Embrace the Process

"Many a failure has come about when he would have won had he stuck it out."

Author Unknown

Failure to embrace process is one of the biggest time wasters. Recently, I had an experience that reminded me of this fact. I was in traffic headed to an appointment. The lane I was in did not appear to be moving. 

In my attempt to find a shortcut, I noticed that the lane to my right seemed to be flowing faster. I changed lanes and suddenly I was at a standstill. I looked to my right again and saw that the next lane was now moving at a faster pace. Confident that I could make up time, I changed lanes only to find my self at a standstill once again. 

My frustration reached a boiling point when I realized that the lane I started in was now moving freely. I would have arrived at my destination much faster if I stuck with my original idea. Each time I switched lanes, I was starting the process over and wasting time. 

Have you ever given up on an idea because it did not seem to be progressing on your time table? This idea may have been a business, a book, or a budding relationship. In the beginning, you received plenty of encouragement and positive reinforcement, confirming that you were on the right path. 

Suddenly, you stopped making noticeable progress. Your efforts did not appear to match the results you were getting. You felt as if you were on a treadmill, expending a great deal of energy but not moving forward. 

This "treadmill" is a normal part of the process and the place where most people give up. Just like in my traffic experience, every time you give up, you are losing precious time because the attainment of any worthwhile goal is preceded by a treadmill season. When you begin the new venture you are starting at the back of the line. Below are two strategies that will help you to embrace the process:

Planning
Planning will allow you to anticipate that there will be a treadmill season BEFORE you pursue your goal. The key is to determine up front if what you are aiming for is worth the sacrifice that will be required to make it through. If your goal is in alignment with your purpose and passions then it should be considered worthy of the required sacrifice. If the answer is NO, then let it go! 

Quitting the pursuit of goals that don't line up with your purpose will save you valuable time. Every minute you spend on the wrong road, is taking time away from your true calling. You only have a limited amount of time to do what you were born to do. Planning will enable you to make the best use of this time. 

Persistence
Once you have determined the goal to be worthwhile, you must persist until you have achieved it. According to author Seth Godin, most runners who quit the 26-mile Boston Marathon, usually give up around the 18th mile. In spite of  the fact that they have spent more energy at mile 25, very few runners give up when they are 1 mile from the finish line. This is because they can see their goal and this vision inspires them to persist through the pain. 

The lesson is to always keep your finish line in front of you. If you can view it, you can do it! One way to accomplish this is to create a vision board with pictures of your objectives and placed it in a location where you are forced to look at it regularly. Being able to see your finish line will inspire you to persist through the pain of the process.

If you are in a treadmill season right now, be encouraged. You will be in better shape when you get through it than when you started. Planning and persistence will help you to embrace the process and allow you to make the best use of your time. 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner 

Be On Time, Every Time

“Your delay will lower your demand.”

I would like to introduce you to Larry the Late. He is the most consistent person in your organization. There are only three things that are certain in life: death, taxes, and Larry being late. If the meeting starts at 8:00 am, he will arrive at 8:15. The project that is due on the 26th of the month will get to you on the 27th. When you are traveling to an out of town conference, Larry will board the plane right before the flight attendant closes the doors. Do you know Larry? If you looked in the mirror, would you find him? 

Larry has unknowingly created a brand for himself. He has become known for poor time management, lack of urgency, and not being organized. Larry is actually good at his job, but his procrastination speaks louder than his performance. What Larry does not realize is that he has been passed over several times when higher paying positions have become available. His delay has lowered his demand. What can you do to make sure that you don’t end up like Larry? Below are three nuggets that will help you to be on time, every time.

Ownership
In all of my years of leading people, I have heard every reason in the book as to why someone was late to a meeting. I have never heard anyone tell me the following: “Eric, Sorry I was late, I need to leave my house earlier the next time.” Most people blame traffic. The key to being on time -- every time -- is to take personal ownership for all of the factors under your control. If I was late, traffic was usually not the real reason. The reality was that I did not leave my house early enough to anticipate that there may be an accident on my route to the office. If I had left an hour before my scheduled meeting time instead of 30 minutes before, I would have made it. Once you realize what you have control over, you can make the necessary adjustments. 

Key Placement
Have you ever been ready to leave your house only to discover that you have misplaced your keys? I have the following two part solution to this problem. First, designate one place in your residence for key placement. It helps to identify a place that you have to pass before you leave. Several people that I work with have created a special key holder by their exit door. 

Next, you must discipline yourself to place your keys in your designated place every time. Whenever you misplace something, the first question you are asked is “Where did you have it last?”. The fact that you don’t know adds to your stress and frustration. By applying the discipline that I just mentioned, you will always have the answer to this question. This little habit will save you lots of time and mental stress. 

The Half Tank Rule
I was rushing out of my house to attend and important meeting. I was behind schedule so every minute was critical. As I started the car, I realized that I was within ten miles of running out of gas and my destination was thirty five miles away! On this particular morning, there was a long line at the pump. The time I spent at the gas station made me late for my meeting. 

This experience forced me to implement the “half tank rule”. Here is how it works; whenever my gas gauge is at or beyond the half way point, I find the closest gas station and fill up. Not having to get gas in the mornings will save you least 15 minutes and take you from tardy to timely.

Taking personal ownership, focusing on key placement, and implementing the half tank rule are three nuggets that will help you to maximize your time and minimize your stress. Stay tuned for next week’s tip. If you found this week’s tip to be helpful, please forward this post using the social share buttons at the bottom of the page. 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

Schedule Your Priorities

"Time is what we want the most, but use the worst." -- William Penn

Have you ever begun your week committed to take action only to arrive at Friday realizing that it didn't happen? This was the week that you were going to apply for that job, start that blog, write that business plan, or start writing your book. You tell yourself that even though you missed this week, you will get it done next week. Sadly, next week goes by and you have the same result. You are an intelligent, goal oriented go getter, so why didn't you follow through? 

The reason for your lack of follow through can be summed up in one word: LIFE. 

The normal demands of life can throw you off course. These demands can come from family, career, friends, or the organizations that you belong to. Modern technology makes it easier to be thrown off course now that we have cell phones, email, text messaging, and social media. We live in an era of instant access and interruptions are only one click away. So how do you accomplish your priorities in spite of all of these interruptions? 

Scheduling your priorities in advance is the key to success. Below are my three steps to scheduling your priorities:

1. Identify the Priority 
What are the tasks that if accomplished will help you to achieve your ultimate goal? To accurately identify your priority, you must use what I call "The line up" test. If the task does not "line up" with the ultimate vision and goals you have set for yourself, then it should not be considered a priority. For example, if your ultimate vision is to be an entrepreneur, then the task of writing a business plan passes the line up test and should be given priority status.

2. Isolate the Time 
This is where you use a calendar to schedule in advance those tasks that are priorities for you. Depending on the task, you may need to schedule multiple days to complete it. There are three steps involved with isolating the time: First, set aside a minimum of a thirty minute block of time to get it done. Next, get a timer and set it to alert you once your time is up. The final step is to discipline yourself to not check email, send text messages, use social media, or do anything other than that task during the time you have isolated. 

3. Issue the Communication 
It is very important that you communicate with those around you and let them know that you are not to be disturbed during the block of time that you have scheduled. They will need to answer the phone and take messages on your behalf. This communication can be issued to family members, co-workers, employees, etc. The more advance notice you can give to those around you, the better results you will see. For example, Sunday's from 8:00pm to 8:30pm is the time that I have set aside to analyze my results from the previous week and to make plans for the upcoming week. My family members and friends know in advance I will not be available during this time because I have issued the communication to them.

So there you have it. If you commit to identifying the priority, isolating the time, and issuing the communication, you will be on your way to time management mastery! Remember, it takes twenty one days to form a habit so consistent focus is the key. 

Use the Magic Word

"The more you say yes, the more you'll have stress." 
Eric M. Twiggs

Have you ever been so actively involved in everything that you didn't accomplish anything? I had a young lady named Lisa approach me wanting my advice on how to better manage her time. She admitted that she was feeling stressed out, and that there were not enough hours in the day to get things done. I offered to schedule a meeting with her for Thursday of that week to discuss the matter. Here is how the rest of our dialog went:

"Eric, Thursdays no good for me, I am the President of my Home owners association and we have a meeting. Ok Lisa, What about next Tuesday evening at 6:30pm? No Eric, that will not work either, I am the vice president of the PTA and we have a meeting scheduled. No problem Lisa, lets schedule for the following Saturday at 3:00pm. No Eric, that time is not good because I am chairing a special committee at work and we are planning a summer social."

Lisa was so overbooked, that she did not have time to address her time management issue! How did she get into this predicament? 

Lisa failed to use the magic word. If you fail to use this powerful word, you will be in the same situation. The magic word is NO. I suggest that you anticipate the requests that may come your way and create a "NO list" to record those offers that you know in advance to decline. Noted author Gary Ryan Blair is quoted as saying "Your success in life depends on having a short yes list and a LONG NO list." The question becomes, how do you know what requests belong on the list? Below are two areas to consider when compiling your NO list:

YOUR PASSIONS
If you do not have a passion for the request, that is a sign that It belongs on your NO list. You will be more productive by focusing your efforts in a few areas that line up with your passions, then by focusing on many areas out of obligation. Everyone has a specific calling and purpose in life. When I am involved in activities that are tied to purpose, I am more productive because passion and purpose are linked. This passion allows me to apply the energy that is needed to produce an excellent result. If you do not have a passion for the activity, you will just go through the motions. The following "snooze button test" will help you to measure your levels of passion: In the morning, if you hit the snooze button two or more times, this is a sign that you have committed yourself to activities that you are not passionate about. If you really love what you are doing, you can't wait to get your day started. Remember this formula: Passion + Purpose = Productivity. 

YOUR PRIORITIES 
Any request that does not line up with your short or long term priorities belongs on your NO list. Ask yourself the following three questions to help clarify your priorities: First, what do you want the obituary that will be written about your life to say? Answering this question will help you to gain clarity on your vision. Secondly, what are your goals for the next ninety days that will move you in the direction of your vision? Lastly, what do you need to do each day to accomplish your ninety day goals? Having your vision and goals in writing makes it easier to say NO to requests that don't line up. Any request that takes you away from your priorities is a distraction. Every time you say NO to a distraction, you are saying YES to your destiny.

In summary, considering your passions and priorities will help you to proactively create your NO list.