25 Days to Organize a Blogger’s Life in Time for Holiday Fun

Filed Under Guest Writer, Inside-Out Thinking, Perfect Virtual Manager, Successful Blog, The Big Idea | 20 Comments

Problems, People, Paper, and Plans

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I looked at the calendar this morning. Roughly 6 weeks stand between me and the end of the year. I’m not much for New Year’s Resolutions, but I love the feeling of new beginnings when everything is cleaned up, put away, and ready to rock. On the other hand, I don’t like to make work, especially at holiday time. So this morning, I’m putting together a plan that I’m calling . . .

25 Days to Organize My Life in Time for Holiday Fun

At this time of the year, conflicting goals can intrude on the most uncluttered life. They can stress and overwhelm the calmest soul. Chaos like mine is already out of control.

This year, with that in mind, I’m organizing my life to avoid possible nuclear meltdown. I’ll do something each day to wrap things up so that I totally enjoy the end of the year fun.

I plan to clean up my live AND catch up with my friends as we make the season merry and bright.

I. Problems and Solutions

Day 1: Get help with common problems. I’m going to quit trying to figure out everything on my own. It silly for me to invest time digging up basic answers, when Simple Help has probably already figured most of them out. Simplehelp.net is a site that is both interactive and re-active; if you can’t find the solution to your problem, you can request content and the tutorial will be created for you. If I let other folks share what they know, I can save my time for the problems so unique to my situation that only I have the experience and detail to solve them efficiently. I have a couple that need attending to right away.

Day 2: Ask for help with my blog, too. I’m going to let more people know that I welcome guest posts on my blog. Though my blog can’t offer revenue it doesn’t earn, it’s got visibility and an intelligent, cool audience that’s priceless. AjaxNinja suggested seek out guest writers and I’m doing it today . . .

This is an invitation. . . . If you can submit an appropriate post by Friday morning, I sure could use your help. I’ll be in the UK Dec 1-9, 2007, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to blog while I’m gone. You’ll find my email address and topic ideas on the Guest Writer page.

II. Thousands and 150 Important People

Days 3-8: Update one of my “networks” each day from this group of sites:
MyBlogLog,
StumbleUpon,
Digg,
Facebook,
LinkedIn,
and Propeller.
When I find folks who have common interests, add them to my contacts.

Day 9-14: Review other “social networks” I belong to: Xing, Ning, Spock, Zude, Rapleaf, 8apps, Pownce, BlueChip, Zaadz, and Doostang. Decide which I should stay with and which I will resign from.

Day 15-17: Use MyLifeBrand or social url to incorporate the remaining Social Networks into one global platform. Make this a 15-30 minute part of each day moving forward. Place that block during a time that my mind needs a break from other kinds of work.

Day 19-20: Sort and group my email address book. Email is my most natural social network. Delete entries for folks I don’t recognize or haven’t corresponded with in less than 6 months. Email folks on the 6-month drop list that I want to keep current. Check my email settings. Delete old emails I no longer need need.

Day 21-22: Go through the contacts in my phone in much the same way. Delete those I don’t know and calling those I’ve not spoken to but want to keep on as a contact and part of my life.

III. Paper and Plans

Day 23-24: Clean off my desk and clean out my paper files. Maybe I’d better start doing a little bit of this one every day from day 1 . . . hmmmm.

Day 25:Develop an Editorial Calendar for next month using the form below. Allow for spur-of-the-moment ideas and variations.

Editorial Calendar

Then sit back with a nice glass of my favorite beverage and listen to my favorite tunes. . . .

How would your 25 day plan to organize for some fun work out differently?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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Are You Fragging Your Brain with a Multitasking Traffic Jam?

Filed Under Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog | 30 Comments

I Need a Brain Defragger!!

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Does this sound familiar?

You’re working. You’re thinking, typing, planning, talking, and eating . . . all at the same time. A friend, a family member, a person you care about deeply, comes to where you are and says,

“I’ve just cut off my finger! I’m bleeding all over the carpet!”

A full-two minutes later, you actually hear what was said. You stare blankly into space as you try to process the message.

“Um. Oh. Did you just say something about the carpet?”

The message had to fight through the traffic jam on the neuropathways of your multitasking brain.

Multitasking is on its way out for me. I’ve suspected for sometime it was a major source of what made me tired and cranky.

“What?!!! Who cares what we’re having for dinner?!!”

Every new and stressful detail made me wish I had a defragmenter for my brain.

Multitasking didn’t get any more done. I was just doing more at the same time. I knew that doing many things at once is not efficient. Somehow I got sucked into the multitasking vortex, anyway.

Soon enough I thought I was developing an attention deficit. Truth is I was just fragmenting my brain.

Continuous Partial Attention

That’s what it’s called, Continuous Partial Attention — CPA. Keeping our eyes and ears alert to everything, always scanning the environment in case something we need might pop onto our radar — we use multiple screens. We check for multiple priorities.

Scanning is great when what we’re doing is routine. It’s disastrous when a task requires reflection, concentration, or humanity.

“Why do you interrupt?!!! You take your life too seriously.”

We scan because of anxiety . . . we can’t miss anything. Linda Stone described it in a Newsweek interview with Stephen Levy.

. . . there’s a problem in the workplace when the interruptions intrude on tasks that require real concentration or quiet reflection. And there’s an even bigger problem when our bubble of connectedness stretches to ensnare us no matter where we are. A live BlackBerry or even a switched-on mobile phone is an admission that your commitment to your current activity is as fickle as Renée Zellweger’s wedding vows. Your world turns into a never-ending cocktail party where you’re always looking over your virtual shoulder for a better conversation partner. The anxiety is contagious . . .

I read that and I decided to make a change.

I cleared the traffic on the neuropathways of my brain. I became my own defragger. I do one thing at a time, and I get more things done and with fewer errors.

I’m breathing slower and liking myself better.

And now, when someone talks to me, they often get a human answer. I’m pretty proud of that.

Do you need to defragment your brain?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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Interruption 1: How to Master an Overwhelming To Do List

Filed Under Inside-Out Thinking, Perfect Virtual Manager, Successful Blog, The Big Idea | 15 Comments

Worse than herding Cats

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I admit it. To my thinking, one thing is worse than herding cats. It’s wrestling with the things I have to do. In my world, a To Do List can quickly get overwhelming. It can be filled with things I don’t know how to do, little things that are labor intensive, and too many things that are unrelated yet need getting done in the same time period. It always seems that part of the list is extremely URGENT and can’t wait for my learning curve. I can’t get to done that way.

How to Master an Overwhelming To Do List

To Do items are in the flow of things when there are only a few. When there are many, I have to get out of the details to where I can see to move them into a organizational groups. These are key steps to mastering a To Do List.

Every item I write begins with a verb. When appropriate, they begin with “Learn to” to remind me that they need more time and more steps.

  1. Brain dump. Write all of the items down a list in any order. Do it first thing in the morning, or last thing — to be able to hit the ground running when a new day begins. Get them out of your head and on paper or on computer. A spreadsheet works nice. It allows one item per box, and they’re easily movable.
  2. URGENT Sort. Group those things that are URGENT. Define URGENT as something of high consequence will be impaired, if this action does not happen in the next 24 hours. Calculate the amount of time these actions will take. If the time to do them is less than the time you have, get help now. Set the rest aside until the URGENT list is under control. Looking for URGENT items should be routine. Finding them should be rare.
  3. Action Sort. Sort all projects three ways to get things done. Group actions that are better done together. Two criteria rule this step: time sensitivity and power to make things happen.
    • HOT List. Sort everything about the most time-sensitive (HOT) project. List all related actions that need to be executed in the next 2-3 days. First apply these two questions to the HOT project. Then apply the questions to the whole list you have made.
    • What can I do in a few minutes that will get someone else working when I move on to the next item? List these so that you can do them first. Two people working move two parts forward.
    • What similar things can I do in series to save time? List like activities together, if doing them that way will save time. Blocking time to make all phone calls or writing all email related to the HOT project can save bundles of time. When is the best time in your day to do each type of task?
    • Quick Hits List. Sort short 5-10 minute tasks that are not HOT!! but need to be done in a timely fashion. This list is one to keep close. When a few minutes open up, or a piece of writing gets stuck, you’ll be able to grab the list to move something forward. Then switch back to regularly scheduled programming.
    • To Do List. Sort the remaining items. List them by their importance and time sensitivity. Then schedule them into the next 2-3 days.
  4. When new actions anitems arise add them to the list where they fit.
  5. Have a partner on call for emergencies. Some folks, like me, are drawn up to the macro level, we work well organizing strategy. We work best at the 30,000-foot view. Other folks are down to drill down to the beauty of details to build structure at the micro view. When time is short and a pile of action details demand attention, nothing compares to a working partnership — one person sorts the relationships, the other makes the lists.

Attend to the HOT List immediately. Attend to the Quick Hits as time opens — carry it with you to take advantage of opportunities wherever they arise. Attend to the To Do List when you have scheduled each item. Turn off interruptions when you’re working. Revisit your plan every morning to sort, list, and schedule the day.

You might think that three lists are more work than one, but in fact, three shorter lists allow focus and save time when scanning for the next thing to do. The key, of course, is to list everything that needs doing and doing everything on the lists.

Did I just confuse you?

–ME “Liz” Straus
To follow the entire series: Liz Strauss’ Inside-Out Thinking to Building a Solid Business, see the Successful Series Page.

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Turning on the Lights to See

Filed Under Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog | 25 Comments

I've been thinking . . .

about clutter.

I’ve read papers on psychology that said an extrovert who is put in a position to act as an introvert may interpret his or her feelings as depression. The feeling leads to less interaction and one reinforces the other.

That thought is only somewhat related. . . .

I’m a seer. I need to see the vision I’m going for. When I see it, I can flush out all of the details. I can make path to it’s door. I can walk there, drive there, fly there. I can make every bit happen, because I can see the way from here to there. It’s the 30,000 foot view that gives me the power to make decisions. From there I can go dig through a data set with confidence. From there, I can tackle a task with efficiency.

Until . . .

My life begins to clutter. When I live with clutter, after a time, I begin to interpret it as darkness, chaos. an inability to see.

Things start to collect. It’s note here, a pen there. I set out a document that I’ve received. My husband puts the mail next to my desk, but I’ve no time to get to it. Three comments and two IMs come in at the same time as two emails. A phone call begins. Twitter.

night scene with one street lamp

Each of these events tugs my brain to the ground into the clutter. Chaos.

Details without the 30,000 foot view are flying in the dark. They are information with no context — they’re road names minus a roadmap. They are a computer needing to be defragged. When my desk begins to clutter, that clutter finds it’s way into my head. It’s night inside the clutter.

I’m cleaning off my desk this morning. With every thing I dealt with, dumped, or delegated, I felt lighter. I can see my desk again.

Even better, I can see where I’m going — nothing cluttering my vision.

Liz's Signature

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25 Ways to be Jazzed about Productivity

Filed Under Motivation/Inspiration, Perfect Virtual Manager, Successful Blog | 16 Comments

Jazzed Yeah!

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Ben started a writing project on productivity. I had to get productive to even particpate in it. I might have had too much on my desk. I think I might have missed it. Kim asked me to tell about productivity. She even said that sometimes she got mean about it — no, no, not really, well, at least it didn’t seem so. She’s the Kim who is desparately escaping adulthood with Jason.

Still, I can’t let the concept of productivity sit there. So here are 25 ways to get Jazzed about productivity.

  1. Get up early when no one’s around. Nothing’s more fun than working without interruption.

  2. Look out the window to greet the day with a few minutes for yoursef before you begin. Then you’ll be ready to dig in.

  3. Clean off your desk before you start working. If you haven’t done for a while, clean your computer screen too.

  4. Make sure that the tools you use often through the day are close to you.

  5. Make to do list. Divide according to what you can move most quickly to get someone else working too.

  6. Review your calendar for deadlines you have meet. Determine what has be done and how much time you have to do it. Plan for when and how and include breaks.

  7. If the work takes longer than the time you have, find the work that anyone can do and let anyone do it. Don’t ask for help — delegate. Find a partner, a pal, or an apprentice who wants to learn what you do. Barter their services.

  8. Don’t multitask. Research shows it’s not productive.

  9. Choose a task and a move it forward one small step. Then decide if you’ll move it two.

  10. Choose appointed times during the day to answer email. Every two hours might do.

  11. When an email or other tpiece of paper bearing a task comes your way. Assign it to a pile — Do it. Delegate it. OR Dump it. If you set it aside, you’ll only have to pick up and go through thinking about it again. That last pile is the waste basket.

  12. When you are interrupted, learn to say, “Do you mind if I take a minute to finish this?” Then do. Having to start up again will steal the time that it take for you to find your place again.

  13. Before you make call, know what the outcome is that you want and know how much time you allot yourself. Then at the beginning of the call share the time limit with the person on the other end.

  14. Know the job and routine of the person or persons you are working with. Understand how your work and decisions impact theirs. That will avoid making work for them, which would, inevitably, make work for you.

  15. Take a break for 3 or 4 minutes every hour to walk around, giving yourself a change of view.

  16. Ask a child to solve a problem for you. Better yet have 10 year old organize your supplies.

  17. Start in the middle of a hard task. Usually we know what the middle of anything we want to do will be. It’s the beginning and end that confuse us.

  18. Organize a large document by laying all of the pieces of it on the floor and literally looking at it while standing above it with a top-down view.

  19. Quit thinking poor. Buy the tools you need. Get the best quality you can afford. For those tools you use every day calculate how many pennies per day it will cost you. Then calculate how much time you will save by using the new tool.

  20. Pick one hour a day that you will not take any outside interruptions — no email, IM, or telephone calls. The hour after lunch is good. Clean your desk before the hour begins and place a task that requires focus on it. Ready for when the hour begins.

  21. Have a routine for writing that suits the time of day that you write well and get the least interruptions.

  22. As you begin each task, allot a time to it — how long it will take you to do it. If you find yourself falling far behind at the half-way mark, stop to re-evaluate your understanding of the task.

  23. Do a sample for every new job and every new task to ensure that what you heard is what folks really want.

  24. Learn to say “no,’ when you don’t have time. If you can’t say “no,” at least schedule requests for a time when your schedule will allow them.

  25. Leave one task at the end of the day about 20 minutes from finished. That way when you begin the next day, you’ll be able to accomplish something quickly and start on a roll.

Whew! 25 ways to get jazzed about productivity. Some a little and some are much larger. Every one of them will have its own impact in your life. Choose the ones that work for you. Leave the rest on the proverbial table. A proverbial person just might come along. That proverbial person might find that those you left are exactly the right fit for a problem he or she has been staring at for months.

What gets you jazzed about productivity. . . Ilker, Daniel, Jason, Singhania, Katiebird?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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