The CELEBRATION news"E"letter
Number 24, May 2001
by Laura M. Stack, MBA, CSP (Certified Speaking Professional)
“The Productivity PRO!”
Published by Celebration Presentations
…your Personal and Professional Development Resource
The CELEBRATION news”E”letter is a monthly electronic newsletter distributed to
our clients, human resource personnel, and colleagues. Laura Stack helps people
leave the office earlier, with less stress, and more to show for it!
NEWS: Only one more month until baby James’ arrival. Thank you all for your
notes and words of encouragement. I only have four more programs to teach prior
to his due date. Then I plan on spending June and July hanging out with baby and
John and writing my new book in my “spare” time.
What do you think of the title “Becoming a Productivity PRO: Strategies for
Performing at Your Matchless Best!”
IN THIS ISSUE:
• Article: “Is There Enough Time to Do It ALL?”
• Time Tips and Traps
• Words of Wisdom
• Featured Program: NEW! “Peak Productivity: Moving at the Speed of Life…How
Fast are YOU?”
ARTICLE: “Is There Enough Time to Do It ALL?”
I received some questions from my last article on time management and the victim
mentality; I thought I should follow up with a bit of “proof.” Let’s explore
further the question on whether a shortage of time is a valid reason for not
“getting it all done.”
In your estimation, in percentages, what proportion of your waking hours do you
invest in work?? This would include time you spent commuting, time you spent
working in the evenings, and extra hours on the weekend. (Stop and think of an
answer to that hypothetical question before you move on.)
If you are like most people, I would guess that you estimated between 60% and
70% of your waking hours are spent working each week. Yet, when I do some
arithmetic, I usually find a number much closer to 50%:
Step 1: Take the total available hours in the day:
24 hours x 7 days = 168 hours
Step 2: Calculate your WAKING hours:
Average sleep:
7 hours x 7 days = 49 hours
Total waking hours:
168 hours minus 49 hours = 119 hours (100% of time awake)
Step 3: Calculate your WORKING hours:
Average time at the office: 9 hours x 5 days = 45 hours
Average time commuting: 2 hours x 5 days = 10 hours
Average work time during weekends = 4 hours
Total work time = 59 hours (49.57% of time awake or roughly 50%)
This figure would be even lower if I included in my calculations vacation time
and holidays. I believe it just FEELS much higher because of the negative
effects of stress from the workplace. In other words, explaining low
productivity in terms of lack of time just doesn’t hold water.
So if the problem, by definition, is not a shortage of time, what’s the problem?
Well, it’s not time management, because you can’t manage time. You don’t manage
five minutes and end up with six. You don’t manage information
overload—otherwise you’d walk into a library and die, or the first time you
connected to the Web, you’d blow up. You don’t even manage priorities—you have
them.
I believe there are only 3 things that you can manage:
1. Your Physical Self—the physiological effects of productivity
2. Your Mind—the psychological effects of productivity
3. Your Actions—the behavioral effects of productivity
In the next few issues of this newsletter, I’m going to share some techniques
for each of these areas of productivity. These techniques are very simple, but
that doesn’t mean implementing them will be simple. All-pro Brian Holloway said
it beautifully when I heard him speak at a recent conference, “The only thing
you have to do is get the ball from one end of the field to another while
keeping the other team from doing the same.” Pretty simple, right? But
definitely not easy.
There are six productivity losses that occur from physical and physiological
factors. I’ll introduce the first one in this issue and cover the remaining
factors in subsequent issues.
1. Exercise
You may be tired of hearing how important exercise is for your energy level, but
most people need to hear it again. If you’re consistently low on energy, an
ironic paradox is the LESS active you are, the LESS energy you have. We all know
this, but yet we still don’t exercise. Running, walking, biking, lifting
weights, and ANY kind of aerobic activity or participative sport are all great
for getting rid of stress and frustration. (Kicking the dog and punching the
wall do not count.)
Do SOMETHING. Even taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work will help.
Force yourself to park far away from the entrance, so at least you’ll get in a
brisk walk a couple times a day. If you’re facing an evening of paperwork and
are already exhausted, the best thing you can do it get some exercise before
going home. You may initially feel “too tired” to exercise, but it will pay off
by giving you more energy than when you started!
TIME TIPS AND TRAPS
• Do as much as you can the night before. Have an outfit picked out and ready to
go, making sure it’s pressed, not missing buttons, etc. Choose a pair of
run-free stockings, matching accessories, and the jewelry you will wear. Have
your briefcase packed, kids lunches made, and field trip money laid out. Advance
preparation will save you time and frustration while trying to get everyone out
the door in the morning.
• Make the most of your down time. In the car, you can listen to books on tape
or catch up with friends on a cell phone (don’t dial while driving, however).
Carry paperback books or light reading from work with you everywhere. Or clip
magazine articles and keep in a “To Be Read” folder. Read a bit while waiting
for a client to arrive at a luncheon, in the lobby for an appointment, while
picking up children from school activities, waiting in the doctor’s office, at
the bank or the drive-through, etc.
• Have dinner with your loved ones at least three times per week. It’s the best
time for casual conversation to listen to what those close to you feel is
important in their lives. Mealtime is a time to engage in dialogue. Tape the
shows that interfere with supper together. Make dinner time family intimate
networking time
WORDS OF WISDOM
“Stick to three concepts: You can't help everyone; you can’t change everything;
not everyone is going to love you. If you do, you'll get more done.” --- Robert
Vasko Kraus, Center for Creative Leadership
“Time is the scarcest resource, and unless it is managed nothing else can be
managed.”---Peter Drucker
“Waste neither time, nor money, but make the best use of both.” ---Benjamin
Franklin
“If you knew Time as well as I do, you wouldn’t think about wasting it,” said
the Mad Hatter. --- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
FEATURED PROGRAM: “Peak Productivity: Moving at the Speed of Life…How Fast are
YOU?”
Does the speed of the new economy leave you feeling tested, bested, toasted, and
roasted? Are you looking for something to pick you up, slow you down, and put a
smile on your face? We are competing in a race where there’s no “speed limit.”
So you must move quickly, then know when and how to slow down. This uplifting,
content-rich program offers tips and ideas from “The Productivity PRO” on
performing at your matchless best!
Course Objectives:
• Discuss the Causes of Overload in the Workplace
• Determine if You Are a Workaholic
• Learn How Humor Makes You Healthy
• Discover Your Energy Prime Times
• Work with Your Brain Works to Increase Output
• Reduce “Desk Rage” and Small Irritations that Sap Productivity
• End Multi-Tasking and Concentrate on Your Work
• Understand the Importance of Planning to Productivity
• Prioritize and Schedule Your Day Despite Chaos
• Address Timewasters in Your External Environment
• Establish Appropriate Boundaries Necessary to Gain Control
• Discover the Importance of Diet, Exercise, Quiet, Leisure, and Sleep
• Stop Procrastination (We’ll Discuss This Last)
CONTACT US
Visit Celebration Presentations on-line!
www.LauraStack.com
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