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What Do You Do to Make Sure You Get All Your Important Business Tasks Done?

by EvieBurke, posted in Task List
As I mentioned in a previous article, I spent some time over the last few weeks making phone calls for an informal poll on tasks, goals and balance (first article, second article, third article). The wording of the  poll questions changed slightly as I went, but in general it was three questions and then whatever follow up questions I wanted to ask. This is the first of four articles that are a direct result of those phone calls.

What do you do to make sure that you’re getting all your important business tasks done?

That (or some form of that) was the first question of the poll I took over the past four weeks.

Answers ranged from nothing to detailed systems that involve thought and time. The most common answers involved some form of a to-do list and a calendar.

I heard two themes from people who don’t regularly make or keep to-do lists:

  1. When I have time and I’m not really busy, then I keep a to-do list.
  2. When I have a to-do list more seems to get done.

I get it, you’re busy and you want to spend your time DOING and spending time PLANNING to do just doesn’t seem to make sense (or be productive). I’ve felt like that! However, when there’s a lot going on is exactly when you need to make sure you’re taking time to plan.

I’ve learned I’m much more focused and less stressed when I have a to-do list. And that’s especially when there’s a lot going on.

A lot of people I talked with have or would like to have a daily to-do list. However, it’s also important to have a “Master” to-do list. A place for all those things that you need and want to get done, but aren’t a priority today or even this week.

Why have a master to-do list? It’s to prevent to-do list overwhelm. One person I talked with said she doesn’t like keeping to-do lists because they get too long and detailed. Well, if you’re looking at a long list of tasks and today you’re only focusing on one to three, then yes, that list will seem really long and frustrating! Instead pick those one to three things you’ll focus on and create a list with only those things on it. The other list still exists, you just don’t need to look at it multiple times a day.

Another reason you get more accomplished when you have a to-do list is you’ve effectively set your priorities for the day and know what tasks you’ll be doing to support that. This makes moving from one task to the next go much more quickly. When I don’t spend a little time making my daily to-do list I usually end up spending at least twice that time trying to figure out what my next task is for the day.

Now, on to some specifics. Below is a summarized list of how people make sure they’re doing what needs to be done – in no particular order:

  • Create lists (either on paper or on computer)
  • Create a daily list the night before
  • Schedule appointments into a calendar (paper or computer)
  • Schedule blocks of time for projects into a calendar
  • Calendar reminders
  • Outlook tasks
  • Work with others
    • Accountability partners
    • Mastermind groups
    • A coach
  • Plan each week in advance

Do you do anything that’s not listed here?

Are You Ignoring Advice Because You Know How You Work or Because Of Fear?

by EvieBurke, posted in comfort zone, Fear

Have you ever been told you’re doing it wrong? Maybe not in so many words, but the thought was there? Usually, it’s from someone very well meaning who’s trying to say “If you do it this way, the way I did it, it will work better.” Instead of feeling a sense of hope and direction, did you feel like this person just didn’t understand you? Or worse, that maybe there was something wrong with you because their way just didn’t feel right for you?

I’ve had that experience. And then felt a bit like I was my own little island and everyone one else was on a boat yelling directions at me that I just didn’t understand or quickly became frustrated with.

If you relate, then know that you’re not alone.

I’ve been thinking about this off and on for several weeks. Why didn’t I get it? Why did [fill in the blank] come so easily to them and was so difficult for me? Even when someone gave me the steps?

The main problem was I work differently than they do.

I like focusing on one thing at a time. I really immerse myself in it and it can be difficult for me to change focus. Have you ever seen an old fashion juke box with actual records? When you change songs the record spins down, is put away, then the new one is found, put in place and spun up to speed so you can hear the new song. That’s how changing focus feels for me. It can take time for me to switch “songs.”

While other people get bored if they don’t have a lot of variety each day, I prefer to focus on one or two things. One is not better than the other, it’s just different. I know that when I’m planning my week, it’s better for me to group tasks around a particular project together. In the long run it saves me time and frustration.

Here’s where it can get tricky. Sometimes, when someone is offering a piece of advice or an insight from their own life and you tell them that their method is not for you, they might say (again, with the best of intentions) that you’re just afraid or hiding from something or even playing small. This is where it’s important to recognize if they are right.

Remember the story from last week? I had been told by various people that I needed to become comfortable making phone calls. Problem was it scared me. I know people who regularly make anywhere from 25 to 40 (or more!) phone calls each week. Thinking about doing that was intimidating. It was a fear response with a dash of “that is sooo not for me.”

After avoiding it for a while, I realized that I was avoiding making phone calls mostly out of fear. You can see what I did about it in last week’s article. The gist of it is that I created a solution that worked for me and it didn’t look like the solution other’s had suggested in the past.

So, it is one thing to know how you work and it is something completely different to use it as an excuse to play small. Many times those methods can be tweaked to work for you (make 10 phone calls instead of 30).

Trust your gut, or intuition, or whatever you call it. If the advice, task or goal is not right for you move on, but if it’s fear holding you back recognize that and decide how you want to address it. The secret is to know yourself and be willing to step outside your comfort zone in a way that works for you.

Moving Past Fears to Meet Your Goal

by EvieBurke, posted in Fear, Goals

I have a huge fear. It feels silly to say it out loud, because I know that as an entrepreneur this fear holds me back. I have a fear of picking up the phone and calling people. This isn’t something that’s new to me. In my previous job, when given the choice between calling someone and sending them an email, I almost always chose the email. And my bosses noticed it.

As an entrepreneur, I know that this fear holds me back. So, I find other things to do. Hoping, or at least telling myself, that I don’t really have to call people. I’ll do this other thing instead and people will call me (I don’t mind that, I actually like that).

It ties in with last week’s post – I was doing what I wanted to do instead of what was challenging. It’s funny how everything kind of ties together.

Anyway, I realized a couple weeks ago that I want and need to overcome this fear. I just had NO idea of how to do it! At some point I remembered that I had this same fear feeling around leaving my house to go to networking events. The mental and physical feeling of dread and fear was almost the same. The difference is that I don’t have that feeling about networking events any more.

So, what did I do to move past the fear of networking? I went out and did it. I left my house at least once a week to go to some kind of networking event. I kept doing it and eventually, without really even noticing it, I didn’t dread it anymore. I actually look forward to it sometimes! I like meeting new people and saying Hi to the people I already know.

Based on that observation I could start calling people and eventually my fear and dread would decrease, right? But what would I talk to them about? This lead to my informal poll, I’ve been calling people over the last couple of weeks asking them some version of “What do you do to make sure that you’re getting the important things in your business done?” I also have a couple follow up questions.

Now I was armed with a reason to call – no reason not to pick up the phone and start dialing, right? Well, I had a lot of networking things I was doing that week and there were these other things that I really wanted to get done. Ok, so I had a lot of excuses and I told my accountability buddy that my goal was to talk to at least 10 people. So, excuses really wouldn’t cut it.

When I have things on my task list that I really don’t want to do, somehow the tasks before it take a much longer than I anticipate and I just run out of time. Do you ever have that problem? So, I scheduled it. I put a two-hour block of time on my calendar. It didn’t matter where I was with my other tasks for the day, during that two hour time period I would be making phone calls.

And you know what I noticed prior to that 2-hour scheduled time? More reasons, well actually excuses, not to do it. For example, the networking event I went to earlier in the day ran longer than I expected. Oh, and I got an email from someone that meant I could spend time doing some work for a committee I’m on. And, well, I could go on and on, but I think you get my drift. Lots of little excuses popped up.

I was committed though and I really wanted to be able to say that I made those phone calls. So, when the scheduled time came, I sat down and started planning to make calls. Umm, yep, you read that right! I started planning how I was going to track the calls and keep track of responses. I caught myself about ten-minutes in and stopped planning and actually started calling people. Oh, and I added ten-minutes to the end time so I did spend a full two-hours making phone calls and I did talk to 10 people (and I left many voicemails).

When I had about 15 minutes left of my two hours I almost stopped. I figured I was close enough, right? I spent 1:45, that’s plenty long right? Well, if I had committed to spending 1:30 to making phone calls, then yes, 1:45 was plenty long. But I didn’t, I committed to spending 2-hours. So, I made a couple more phone calls and met my commitment to myself. Ever notice that sometimes those are the hardest commitments to keep?

So, what lessons have I learned going forward?

  1. Occasionally ask yourself “What am I avoiding?” Be open for the answer, whatever it is. And if you’re working with a coach – let them know that you want to take a look at that question. Your coach probably won’t tell you the answer, but they’ll definitely help you find it.
  2. Commit to your goal. Commitment is about more than just saying you’re committed, it also involves actions that support it.
  3. Schedule a time to do the tasks that you are avoiding. And then sit down and do it!
  4. Know what done looks like for the task. For me initially it was 2-hours. This week it was a specific number of people.
  5. Be aware of excuses that masquerade as reasons.
  6. Be aware of distractions. You might suddenly decide you need to check email, Facebook, LinkedIn or whatever. It’s really just a distraction.
  7. Forgive yourself if don’t complete the task and re-evaluate. Are you really committed to this? What stood in your way? How can you set yourself up for success? And don’t spend time beating yourself up for not completing it. Beating yourself up about it doesn’t’ move you forward, it just takes up time.
  8. Work with a coach. I didn’t do that in this case, but I have in the past. A coach is a great resource for this kind of thing!

Also, know that you’re not the only one. Sometimes a client will preface something with “this will sound silly, but…” and it’s never silly. Often, it’s something that other people struggle with too, but don’t talk about.

PS. A big thank you to my wonderful accountability buddy Suzanne of The Implementation Station for giving me the loving kick in the butt I needed to tackle making phone calls.
PPS. The “results” of my poll will be posted in two weeks.

Are You Asking The Wrong Question When Preparing?

by EvieBurke, posted in planning, the gym

question marksI was at the gym, just finishing up my session with my trainer, Karen. Next on the agenda was cardio on my own while my husband had his session. Most times I pick my own cardio, but sometimes Karen assigns it.

That day she assigned it.

I didn’t really like what she assigned and she knows it. She told me that it’s time to start doing some different things with my cardio. She said it was ok to stick with the machines I like, but it’s time to start doing different programs. Basically, it’s time for a new challenge.

I started thinking about how I normally decide what cardio I’ll do. Usually I ask myself something to the effect of “What do I want to do today?” And instead I could start asking “What will challenge me?”

Then it hit me. BAM! This is how I approach planning my week! I ask myself “What do I want to do next week?” Of course I also keep my goals and long term plans in mind, but the basic question is some form of “What do I want to do?”

Instead I could ask myself: “What will challenge me this week?”

On its surface “What do I want to do?” isn’t a bad question. When I started regularly planning my week (or days) in advance there was a fair number of uncomfortable things on my task list each week. Uncomfortable things (those things outside your comfort zone) are funny though. The more you do them, the less uncomfortable they become. They’re no longer unknown and scary.

As time went on, that’s exactly what happened: my uncomfortable tasks were no longer uncomfortable. And I didn’t have a way to check for that, a way to make sure that I was consistently doing something that’s even slightly out of my comfort zone.

So, I have two questions for you:

  1. What questions so you ask yourself?
    Don’t just look at the questions you ask yourself around your business. Look at other parts of your life. Many times the questions we ask ourselves in one area of our life are the same or a slightly different version of the questions we ask in another.
  2. What questions could you ask yourself?
    Essentially, are you asking yourself the questions that serve you best? How can you tweak some of those questions to be more meaningful? In my example above, the purpose of the question is the same; it’s just worded in a way that serves me a bit better.

If you don’t immediately know, that’s okay! Sometimes you’ll need to sit with a question for a bit before the answer appears.

Tell me, what was your old question and what is your new question?

Photo credit: Questions by Valerie Everett via flickr

How To Complete Tasks You Have Been Avoiding

by EvieBurke, posted in Task List

Ever have a task you know you should do, but for one reason or another you just don’t want to do it? It’s on your list every week, or maybe every day, but it just doesn’t get done! Perhaps it’s something that doesn’t directly affect your business. So, you can avoid it because it’s a low priority. But, in the back of your mind, you know that it’s just going to be more work later.

Well, I had a task like that last weekend. I had put it off for over a month. So, now it wasn’t going to be a fairly quick half hour or 15 minute thing. It was going to take a couple of hours. I had made the decision to complete it and I was actually almost looking forward to it.

So, why the change in mood on Saturday from every other time I put it on my list and then avoided it? Well, it was a combination of things.

  1. A couple friends and I have accounts set up on irunurun.com. You set up the habits that you want to create and you’re givenpoints each time you complete a task. If you do everything on your list, you get all 100 points. You can add people as teammates and encourage each other or compete.This task was one of my items for the week. I already had decided that I wasn’t going to finish a couple of items and if I didn’t do this task my “score” would be in the 70’s. Completing it brought it to the mid 80’s. Being in the 70’s was unacceptable to me. So, that was a bit of motivation right there.
  2. I slept in on Saturday, had a nice breakfast and somehow lost an hour watching TV or something. Basically, I had a relaxing and unhurried morning.
  3. I started a session of one of my favorite TV shows in the background to listen/watch as I worked on my task. The task didn’t require a lot of in depth thinking, so this worked really well. The other benefit was I would watch a couple minutes of a favorite episode and then get back to what I was working on instead of losing an hour surfing the internet or some other distraction.

This task is still on my weekly list. Doing it weekly will only take 10-15 minutes, instead of the couple of hours it takes when I put it off.

Do you have a task that you’ve put off or are avoiding? Maybe it’s like mine and will take much longer now because it’s been ignored for so long. Below is the core of the things I did above:

  1. Find someone or something to be accountable too. Whether that’s a friend or online software that “grades” you. Whatever it is for you, it should motivate and also support you.
  2. Take care of yourself. When you’re well rested and have spent some time taking care of yourself, your mind will work a bit better. Think about it, do you work better when you’re tired and want a nap or when you’re well rested?
  3. Do something to make the activity more enjoyable. In my case, I had one of my favorite TV shows playing in the background. I’ve seen each episode a few times, so I didn’t feel the need to give it my undivided attention.

What do you do to encourage yourself to do a task you’ve been putting off?