracious.
I’m talking about even more action than buying lottery tickets and praying. The only way to create your luck is to take such persistent action that the luck is bound to come. I’ve heard that a salesman must be rejected by a potential client between 8 and 16 times before they make a sale. At first it may seem like the whole world is against them, but they know that like a trickle of water can wear away stone, they too can wear down the client and show them how much their product can help their company.
Steve of Change Your Thoughts wrote a cool piece entitled, “7 Ways to Be more Lucky.” My favorite was #2 Taking Risks.
People who are lucky take more risks. This doesn’t mean they gamble their life savings on a Dallas Cowboys win. Risk -taking needs to be calculated - you should weigh your options, know what you can afford to lose and go for it. If it doesn’t work out, you go for it again with an improved plan of attack.
The people who succeed big take big risks. Bill Gates could have stayed at Harvard, earned a bad-ass degree and made a nice living, but he didn’t want nice. He wanted to create one of the greatest businesses of all time.
How have you been lucky in the recent past?
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Image courtesy of cloud_nine