Time Management: How To Say ‘No’

Good Time Management means we have to stay focused on our important work; it also means being a team player. In crisis situations being a team player does mean we have to drop everything and helping someone else. Unfortunately, too often we are distracted by non-crisis or non-critical requests.

When being asked to help on non-critical work happens, instead of sounding rude or looking like you are not a team player by saying, “No I can’t help” or “It’s not my job”, consider these two options:

1. “I’d like to help but I’m working on [ABC] and need to focus to get it done by noon. Can I help you tomorrow?”

or

2. “I’d like to help but I really need to stay focused on [ABC] for the next hour or so. In the meantime, Mary is the person who usually handles that. Did you check with her?“

Learning how to say no is a key Time Management skill. Therefore, there are three things to consider:

1. First, how you deliver your message matters. Never say anything with a tone of bitterness, dis-interest, superiority or malice. You should be (and sound), grateful and proud they see you as an asset and an approachable team-player who has the experience to help them.
2. Second, saying “No” and turning away or staring at them blankly is rude; it also does look like you are not a team player. But, by sharing your commitment to your priorities while offering them alternatives / suggestions can help you maintain your reputation as a caring team player and stay focused on your priorities.
3. Third, almost all of us do our best work in the morning, so do your best to protect your mornings for your important work… and hopefully this becomes a habit shared across your team.

I hope you enjoyed learning How To Say No, a key Time Management skill.

Happy communicating… mentoring… and training.

Click here to learn about our Time Management training workshop for your team.

If you enjoyed this post we think you’ll like:

• How To Build Employee Engagement
• Overcome Your Resistance To Change
• 5 Essential Email Etiquette Habits
• Time Management

Bruce Mayhew Consulting is an Executive Coach who facilitates courses including Business Writing, Email Etiquette, Generational Differences, Time Management, Leadership and Difficult Conversations Training.

Plan.  Engage.  Succeed.

Click on the image to watch us on Canada AM.

Find answers to your Professional Development questions / needs at brucemayhewconsulting.com.

Call us at 416.617.0462.

I’d enjoy reading your comments on this post.

 

Links to other articles I’ve written that are posted on other websites.

Procrastination and self-sabotage sometimes come up in my coaching work. They can be difficult obstacles to overcome without a focused approach and sustained effort. And with procrastination, it’s important to be able to tell the difference between when you’re actually procrastinating, or when you really do need a break.

I wrote two articles: Know When to Fight Or Embrace Procrastination, and How to Deal With Self-Sabotage. These are great resources for anyone who wants to know more about these obstacles.

4 Time Management Hacks

Do you find yourself faced with lots of work but are having some difficulty getting yourself into “work mode”? Here are 4 time management hacks that may just work for you to get you into the groove and help you be more productive and feel more proud of the work you do.

Set a “time-oriented” goal not a “task-oriented” goal:

This is great if you don’t enjoy the job and/or you don’t know how long it will take you to complete because it is a new job and/or there are many variables.

Saying, “I’m going to work on this problem for the next hour” allows you to stay focused on the quality of your work and what you may be learning along the way versus risking cutting corners (consciously or unconsciously), to get the job done. And, with a 1-hour cut off it allows you to still be happy about your effort and what you accomplished versus being frustrated because you didn’t finish.

Note: Many productivity experts suggest 1-hour as a maximum time for a meeting or work. Then, even a 5-minute break helps you reset and reenergize your focus.

Work when you have to… and then some more if you want to:

You have to put in the time that you’ve committed to. But, if you use the time-oriented goal mentioned above and you find you are still ‘in the zone’ or are finding the work interesting… and you have the time to invest, I recommend you keep going. Set yourself another hour as a new goal and see how you feel. Just be sure you:

• Have the extra time to invest and don’t throw off another project or commitment (don’t rob Peter to pay Paul).
• Don’t burn yourself out.

If you are tired or distracted… STOP!

If you are not making progress my recommendation is to take a break. Do something different, get something to eat or drink (water preferably) and/or go for a walk and then come back and try again. If at that time you still are unproductive, do a full-stop. You don’t want to get angry/frustrated at yourself or the project.

If your mind was wandering to another project or person – go take care of that. Perhaps have a nap. If it’s late, get a full night sleep and start fresh the next morning when you and I are at your strategic, creative best.

If you are stuck for no good reason, try this:

If you are having a mental block, a writer’s block or a logic block, welcome to the club. It happens to us all.

As when you are tired, first start rebooting by taking a break or doing something different. If that doesn’t work, find someone to brainstorm with – talk out your project and then perhaps ask them, “what would you do next?” Even if their idea makes no sense, be polite and thank them for the conversation. The benefit is that between talking about it out loud and the mental break you just took, you likely will get a few fresh ideas that will help get you on your way.

I hope you enjoyed my ‘4 Time Management Hacks’ post.

Happy communicating… mentoring… and training.

Click here to join our priority list to receive our latest Business Communication blog posts.

If you enjoyed this post we think you’ll like:

• How To Build Employee Engagement
• Overcome Your Resistance To Change
• 5 Essential Email Etiquette Habits
• Time Management

Bruce Mayhew Consulting is an Executive Coach who facilitates courses including Business Writing, Email Etiquette, Generational Differences, Time Management, Leadership and Difficult Conversations Training.

Plan.  Engage.  Succeed.

Click on the image to watch us on Canada AM.

Find answers to your Professional Development questions / needs at brucemayhewconsulting.com.

Call us at 416.617.0462.

I’d enjoy reading your comments on this post.

 

Links to other articles I’ve written that are posted on other websites.

Procrastination and self-sabotage sometimes come up in my coaching work. They can be difficult obstacles to overcome without a focused approach and sustained effort. And with procrastination, it’s important to be able to tell the difference between when you’re actually procrastinating, or when you really do need a break.

I wrote two articles: Know When to Fight Or Embrace Procrastination, and How to Deal With Self-Sabotage. These are great resources for anyone who wants to know more about these obstacles.

How To Run Group and/or One-on-One Meetings

Meetings are meant to boost productivity and efficiency by getting everyone aware of major events / projects and to get a collective brain for solving challenges. And yet, many people who attend meeting say meetings are their number one time-waster.

There are a few ways to run effective group or one-on-one meetings. How your meetings unfold will depend a little on the purpose of your meeting and how many people are participating, e.g. is it an ‘update your staff or team’ meeting, a ‘planning meeting’ or a one-on-one ‘problem-solving’ meeting? That said, there are certain basics all meeting leaders and participants will want to consider and agree to in advance to uphold an environment of respect and agreed-upon meeting etiquette.

1. Recognize everyone wants to be part of something important. We want to contribute, be respected, appreciated and make a difference.
2. Meetings should be arranged to follow a predictable time and location. Meetings should also be scheduled long in advance.
3. Create a positive environment where participants appreciate each other, listen and help. Everyone has to be accountable for their actions and their responsibilities, but the meeting also has to be a safe environment. Be aware of what you care about and how you affect others. Are you seeking to understand before you want to be understood? Are you ready to learn and practice listening skills?
4. Always have a clear objective for the organization and for the meeting. Have a compelling vision, strategy and clearly defined values from which to hold discussions and make decisions. Participants have to believe and have a shared sense of purpose. Meetings with a vague purpose we will be more likely to not be a good use of time and resources. Everyone should be able to easily see what the meeting purpose is and what they are to accomplish, e.g. is the meeting to:
   • Share information / keep the team / person up to date on a change of strategy or project?
   • Take a vote?
   • Discuss a problem?
   • Generate new ideas?
   • Make a decision on a particular matter?

5. Agree in advance that not all decisions need a formal meeting. As referenced in a community post on quora.com ‘No decision should ever wait for a meeting.’ A part of leadership is making decisions based on your experience. As long as you (your team or committee) are within your mandate and have done your due diligence, decisions should proceed. If a meeting is necessary, relevant individuals should be scheduled immediately.
6. Every meeting should have an agenda – even a 10-minute meeting with one item for discussion. Agendas should include all discussion points along with a time allocation for each item. Speakers who are contributing to the agenda should prioritize their list of items and next to each major topic, identify what is going to happen, e.g. is the speaker looking for a discussion, a vote, to assign tasks etc. (see point 3). The agenda should include:
   • A list of topics to be covered
   • A brief description of the meeting’s objectives
   • Who will address each topic?
   • Any background information / reading material

7. Share the agenda and relevant reading materials at least 2-days in advance or based on a previously agreed-upon schedule. In addition, keep the agenda visible throughout the agenda and stick to the schedule.
8. Everyone comes prepared having read relevant previously distribute materials. They have also made their suggestions to the agenda prior to the meeting.
9. Start on time, end on time. Starting on time respects those who showed up on time and everyone will learn to be more efficient and to prioritize their items. Try to keep meetings to less than 1-hour. Studies show that 1-hour is generally the longest time people can remain truly engaged. For long meetings perhaps have an intermission or break them into two meetings.
10. Keep up momentum and watch the time. All relevant reports should include an update on what has happened in their area (good and bad) and the key objectives in the forceable future. One of the biggest challenges around meetings is people run out of time and they go too long or only cover half of the times. Everyone should agree to stay on track and to not derail the meeting with topics not included on the agenda. Also, don’t rehash older discussions / decisions. Use a parking lot where extra items are set aside to discuss at the end of the meeting or at other meeting / the next meeting. New topics should be ‘managed’ at the start of the meeting and perhaps slated for another meeting.
11. Leave time for crisis or another topic. A time management best practice is to leave blank space in our daily agenda for unexpected. Consider including 10 minutes to the meeting agenda for unexpected topics.
12. Leave space for creativity and questions.
13. Follow up with minutes. It is common for people to come away from a meeting with slightly different interpretations so minutes help everyone be on the same page. Minutes don’t have to be complicated or a word-for-word transcript. Because action items and responsibilities will be included, share minutes within 24-hours after the meeting. Include:
    • Key topics
    • Key point of views / options
    • What was decided (if a decision needed to be made0
    • Who is doing what?
    • Timelines / deadlines

14. Close the meeting with something interesting. Have everyone share what they:
    • Learned
    • Are hopeful to see/experience
    • Are thankful
    • Were most interested in
    • Feel good about

I hope you enjoyed my ‘How to Run Group and/or One-on-One Meetings’ post.

Happy communicating… mentoring… and training.

Click here to join our priority list to receive our latest Business Communication blog posts.

If you enjoyed this post we think you’ll like:

• How To Build Employee Engagement
• Overcome Your Resistance To Change
• 5 Essential Email Etiquette Habits
• Time Management

Bruce Mayhew Consulting is an Executive Coach who facilitates courses including Business Writing, Email Etiquette, Generational Differences, Time Management, Leadership and Difficult Conversations Training.

Plan.  Engage.  Succeed.

Click on the image to watch us on Canada AM.

Find answers to your Professional Development questions / needs at brucemayhewconsulting.com.

Call us at 416.617.0462.

I’d enjoy reading your comments on this post.

 

Links to other articles I’ve written that are posted on other websites.

Procrastination and self-sabotage sometimes come up in my coaching work. They can be difficult obstacles to overcome without a focused approach and sustained effort. And with procrastination, it’s important to be able to tell the difference between when you’re actually procrastinating, or when you really do need a break.

I wrote two articles: Know When to Fight Or Embrace Procrastination, and How to Deal With Self-Sabotage. These are great resources for anyone who wants to know more about these obstacles.

 

31 Time Management and Productivity Tips for People Living With ADHD

People living with ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), traditionally have extra challenges at work including completing tasks on time, staying focused / feeling restless, planning in both the short- and long-term and noticing the passing of time (too fast and/or too slow). How much ADHD (also called ADD), affects a person’s work depends quite a bit on how severe their condition is and the impact of their environment. Thankfully, work-around solutions do exist that can help the approximate 4% of adults impacted (1.4 million in Canada and 12.0 million in the USA).

Should people living with ADHD be apologetic or feel embarrassed?
No. Absolutely not!

When one’s mind has a tendency to wander and/or get distracted, employees usually work late, take work home and work weekends to complete their important work. This can create even more challenges for people living with ADHD as they get less of the important down-time and rest they need.

Should people living with ADHD be apologetic or feel embarrassed? Absolutely not. People who are not morning people find work-arounds and employees who are not good with numbers find work-arounds. Why should it be different for people living with ADHD? Instead of being self-critical or judgmental, remember there are many operational and time management techniques for people living with ADHD that can help… techniques their Leaders should be aware of as well.

Here are 31 time management and workplace productivity skills people living with ADHD (and their support network) can consider:

1. Always be fair to yourself and others.
2. Be grateful for the 90% of your life that goes well. Don’t linger on the 10% that doesn’t.
3. Stay positive. Think glass half full versus half empty. Self-talk like the following is helpful, “I had a great morning and even though I had to course correct twice I did finish my XYZ on time. Now, to pull that energy forward into this afternoon.”
4. Practice Mindfulness or meditation to help yourself stay present and calm yourself if you feel triggered, frustrated or restless. Mindfulness or meditation at work can be as simple as sitting still, taking a short walk or taking a few deep breaths. It may also mean excusing yourself from a meeting to ‘go to the washroom’ if you are feeling overwhelmed and want to gather your thoughts and refocus your intention.
5. Let a few coworkers close to you know you live with ADHD. They may be able to support your unique communication needs.
6. Have someone who can help you be accountable – someone you can call, text or email to share your goals, successes and struggles.
7. Keep photos of your support group close-by to remind you that you are not alone and that people are routing for you.
8. You may need to stay away from open office concepts. In many new office structures small pods are available and these may help you as long as you don’t feel claustrophobic. Basically, you likely want to eliminate sensory distractions. When all else fails, you may have already discovered noise reduction headphones. Again, share what you need with your coworkers so they can understand and help.
9. Try to keep meeting sizes small to reduce distractions.
10. For large meetings that you have to attend, try to sit away from the key players and/or where other people’s attention will be focused.
11. The Time Manager and Leader in me would love to think all meetings would end by someone creating and sharing simple minutes that summarizes important conversations and action items. This doesn’t need to be complicated, a short email written as the meeting recap happens often is all that is needed. This best practice helps manage everyone’s expectations – keep everyone working toward the same goal and timeline.
12. Summarize conversations. Paraphrasing what a person says helps you confirm everyone clearly understood the conversation and key information, timelines and deliverables.
13. Make a list of what you have to do today, this week and this month. Include short-term and long-term goals. Write everything down in a diary or log-book. Keep it up to date as new priorities come in so you no longer have to worry about forgetting something. Equally important, you’ll be able to see when you may be overloading your schedule… which is a BIG concern. NOTE: I like keeping a paper-based version of my to-do schedule. Find a system that works for you and stay with it.
14. Always break work into smaller tasks spread over many days / weeks. Breaking tasks into smaller pieces can help you to feel less overwhelmed and helps you avoid procrastination.
15. Schedule extra time you may need to complete a task
16. Always schedule time in your day when nothing is planned. This way, when a crisis happens you don’t feel even more pressure because you have time to work on it.
17. If you finish a task early or have to wait for an appointment, don’t fill that time by getting on social media. Try using that time for reflection and to calm yourself. Try a simple meditation technique of focusing on your breath. Use this time to recharge your batteries (and your brain).
18. Avoid trying to multitask. Nobody can focus on two or more important things at a time so give yourself a break from trying.
19. Use a Timer. One of the best techniques I’ve come across for anyone is to use the Pomodoro Time Manager. This timer-technique suggests 20 minute of work, 10 minutes of rest and then repeat.
20. Another timer-technique is to set your cell phone to vibrate every 15 minutes. When the alarm goes off, use that as a cue to re-orient yourself. Ask yourself if you are working on your important work in this moment?
21. Remove distractions – all the things that get in the way. Turn off unnecessary electronics – even background noise may be a challenge.
22. Only you know what works best for you. Instead of absolute quiet and lack of action, background noise, white noise or music might work better for you. Take charge of what you need. Do you need to squeeze a stress-ball or hand-weight? Does sitting on an exercise ball or using a stand-up desk help? Even a gentle desk fan is known to help. Whatever you do, try not to disturb people around you – just like you don’t want them disturbing you. NOTE: Music, a metronome, tapping or a bouncing leg can be distracting to others even though it may help you. The trick is to find a balance within you and your coworkers.
23. Have only what you are working on in your line of sight. Keep your workspace clear.
24. Set up ‘HOMES’ for special things and make a habit of using those places… all the time:
    1. Important files
    2. Files you are going to need today
    3. File for today’s meetings
    4. Phones
    5. Keys and wallets
25. Set a personal goal. Do something for yourself.
26. Hire an executive coach. He or she can help you talk through any issues you face and may also be able to help you consider solutions.
27. You know how much sleep you really need and how to get it… so be sure that happens. You have to feel rested.
28. Work when you are at your best. For many, that means the first few hours after you wake you are at your strategic, creative best.
29. Follow any medical plan you have that has been prescribed by a doctor who specializes in the treatment of adult ADHD.
30. Eat sensibly. You don’t want sugar highs and low and carb crashes adding extra challenge to your day.
31. Get regular exercise. This may mean daily for you. Again, you know yourself best.

Conclusion.

Perhaps you’ve already come to the conclusion there isn’t a single best practice listed here that isn’t good for everyone. All of these are great time management and workplace productivity skills for all people – it just so happens that they are especially important for anyone living with ADHD.

What we do every day of our lives is what matters.

We hope you enjoyed this post.

Bruce Mayhew Consulting facilitates courses including Generational Differences, Leadership Skills, Motivation Skills, Difficult Conversation Training, Business Email Etiquette, Time Management, Mindfulness and more.

Find answers to your Professional Development questions / needs at brucemayhewconsulting.com.

Call us at 416.617.0462.

 

I’d enjoy reading your comments on this post.

 

 

Time Management – get more done.

Everyone says get to bed early and wake up early. And for about 90% of us that is the right recommendation. And if you are part of the 10%-night owls I’m not going to try to get you to change. And frankly, as work requirements are more flexible, adaptable and virtual of late, there are fewer challenges for night owls to get into work by 8AM… for many professions.

But, here is one truth that is important for all of us to know – no matter when you like to get up.

We are all strategically at our best from about 1 hour after to about 5 or 6 hours after we wake up. Even if we feel tired because we cared for a newborn or an aging parent, you can’t argue that we are still most rested after we wake up.

Three other amazing best practices that help early birds and moderates get more done:

1. Get to work early.

When we get to work early, it is usually the quietest part of our day. Before other coworkers, customers or suppliers get organized and begin bugging us we can get lots done.

2. Don’t plan meetings until at least 10AM or 11AM.

Meetings are often some of our most unproductive time. So, try to get as much strategic time in as possible. Remember, you are at your best up to 5 or 6 hours after you wake up so use that as your guide. Create a policy that restricts early morning meetings for your team. Try not to let meetings happen before 10 or 11AM.

If you lead a team or department and can’t get the meeting moved, check to see how critical it is that you attend. Perhaps you can send someone else from your team and then have them give you a quick update early in the afternoon. This time management best practice has two additional benefits including:

• It’s likely a career development opportunity for a junior team member
• A quick update will take less time than sitting through a whole meeting.

3. Use your travel time strategically.

I don’t necessarily mean work work work. Sure, getting a bit more work done may be your decision for today, but good time management also could mean giving yourself time to do some inspirational reading, or to hand-write a note to a friend, family member or an employee who has done a great job living up to the corporate values.

What I mean by use your travel time strategically is do something that is planned – even if your plan is to rest or daydream. Mixing up your routine and turning off the radio, or turning on a podcast is often one of the healthiest things we can do and is often one of the things we don’t often allow ourselves to do.

Little things matter.

Happy communicating, leading, mentoring and getting more done.

We facilitate courses including email etiquette, time management training, leadership skills, generational differences training… and more.

Find answers to your Professional Development questions / needs at brucemayhewconsulting.com.

Call us at 416.617.0462.

I’d enjoy reading your comments on this post.

15 Ways To Be Sure Your Business Meeting Isn’t A Waste Of Time

How you manage a business meeting with colleagues, clients or a combination of both can be a good indication of your leadership abilities. And while I’ve outlined 15 ways to be sure your business meeting isn’t a waste of time, I’m sure you’re already doing some. So perhaps, add them up your ‘Do’ column and ‘Need To Do’ column and see which list is longer.

Why is it important to review your business meeting management best practices?

It takes far less time to organize a great meeting (and reinforce a great personal reputation), than it takes to sit through a poorly organized meeting that is a waste of time… for everyone.

Great business meetings are about choice. Do you choose to:

1. Plan the meeting with no more than 3 key objectives to discuss or 3 key decisions to make?
2. Invite only the people who need to be there?
3. Build a reputation that your meetings start on time in order to respect everyone’s time?
4. Build a reputation that your meetings finish on time in order to respect everyone’s time?
5. Send your agenda out days in advance?
6. Stay on topic, on agenda?
7. As a participant, do you read the agenda in advance?
8. As meeting organizer or participant, do you arrive prepared with the background and / or support documents you need to participate?
9. Listen with purpose to learn? During the meeting, are you trying to understand (not necessarily agree with), other points of view? Please say yes.
10. Participate? Stay relevant? Ask questions / provide your opinion only when you have meaningful contribution? Do you create value? If people have questions they will / should feel free to ask.
11. Use a ‘Parking Lot’ for new topics… and new business meetings?
12. Be respectful when you agree and when you disagree?
13. Get to the point, not waste time, don’t ramble. Do you choose to be efficient and effective… especially if you have executives in the meeting.
14. Review decisions and action items before you close to ensure everyone is on the same page.
15. Document and distribute agreed-upon decisions and action items?

Conclusion
Far too many meetings leave us with the feeling our time and/or our opinion aren’t appreciated. And while much responsibility sits with the organizer, I believe it’s each of our responsibility to know what we can do to make sure business meetings are not a waste of time.

Happy communicating, leading, mentoring, learning and hosting great meetings.

We facilitate courses including Email Etiquette, Time Management training, How To Run Effective Meetings, Leadership Skills, Generational Differences, Difficult Conversations training… and more.

Find answers to your Professional Development questions / needs at brucemayhewconsulting.com.

Call us at 416.617.0462.

I’d enjoy reading your comments on this post.

Employee Burnout May Point To Time Management Challenges.

Are your employees burning-out doing the same thing over and over for 10 or more hours a day? There are five main challenges with that:

1. There are now more Millennials in the job market than Boomers.
2. Millennials want work-life balance / work-life integration as well as autonomy and opportunities.
3. Millennials want to keep growing – they don’t like the same thing over and over.
4. Gen Z employees are beginning to enter the job market (and they also like balance, autonomy and opportunities).
5. Most Boomers and Gen Xers want the same thing Millennials and Gen Zers want.

Most people don’t want to leave the company they have chosen to work for. People quit because they don’t feel:

• They are respected as individuals
• Their work and efforts are respected
• They are given opportunities (and challenges) to grow
• They have the flexibility / autonomy most workers want

Unfortunately for both individuals (and the companies they work for), sooner or later if leaders don’t take care of high-potential employees… their most dedicated employees, they usually quit. You know the saying, “People don’t quit their jobs; they quit their bosses.”

While most employees don’t want to quit their work or the company they work for, they do quit to survive. They quit because they know they can do better elsewhere – either working for someone else or starting their own business.

Is this a time management challenge?
At first glance no… but on a bigger scale, absolutely.

Studies show Millennial job loyalty / job retention increases when their responsibilities change… when their new responsibilities give them new opportunities to grow.

To keep your best people it’s important to pay attention to both the work that needs to get done and the needs of the people doing that work. Some of the best companies don’t keep the best people by slotting them into pre-existing jobs; they find (and keep) the best people by designing flexible work and workspaces that meet their employee and company needs… and therefore their customer needs. When employees see the companies they work for trying hard to create balanced, flexible workspaces, many of those same employees become even more loyal.

A great leader takes the time to learn about their employees. Great leaders also take the time to recognize the potential (and dreams), within those employees and then develop that potential and helps support those dreams.

Is employee burnout a time management challenge? At first glance no… but on a bigger scale, absolutely. If you are overworking your employees, not helping them grow and be proud of their work, be ready for high turnover and high recruitment and on-boarding costs that are unavoidable when you have an never-ending stream of new employees.

Little things matter.

Happy communicating, leading, mentoring and learning.

We facilitate courses including email etiquette, time management training, leadership skills, generational differences training… and more.

Find answers to your Professional Development questions / needs at brucemayhewconsulting.com.

Call us at 416.617.0462.

I’d enjoy reading your comments on this post.

 

How Busy Professionals Improve Work-life Balance: Time Management Tips for home and work

“The sacrifice is worth it” says many professionals who take pride in being dedicated workaholics. They even take their smart phone on vacation with them. And then they suddenly realize they’ve put on 50lbs, haven’t seen their partner or best friends in a year, don’t know their children’s favourite colour, book, food or sports team and likely can’t even remember the last time they socialized in a meaningful way (weddings and funerals don’t count). In short, their work-life balance is out of balance.

I’m not knocking working hard. As an entrepreneur I love what I do and don’t expect to retire; I hope I’m still delivering keynote presentations and communication skills training when I’m 65. I also totally agree there are crunch times when sacrifices must be made. But, when sacrifices go on for most of a year or two or more, many people who study organizational behaviour and productivity believe long-running sacrifices rarely benefit us personally, financially or professionally – or from a healthy living perspective.

Really? Perhaps you think “If I work hard I’ll make more money and be more successful?” For a sort time, yes… that is often the case. But, if we work all the time and are chronically exhausted, we are likely:

• Not going to make the best strategic decisions
• Going to make some mistakes we would not otherwise have made
• Short tempered – perhaps hurt important relationships
• Building a work environment that Reacts not Responds to client needs or business opportunities
• Putting our mental health at risk
• Dramatically increasing our risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes & more
• Growing apart from our family and/or friends
• Creating an invisible barrier called unfamiliarity with the people who should be close to us
• Causing resentment in our family and/or friends
• Losing our family and friends trust that you care… and will be there for them when needed
• Missing important dates / occasions causing resentment, disappointment and further emotional distance

Question 1:
“How does a busy professional find work-life balance that involves all aspects of their lives?”

Answer: We must all make time for each (not some), of the following:

• Work responsibilities
• Home / living responsibilities
• Family
• Friends
• Physical and Mental Health
• Personal interests

Question 2:
“Why should bosses care about work-life balance for their employees?”

Answer: When we feel valued, respected and supported in our work life and our family life we feel more loyalty to our boss and to the company. When we feel our contribution and our time are respected we also care more about the quality of work we do (and we make fewer mistakes because we are not chronically exhausted).

When our personal and professional lives are in balance we are happier, more positive, more creative, more collaborative (I can go on), in both our work and family lives. This balance also enables us to pursue our professional goals which is again, benefits the company and our family.

Question 3:
“How do we make time?”

Answer: We also have to take more responsibility for our schedule than most of us currently do. We also need to recognize we all do better when we follow routines. Not only do routines help us manage our expectations and the expectations of others, they help us build memorable experiences with important people. Routines also help us save time by letting us prepare in advance and put hardware, software and support systems in place to help us with our routines. So:

• Have a morning routine
• Have a predictable routine at work
• Have a routine in the evening
• Have a routine for Saturday
• Have a routine for Sunday

One ‘event’ many professionals feel helps balance work and family promises is committing to family dinners. Breakfasts might be out of the questions if you leave early for work, but a 6:30PM family dinner should be manageable for most professionals most of the time; especially if you get to work early in the morning.

Dinners with your partner and/or family are amazing for many different time management and relationship building reasons. One significant time benefit from a pre-scheduled meal routine is it makes grocery shopping efficient. It can also save you money because you know what to stock up on when they are on sale. Other benefits include:

• You are not wasting time dashing out for last-minute items or making bad ‘fast food’ choices.
• You may be able to make extra and freeze left-overs saving you time and effort in the future
• You can bring left-overs for lunch giving you a healthy and cost saving alternative to food courts

Family dinners enable you to involve your children in all aspects of meal planning including meal choice, shopping, cooking and cleaning up. Not only does this teach children how to cook, involving your children teaches them responsibility, social skills and how to confidently care for themselves. Involving children in meal preparation also can develop a sense of pride… and can exercise their creativity if they start experimenting with recipes – adding ingredients they love or finding alternatives for ingredients they dislike… like Brussel Sprouts).

For example, a family end-of-day meal schedule children can participate in is:

• Slow Cooker Stew Mondays
• Homemade Veggie Pizza Tuesdays
• Burger Wednesdays
• Mexican Chicken Veggie Stir-fry Thursdays
• Spaghetti Fridays
• Surprise Saturdays (you might even go out)
• Roast Sundays

Three More Things:
Three more things busy professionals with a family can do to improve time management both at home and at work:

• Prioritize your to do list – plan your week not your day. Possible solution, spend 5 minutes planning at night and then 5 more minutes first thing in the morning.
• Have discussions at work and at home about expectations, values and responsibilities.
• Embrace delegation – share responsibility – and accept responsibility with your coworkers and family. When you delegate, use it as a mentoring, learning experience.

Conclusion:
One of the best ways to start your day is to get a good night sleep – that means get to bed at a decent hour. This helps you wake up refreshed in the morning.

Some of the most successful professionals believe it’s critical to have a good morning routine that includes some exercise and a healthy breakfast. For example, Sir Richard Branson says, “I seriously doubt that I would have been as successful in my career (and happy in my personal life) if I hadn’t always placed importance on my health and fitness,” says Branson to FourHourBodyPress. Branson continues,“I definitely can achieve twice as much by keeping fit”. Mark Zuckerberg (who usually exercises first thing when he wakes up) says, “It keeps the brain functioning well”.

Every morning might be slightly different but routine helps you, your children and your co-workers manage expectations, increase productivity and experience work-life balance. The following is a sample morning schedule.

Routine is critical as well as calendar management. Let either of these out of your control and you can kiss productivity away.

Final Note:
Have a weekend schedule: For example, on Sunday:

• Sleep in
• Family pitches in together to streamline:
  • Everybody helps clean the Kitchen, Family room, Bedroom & Bathroom
  • 50% of you do Laundry
  • 50% of you go Grocery Shopping
  • Everybody helps on Pre-Meal Preparation
  • Reward Brunch in a restaurant with the kids and friends
  • Sunday night – no plans
  • Schedule some downtime
  • Schedule 30 minutes to get acquainted with the next week.

Happy communicating and training… and taking responsibility for your schedule and work-life balance.

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If you enjoyed this post we think you’ll like:

• How To Begin Difficult Conversations
• Email Etiquette Training ROI
• Return On Investment From Investing in Email Etiquette Training
• 5 Essential Email Etiquette Habits
• Time Management

Bruce Mayhew Consulting facilitates courses including Leadership, Motivating Employees, Business Writing, Email Etiquette, Time Management and Having Difficult Conversations.

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Call us at 416.617.0462.

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Work-Life Balance & Results Only Work Environments (ROWE): Myth or Reality?

I feel there is a resurgence to strive for work-life balance… with work as the evil twin in the relationship. But to find something you have to first know what you’re looking for… so…. ‘What is work-life balance?‘

Work-life balance is very personal. It’s different among co-workers doing the same or similar work; it’s different for each partner in a relationship; it’s different for each of your friends. Even your definition of work life balance will change over time… especially if you:

• Have / adopt a child
• Get a promotion / change jobs
• Move
• Inherit money
• etc. etc.

Work-Life Balance Is More Achievable Than Ever

While we’ve been striving for balance for decades, I think it’s more achievable than ever for a few reasons:

• Awareness / Desire
• Technology (Assists collaboration, information sharing and much more)
• More work is thought based
• Millennial expectations and influence
• Organizations are realizing it’s cost effective

I do a fair amount of Productivity & Time Management Training and I hear over and over how many of us do a few hours of quality work after dinner – before we hit the sack. Is that wrong – or is that the new way of working? I’m certain that work-life balance is showing us flexibility is possible and integration is the new norm.

Older Productivity & Time Management Training Studies Are Right… But…

There are tons of studies that demonstrate we are at our strategic – creative best in the morning. That’s why traditional best practices suggest avoiding mundane, low-strategy work until the afternoon and to protect evenings as valuable family time (and give your brain a rest).

But what about parents who don’t go to bed at 10PM and wake refreshed at 6AM… or the typical Millennial who is used to integrating all parts of their life (which now means work), throughout their day and evening? More and more people follow a nontraditional schedule where free time might be ‘when they can schedule a spare hour’.

I’m not saying this older model is wrong, I just think it needs to become more flexible. I believe that after a good rest everyone is more creative and more strategic… and as we become tired it makes sense that we become less creative and strategic (throughout an 8 or 10 hour marathon work day).

So, what if we changed the rules? What if we began taking mental breaks throughout the day? We all experience feeling refreshed and bright again after a break (even if our ‘break’ was going to the gym).

Enter ROWE (Results Only Work Environment).

With a ROWE, it doesn’t matter when an employee does their work or where they do it, as long as they meet agreed-upon project goals on time and on budget. Employees get to decide where and when they work – and what they work on.

If employees are required to get to an office they are punching a time clock – even if there isn’t a time clock in sight.

ROWE’s are a BIG opportunity for organizations to reduce costs while increasing productivity, creativity, employee morale and employee loyalty… especially in cities like Toronto, Vancouver, New York or LA where the average commute is at least an hour.”

How You Can Build a ROWE Performance-Driven Work Culture

Critical to your success is to have measurable results and hold employees accountable for their work. It’s also important to cut the connection between salary and goals because $$ can actually demotivate your employees (see previous blog: Link).

Make sure your employees work stands for something. I believe some of the key responsibilities of leaders is to help employees take pride in their work, reflect on what they have learned, and to see how their efforts make a difference for the company and/or their customers. That’s the kind of leader I want to be.

Take companies like Influitive in Toronto that develop Marketing solutions for Corporate clients – or Fireman & Company an international management consulting firm that specializes in the legal industry. Both of these organizations operate with a ROWE and benefit from having employees in different time zones and / or countries.

The added beauty of a ROWE is that organizations are able to hire the best talent from anywhere in the world – not being limited to geography… like within an hours drive.

Do Flexible Work Hours Count?

Flexible work hours count but are not a ROWE. A flexible schedule that allows an employee to come in at 6AM and leave at 3PM is still all about organizational control and making sure people put their bum in a seat; flexible work hours just provide a few more options. So it’s important to ask – do you want to make sure people show up… or are you more concerned about what they accomplish and the quality of their work?

If you are interested in what your employees accomplish (not where or when they do it), you have already making the mental transition to a Results Only Work Environment.

Autonomy at work is one of the greatest motivators emerging in today’s workforce. Autonomy is about setting your own work schedule with your teammates to ensure the people responsible do the work on time, on budget, and exceed expectations. This approach of ‘anonymity’, ‘team work’ and ‘self improvement’ is high – and I mean really high for Millennials.

ROWE Will Attract Loyal Millennials… And Other Generations

Millennials are known to have a more entrepreneurial spirit, wanting more anonymity along with mentoring. ROWE and anonymity helps employees feel like they are their own boss – even when working for a large organization. It helps employees design their own work-life balance. This can be a perfect solution for the organization trying to integrate Millennials into their work environments but having challenges with loyalty.

ROWE allows all employees (Millennials and other generations), to choose… to be in control of how, when, where and often what they are working on. For ROWE to exist it has to be supported by reliable metrics goals, objectives. It also means that reward has to reach beyond extrinsic motivators like $$… and must be supported by intrinsic motivators like C.A.P.S. (see previous blog: Link).

As time goes on I believe it will be an employees job-market… and employee flexibility will be key. With this new generation coming in, conversations are going to change between employers and labor unions about employees wants / needs and their productivity.

1. Many Millennials don’t separate work and life or work and family / community.
2. Millennials see work-life balance is whatever they are doing (volunteer, work, cooking, relaxation etc). I recently spoke with a Millennial and they said, “Work is in my life – my life doesn’t act outside of paid time – it happens all the time and this way I don’t have to miss out on any part of my life.”

It’s Critical To Measure Deliverables

When you measure deliverables and quality you can measure an employees real performance… and, over time a pattern always forms. As leaders, we all know the employee we can count on and the employee we can not count on… even though they both spend valuable time each day commuting to your office… IE: punching a time clock.

The anonymity employees want becomes their responsibility. They are ultimately responsible for their deliverables and therefore, their impact on everything else including their personal and professional reputation.

Involve your employees in all aspects of a project. Get their ideas on how to track the work – not the hours. ROWE has to be a corporate culture – and you have to hire the right people. You have to hire people based on values, ambition AND talent. Far too often we hire people on talent or who we like…. Therefore… people most like ourselves. EEEK.

This Blog is getting far too long, so in my next Blog I will further explore questions like:

• Won’t employees abuse their freedom?
• How to integrate ROWE into my work structure?

Happy communicating, mentoring, motivating… and training.

Click here to join our priority list to receive our latest Business Communication blog posts.

If you enjoyed this post we think you’ll like:

• How To Begin Difficult Conversations
• Mindfulness At Work
• 5 Essential Email Etiquette Habits
• Collaboration Is A Work Ethic That Needs Empathy
• Time Management

 

Bruce Mayhew Consulting facilitates courses including Business Writing, Email Etiquette, Time Management and Mindfulness.

Click on the image to watch us on Canada AM.

Find answers to your Professional Development questions / needs at brucemayhewconsulting.com.

Call us at 416.617.0462.

I’d enjoy reading your comments on this post.

 

Best Time Management Books

Sure this is subjective. But as a corporate trainer and coach I’ve read a lot and do a lot of Time Management training.

I’ve customized my Time Management training course based on my experience and what I’ve read / studied. Because of my experience I see first-hand what time management techniques make sense to professionals,  what tips people are able to adopt quickly… and what time management tips don’t work well.

I often get asked what I feel are the best time management books. Even though not everything in every book will help every person, I offer you this list.

Please note – they are not in a specify order. All images and names are Copyright.

 

In Getting Things Done, David Allen shares his methods increased performance. David’s approach is one that suggests that when we are calm and organized our productivity and creativity goes up.

I agree; being mindful of our goals lets us prioritize what we do and when we do it.

 

 

 

 

In The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, the late Stephen R. Covey shares his 7 steps. Without doubt it’s my most highlighted, underlined and used time management book.

Stephen goes beyond Time Management and indirectly gets into how to be a good people manager and leader.

 

 

 

In The Now Habit, Dr. Neil Fiore looks at the impact of procrastination. It’s one of the biggest challenges I see / hear of when I deliver time management training.

Dr. Fiore shares the good and bad impact of procrastination – and how when we are aware we can all make the right choice.

 

 

 

 

In The One Minute Manager, Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson have great theories that work well with a multigenerational audience; One Minute Goals, One Minute Praisings, and One Minute Reprimands.

Even though it’s been around for over 20 years this book is still relevant.

 

 

 

 

 

In Rework Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson give us the updated approach to work, work/life balance, innovation and reward.

It’s not really a time management book – but one that looks at all aspects of business and innovation and explores how to do it differently / better in our current environment.

 

 

 

I hope you enjoy my perspective of the best time management books.  Please note I am not (unfortunately), being paid to support / review any of these books.  Also, all proprietary images and names are copyright and owned by someone – not me.

I would be remiss if I also didn’t mention Do More Great Work by Michael Bungay Stanier and The 4-hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss.

Happy communicating and Time Management.

Click here to join our priority list to receive our latest Business Communication blog posts.

If you enjoyed this post we think you’ll like:

• Leadership Responsibilities: Part 2
• How To Change Pre-learned Biases
• How To Begin Difficult Conversations
• Mindfulness At Work
• How To Motivate Millennials: 7 Best Practices
• 5 Essential Email Etiquette Habits
• Collaboration Is A Work Ethic That Needs Empathy

Bruce Mayhew Consulting facilitates courses including Business Writing, Email Etiquette, Time Management and Mindfulness.

Click on the image to watch us on Canada AM.

Find answers to your Professional Development questions / needs at brucemayhewconsulting.com.

Call us at 416.617.0462.

I’d enjoy reading your comments on this post.