Archive for Productivity

Mastering Clutterfree Living Step 3: Take Action

Posted by Carolyn on
 May 31, 2022

Step Three: Take Action

Take action is Step Three in mastering clutter free living.  It is also the most important and often the hardest.  Taking action is often where we stumble.

Background: Steps One and Two

Let’s start by reviewing Steps One and Two.  Step One is to Get Clarity.  Without a clear idea of what you want to do or where you want to go, it is hard to figure out how to get there. In fact, it could be impossible. Imagine trying to find a book in a room that you’ve never been in before, with no light.  Yup, darn near impossible.

Step Two, is Create a Strategy.  When you know where you are going or what you want to accomplish, it is much easier to create a strategy that will get you there.  Create a plan including the stepping stones or steps that you will take to get to your accomplishment.

The Challenge

Why is it that so many of us stumble when it comes to taking action? I have seen this time and time again with clients.  And let’s be real: I am my best client in this area.  I too have often struggled and stumbled when it comes to taking action.  What’s the big deal?  Why do we have so much trouble.

Often the answer lies in our Mindset. “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t — you are right”, Henry Ford. This oft-quoted phrase holds the secret to our challenge. If you believe you will not be successful, it may be almost impossible to tackle even the simplest of first steps. Conversely, if you think you will be successful, you may be jumping into action as soon as possible.

Toy red train with 3 blue cars chugging up a hill saying "I know I can, I know I can".

Mindset can make the difference.

If you think your Mindset is holding you back from taking action, here are some self-coaching questions that may be helpful in getting from frustrated to fantastically successful.

  1. What is the conversation in your mind when you think about taking action on your goal or desired achievement?
  2.  What would need to be the different conversation in order to be successful?
  3. How do you need to show up in your life, or in your project, in order to take action?
  4. Who do you need to be in order to take action?
  5. What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?
  6. What would be different if you considered this challenge simply an experiment? No wins or losses, just an experiment to see what happens. If you don’t like the outcome, you can always change to another experiment or change a variable.

Setting yourself up with an I will be successful mindset can often fend off the stumbles and ensure that your desired achievement, becomes a reality.

 

Action I AM Evolution Coaching Productivity
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Getting Clarity on What to Do

Posted by Carolyn on
 March 17, 2022

What you do is infinitely more important than how you do it. Efficiency is still important, but it is useless unless applied to the right things.

Tim Ferris, The 4-Hour Work Week

People affected by disorganization often complain they don’t know what to do. This breaks down into what I call the BIG WHAT and the LITTLE WHAT. Big or little, if you don’t know where you are going, it is almost impossible to get there.

The Big WhatList of things to do on white paper with black pen.

The Big What refers to life purpose, larger goals, or one’s mission in life. Each of us has various domains of interest, activity and priority in our lives.  For example, career/vocation, family, relationships, spirituality, health/fitness and financial are all domains or components of our lives.  Different authors identify and separate these life components differently, however the basic premise is the same. How important each domain is to an individual, how much time, energy, and other resources they will commit, varies according to the season of our life. When the components are imbalanced, an individual may feel unproductive. When someone says “I don’t know what to do”, and they mean they don’t know how to prioritize their limited free time, they are talking about the Big What.

Clarifying the Big What requires having a vision for your life. Do you have a sense of who you are are what your values are?  Do you know what your priorities are?  How do you want to show up in this world?

Behind the Big What is why we do what we do; our values determine our Why. The Japanese call this the Ikigai, the reason to get out of bed in the morning. Gay Hendricks calls it working in our Zone of Genius.   Do you exercise because health is important? Did you buy a bike to spend time with your children and get some exercise?  Do you work in a book store because reading is your passion?

Having a clear understanding of your Why will help you get to your vision, or life goals, even when the going gets tough. Creating a vision board or mind movie are tools may people use to help clients clarify and remember their goals and values. If you are really struggling with some existential questions (get married or not) you may need the support from a professional such as a minister, rabbi, life coach or similar individual trained in guiding clients through the larger existential issues of life.

The Little What

The Little What refers to either a process or daily tasks. It more often has to do with technical competence in a task or project or sequencing the steps. The output will be concrete.

Have you set clear goals? Are the goals written down? Written goals are more likely to become a reality. Are the goals meaningful and relating to the overall vision for their life or, at least one domain of it? Can you identify exactly what the output of your project looks like? SMART goals, (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time Limited) are still one of the best ways to identify one’s Little What.

If you really struggle with disorganization, you may require additional support to identify clearly, succinctly, and specifically what you want the result of a process to look like. This clarity often makes the steps to get there also more visible. With a clear destination, choosing a path becomes more tangible and therefore, more attainable. Creative visualization or employing a theme might also clarify lower and higher priorities.

 

Clarity I AM Evolution Coaching Productivity

3 Steps for Creating a To Do List That Works

Posted by Carolyn on
 July 27, 2021

Is your To Do List not getting things done for you? Are you struggling to create a To Do List that works? Many of my clients are frustrated that they have created many lists over and over and over again and none work. None of their lists help them get stuff done.

To Do Lists are not all equal. Some work better than others. Let’s get yours working for you. Here are 3 steps for creating one that works:


1. Write only 3 Items on your To Do List

While you may feel that you have dozens and dozens of items to accomplish for the time you are planning, the reality is the most people only get one or two items done. I recommend focussing on only three items: the top three priority items that will accomplish your goals for the day. Everything else can sit on a parking lot list. Focus your List with tasks; don’t distract it with wishes dreams and wishes.


2. “Verb Up” your To Do List

Start each of the three items on the To Do List with an action verb. An action verb is a clear direction to your brain; do something, action is required. Even the exact action is clear.  Many people make the mistake of writing their list with nouns. Your brain sees the noun and knows something needs to be done. But what? Your brain has to work harder to remember what desired “to do” actually is. Giving your brain a clear action verb makes it crystal clear what needs to be done. You and your brain can both focus the task.

For example, rather than writing “Cake”, write “bake Cathy’s birthday cake”. If you plan to ice the cake as well, “Ice Cathy’s birthday cake” would be a separate item.


3. Complete Item 1 Before Moving to the Next Item.

Focus on the top priority until it is finished.  Keep working on the top priority item on your list until it is actually completed. Then, and only then, move onto the second item.  Use this key ingredient and make sure your To Do’s are finished and your List is working.  If the item is too big to finish in the time allotted, break it into smaller task and schedule the tasks for when there is time.

Using these three steps will strengthen your list’s ability to work for you. And hey, you want it working hard for you right? Finish your priorities; your To Do List is working for you.

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30 Tips in 30 Days Productivity Book Reviews

Posted by Carolyn on
 February 12, 2021

Since many of us are planning out for 2021 (despite Covid restrictions!) and looking at how we can accomplish our personal or professional goals for the year, I decided to revisit two book recommendations I made in June 2020 as part of 30 Productivity Tips in 30 Days. (Look for these on my Mastering Clutterfree Living Facebook Group.) You may find the books helpful in tackling your goals and setting up for success.

Book jacket for Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy. More productivity with less procrastinating.

Eat That Frog, Brian Tracy

Eat That Frog 3rd ed, Brian Tracy

Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

Brian Tracy is well known in the productivity and “get stuff done” circles. His 21 other published works take up a full page of the introductory information at the beginning of this book. There is no doubt that he is a master of logical and linear thinking on how to get things done, create goals and plan one’s life.

The Pros

Being a logical thinker myself, I lapped up this short, easy to read book in no time. Tracy’s subtitle “21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time” makes a big promise. It does not disappoint. Tracy uses the analogy of a dinner table and food to be consumed throughout the book.

The basic premise of the book is to first tackle the most difficult or least attractive item on your list of things to do (i.e. eat your least favourite food first). With that out of the way, the rest is easier to swallow. Tracy’s book is 21 ways to help you accomplish this “eat the frog first” strategy.

This is a simple, useful addition to the library of any  relatively productive, organized individual looking for a tuneup or reminder of how to get stuff done. However, it’s everyone else that I worry about—the folks who are most likely to reach out for my coaching or organizing support.

The Cons

While helpful, this book is perhaps a little too linear and logical for many people. I would have liked more support for those of you who are facing a task or project that is beyond overwhelming and causes you to either hyperventilate or run to the vacuum to procrastinate by cleaning the house (again). If that happens, please remember to breathe. Just breathe. A path forward will present itself if enough oxygen gets to your brain. Try going out for a short walk to exercise the large muscle groups in your body, get the circulation going and get that oxygen to the grey matter upstairs. Nature has a way of calming, grounding, and providing clarity.

Book Jacket Inspired Action by Erin Elizabeth Wells. More productivity, more purpose.

Ispired Action, Erin Elizabeth Wells

Inspired Action: Create more Purpose, Productivity, & Peace in Your Life, Erin Elizabeth Wells

2016, Chosen Course Press

I love this book and highly recommend it to my clients. Is it because Wells uses a sailing analogy and I am a lifelong sailor? Maybe. More likely it is because this productivity guide is an easy read and addresses the breath stopping sense of being overwhelmed that my clients often experience. It sets up in easy sound bites that can be absorbed one tiny bit at a time.

Wells handles all the usual productivity strategies that one would expect to see in a book about getting more done and reaching one’s objectives: vision, tools, goals, and lists. In addition, however, she sets her readers up for success by addressing purpose, one’s great “Why?”. While some people might find her theories a little “woo woo” for their taste, after 15-plus years in the organizing and productivity industry, I am a firm believer that managing energy supports managing productivity, and Wells is too. She has dedicated an entire section of the book to Mending Your Sails: Energy Management. In addition, Wells addresses everyday activities that can support productivity success. She also includes a section on Life Planning and Yearly Planning.

The result of this comprehensive and compassionate approach to productivity?; a recipe book to help you get on top of your goals and life in general. I highly recommend you add to your library whether you are generally organized or struggling everyday to get stuff done. You will likely read it again and again for instruction or a refresher. It’s easy to read, easy to digest and easy to follow. Boom. That’s a book we could all use.

I AM Evolution Coaching Productivity

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