Productivity

Setting Up Your World For Success

March 1, 2012 By rob 3 Comments

One of my three words for 2012 was the word Set.

The point of that word was to remind me that in order to accomplish what I want in 2012, I have to find ways to set up the right circumstances. I have to put success in my way.

Context Matters

Whatever you are trying to accomplish, one of the most important elements is to recognize and create the circumstances for your success. To that, shaping the situation to your advantage or to the advantage of others if that’s your goal, is a useful skill.

Big and Small

Oftentimes we think of environmental forces and context as much larger, but truly it is the smaller, simple things that can make significant changes. Something as simple as putting your running clothes out the night before so that it’s easier to get up and hit the street or treadmill, shapes the situation just enough to have life changing, even life saving results.

Shaping my space to accomplish more

Thanks to some great suggestions from my friend Becky McCray, here are 3 ways that I have shaped my day to accomplish more.

Email Filters -

Am I the only person in the world who wasn’t using these right? I had been using filters for awhile to categorize my email, but my use was primarily to archive them after reading them so that I could find them later. What I learned was this:

Use Gmail’s “create a filter for messages like these”
Skip the Inbox – this is the big one I was missing.
Apply Label

I had 1 and 3, but nearly lost my mind at the prospect of “Skipping the Inbox”. What this has allowed me to do, is to Batch Process my emails based on who they are from, or by a topic. Nothing and I mean Nothing should be landing in my Inbox!

No Emails Until I have worked for an hour and a half

This one still makes me twitchy, but the real rule is not “Don’t Read Email”, it is to work productively on projects for an hour and a half, first thing in the morning. I honestly think I get more done in this hour and a half than I do in the rest of my day.

Lay out my day the night before

For the time being, I have reverted back to paper lists. I love the physicality of writing out ideas and things that I need to get done on paper. Near the end of my workday, I spend 10 -15 minutes writing out what the next day will look like. Becky also encouraged me to do this while I was still somewhat fresh, and NOT as the very last thing I do in my day.

So, Becky is amazing and I am incredibly grateful for her support and ideas, because helping me to shape these small elements of my day has dramatically changed my productivity and set me up to accomplish even more.

Share some of your productivity tips, or how you’re doing with any of your Three Words for 2012.

Filed Under: Context, Goals, Productivity, Three Words

Three Words – 2012

January 1, 2012 By rob 35 Comments

Maybe you’ve heard of this exercise, maybe you haven’t. It’s something that my friend Chris Brogan started several years ago as a way of replacing New Years Resolutions with words that would serve as guideposts to the various goals that he wanted to accomplish that year.

I use them similarly, in that they serve as reminders to stay grounded in my goals. They can serve to inspire me as well as smack me in the face when I need them to.

I have to say that I didn’t use last year’s Three Words as deliberately as I am setting out to do this year, thus one of my words speaks to that, speaks to not only the process of having and keeping goals, but the work that needs to be done to accomplish them.

One of the things that I like the most about this exercise, is that it’s not about choosing the best words or choosing something that sounds like something I want to happen in 2012. They also aren’t goals in and of themselves. These Three Words emerge from time spent reflecting on last year and setting clear goals (I have 100 for 2012) that I can measure and hold myself accountable to. These Three Words serve me and my goals as both a guide and reminder of what’s important.

So, without further ado; My Three Words for 2012

Reclaim – In 2012, I will be accomplishing goals that serve to reclaim various aspects of my life. I have several specific goals that are served by this word. For example, I want to reclaim my physical and financial health for myself and my family and I have specific goals in each of these areas. The word serves these goals, because it is a reminder that my health is mine to own, both financially and physically. It is something that is directly affected by personal choices and actions I make to create that health. The word Reclaim is also an acknowledgement that it is my fault for poor choices made in the past.

Set – Last year I read the book, “The Happiness Advantage” by Shawn Achor. In that book he shared a story where in order to accomplish the goal of learning to play the guitar, he literally put the guitar in between the couch and the television. This was to ensure that when he sat down after a long day, he didn’t create the excuse that his guitar was too far away to practice. I have come to call this “Putting Success In Your Way”.

The word Set will serve as a reminder that I must continue to set up the circumstances for my success. Again, it ties to Reclaim in that I have to own this. Set also requires an understanding of the goal and what it will take to accomplish it.

Do – As in, DO the work. I have some substantial goals for 2012. This is going to be an enormous year for me as you’ll likely learn if you continue to come by here. Everyone of my goals requires work to be done. I cannot accomplish them without this last word. I can’t run a 10K or more if I don’t log the miles ahead of time. I can’t publish anything if I don’t write or more than that, do the research on what I’m writing about. Do is a call to action that says, ‘it’s really great that you’re Reclaiming and Setting the stage and all that, but get moving and do the freaking work’

I’d love to hear what your Three Words are and don’t think it’s too late either.

Filed Under: Goals, Productivity, Reflective Practice, Three Words

Forget What the Calendar Says – 2012 Starts Now

December 19, 2011 By rob Leave a Comment

Actually it haas already started

Truth be told, my sights have been on 2012 for almost 2 months.

Don’t get me wrong, 2011 has been good to me and my family in many ways. I have also made a lot of mistakes along the way. One of those mistakes, was losing sight of some of my goals for 2011. Honestly, one of the biggest mistakes was in not doing a better job establishing those goals. They simply weren’t as defined as I think they should have been.

This year, I will again have my Three Words for 2012, which my friend Chris started several years ago. Reflecting on my Three Words for 2011, they had highs and lows. What they lacked, for me was a depth, and a plan for execution and accountability.

That will change in 2012.

I’m Not Waiting

One of my goals for 2012 will involve fitness, but I’m not waiting. I’m not telling myself, “I will start exercising on January 2nd”. I’ve already begun. I’ve been at this goal for almost a month now. I didn’t want to wait for the calendar to tell me it was time.

In fact, I cleared another mental hurdle this weekend by running while I was travelling. I brought my running gear with me on a trip. I woke up in Boston this morning, definitely not feeling like going for a run, but managed to log a few miles in the city, running through parts of Boston Common on a crisp, December Day.

Last week, I cleared another one by going for a run on a cold rainy day in Maine.

These are all small mental hurdles that have kept me from following through in the past. I am naming them and moving through them.

Two on the Calendar

A quick look at my calendar will give you a preview how I will measure my progress on my fitness goals.

Tonight I registered for Two 5K Road Races. One of them is on January 8th, so for me, 2012 has to start now.

So, what do you want to accomplish in 2012?

What are you doing right now to work on that?

Filed Under: Productivity, Reflective Practice

Thoughts on Chris Brogan’s Twitter Unfollow Experiment.

September 27, 2011 By rob 2 Comments

Disclosure #1: I work with Chris at Human Business Works.
Disclosure #2: Sometimes I disagree with him, it’s what makes HBW work.

The Experiment

Chris posted about the status of his Twitter Unfollow Experiment, citing at one point in the post,

A lot of what I do with each social media tool set is experiment. I work hard to understand what will work well, what won’t, what will serve my needs or my clients’ needs, and what will happen if I do this or don’t do that

Chris also pointed out that despite his original plan to follow people back, that he’s found value in the current state of things and may hang out at 300. A finding he would have never discovered had he not taken a risk and experimented and he’s happy to communicate and share those findings.

The Fear

In a conversation I participated in at PodCamp Boston 6 this past weekend I heard folks talk about the worry they held about their blog posts, ‘what if what I say is wrong?’ or ‘what if what I do is wrong?’
These are valid questions and I could feel and identify with the pain they were expressing and the agonizing over getting it right before posting on a blog or twitter, G+ or other site.

The Challenge

Getting stuff out there, “shipping” if you’re into Seth Godin’s stuff, is a real challenge. Particularly when we are worried about everyone’s perceptions about our brand, our knowledge, our expertise.

It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.

We tell our kids this all the time and truthfully it’s also what you say. However, how you communicate; earnestly, openly, confidently yet with the humility to know that there are people who are smarter than you, gets you a long way.

You’re going to be wrong

While there are steps you can take to limit the impact a botched experiment has on your brand, once you come to terms with the fact that you are going to be wrong from time to time, it’s easier to be confident with putting stuff out there, trying something new and taking the risk knowing that at least you’ll learn something along the way.

The Lesson

The real lesson in all that Chris did with the Twitter Unfollow Experiment is in the idea of experimentation, communication, and sharing the results.

Experiment because it’s good for you and your business to grow and try new things.

Communicate what you are doing and bring us along for the ride. We may not like what you’re doing, but at least we understand it.

Share the results. If you found value in the experiment, tell us about it so that we can draw our own conclusions as they apply to our situation.

A few parting questions:

As a brand or a representative of a brand, do you have the opportunity to experiment within your organization and how often to you take advantage of that?

As a leader, do you give permission for your employees to experiment?

How are you measuring what matters most in the experiment and how will you share it?

Filed Under: Business, Productivity

Shooting Free-throws: Cultivating a Practice Ethic

March 18, 2011 By rob Leave a Comment

March Madness

I caught a bit of ESPN this morning and saw a player from the UCONN women’s team practicing free-throws. My mind quickly leapt to the stories of Larry Bird (hey I’m from New England) practicing 500 free-throws before school each day, then to Michael Jordan’s legendary practice habits. While his physical gifts helped propel him to being perhaps the greatest player of all time, it was his work ethic during practice…his practice ethic that made him better than everyone else.

Practice makes…

We’re all familiar with the value of a strong work ethic and we know successful folks who appear to possess a strong work ethic. What if we discover that the people who we most admire for their success and apparent work ethic actually possess a strong practice ethic? The people I know and have worked with spend tons of time at the free-throw line, shooting hundred of baskets working on the fundamentals, doing the stuff that others might find boring. They spend time mastering the simplest aspects of the game enabling them to recognize and make the difficult moves more easily.

What does that look like?

This is one of my favorite questions to ask. I love to ask it when I’m working with other people. It helps me to take my conceptual understanding to a more meaningful place where I can begin to see something in action, actually working.

It leaves me wondering; What does a practice ethic look like in business? If you are going to be at the top of your game in your work life, in running your business, in working for a company, in running a non-profit and trying to change the world: What does practice look like?

I was having a conversation with my friend and business partner, Joe Sorge yesterday. He talks about being able to ‘work on your business instead of in your business’. Having only worked with Joe for a short time now and having had the opportunity to visit his restaurants in Milwaukee, it is clear that Joe works on his business. Joe has a great practice ethic.

For Joe, practice looks like learning, extrapolating and repurposing. It’s looks like reading; industry magazines, blogs by Chris Brogan, Seth Godin, John Jantsch and others. It’s about reading the Harvard Business Review and books by Scott Belsky (Affiliate Link) to glean ideas and repurposing them for his own business. It’s about engaging people from other industries and thought leaders. It “looks like” asking questions and contributing to the conversation.

What good is practice if you don’t play the game?

It’s also about action. It’s about asking ‘So what would that look like if we did that at AJBombers, or Swig, or Water Buffalo?’ Putting all of these ideas into action, testing and experimenting is the important part of ‘Then What?’. Chris Brogan’s Blog Topics is also a great example of years of practice in idea generation and the craft of writing, put into action. At over 425 subscribers, it seems like a pretty good game.

Success clearly isn’t coming from just a strong work ethic, it’s coming from a strong Practice Ethic. So, what does practice look like for you? Are you spending enough time shooting free-throws?

Filed Under: Business, Productivity, Reflective Practice, Uncategorized

Reflective Practice

January 17, 2011 By rob 6 Comments

Reflective Practice is defined by Donald Schon as “the capacity to reflect on action so as to engage in a process of continuous learning”.

All the kids are doing it

And by kids I mean masters. Aside from the fact that prominent thinkers such as Schon, John Dewey and Jean Piaget have been talking about it for decades. I think I first noticed it when reading Dale Carnegie several years ago. He has a section in his book where he talks about learning a key element of productivity from a Wall Street Banker who religiously conducted a weekly review every Saturday. His family knew and gave him the time. It was a key to his success.

“Sharpen the Saw”, is one of the ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ that Stephen Covey talks about. Think about that. Covey boiled years of reading and research down to 7 Habits (yes, I know there are 8 now) and one of them is about taking the time to reflect, redraw and rejuvenate. Seems important to me.

These guys are too old for you? OK. How about David Allen, who also recommends a weekly review to maintain a ‘mind like water’? Oh, and my personal hero, Dr. T. Berry Brazelton’s Touchpoints Approach (who is the youngest older person I know), maintains that Reflective Practice is key to growing as a professional and growing in your interactions.

I reflect all the time

I have always, quite naturally reflected on situations, circumstances, interactions, accomplishments, and of course, failures. I’m a bit of an associative thinker and I’m sure there’s a touch of “SQUIRREL” tucked in there somewhere. So, I might begin the process of reflecting on an interaction and end up thinking about what it would be like to ride a segway on an ice hockey rink.

Natural is fine, but is it doing anything for you? Natural abilities are wonderful, but what could they be in the hands of a master, someone who is willing to hone and develop those abilities. The question is, how do you hone your abilities to reflect?

Ask the right questions – Framing

These may not be the right questions for you, but I’m going to offer 5 questions here to share with you one possible frame for Reflecting. I have come to understand that for me, reflection has to be intentional, deliberate and framed to keep me focused in order to extract meaning. This means that I have to ask myself the right questions.

What successes occurred this week and how can you build on them?
What struggles did you encounter this week and what can you learn from them?
What remains unfinished from this?
What resources do you need?
How will you approach next week differently?

Don’t allow yourself to give quick and simple answers. Think about your interactions small and large. Think about your relationships with your employees, your clients, your customers. Dig deep and look for the unexpected and overlooked interactions that may just help you get better.

What questions would help you frame your reflections?

Filed Under: Business, Productivity, Reflective Practice, Work

What do you really do with it?

January 25, 2009 By rob 6 Comments

I’ve been reading Chris Brogan and Seth and Jon and Darren and Marc for awhile now. Each site is wonderful and unique and keeps me coming back for different reasons.

Recently I have been following Jon’s posts about deliberate practice. It’s one of his three words along with focus and something else and yes, he knows that makes it four words. But in his posts around deliberate practice and links to those of others, he mentions that it takes 10,000 hours to be world class at something. You can go read about that here. My point (at least the one I’m getting to eventually) is this: What do you really do with all that stuff you are reading online?

Seth

If you read Seth Godin at all and you are even remotely responsible for marketing, building relationships, telling the story within your organization (I know, everyone in the organization is responsible), I was wondering if reading Seth actually changed not just the way you occasionally think, but the way you approach your work?

Chris

Chris’ site has evolved into something that I don’t even recognize as what he started in 2006 with 4 comments a post and a heavy dose of Self Improvement. It is however, immediately recognizable as Chris Brogan. It’s about value and relationship and breaking things down into manageable chunks and measuring and trying something new with purpose and intention. For those of you who read Chris, what do you really do with that information?

So, I am wondering. We have so many passionate, thoughtful, creative, and brilliant individuals producing piles of content emerging from their experience and constant experimentation. Are you really using this stuff? Is it changing the way you do approach your world, your business? I’m just asking.

N.B. My friend Jon has been thinking about this too and has some suggestions here.

Filed Under: Business, Productivity, Uncategorized

Overachiever

January 9, 2009 By rob 3 Comments

Merriam-Webster defines Overachiever as: one who achieves success over and above the standard or expected level especially at an early age.

This sounds only partially accurate to me, based on how the term seems to be used in our culture.
I was recently having a conversation with a friend who happened to be labelled an “overachiever” by his team mates. Only the label didn’t feel like a recognition of his success but an accusation. More than that, it sounded like an excuse.

Because of this I began to wonder if there is a sub-text for the way in which this word was used and often is used in our culture. Perhaps it goes a little like this:
‘Well, you do all of this “extra” work because you’re an overachiever.’

Beyond that I wonder if we can also hear…

‘You do more work than I am willing to do, so I will call you an ‘overachiever’ so that I might find reason not to have to do the same amount of work that you do’

What about you? Are you unwilling to do as much work as the successful person in the office next to you, or are you an overachiever?

Filed Under: Business, friends, musings, Productivity

A Bit Behind…

January 7, 2009 By rob 6 Comments

January is the new December.

I’m not even sure December happened with all of the preparation and travel and busyness of the holidays. When I look at my calendar I can see that I had meetings. I can see the results. I know that at home we lit candles for Advent…but I didn’t experience Advent. I don’t feel like I took the time to prepare…for anything.

January is here now and I am already reading new blogs, about new plans and strategies, about new words (3 or 300) that people are writing or using to guide them. It feels like some sort of starting gun went off and I’m not even sure what course I’m supposed to be running on. I want to yell out…”wait for me!”
OK, Maybe I am being a bit dramatic. I’m really not behind and I have begun to work on some significant changes for 2009 and beyond, many are however still in idea/plan stage and haven’t moved into full on strategy and implementation stage.

Truth be told, 1/1/09 was not a starting gun. Today and tomorrow are opportunities to begin and where would I end up if I didn’t take time to acquaint myself with the course.

So, perhaps I’m right on schedule. I have had the chance to reflect and plan some, strategies are forming and implementation must be right around the corner.

All that said, so far I like 2009. Hey, what’s not to like, it’s only a few days old.

Here are a few things I like so far.

1) I like that I get to enter this year with so many new relationships.

In the past year I have found opportunities to connect with new people and have connected with old friends in new ways. Thank you Facebook and Twitter and….
2) I am entering 2009 with some interesting new perspectives based on 2008 experiences.
A few things happened to slow me down in 2008. Some of my growth plans for the agency were put on temporary hold. A key member of my team has been out for an extended period forcing me to take on some of additional responsibilities and dig into her role in new ways. She is extremely valuable to this agency and her work is broad. This experience of digging in to her role will allow me to support her in new ways and will support the long term health and vitality of our agency.

3) My whole family feels like it has renewed energy and focus.

I am excited about the possibilites. This isn’t some sort of New Years resolution, it is something that has been building. It is something that we have been cultivating in our relationships. Meg works hard to keep our home engine running smoothly. Each one of us has their primary and supporting roles on our journey. We have always been flexible enough to toggle between the two categories when necessary. We are on the verge of a renewed understanding of this partnership as a couple, as parents, as friends and as managers of the business of family Hatch. I appreciate her greatly and know that exciting things are on the horizon.
So, if you didn’t get your plans in order for 1/1, remember that January is the new December. Now hurry up!

Filed Under: Business, friends, musings, Networking, Productivity, Work

Conscious Consumption

July 7, 2007 By rob 1 Comment

OK, so I wasn’t exactly truthful about the “Books I’m Not Reading”. I do have a few going right now.

Touchpoints – T. Berry Brazelton

The Catholic Parish – Robert J. Hater

I’m reading both of these books as a part of the work I do in my role as a Touchpoints Trainer or in my role on our church’s parish council.

Online Content

These days, I am consuming more content online. I know that there’s a vacant blogroll on the sidebar. I’m going to work on that. In the meantime, here’s a list of what I’m reading/listening to these days.

sqpn.com – This is a new favorite for me. It has by far some of the best produced audio and video podcasts I have seen. I am partial to the content as well, because I am always looking for conversation with other Catholics. My favorites:

Daily Breakfast with Fr. Roderick – This Danish priest is smart, funny and a total geek. I am in awe of his energy and the amount of content he produces for sqpn. He regularly produces podcasts about Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Health and Fitness, the Catholic Insider and the list goes on.

That Catholic Show with Greg and Jennifer Willits – So you see a theme here. A very well produced video podcast about things Catholics do and why. It’s funny, informative and easy to watch.

Rosary Army podcast with Greg and Jennifer Willits – Again, the Willits’ produce a wonderful show and their on show banter is engaging.

I suppose you might have to be predisposed to the topics to fully enjoy them, but those of you who value production should certainly check it out.

chrisbrogan.com – This is always high on my list. I read everything I can from Chris, but prefer his writing on productivity, community building and relationships.

levite chronicles – Jon Swanson’s musing on building community and using new media to engage his church and others.

marcpitman.com – Marc is a friend who is geographically local, although I don’t think we’ve had more than a few face-to-face encounters.

LDPodcast – One of my passions is working in service of children and families. My current work focuses a great deal on serving children with disailities. Whitney Hoffman, a parent of two children with Learning Disabilities has produced a first rate podcast with great interviews on the subject of raising/teaching/advocating for children with disabilities.

Teaching for the Future – Relatively new to my iPod, Dave LaMorte does a nice job of discussing topics of concern to educators and parents alike.

The Dilbert Blog – C’mon, Scott Adams is a very funny fellow.

GNMParents - My wife Megin’s blog about parenting. They have assembled a fantastic cast of contributors. The conversations about parenting, by parents and for parents have created a supportive parenting community.

This and Twitter keep me busy these days. I have added a few others that haven’t quite made it into daily reading/listening yet and still others that I visit less frequently.

Making Choices

I have become more conscious about my consumption as a matter of necessity, given that I have limited time. I have also attempted to focus my consumption to be in line with my passions (serving children and families, communication, community, family, being Catholic). I have to do this to keep myself in line, minimizing any number of fleeting interests since I can easily become distracted by shiny objects. This has required a conscious decision to pare down my RSS feeds and asking myself “What objective does this serve?” and “Where will this fit in my limited time?”, keeping in mind, that entertainment is always a reasonable answer. I just have to be sure I have room for it.

In Chris Brogan’s post about Declaring Your Independence he talks about diversifying our media consumption. While he takes a shot at mainstream media that I think is just too easy to do, his call to independence, he also asks us to make conscious decisions about what and how much we consume. Marc’s post about saying “no” falls right in line with this call to conscious consumption. The point, as I see it, is to be purposeful.

The two posts above are excellent examples of what draws me to read those particular sites. Their thinking is quite in line with my own while simultaneously challenging me to do more and be better.

So, I am reading, listening, watching, writing and commenting. Most of the time I’m pretty clear about what and why.

Filed Under: musings, Productivity