Less-Is-More Blog by Pierre Khawand

This sequence actually wasn't meant to be about productivity and the challenges of the information overload. It is what Brian Solis and Deidre Breakenridge told PR professionals (in their book Putting the Public Back in Public Relations) when it comes to the changes that are taking place in the PR profession as the whole industry is being reinvented in the new world of Web 2.0 and social media.

However, this sequence caught my attention because it also reminded me of many of the concepts that we evangelize and teach to help today's busy professionals become more effective in today's everything overload (information overload, competing priorities overload, interruptions overload). There are lots of time management tips out there, but the above sequence is not just about tips, it is a series of mindset and behavioral changes that can bring about more significant outcomes. Let us expand on it a bit in the context of managing the overload:

1. Face it. Let us face the fact that the overload is here to stay and get worse! Sorry! No point in fantasizing that it will go away or that we can somehow bypass it.

2. Accept it. Resisting it instead of accepting it will only make us ineffective in dealing with it. It is only by accepting that we will be ready to move forward and effectively manage it.

3. Move forward. In other words, move to action. Action is it. At the minimum action gives us real data and prepares us for taking correct or better action. At best it gives us the desired results and an incredible sense of accomplishment.

4. Change. While action is momentary, change is lasting. Now we are moving from one time action to on-going practices and shifts in mindset. Now we are talking!

5. Continually learn. After all it is "all" constantly changing. Ideally it is not just about taking action and changing, it is about getting adept at this sequence so it becomes second nature.

So when we think things are overwhelming, let us think again, and follow the sequence! Let us get to action sooner than later and keep learning.

More often than not, when I ask our workshop participants why they get interrupted and why they are unable to stay focused on the task at hand, they say things like e-mail, Instant Messages (IM), phone, people stopping by, and the list goes on and on.

As we discuss this further, the role that their boss plays into these interruptions becomes more apparent, and many don't hesitate to air their frustration about this. Most participants report that it is their boss's e-mails, IM messages, phone calls, and surprise visits and requests that are one of the leading causes of their interruptions and inability to accomplish what they are expected to accomplish.

So I decided to write this e-mail to the bosses (following what Steve Krug did in his book Don't Make Me Think in which he wrote an e-mail to top management regarding website usability issues). Please forward this to your boss.

From: Pierre Khawand
to: <your boss>
Subject: How Managers "shoot themselves in the foot"!

Dear <your manager's name>,

As a productivity expert, I frequently discuss with my workshop participants and my readers, the role that interruptions play in diminishing our productivity and preventing us from getting our job done. One of the issues that come up often is that managers largely contribute to interrupting their staff and in a way are preventing them from delivering the same things that managers are eager to get delivered.

I decided to share my research, my thoughts, and my experiences relating to this topic with you as a manager. Having been in this role myself over the last two decades, I understand the demands that this role puts on us. On one hand we have to satisfy the needs of the people that we manage, and on the other hand, we need to satisfy the demands of top management, shareholders, and other stakeholders. This makes it difficult not to quickly react to the constantly changing environment and interrupt our staff with the hope of finding a solution to a problem or improving a certain situation.

Unfortunately these interruptions tend to disrupt progress on current tasks, reduce productivity considerably, and just as importantly impact the morale and create additional stress. Ultimately these interruptions deprive us as managers, and our workforce, from the results we desperately need. I would like to suggest three important measures that can be taken immediately to help manage the manager-induced-interruptions and minimize their impact:

1. Differentiate clearly between items that are truly urgent and items that are perceived urgent. Items that are truly urgent have specific, measurable, and significant consequences on the end results if not acted upon within minutes. Items that are perceived urgent are based more on opinions, reactions, and office politics and can wait for 30 minutes to an hour or until the designated staff member is finished with their focused work. Managers who start to make this distinction, find out that most of the items that appear urgent fall in the category of "perceived urgent" and only a few pass the test of being "truly urgent."
    
2. For items that are perceived to be urgent, shield your team from them. Instead of interrupting the team (via e-mail, IM, phone, or in person) and sacrificing the task they have at hand, make a note of these items on a special to-do list that you create for each team member. Then communicate this list at the next opportunity--the next time you have a conversation with them, the next one-on-one, or when they are not focused and able to communicate.
    
3. Allow your team to tell you when they are focused, and be willing to defer items until they are done with their focused work.  Make it "okay" to say "no" to you. In parallel, let them know how you would interrupt them when truly urgent issues come up-issues that cannot wait until they are done with their focused work.

Having such a discussion with your team will not only result in tangible business results, but will engage the team and greatly improve the team's morale.By the way, the above will also help you minimize your team's interruptions of your focused work, and also optimize your focused and collaborative/management effort.

To get the full appreciation of how significant is the negative impact of interruptions on your staff, I urge you to take a look at my findings and suggested solutions in The Results Curve^TM: How to Manage Focused and Collaborative Time (free eBook or video). I also welcome your comments on this blog post, and any additional thoughts or questions that you might have.

Regards,
Pierre Khawand
Productivity Evangelist

Are you struggling with a task (or a whole task list) and don't know where to start and therefore keep postponing it or avoiding it, or maybe get started and feel lost and overwhelmed? More often than not when I face a task that I perceive as over complicated or coach people who are facing such a situation, here is what we realize among other things:

• The task is actually a bunch of tasks that are disguised as one.
   
• The task includes several sub-tasks that require different skills, different tools, different approaches, or different moods.
   
• The effort it takes to get the task done is way under-estimated, like thinking we can get it done in a couple of hours while in reality this requires at least a couple of days or even weeks.
   
• Substantial thinking and strategizing is necessary before undertaking the task, which we may not have realized or thought we could bypass.
   
• Some documents or tools or people are needed to help or support the task but aren't available or easily accessible.

There are many other factors that play into this, but there is one important theme about the issues highlighted above and that is: They relate to what I call "task design." If we spend some time, maybe a few minutes for a simple task or longer for a more complicated one, strategizing and thinking through the task, we are likely to uncover these potential obstacles and:

1. Be able to set the right expectation (our own and others) of what it is going to take to get this task done.
    
2. Get ready for the task by lining up the necessary information, tools, and people.
    
3. Break the task down into manageable components and a more reasonable timeline that we can then approach with enthusiasm instead of fear.

When you review your task list or to do list (hopefully the more strategic to do list that I have been describing recently), reconsider task design. This will help you avoid inefficiencies, avoid feeling overwhelmed, and better managing stress, and most importantly it will lead to a successful task execution.

For more insights about task design, check out the article I wrote in March 2008 about "The power of working in iterations! Give yourself the freedom to do so, and celebrate victory against procrastination and perfectionism."

Now that we have talked about the to-do lists bailout and the backup plan (if a full blown bailout is not possible), and now that your to-do lists are streamlined and strategic, how do you keep them this way!

The answer lies in an article I published 3 years ago titled "To do or not to do, that is the question!" 3 ways that can help you get more accomplished.

In essence, I am inviting you to start a not-to-do list in 2010, and I would go even further than I did in 2007, and suggest that when a to-do item comes your way, unless it is strategic and core, put it on the not-to-do list. Then let that item fight its way to the to-do list. Let it (and the forces behind it) justify why it should be promoted to the to-do list. Not easy but it can be done when coupled with setting expectations and some negotiation. Setting expectations and negotiation are the two skills that are more applicable and necessary today than ever before.

Let 2010 be different! Conventional time management tips and to-do list management techniques won't work in 2010 nor will they work in the new decade where information overload and economic challenges are the realities. In 2010, start fresh, start strategic, start bold!

I am not going to leave this to-do lists bailout issue alone until I wrestle it to the ground. Until you agree with me that these to-do lists could very well be the barrier that is holding us back and that a fresh start is of utmost importance.

Yesterday, I described a full blown to-do lists bailout strategy. If you are not ready for the ultimate bailout, here is a milder version of a bailout that can still give you some great benefits.

This version follows Steve Krug's advice on how to enhance the usability of web pages and make them more effective (even not related to to-do lists, but quite applicable). In his book Don't Make Me Think, Steve Krug states his third law of usability as follows: "Get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what's left."

I suggest that the same law applies to to-do lists. Applying Steve Krug's 3rd law of usability on to-do lists, would result in having about 25% of the original list. Not bad. I would even go a bit further. For those of you who have read my book or attended my workshop, you may have guessed where I am headed with this. I am going to suggest getting rid of 80% of the items on the to-do lists, and focusing on the core 20%. After all the 80/20 rule says, 80% of our results come from 20% of our effort.

Instead of getting busy with insignificant time management tips, or attempting at managing stress with inconsequential small steps, or getting really busy trying to get organized, it is far more impactful to address the root causes in our to-do lists. Cannot do the bailout, go for the 80/20!

Now that you're convinced, let us explore the potential of this undertaking

On your first day after the to-do list bailout, take the day off and do "nothing." Well not exactly nothing, but let it be unscheduled. What is most important on this day is to unthink and incorporate the desperately needed play time. This is a day for the intuition, which has been kidnapped and suffocated by to-do lists, to resurface and come to life again.

Then the next day is your day to think, but now think freely and creatively. As you think freely, instead of a to-do list, a more meaningful set of ideas and initiatives are going to form. These will develop into a streamlined and extraordinary to-do list (and a much shorter one).

This to-do list is radically different

This new to-do list is radically different from the earlier ones because items on this list are:

1. Strategic: They are fewer items but they address key areas and important issues and are likely to get the desired outcomes.
2. Bold: They face the issues instead of dancing around them. They confront the more difficult ones instead of keeping you busy with the noise.
3. Challenging: They aim high, and seek to leverage your talents, experiences, and passions.
4. Exciting: They portray hope and get you inspired and motivated.
5. Socially and environmentally aware: They contribute to the surrounding and fully support your team, your organization, and community.

The point is: If we truly want to accomplish more in 2010, and get different outcomes, something radical has to change. The to-do lists have to change! Let the 2010 to-do lists bailout free you from the noise of the past and create a crystal clear sound for 2010.

According to this article in About.com, the most common new year's resolutions seem to be (and in this order):

1. Spend More Time with Family & Friends
2. Get Fit
3. Lose Weight
4. Quit Smoking
5. Enjoy Life More
6. Quit Drinking
7. Get Out of Debt
8. Learn Something New
9. Help Others
10. Get Organized

However, it is also known to many of us that many of these resolutions either remain unfulfilled or are short lived before old habits take over again. How can we change this?

How about shifting our thinking from "resolutions" to "practices"! Practices that we can instill and reap more sustainable benefits from. So what is a practice anyway? Here is what Wikipedia has to say about a practice:

Practice is the act of rehearsing a behavior over and over, or engaging in an activity again and again, for the purpose of improving or mastering it, as in the phrase "practice makes perfect". Sports teams practice to prepare for actual games. Playing a musical instrument well takes a lot of practice. It is a method of learning and of acquiring experience. Sessions scheduled for the purpose of rehearsing and performance improvement are called practices. They are engaged in by sports teams, bands, individuals, etc. "He went to football practice everyday after school," for example.

Applied to some of the above resolutions, this "practice-centric" thinking might lead to some of the following transformations:

1. Instead of "Lose Weight", I might want to practice counting calories, planning more nutritious meals, and adding a regular exercise routine that can all together get me to the desired weight and even more importantly sustainable healthy living. 
    
2. Instead of "Get out of debt", I might want to include the practice of preparing monthly financial reports and planning expenditures more carefully, and planning paying out previous debts. Obviously there is more to it, but it all starts with the practice of stopping periodically with the purpose of planning and implementing concrete steps. 
    
3. And instead of "Get organized", I might want to review how I manage my "stuff" and develop better practices that I can apply and improve on a daily basis, and reap the benefits every day of the year.

Happy holidays and happy "practicing"!

The timer is one of the tools that I recommend throughout the Accomplishing More With Less Methodology. Not any timer - a countdown timer. Setting the countdown timer for 40 minutes (or whatever time period you choose) and then pushing the Start button has significant implications.

Just the fact that the timer is running seems to drastically heighten our awareness of time and allow us to quickly notice when we deviate from our task. It's as simple as that. It is fascinating that such a simple and easy tool can have such an impact on our focus, but it does. Buying a countdown timer may very well result in the biggest return on investment that we can ever achieve.

The Timer Creates Purpose

The timer helps us put a stake in the ground and declare that we have officially started the task at hand. Without such a clear signal it is easy to stay noncommittal, starting one task but then casually withdrawing from it to start another one. It is possible to keep testing task after task, escaping from the ones that are more difficult or less desirable, and sneaking into tasks that are easier (and, just as likely, less crucial) - I call this "task hopping!"

The timer puts an end to unproductive task hopping. It forces us to spend our time more purposefully on the task that we consciously select. This is a giant leap to become more purposeful. If you are thinking the timer is "just" another tool, and an expendable one at that, think again! The timer is revolutionary.

The Timer Creates Accountability

In addition to creating purpose, the timer also creates accountability. Now that the timer has started, in 40 minutes we are going to know clearly if we accomplished what we intended. The timer also helps us estimate time better in the future. Knowing how long it takes to accomplish any given project in such a time-crunched era is a rare and highly desirable skill.

The timer prompts us to move things forward

During the focused session, the timer improves the quality and efficiency of our work. It prompts us to face the issues, make decisions, and move things along as opposed to dwelling on issues and staying indefinitely in analysis/paralysis mode. In other words, the timer accelerates our pace and helps us equal or even beat the speed at which things are happening around us. What a competitive advantage that can be!

The timer as a stress relief mechanism

The timer signifies that we have given ourselves permission to be where we are for the time period we have chosen. Now we can more easily give up the guilt or anxiety that we would otherwise experience for not being somewhere else and not handling all the other things that need to be handled. With the timer, we are able to put everything else on hold because we have more "officially" chosen a path, and most importantly a path based on purpose instead of a reactive one. The timer is the official seal of approval for our purposeful choice.

With the timer and the 40 minute sessions, instead of feeling guilty and anxious, we feel challenged to complete our carefully selected mission. Instead of taking on "life" and feeling overwhelmed and trapped, now we are taking on 40 minutes, and feeling hopeful. We are fully engaged and facing the issues for 40 minutes with a visible and bright light shining at the end of tunnel. What a relief!

The happy sound of accomplishment

The happy sound of accomplishment is only 40 minutes away, and when it is heard, we are likely to experience a range of thoughts and feelings, the most prevalent of which is likely to be satisfaction.

Stopping is critical at this juncture. Even a brief moment of acknowledgement goes a long way. This can take any form that is appropriate for the context. Sometimes a few minutes of letting our mind freely wander and allowing thoughts and feelings to surface can do the job. Sometimes this may require a more significant break and potentially some physical movement that gets us re-energized.

Extracted from The Accomplishing More With Less Workbook, now available at Amazon.com

In the years I spent in the software industry, one thing I learned (sometimes the hard way) is that estimating how long things take is not easy. We often asked our development and marketing teams how long it would take to perform certain task or implement certain features, and sometimes we got ambitious estimates, with actual delivery dates ending up being several folds later than expected, and other times we got heavily "sandbagged" answers, leading to not taking on these projects, and therefore missed windows of opportunities.

When it comes to our personal and team tasks, whether high-tech or whatever low tech endeavor is being pursued, the skill of knowing how long things take is highly desired and yet not so easy to come by.

One way to learn this is to define a purpose, time yourself, and track progress!

Here is an overview of the techniques and Download The_Results_Curve_tm_eBook (free of charge) to learn more:

1. For individual tasks, develop a Micro-Plan^TM. Create a brief outline at the beginning of your work session, listing key steps that you need to get done in order to complete the selected task.
2. Time yourself. Use a countdown timer and set it for the desired time period, preferably no longer than 40 minutes before you take a break or switch to a collaborative session.
3. Compare actual results to original plan, and do this often, so that reality sinks in, and not only you become a better estimator, but you start to ferociously get rid of unnecessary parts and side distractions and stay focused on the core task and get much more accomplished.

Download The_Results_Curve_tm_eBook (free of charge) to learn more about Micro-Planning^TM, about the use of the timer, and about the power of focusing

How do most of us start our day? When we ask our workshop participants this question, the answer we invariably get is: "on e-mail". Here are some of the reasons why we start the day on e-mail (and why we keep going back to e-mail every time we hear the beep or when we are at a loss of what to do next) and I would like to hear from you what are the top 3 reasons for you (choose from the list or add your own--post your comment below):

1. Curiosity: We are curious about what happened in the world since we checked e-mail last.

2. Hope for good news: This is the winning-the-lottery syndrome. It may happen to me! I may get this great promotion or great deal or great surprise from someone.

3. Feeling accomplished: Replying to e-mails gives us the feeling that we are getting things done. Each e-mail message answered is like a micro-project successfully completed and checked off the list.

4. Fear of being left behind: We want to make sure we are not missing important information or developments, and potentially losing our competitive edge.

5. Anxiety about outstanding tasks: We cannot relax if we have outstanding e-mail messages.

6. Avoidance: Instead of focusing on more important and usually more difficult tasks, it is easier to be on e-mail.

7. Lack of direction/Need for direction: We don't know exactly what we should be doing, e-mail give us the answer, at least a temporary fix.

8. Handling urgent stuff: We have to check e-mail because we get urgent requests on e-mail, which need to be handled immediately.

9. Meeting the expectations of others: It is usually expected that e-mails are answered fairly quickly, either by our boss, colleagues, or generally as part of the culture in our organization. If we don't meet these expectations, we may be seen as "not fully on top of things".

And there are probably more reasons. All together, these factors make e-mail seductive, addictive, rewarding, and anxiety-provoking, all at the same time!

Extracted from The Accomplishing More With Less Workbook, now available at Amazon.com