I couldn't have said it any better. "When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority" said my client today as I was shadowing him in order to better understand his organization's work process and tailor our training programs accordingly. Shadowing is such an insightful exercise. It allows us to take a look at what is under the hood; the nuances that make each work environment unique. It is a great learning for everyone involved; the observer, the one being observed, and everyone around them.

Back to the priority overload

Priority overload seems to be a common complaint which we hear about often in our workshops. It is a complaint that we need to pay closer attention to!

Creating a priority (such as communicating that an issue is urgent or a task needs to be performed under a tight deadline) needs to be taken very seriously and exercised with utmost care. If not, and if too many priorities are created, and if they are reactive rather than strategic, the result is counterproductive if not even harmful. If this persists over time, it can lead to the team getting tired, then exhausted, then fatigued, resentful, and maybe rebellious. Then comes exodus!

By the way, priority overload need not be confused with changing priorities and with being flexible and responsive to changes in the marketplace. Priority overload is about having too many priorities to the detriment of being successful at any of them. Changing priorities on the other hand is part of being dynamic and responsive, but should also be considered carefully and strategically.

The key question: "What is the link?"

So how do we ensure that the priorities we are creating or changing are carefully selected and don't backfire? One practice that we stress in the Accomplishing More With Less Workshop is a simple but overlooked one, which is getting into the habit of asking the question "What is the link?" In other words, what is the link between this task, or this priority or project, and the end results that we are seeking? If the link is clear, we are good to go. If not, trouble is on its way and careful reassement is in order!

Managers and executives, beware!  And be strategic! And be attentive as to whether your team is already on the graph above!

This is one of the questions that Dr. Alicia Ruelaz asks in her book Is It ADHD or My iPhone? I am reading it right now, and finding it so insightful and applicable to today's modern life. I am also excited about having Dr. Ruelaz present at our lunch & learn webinar next week (Overcome ADD Symptoms to Achieve Breakthrough Productivity , on May 19), where she will tackle this issue and many others and give us some practical advice on how to overcome the symptoms.

The book starts with an actual quiz. Dr. Ruelaz indicates that the quiz does not replace the assessment done by a professional, but it would give you a head start and helps you determine if you need to take further steps, or if the symptoms are just symptoms of modern life! For many of us, it is modern life. I haven't facilitated a single workshop yet, where people listed many of these symptoms as challenges that they face in today's workplace.

The 7 symptoms include:

• Inner restlessness
• Impulsivity
• Decreased focus
• Lack of Follow-Through
• Emotional Ractivity
• Disorganization
• Social issues

Sound familiar?

The good outcome is that there are things (an abundance of things) that we can do to overcome these symptoms and challenges. Thank you Dr. Ruelaz.

I belong to this organization (its name to remain anonymous) and it was time to renew my membership recently. I was asked to fill out the membership application again (same application that we filled out last year). Being the productivity and efficiency evangelist that I am, I couldn’t “digest” that request very well. So I objected and questioned why we would be asked to submit the same information again! Shouldn’t we all be focused on doing work that has some purpose after all?

This didn’t stop here! When the application was not received in time, our company profile was deleted from the organization’s website and it seems it was not stored in any other backend database. Now we have to fill out an application that we already filled out previously, and re-submit the profile information that we have submitted previously!

This didn’t stop here either. I got a lengthy response from the baby boomer in charge, explaining the logic behind the “illogical” process!

Let us learn something from Gen Y. And that is having things be practical and doing only things that make sense! Not to mention that Gen Y can’t learn a thing or two from Baby Boomers—I will point that out at the next opportunity as I continue to promote a multi-generational workplace where we all learn from each other! What can you learn from other generations? Your turn!

More Resources

Review recordings of the following lunch & learn webinars at the "Accomplishing more with less" Facebook group:

• Gen Y in Action by Jenny Blake
• Gen X in Action by Adam Christensen
• Baby Boomers in Action by Peggy Wolf
• Seniors in Action by Bill Denyer
• Generational Panel Discussion

While these two strategies apply to a broad range of situations, in this case, I would like to apply them to a specific situation first. Let me start by describing the situation, and then go through the two strategies.

The situation

Last week, Jenny Blake and I started the Inbox Freedom Webinar Series with a big goal in mind! The goal is to help our participants re-assess behaviors and attitudes toward their e-mail inbox through a series of tips, demonstrations, and interactive exercises, and therefore learn new practices to transform the way they look at email and manage e-mail. We want to transform e-mail from ad-hoc, inefficient, and anxiety-producing to structured, effective and anxiety-free.

This is a big goal indeed! Appreciating its magnitude and potential rewards, we structured the Inbox Freedom program in the form of four sessions spread over four weeks to allow the participants to practice in between sessions. Changing mindsets and behaviors doesn’t happen overnight! The Inbox Freedom webinar first session, which took place last week, was mostly geared towards creating awareness about our current perceptions and habits around our email inbox. After all, awareness is the first step in making meaningful improvements. At the end of the session, Jenny summarized the action items that our participants were to engage in before the next session in order to create this awareness and practice the techniques that we described.

Let us assume you are one of our webinar participants and ask you the question: “Have you implemented the steps that Jenny suggested at the end of the session, or not, or to what degree?” If you have, congratulations! And if you haven’t, or if you tried but then stopped too soon, it is likely that you have encountered an obstacle.

Putting aside the tactical and operational obstacles for now, I am mostly referring to and concerned about a different kind of obstacle. This obstacle is very subtle and yet very powerful; sometimes obvious but most of the time transparent. What I am referring to is YOUR OWN THOUGHTS such as:

• This won’t work (or this won’t work for me—it may work for others but not me)
• I started to work on it, but I didn’t get too far
• This would take too much time and I don’t have the time
• Etc.

The Strategies

Two strategies for helping you do the things you know you want to do:

1. Identify and dispute these thoughts

Dr. Albert Ellis uses the word “dispute” to refer to the act of questioning and challenging these thoughts which he calls “irrational beliefs.” In other words, we need to talk back at these thoughts to uncover the deceptions in them and replace them by “rational beliefs” that are more realistic and more productive. Dr. David Burns explains that there are several common distortions in such thoughts and that if we identify these distortions specifically, we are likely to be successful at dismantling these thoughts.

One of the popular distortions is “predicting the future” which Dr. Burns also refers to as “fortune telling.” It seems to be an art that we are all skilled at. “This won’t work” is exactly that: Predicting the future. “this won’t work” has nothing to do with reality. It is just a thought about the future mostly based on our own assumptions and interpretations and tinted by our biases and past experiences. If we replace this thought by something less distorted and more realistic such as “I can see that this is not easy, but I would like to know if this would work.”

Another popular distortion is the “all-or-nothing” distortion. All-or-nothing transforms the world into a binary world (made up of 0’s and 1’s) which may be true for the digital world but not for life as a whole. “I started to work on it, but I didn’t get too far” might fall into this category. How far did you get? Did you get some results or absolutely no results? How much time did you spend on it? What were you expecting? Did your expectations get in the way? These are just a few ways to dispute this distorted thought.

2. Bypass these thoughts

Bypass them and get into the doing. While identifying and disputing the thoughts is an important strategy, getting into action is another powerful strategy that can be done in addition or instead--preferably in addition. Sometimes it is difficult to get into action because of the paralyzing thoughts and therefore disputing them first and identifying the distortions is crucial. But disputing has its limits and it would be difficult to fully dispute and change our mindset without the factual and emotional learning that comes from experimenting.
Now taking this beyond the Inbox Freedom webinar, when you feel hesitant about taking actions and engaging in activities that you know are likely to lead to good outcomes, stop the indecision and hesitation, and identify the underlying thoughts. Then engage in these strategies to move you forward into action and let reality “tell” instead of allowing assumptions and interpretations “rule.”

Join us at the Inbox Freedom Webinar this week

You are invited to join the complimentary Inbox Freedom Webinar Series. Even if you missed session 1, you can still make up for it by viewing the recording on facebook, and register for session 2 now, and start applying and practicting these strategies!

My friend Liz said that she realized after a while that no matter how hard she tries to resist having the variety of chocolate treats that are nicely distributed throughout her home, she kept falling for the temptation and having them! What eventually worked for her is to not have chocolate around--in other words, a chocolate-free home!  Without getting too deep into the psychological aspects of addictions, let us just keep things simple for now, and extrapolate this techniques to see how it might help with resisting daily interruptions and distractions that keep us getting off track and away from our important initiatives and projects.

Interruptions are the primary enemy

How much do you think interruptions reduce your productivity? 10%? 20%? 50%? I am sure you are curious about the answer. The answer (both quantitative and qualitative) lies in the Results Curve (free download) and it is estimated to be a shocking 80% or more. 

So anything we can do to avoid them is a good thing. Here are 5 things to avoid having around so we are not constantly interrupted. While it is not possible to not have these around for too long, see if you can avoid them for 40 minutes at a time as the Results Curve suggests.

5 Things to avoid having around

1. Having your e-mail open while you are trying to focus on something else.
2. Having Social Media open or easily accessible!
3. Having extra documents open that can easily distract you and draw you into a different topic or task.
4. Having extra papers laying around that can sidetrack you.
5. Having food (such as chocolate) that is easily accessible. Instead make it your reward after you finish your focused task (and maybe keep in a remote place that would require some physical movement to get to).

Now if you really want to move into more advanced techniques that can help you stay focused, check out the the countdown timer suggested in the Results Curve! Stay tuned for the next technique on how to stay focused that is coming soon!

As I was getting ready for our lunch & learn webinar this week, I wanted to review a couple of related articles, and my first instinct was to print them so I can take a look at them while on the go (in between meetings or at a café before or after lunch).  However instead of printing, Delicious and the iPad came to the rescue, and helped save ink, paper, and time!

Having installed the Delicious toolbar on my browser (see www.delicious.com), bookmarking these articles in Delicious is one click away. Furthermore, Delicious allows me to tag the articles with relevant keywords and add a custom note.

Delicious also allows me to make a bookmark private or alternatively keep it public and therefore share it with others:

With just a few clicks the article is now available from anywhere, using any computer or device, like a smartphone when in motion or when space is tight, and the iPad while sitting at the Café and sipping my favorite decaf vanilla soy latte.

Additional Resources

• Question & Answer: Can I import my browser bookmarks into Delicious? Can I make a Delicious bookmark private?
• 5 Ways to watch over your brand and quickly address issues! Learn from Delicious.com

Share with us how Social Bookmarking has saved you time!

I found myself at Starbucks this week, trying to take advantage of this precious hour I had in between meetings. It was quite noisy but this didn't bother me for too long. I quickly got my iPod ready and put on my favorite music. Then within minutes, I was setup, connected, and fully functional. This made me think about productivity on the road and the tools we use today compared to those we used in the mid 90's when many of the technologies that we take for granted today were then in their early development.

My on the go toolkit today

Laptop + Spring 3G card + iPhone + iPod (classic) + headset + paper journal + pen

And power cord, extension cord, and network cable--just in case.

When on the go internationally

Even though these are applications and services, but they play such an important role in staying connected and being productive overseas:

Add Google Voice, Skype, Skype-Out, and Skype iPhone App.

And not to forget one more useful addition to the mix the Kindle iPhone App.

How can it be optimized?

• Consolidate the iPod and the iPhone
   
• Would be nice to have one provider instead of two (but for now AT&T has a hold on the iPhone and offers the voice/data capabilities internationally, while Sprint has the impeccable signal in the San Francisco area).

Soon, I will write more about what this looked like in the mid 90's

What does your on the go toolkit look like today? And how can it be optimized?