The Jason Womack Company

The Great Mississippi Bike Ride – day 2

Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:57:14 +0000

Day 2 of the Big Ride (16 May 2012)

Knowing that I was going to be out on this ride since late last year, it’s amazing to be here.
(NOTE: If you can, be sure to put something big on your calendar for anywhere from 4-8 months out. It was great to have the long “lead-time” as the event approached, and now that I’m here, it’s simply fantastic.)

The pace today was a solid one; though from time to time we did slow down enough for me to catch my breath.

From the beginning of the day, we looked out and saw a beautiful sky, with a call for thunderstorms later in the day. All the more reason to kick it up a mile or two per hour, and get in before the rain had a chance to fall. (Within 1.5 miles of the hotel, after a stop for lunch, we did feel a drop or two. But, the “storm” passed without us really knowing…)

In to and through Baton Rouge, I was reminded of just how important college football is in this part of the country. The LSU stadium will hold (are you sitting down???) 95,000 people on game day. Seriously, that’s a LOT of people!

Riding through the LSU campus was awesome. I’ve been able to visit, since publishing the book earlier this year, quite a few college campuses. There’s something electric about the energy and abundance of opportunity there. Oh, then while I was pedaling along the perimeter road I had a flashback to visiting Baton Rouge many years back while working for another company. I was there to present a two day seminar, and went running along the college grounds.

How can fig newtons, watermelon and chip’s ahoy cookies taste SO good? When they are prepared for us at a SAG stop. Here’s a picture of the guys I rode the entire day with (yes, they’re the fast ones!). The guy on the left, Albert, is here from Holland; he loves to see America by Bicycle! They all know each other, so it was great that they “let me” tag along their pace line over miles and miles of open Louisiana roadway. Thanks!

I simply had to get a picture of this sign – the one off to the right. I travel to the big cities of the world, working in New York, London, Zurich, The Bahamas and more…never have I seen a sign where they offered “deer processin.”

The Great Mississippi Bike Ride – day 1

Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:55:25 +0000

Day 1 – The Great Mississippi Bike Ride (15 May 2012)

As of breakfast, my bike still had not arrived in New Orleans. However, I was still in good spirits and (as I am) ever-hopeful that things would work out. The plan for the day (actually there were two plans: The hopeful outcome, and the backup plan) called for…

The front desk at the hotel let me know that FedEx “usually” drops off around 10am. So, one of the bike tour leaders (thanks, Andy!) volunteered to start the ride with the group at 7:45am and then double back after about an hour to come back to the hotel where I was. This would mean he’d ride a BUNCH extra, to help me build up my bike, as well as ride with me the 68 miles from New Orleans to Gonzales, Louisiana!

It worked! Literally, as the bike-box was being wheeled into the lobby, I turned to see Andy walking in with his bike. From the moment he and I opened the box until we were on the road riding: Less than 30 minutes!

The day was spectactular. There is something amazing that happens when I get to spend 4 hours at a time “just” riding. No music, no working, no worrying, no to-dos; just riding. Some of the things that stood out to me from yesterday’s ride:

The United States is a big country; and, wildly diverse. In the past 15 days I’ve been in Dallas, Texas, Ojai, California, New York City, New York, New Orleans, Louisiana and Gonzales, Louisiana. I’ve met some incredible people along the way, and seen some amazing sights. One thing that continues to fascinate me is how different we all are – but somehow, we’re all the same.

The mind goes in weird places. I don’t know why I started thinking about my 2nd grade teacher, the first concert I went to while attending college, the car I’m thinking of buying, or a myriad of other thoughts. It doesn’t make complete sense, but then again I wonder: Is it necessary at time, sometimes, to let the mind wander that way? Is there some kind of “disk defragmentation” that gets to happen when I don’t “have” to be thinking about work, or life, or responsibility?

Strangers are only that until they’re not. There’s a large group of us riding this tour – 18 (including staff). As of 3pm on Monday, I started meeting them (by the way, some of them had known each other from previous bike tours!). I’m amazed at how each person has their own story, areas of focus and way of getting involved in their life, community, work, etc. Of course, I spent the entire bike ride with just one rider (thanks, again, Andy!) and today I’ll get to ride along with the group and talk to more people.

So far, and we’re just one day in, it’s been a great ride. I’ll share more along the way.

When are YOU at your best?

Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:25:06 +0000

When are you at your best…really?

Tomorrow morning, you have an incredible opportunity! You could possibly wake up on time, well-rested and ready for the day. Being prepared to take advantage of the hours ahead, you could arrive at work with everything you need to get the right things done. And, throughout the day, you could maximize all of your time, focus and resources to be productive…as we say at The Jason Womack Company, “to do what you said you would do…in the time that you promised.”

How is all of this possible? (Notice, I did not say probable – there are days that may go “weird.” Occasionally, things DON’T go according to plan!) By knowing (and doing) what it would take to get your day started right, you can increase the likelihood that you’ll have…well, a right day.

So, let’s get started. Here is a PDF for you to print and use. (At my best when… to download to print – one for you and one for each member of your team.)

You’ll notice, on the top it says, “I’m at my best when…” Then, on each line below, write ONE thing you KNOW goes in to making a better day for you.

For an extra “bonus,” take a digital picture of your “I’m at my best when…” and email it yourself. THEN, make that picture the desktop background picture on your PC…and, look it over at least twice a day for the next 5 days!

FRBNY Managing Workplace Productivity

Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:04:21 +0000

How would you like 7 keys to a more productive day? Just click here…

At the start of the program, we looked at three ways to approach professional development. When we study all three of these, we can make breakthrough change: Mindset, Skillset, Toolkit.

One of the most important questions to answer is: “When was the last time you took time to think of how you manage time?” For many people participating in our workshops, this was the first time…in a long time!

FRB-NY – Managing Workplace Productivity

View more presentations from Jason Womack

Remember, there are 96 fifteen-minute blocks of time in a day. One of the first activities I suggest you DO do is to create your “Time Management Budget.” Do it with a piece of paper, write it on a white board, create a spreadsheet. However you’re going to do it, do it.

At the top, write down the number 96, and then start subtracting:

- sleep

- commute

- meals

- exercise

- meetings

- work

- relaxation

- other (whatever else you can bring to mind)

Now, most of the time our clients do this, they realize that one issue they are facing is that they often need 105 or even 110 of those fifteen-minute blocks to DO everything they think they need to do in a day. So, it’s now crucial that we become more effective and efficient; that we become responsible stewards of our time.

How do you do that? At the beginning of the seminar, I presented to you the 4 “real” limited resources. Time is just one of them the other three are:

Energy: You’re a morning person or an afternoon person or an evening person. You get overwhelmed or excited by deadlines. You need a lot of or a little bit of sleep. You can manage a lot in your head or you need to write things down as soon as you think of them. How you manage your MENTAL and PHYSICAL energy will immediately and significantly alter how you use your time. Later in the seminar, we discussed the importance of knowing when you’re “at your best.” The best reason I can give you for knowing (and following the directions you wrote!) when you’re at your best is so that you can manage your energy more effectively.

Focus: According to one of my mentors, Allyson Lewis (author and investment manager), our attention span is about 7 minutes long. Now, that’s not just how long we can hold our own focus, but it’s about how long we can go before we’re interrupted by someone on the desk. “Do you have a minute?” That question is NOT about time (resource #1), it IS about focus (resource #3). Oh, by the way, as you change your focus you will notice a dip or a lift in your energy. (Have you ever seen someone’s name in your email Inbox and gotten stress? Have you ever seen the caller ID on your phone and smiled ear to ear?

Ecosystem: Now, you’re remembering, is the resource that affects them ALL! Yes, if you change how you use your systems and tools, you can implement the “Focus to FInish” mindset, you will free up energy by completing more tasks and having to remember less, and you will feel (or it will seem) like you’re a better time manager. By the way, this is where it gets so interesting in the “app world.” Why? Because inventor after inventor (and, of course, investor!) gets an idea of a new TOOL that will fix her or his system. The trick is to get you to believe in it enough to change your previous behaviors.

After I showed some of the tips and techniques on how to save time using your tools, I showed you how to do just that.

How stop the “bad” habits? How do you drop those habits that actually worked to your benefit for all these years? You know, the unsustainable habits like:

Arriving to the office an hour or so early, to work without interruptions of your coworkers.
Staying at the office late, to work without interruptions of your coworkers.
Logging in to your computer on the weekend or after dinner, to work without interruptions of your coworkers.

(By the way, are you catching the theme here???)

Scheduling meetings for an hour, even though you’ll only need 45 minutes, knowing people will arrive and the meeting will start late.
Setting reminders on your desktop calendar/task management system that you continually “Dismiss” or “Snooze.”

I’ve got good news, and better news.

Good: You don’t have to stop any of these bad habits.

Better: You simply replace them with new ones that are equal or better in value!

Where do you begin? Start with the three inventories you created during the first half of the program. For the next 5 days, focus in on that page, and I’d even suggest making “the list.” The entire inventory of what:

- you do by 10am each morning

- systems/tools/gear/technology you count on to get your work done

- brings you rest, relaxation, rejuvenation and reinvention

Those inventories are critical to the change process. For until you know what you do, you don’t know what to do differently. If you can clarify exactly what you do out of routine between the time you wake up in the morning and about 10am, you’ll have some information you can use to your advantage. If you want to be more effective, work more efficiently and act as a steward of your time, you get that inventory complete and then you decide what to:

Delete: Chances are high that you’re doing something 5 days a week that IF you only did it 3 times you’d be just fine. One client I worked with recently realized she was spending 10-15 minutes a day reviewing her “Sent Items” in her email looking for items that she had to follow up on. For 5 days, we tried an experiment:

- 3 days (Mon/Weds/Fri) she set a timer for 10 minutes and reviewed her Sent Items (as per her normal). When she came across something to follow up on, she pressed CTRL+SHIFT+K on her keyboard and typed in something like: “08/2/2011 – Jason Womack – Productivity TouchPoint video program proposal” which she organized in a “task list category” called Waiting On.

- 2 days (Tues/Thurs) she set a timer for 10 minutes and reviewed the next two weeks of her calendar. When she came across something to act on, she pressed CTRL+SHIFT+K on her keyboard and typed in something like: “Call Jason Womack 805-640-6401 re: upcoming keynote advisory session at conference” which she organized in a “task list category” called Actions.

Within one week, she had Identified more work and Developed a more up-to-date system than she had seen in years. It only took a little bit of experimentation to realize that she could use a little bit of her morning planning time differently.

Delegate: Of course here it’s a little tricky. If you’re a manager, and have someone on your team who CAN help you with different pieces of work, I’d absolutely encourage you to “Call a meeting” immediately. Sit down once a week for the next 5 weeks, and simply come up with an inventory of what you could delegate. Don’t try to delegate anything yet, simply come up with the list. Now, if you don’t have anyone to delegate to (if YOU are your own assistant!) then I’d recommend you STILL make this inventory. I did. I have a running list of things I’d ask a staff person, intern or co-worker to do, if someone said, “Jason do you need some help?”

You can, however, begin delegating immediately to your “systems.” Consider the examples I gave you of ReQall.com and using GoogleAlerts. Also, consider your own Microsoft® Outlook® Task system the ultimate personal assistant who tracks your reminders, meetings, agenda items and more. I’ve even seen people keep a digital “memo” pad on their iPhone, BlackBerry® or Droid. There, they continue to add things they need to see or think about later. You’re delegating more than actions, you’re giving the reminder to take that action to a system that can help you manage the task, the priority, the conversation and he project much more effectively over time.

One thing we didn’t get to in our program is the how to and when to PROCESS the big “bucket list” you wrote. Remember I asked you to take just 7 minutes and write down at least 50 items that you could bring to mind while we were together in the seminar. Well, one thing you’ll immediately notice is that your “thinking profile” showed up there. Did you write your list as a group of Nouns? Or Verbs? Not that one is right or wrong. One is not better than the other. People are not “normal” if they do it one way and not the other. But, there is some significant information in there. At least there was for me…

The first time I recognized a difference was when I was in a personal development seminar, as a participant, the summer that my wife and I were planning our wedding. We were sitting at a table, and had the experience I showed you…we wrote down a long list of what we were thinking. Well, I was amazed to see that after about 20 minutes (imagine if I had asked you to write for that long!) she and I had two very different lists going…mine, a long list of Nouns. Hers…verbs!

When I recognized the impact of this on productivity and performance (and, our upcoming marriage!) I knew I was on to something significant. Naturally, I think in terms of the big picture, she turns those thoughts into actions. She naturally considers the steps along the way, I easily see the finished product as if it’s already done.

Now, how about you? You need to do both, right? So, go through the notebook, and you’ll see some extra pages there toward the end. I encourage you to spend time turning your Bucket List in to actions and projects, with starting and ending points. Then, go through your email Inbox and apply the same method. Review your notebooks, and your sticky notes, get as much as you can to this level of “action.” You’ll see a difference as you practice this more and more.

I hope you got more than a few ideas from our time together. Oh, by the way, based on the questions during and via email and text message over the next day, I collected a total of 23 questions. I already funded more loans at KIVA.org, and if you’d like to join us please visit: www.OjaiKivaClub.com – you don’t have to live in Ojai to be a part of the club!

Here are some links you may want to review, as you continue pushing on this information. And, of course I’m already looking forward to reading your comments below! (Leave a question, I’ll get an answer to you ASAP…)

Here are some books I recommend…

I just keep learning from TED.com

Royal Bank of Canada – seminar

Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:49:47 +0000

Thank you for attending yesterday’s seminar. I’ll continue adding to this page over the week; whatever questions you have, just let me know.

But first, would you like 8 weeks of Microsoft® Outlook® tips delivered to your inbox? Just click here…

Optimizing Time and Focus

View more presentations from Jason Womack.

At the top, write down the number 96, and then start subtracting:

- sleep

- commute

- meals

- exercise

- meetings

- work

- relaxation

- other (whatever else you can bring to mind)

Now, most of the time our clients do this, they realize that one issue they are facing is that they often need 105 or even 110 of those fifteen-minute blocks to DO everything they think they need to do in a day. So, it’s now crucial that we become more effective and efficient; that we become responsible stewards of our time.

How do you do that? At the beginning of the seminar, I presented to you the 4 “real” limited resources. Time is just one of them the other three are:

Energy: You’re a morning person or an afternoon person or an evening person. You get overwhelmed or excited by deadlines. You need a lot of or a little bit of sleep. You can manage a lot in your head or you need to write things down as soon as you think of them. How you manage your MENTAL and PHYSICAL energy will immediately and significantly alter how you use your time. Later in the seminar, we discussed the importance of knowing when you’re “at your best.” The best reason I can give you for knowing (and following the directions you wrote!) when you’re at your best is so that you can manage your energy more effectively.

Focus: According to one of my mentors, Allyson Lewis (author and investment manager), our attention span is about 7 minutes long. Now, that’s not just how long we can hold our own focus, but it’s about how long we can go before we’re interrupted by someone on the desk. “Do you have a minute?” That question is NOT about time (resource #1), it IS about focus (resource #3). Oh, by the way, as you change your focus you will notice a dip or a lift in your energy. (Have you ever seen someone’s name in your email Inbox and gotten stress? Have you ever seen the caller ID on your phone and smiled ear to ear?

Ecosystem: Now, you’re remembering, is the resource that affects them ALL! Yes, if you change how you use your systems and tools, you can implement the “Focus to FInish” mindset, you will free up energy by completing more tasks and having to remember less, and you will feel (or it will seem) like you’re a better time manager. By the way, this is where it gets so interesting in the “app world.” Why? Because inventor after inventor (and, of course, investor!) gets an idea of a new TOOL that will fix her or his system. The trick is to get you to believe in it enough to change your previous behaviors.

After I showed some of the tips and techniques on how to save time using your tools, I showed you how to do just that.

Remember, you can sign up here for 8 weeks of Microsoft® Outlook® tips, delivered directly to your email Inbox. The first one you get: 19 secrets to help you get more done with Outlook!

How stop the “bad” habits? How do you drop those habits that actually worked to your benefit for all these years? You know, the unsustainable habits like:

Arriving to the office an hour or so early, to work without interruptions of your coworkers.

Staying at the office late, to work without interruptions of your coworkers.

Logging in to your computer on the weekend or after dinner, to work without interruptions of your coworkers.

(By the way, are you catching the theme here???)

Scheduling meetings for an hour, even though you’ll only need 45 minutes, knowing people will arrive and the meeting will start late.

Setting reminders on your desktop calendar/task management system that you continually “Dismiss” or “Snooze.”

I’ve got good news, and better news.

Good: You don’t have to stop any of these bad habits.

Better: You simply replace them with new ones that are equal or better in value!

- you do by 10am each morning

- systems/tools/gear/technology you count on to get your work done

- brings you rest, relaxation, rejuvenation and reinvention

Here are some books I recommend: http://www.BooksWeRecommend.com

I just keep learning from http://www.TED.com

Here is a link to specific ideas you can use right away to work more effectively using Outlook (pass this on to your coworkers!)

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4A446D5899736F1F&feature=mh_lolz

Thanks for joining!

Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA — Sun, 06 May 2012 00:36:21 +0000

Welcome!

Thank you for entering your information to gain access to The Better Recorded Webinar Series. Soon, you’ll receive Registration for the webinar(s). When you get that via email, go ahead and sign up right away.

Each Webinar is produced, recorded and posted with a password so you have access to it from any computer/tablet/smart phone you are on. You can watch the Webinar as many times as you’d like, and you’ll always have access to the one you paid for. (Of course, if you subscribe to the Series, you’ll have access to every Webinar, for as long as the series runs!)

I look forward to sharing this information with you!

“Jason Womack teaches you not to settle for your “best” but to keep the target moving forward. With his help, break through and do better than you ever thought possible, in every area of your personal and professional life.”

~ Keith Ferrazzi
best-selling author of Never Eat Alone and Who’s Got Your Back

2 Ways to make your best better

Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA — Sat, 05 May 2012 22:43:22 +0000

The Better Webinar Series: Improvement and You

In the next 25 minute recorded webinar (you can watch it at any time after it is published), you’ll learn 2 ways to increase your productivity without working later hours.

The May, 2012 webinar is titled: Improvement and You.

Please sign up below.
(The Better Recorded Webinars are viewable after the 15th of each month.)

It takes more than just time management to get the right things done. If there was information available TODAY – to improve what you do, and how you do it – when would you want to know? How about learning this via a webinar you can watch on your computer or your Smart Phone?

Working Harder is NOT the Answer! There will never be more hours in the day. Sign up now to learn 2 ways to work smarter – as described in the book, Your Best Just Got Better – in this recorded webinar presented by Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA, best-selling author on productivity and workplace performance.

Identify just one goal you have for your work or your life. If you’re ready to make progress on that goal, register for the next episode of “The Better Webinar Series.”

During this 25 minute presentation you will watch via recorded video, you will:
• Learn the well-kept secret of real prioritization.
• Identify habits that make it easier to get the right things done.
• Achieve more success at work and in your life and maximize your personal impact.

There are 2 “secrets” of a more productive day Jason will share with you. And, there is good news: You do NOT have to buy some new app, hire a new staff member, or work later hours and on the weekend to catch up with it all.

“Jason’s ability to help people focus on the most important things is a game-changer for personal productivity. His ability to help de-clutter our thought processes and work with more intensity and intention is invaluable. Pick up this book. Read it. Digest it. Read it again. It could change your life.”

–Tony Wilson
Performance Coach to Australia’s leading athletes and executives

Author, speaker and executive coach Jason Womack advises leaders globally on how to maximize more than just their time. His methods provide both strategic thinking and tactical behaviors to improve and achieve at work…and in life. His research is based on 14 years of analysis, writing books, advising leaders around the globe and presenting workshops on productivity and workplace performance

Jason holds advanced degrees in both Education and Psychology. His book, Your Best Just Got Better was chosen as a Business Book of the Year by 800-CEO-READ in February, 2012. He lives in Ojai, CA and has spent more than 150 days a year traveling to meet with clients around the world for the past 12 years.

The Return on Investment of Productivity

Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA — Sat, 05 May 2012 15:11:59 +0000

What happens when you improve your productivity? Being productive will open up new blocks of time to plan for and work on more important projects and priorities.

Uninterrupted Time:

Long increments of “focus time” come from improvements such as typing speed & fluency with the keyboard or by implementing new behaviors like streamlining your organization, so you can access documents and materials when you need them. What do you DO with long blocks of time? Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Nothing. Sit, sleep, walk, play with the dog, meditate, the list goes on…
2. Something: Write a letter to someone you admire, get a workout in, meet a friend for lunch, read a chapter of a book…

Better Quality of Work:

Over the course of a week, experiment with “the 180-second improvement process.” Right before clicking “send” on an email, calling an important client on the phone, or walking in to make a presentation at a meeting, spend just 3 minutes answering these two questions: (1) What’s my goal? (2) What, a week from now, will I wish I did to achieve it?

Remember, our definition of work has less to do with salaries, time off, and bosses; it has everything to do with being productive by our definition, “…doing what I said I would do, in the time I promised.” I could make the case to be more productive, simply to be more available to my own Most Important Things. When I met Tony at Zappos a while back, I went and read his blog. This was an entry I enjoyed…

Increased Accountability:

Working effectively and efficiently lets you stop to assess the work you have done and measure against the work you want to be doing. For the next 5 weeks, consider reviewing your annual goals and objectives at the end of each week and ask, “Is what I am working on now leading me toward my goals?”

Long-Term Goal:

Invest in yourself. Learn new tools, software, and programs. Meet with a mentor once a week a month. Read 3 books that your friends, managers, clients or coaches have recommended… these are tangible things you’ll be doing with the time you save by learning how to be more productive.

3 Ways to Manage Workflow

Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA — Sat, 05 May 2012 14:05:07 +0000

An OS* For Work

Managing worfklow as volume (and pressure) increases requires we stop, step back, and study the HOW of productivity not just the WHAT of production. Habits, routines and familiar processes got you to this level of success. Now it’s time to uplevel your routines to match the new reality of opportunity you’re facing as a leader, producer and contributor. In the day-long seminar Mastering Workplace Performance, I outlined more than 3 things you could do to most effectively manage your workflow.

“Objectives are needed in every area where performance results directly and vitally affect the survival and prosperity of the business.”
(Peter Drucker, from The Daily Drucker, March 16th)

What you don’t have to do

It’s not necessary to buy a new system, radically change your current approaches to productivity, or in any way feel like what you’re doing isn’t working; alternatively, there are going to be just a few things you could enhance to create a more effective and efficient workflow methodology. I’ll share three of them – with resources – here.

If you’d like to stay informed about upcoming webinars I’m hosting (online programs to refresh the learning) just click here.

*OS = Operating System

A new approach to limitless activity

With absolutely more to do than you CAN do, it’s going to be very important that you reflect on and upgrade your own workflow and productivity Operating System. Going from one version to another requires you reset, recalibrate and renew your commitment to getting the right things done. During the program, we outlined three very distinct aspects to a most productive day. We studied the Psychology, Sociology and Technology of a highly productive day.

Psychology

How you think and plan…this is what I mean, when I talk about the psych0logy of productivity and performance. Over the years, different things affect us in ways that make us change HOW we see things. I remember this happening the first time I saw this video by Ric Elias. Tell me, after YOU watch the video, did you experience any change in how you prioritize or focus? Did you change what you thought was the most important thing to do next? While he talks about the 3 things he learned from the “perfect near death experience,” what do you think about?

Here is the slide deck from the presentation. Feel free to look through and use them to remind you of some of the activities we practiced during the session.

Mastering Workplace Performance

View more presentations from Jason Womack.

The more you understand about how you think and plan (see the book, pages 14-17 just to get started), you easier it is to focus on priorities and impact. Past attendees of seminars have found that the methods outlined in this program are just as applicable at home as they are at work. For example, go to page 8 of the workbook and review what you wrote there.

I know from experience that there is a severe “contextual” constraint to what you wrote (or didn’t write) on that page. There, in your own handwriting is what you could bring to mind while you were in Dallas, Texas, on the 3rd of May, 2012. I know for a fact that had you made that “thought inventory” back at your office, or on a plane, or while sitting on your sofa at home, you would have written different things down, in a different order. (Oh, that means there may be value in going through this activity in all those places!)

Sociology

There’s how you think, and the more you understand that, the better, and then there is how you communicate that thinking and planning. One thing I wish we would have had more time for was the conversation about mentors, teachers and team-members. For that, I ask you to dive deep in to chapter 5 of the book. When it comes to understanding how we all work the best together, I can recommend several books on this topic (One Minute Manager, Influence, Don’t Shoot the Dog), all of which are listed here at the Books We Recommend page.

One of my favorite tools when it comes to my own productivity and performance is to employ all three “learning styles” in to what it is that I’m doing (especially if other people are involved in the activities/projects). Each one of us learns in three ways.

Yes, we all use all three!

Auditory: Some of us can hear things, and later on remember exactly what was said.
Visual: Some of us see things, and remember the smallest details, clear as day.
Kinesthetic: Some of us do something (build it, model it) and will remember it forever.

Now, here’s the amazing thing: We all have PREFERENCES. In order, my preferences are:

Kinesthetic ———> Visual ———> Visual

So, if I want to get something done quickly, I start moving. When I need clarity, I look for an example, a diagram, or I get someone to show me. Be careful, if you ONLY tell me something and I don’t do it now, or see it on a list…well, those are the things I tend to drop the ball on!

Technology

You’re reading this on some kind of digital device, and here’s my commitment to you: Spend one hour a week learning something more about the tools around you, and those 52 hours next year will save you HUNDREDS of hours for the rest of your life. Just consider some of the things you could try:

Google Alerts: Seriously, try this out for a week…that’s all.

You enter a query that you’re interested in.

Google Alerts checks regularly to see if there are new results for your query.

If there are new results, Google Alerts sends them to you in an email.

I continue to use ReQall as a tool of choice. It quickly allows me to “get something from my mind to my inbox.” You can try it out here.

Then, of course, there is all that Microsoft® Outlook® information that is right under your fingertips. Here’s one of my favorite tricks…

What else can I share with you? Leave a comment below, or send me an email and I’ll add it here!

Mastering Workplace Performance, NYC

Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:29:26 +0000

Thank you for attending the MWP seminar, presented here in New York City. Since 2001 I have been traveling to Manhattan for “about a week a month” to present these workshop and coach leaders in effective workflow and productivity habits. The seminar you saw is based on those one-on-one sessions as well as the research gathered for the book, Your Best Just Got Better. You can see what other people are saying here.

In every workshop, I am purchasing 10 copies of that book to give away to participants who would like to read it. If you did receive a copy of that book during the seminar, please do me a return favor and write a review here at the Amazon .com website. It only takes a few minutes, and lets other people know the value they could get from purchasing, reading and using that book. Here’s the link to write a review.

Below (just click to continue reading) you’ll see the slide deck from the presentation. And, below THAT, an area to leave a comment or a question about the day. If there is ANYthing I can explain further, I hope you’ll let me know. (By the way, if you DID get a copy of the book, go straight to page 227 and just read those next 3 pages…first. Those will let you know what chapter to START with!)

Would you like to download a book with 7 Keys a More Productive Day? Click here!

Now, on with the Seminar Review

When possible, go review page 2 of the workbook. (Do let me know via email if you’d like a fresh PDF copy of that…) That’s the table of contents, and it gives you a way to “spot check” in to see what areas you’d like a little more information on regarding the three main areas we talked about during the day:

Psychology of Productivity: How you think and plan.

Sociology of Productivity: How you communicate that thinking and planning.

Technology of Productivity: How you communicate, update and track all that you’re currently managing.

I’m sure you recognized a few things you could try right away, so let me write for a moment about one of the first chapters in the book I would recommend you read: Chapter 10. (If you’d like to order a copy, or order a digital copy for your ereader, just click here. And, on that page, a way to get the book for FREE!) The last chapter of the book is about Practice. And, I make the case for practicing some new idea, habit, behavior, organization or leadership method for “just” 5 days. No, doing something every day for just a work-week might not make it in to a habit…but, you will find out IF you should make it into a habit.

One you can start with: Page 8 (and, here’s a website for this as well) is dedicated to an activity called, “At my best when…“. Here you have the opportunity to do one of the many scripting exercises I recommend my clients do while we’re working together. To redo or renew this exercise, simply open to a fresh page in your notebook and on the top write, “I am at my best when…” Then, write a minimum of 8 things that – if you were to do – would improve your overall productivity starting in the next 15 minutes.

Which leads me to another valuable takeaway from the seminar: There are only 96 fifteen-minute blocks of time in a day. The first time I did that math, I sat back in my chair and breathed deeper. “Woah,” I thought. “I’ve got to be VERY careful about how I spend each one of those. Of course, the activity I described to get a stack of 3X5 note cards, and actually write down – one block of 15 minutes at a time – the 96 things you think you ought to do in a day may be a bit ambitious for you. However, I can personally attest to the absolute value of doing this for yourself. Take about a budget!

And, that brings up another concept from the seminar – page 6 of the workbook. How is your “inventory” looking today? Have you had a chance to work with that overall list of things to think about? Remember, there are three kinds of work you’re engaging in every, single day:

1. Work you think about.

2. Work you manage through time.

3. Work you need to prioritize, and do as soon as possible.

Here’s the slide deck from the presentation: Mastering Workplace Performance

To learn more about Your Best Just Got Better