Forgetfulness Part 2

From Ned Hallowell’s Crazy Busy Blog

Forgetfulness, Part II

Last week we gave you some tips on how keep track of all the many things we all need to remember. This week we’d like to share some tips from our readers on the subject. This particular group was very interested in post it notes! Here are a few:

• Use dry erase markers to write reminders on your bathroom mirror – that way you’ll see them first thing in the morning
• Write two post it notes for each important task and post in your special “to do” area. When you’re ready to take on a task, take one of the notes and put it somewhere obvious (shirt, calendar) until it’s done. The note that’s left behind reminds you again if you lose the first note.
• Leave medicine bottles near the coffee machine
• Put an erase board on the refrigerator to track daily tasks – then erase as you do them
• Save a permanent “to do” list for packing or leaving for vacation. Print it out each time you are ready to leave so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel during the busy time leading up to time off. As you pack, you can cross things off your list.

Busyness and Incivility

Excerpted from Ned Hallowell’s Crazy Busy

Busyness & Incivility

The late American aphorist Mason Cooley once quipped, “Being charming takes time and effort, and I am busy.” No one is charming all the time. But are you polite? Do you wave back to the neighbor who greets you as you drive by in the morning? Do you acknowledge the person who holds a door open for you? Try to be polite. Incivility is one of the unpleasant consequences of being too busy, and the consequences can be far-reaching. Remember, the person you are impolite to may very well be in your next meeting or seated next to you on a cross- country flight! More importantly, if you have children, remember that they learn from your actions. You cannot expect your children to be polite, if you aren’t.

You might use becoming impolite as a measure of when you are too busy; use it as a sign that it’s time to slow down and make some changes in your life.

Create a Positive Environment

Excerpted from Ned Hallowell’s Crazy Busy

Create a Positive Environment

Do all that you can to create a positive emotional atmosphere in your work and home environments. Positive emotion is not a frill. Emotion is the on/off switch for effective mental functions; when the emotional atmosphere is less than positive, people lose flexibility, enthusiasm, patience, humor and creativity.

The best way to create a positive emotional environment is to work on keeping up positive relationships with people wherever you are. When people feel safe, secure, welcomed and appreciated, they behave better, work better and are better able to help others. A positive attitude can go a long way towards making things brighter for you – and those around you!

Do What You Most Want To Do

Excerpted From Ned Hallowell’s Crazy Busy

Do what you most want to do.

Don’t die without having tried to do what you most want to do.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the daily demands of this crazybusy world of ours and to lose sight of our dreams. Don’t let life pass you by without doing the things you most want to do. Whether it’s traveling to a certain destination, learning something new, or trying out a new career, chances are that with some careful planning, you can make it a reality.

(For those of you who dream of a different career, check out Vocation Vacations; you can spend two or three days ‘test-driving’ your dream job to see if it’s something you truly want to explore!)

Try Approaching Tasks from a New Angle

Excerpted from Ned Hallowell’s Crazy Busy

Try Approaching Tasks from a New Angle

It is useful to look at every situation from as many angles as possible: upside down, inside out, and every which way. If you insist on minute instructions, you may never allow yourself to innovate. You’ll be good at doing what you’re told, but not at coming up with a new way.

So, the next time you’re asked to do something, try approaching the task from a different angle – for example, try writing an article starting with the last sentence! Approaching tasks this way can be a real asset; the ability to read backward, literally or figuratively, can lead to innovative thinking. If we always approach a task in the same way – what we may believe to be the easiest and quickest way to get it done – we will lose touch with our ability to think creatively.

Time Off Improves Productivity

Excerpted from Ned Hallowell’s Crazy Busy

Time Off Improves Productivity

Organizations that not only encourage, but force workers to take predictable time off as part of their work gain unexpected benefits. So say the results of a four year study published in the October issue of the Harvard Business Review.

The study, undertaken by Leslie Perlow, a professor with the HBS, followed 12 consulting teams at Boston Consulting Group – a company renowned for its hard- driving work ethic. Yet the results of the study were so positive that BCG is rolling out the team strategy to many of its other groups this year.

What types of improvements did they see?

• Better communication between team members
• Closer relationships and more shared personal information between team members
• Better planning
• More streamlined planning

 And, perhaps most important of all to Boston Consulting, some clients also reported improved client service, presumably a result of the better planning, communication and focus of their team.

The experiment focused on guaranteeing each consultant one night a week off with no work after 6pm, and no contact with work at all, including Blackberries and computers. Though this might seem like a small improvement, consultants initially found setting this time aside for themselves very difficult as they feared it would affect other days, including weekends. But in the end consultants found that they could “turn off” for a while and still produce high intensity, high quality work.

Boston Consulting benefited, too. After five months, those employees participating in the study were more satisfied with their jobs, happier with their work-life balance, and more likely to stay with the firm compared with consultants not in the study, says the Wall Street Journal, which reported on the study.

Take Care of Yourself

Excerpted from Ned Hallowell’s Crazy Busy

Take Care of Yourself

Don’t ever get too busy to care for yourself! Make the time to see your doctor and dentist regularly and heed his or her advice. Get the appropriate health screenings (visit Mayoclinic.com for health screening guidelines based on gender and age). This advice may seem obvious, but millions of hardworking, intelligent people neglect basic issues of self-care.

Nutrition is also an important part of good self-care. A good source for nutrition-related news and advice is Nutrition Source, a website maintained by the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health; here you’ll find tips for healthy eating as well as reviews and analysis of the latest nutrition news from Harvard.

 

Forgetfulness, Part #1

Excerpted from Ned Hallowell’s Crazy Busy

It seems these days that so many people complain of severe forgetfulness. Chances are our forgetfulness stems from pure overload – too many numbers, passwords, appointments, gadgets, acquaintances, etc. The best way to handle this is not to panic – this will surely just add to your forgetfulness! Instead, never assume in this crazybusy world of ours that you will remember something – in fact, assume you won’t, and set out to find a way to help you remember. Immediately write down appointments in your calendar, leave yourself a message on your voicemail, send yourself an email, write yourself a note – whatever works for you. Sometimes even the act of doing these things will help you to remember!

Do What Matters Most to You

A person’s not doing what matters most is the most common casualty of an excessively busy life. Don’t spread yourself too thin. People often head into their day like a spray, where the megaloctopus quickly entraps them. Gemmelsmerch, the force of distraction, is so powerful today that if you don’t deliberately protect time to do what matters most, it is likely you will not do it, or at best not give it the time it deserves. Focus on what you like the best and on what you do best. There is not enough time to try and get at what you’re bad at or spend time doing what you dislike (unless you must). Technology has allowed us to do so much more than we used to be able to do that it is tempting to try to do everything we’ve always wanted to do. This will run you ragged, whether you are a child or an adult.

You must choose. You must prioritize. In order both to do well and to be happy, you must say, “No, thank you,” to many people and activities.

Excerpted from CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and about to Snap! : Strategies for Handling Your Fast-Paced Life - Ned Hallowell