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 Yesterday I read two interesting blog posts about the dangers of multitasking. They seem in line with what I’ve written before about the Myths of Multitasking.
One, written by my Accountability Partner, Jan Wencel, of Life Contained, references a statistic that equates the effects of multitasking while driving to that of driving under the influence with a blook alcohol level of .08 (the legal limit in my state).
The other, written by leadership and teamwork consultant and trainer, Mike Rogers, of SecondG.net references a British study that showed we lose the equivalent of 10 IQ points when multitasking. He shares that 10 points is more than you would lose if you were working during the day after a sleepless night, and more than double the points lost for smoking marijuana. Interesting!
So if you’re now convinced that multitasking may not be the solution you’re looking for to get it all done, try focusing instead. Do one thing and think about that one thing at the same time. Minimize or eliminate distraction. Avoid the “shiny objects”. Turn off your phone, your email notification, and anything else that buzzes, rings, rattles or calls for your attention while you’re working on a high priority task.
Let us know how that works out for you. We bet you’ll be more productive (and safer) as a result!
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 I don’t swear. Hardly ever. Its just not me. Yesterday morning though, the phrase in the title came hurling out of my mouth, just after my life flashed before my eyes.
I was on a early morning run, enjoying a light drizzle, some clean air, and the fact that I was almost done. I went to cross a street, as a car approached. I waved, a gesture meant to thank the driver for letting me (a pedestrian) pass, and also to ensure that he saw me (I was wearing a bright red top also, by the way). Apparently, not only was this driver distracted this morning, but he was also in a HURRY. As he approached the intersection, he sped up, and entered it without paying attention to anything around him. I threw on my brakes (stopped running suddenly) and let out a scream, just inches from his bumper as he slammed on his brakes, finally seeing me. He rolled down his window and said “uh, sorry”. I was shaking, frightened, and furious. Because of the adrenaline surging at the moment, my heart was beating so fast, my breathing was labored, and I walked around the back of his car. As he sped off to __________ (get to work on time, get more done in his day, beat his boss in to the office, fill in the blank) I yelled “slow the *&%# down” becuase that’s all I could think of at the time.
As I walked the rest of the way home, still shaken by the experience, what I wanted to say to him was, “would it have been worth taking a life to save a few minutes”? Of course not.
This is an extreme illustration of something I think about and talk to my clients about often. Just when we feel like we need to speed up in life, to work faster, to hurry up and get more done, to crank more out of the day, is just the very time we would benefit by slowing down. When we’re feeling pressured by deadlines looming and are frantically “acting”, we’re not as effective as if we stepped back for a moment and created a well thought out plan (and then acted on that plan). When our desk is cluttered and papers are everywhere and we just keep adding to the mess because “who has the time to put this stuff away, I have work to do”, is the perfect time to block out 20 minutes, organize, regroup, and then forge forward, when you can really focus on the task at hand (not to mention save time in finding what you need).
So the next time you’re running late, or facing a deadline, or just feeling like you have so much to do, take a deep breath, slow down for a moment, regain control, create a simple plan, organize, and then move forward more productively. Also, as a public service message, drive safely!
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 Debbie has been selected as a panelist for an upcoming event. Come see her this Saturday at the Bellevue Sheraton where she’ll be answering questions about organizing and the organizing industry.
The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO)Seattle Chapter is happy to annouce the first annual Vendor Fair and Ask the Organizer Panel. This exciting event will take place Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at the Bellevue Sheraton Hotel from 9am to 1pm.
- Meet local companies that specialize in organizing products and services
- Continental breakfast included
- Attend the Ask the Organizer Panel and get your clutter questions answered by local Professional Organizers including Debbie from 10:30am to 11:30am
Everyone and anyone is welcome to attend – open to the public.
Cost $10 at the door or $8 if you prepay online. Register online here today.
We hope to see you there!
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Want to make it easy to file instead of pile? Learn the stragegies and the system on Wednesday, March 17th.
Come join us for this fun, hands-on workshop where you will learn how to create a new, virtually maintenance-free filing system for your home or home-based business. You’ll walk away with the system largely in-tact, ready to use for your home or home-based business filing needs. When you leave class, you’ll be able to:
- Easily locate the papers you need by keeping out the ones you don’t need
- Finish routine filing in 5 seconds or less
- Reduce the time and energy required to file and retrieve papers
- Know when to toss paper – document retention made easy!
Presented by Certified Professional Organizer, Debbie Rosemont.
Time: 6:30pm to 9:00pm
Location: Beaver Lake Lodge 25101 SE 24th Street, Sammamish, WA 98075
Investment: $149 (includes FreedomFiler kit and light refreshments)
For more information or to register click here!
Class Limit: 12 participants (to ensure individual attention)
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 As promised in our post earlier this week, here are our favorite guidelines around delegation and outsourcing:
Delegate things others can do faster than you, better than you, more economically than you, or that cause you great stress. You’ll free up your time to do the things that only you can do.
There are certain things that only I can do for myself; like go running. No one else can go running for me (or if they did, I certainly wouldn’t realize the benefit!). There are also tasks in my business that I love to do and that are highly profitable for the business, like group training. If I can delegate other tasks to someone else, so that I have time to run, or so that I can teach a productivity workshop for a company, then I make the best use of my time and I benefit or the business benefits.
I used to spend about 10+ hours a month on book keeping tasks. I was slow because this wasn’t my area of expertise and frankly, I didn’t really like to do the book keeping. I decided to hire a bookkeeper. My book keeper is able to do those same tasks in 2-3 hours per month. So I’m saving 10 hours of my time per month. Additionally, I’m only paying for 2-3 hours at a fraction of the rate I bill clients for the consulting work I do. What I can make in the 10 hours I save, by working with clients, far outweighs what I pay for the 2-3 hours of service. This is a no-brainer.
Another great time to outsource is when a task causes you stress or anxiety. If cleaning your house is a dreaded task that causes you to be overwhelmed and stressed out, it would make sense to hire a house cleaner to come in and do this task for you. This way you have freed up some of your time to do something you truly enjoy and you reduce your level of stress!
It also pays to outsource when you are not the expert. Hiring a Financial Advisor, a CPA or a Lawyer are really good examples of times to outsoure. If you are not well educated or the expert in these areas (or do not want to take the time to stay on top of these or other industries), you could end up making a very costly mistake. It is best to outsource from the beginning.
Lastly, it is a good idea to outsource when you are trying to learn something new for the first time. For example, if you want to learn how to get a good workout in 30 minutes, it would be a wise investment to hire a personal training for a short period of time. You will be able to learn an exercise routine that can help you long term. You might even consider working with a Professional Organizer to help you clear clutter in your work space, minimize distraction and learn new productive habits that would allow you to get more done in less time. Another wise investment with a big ROI! (Hint Hint!)
What’s your favorite task to delegate or where do you see the biggest ROI with outsourcing?
Let us know if you have any questions about delegation or outsourcing and as always, let us know if we can be a resource to you.
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Did we catch your attention? Are you under the impression that you have to multitask to “get it all done”? Well we’ve got news for you, it doesn’t work – not as well as you think it does.
Come learn more on  February 23rd, 2010 ,from 4:30 – 5:30 pm in our Open Enrollment class
Multitasking Makes You Stupid. We’ll meet at
MetLife Home Loans: 1700 Westlake Ave N #315, Seattle, WA 98109. Class investment is $45.
Learn why multitasking is not an effective productivity strategy. More importantly, learn how to focus on one task at a time, working free of distraction, so you can consistently get more of the important things done in less time. You’ll be able to implement some new productive habits immediately so that you can work smarter, not harder and get results.
Offered in conjunction with Dani McDonough of MetLife Home Loans.
Register here today to reserve your spot. Class size is limited to 12.
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 Not getting everything on your to-do list done? Feel overwhelmed by the amount of work you need to do? Not enough time in your day?
Did you take our challenge last week to use a time log and to identify time wasters you could eliminate, lower priority tasks you could minimize or get done faster, and tasks others could do for you to free up your time?
We want to cover some ideas around delegation as a productivity strategy.
Some people are hesitant to delegate or to outsource tasks. The most common reasons I hear are that “it will never be done the way I would do it” (aka: I like to be in control and worry it won’t be “perfect”), or “its too expensive to pay someone else to do it”, or “in the time it takes me to show someone else how, I could just do it myself.” To those, I would challenge:
1. Done is almost always better than perfect! When you take time to identify the skills needed to get a task done, find the right person for the job, clarify what needs to be done and the results you expect and assign ownership to the person you’re delegating to, you delegate effectively. Now let go. Don’t micromanage. Feel free to check in along the way once or twice to hear about progress, provide additional direction or clarification if needed, and to celebrate the end result. It may not get done exactly like you would have done it yourself, but if the end result is acheived all the same, then its a win (because you “win” the time you freed up by not doing the task yourself).
2. It is not expensive to pay someone else a task if you can use the time you free up by delegating to bring in more revenue or increase your billable hours in your business. If the revenue you bring in, or your hourly bill rate exceeds what you’re paying to delegate a lower priority or administrative task, then it pays to delegate/outsource.
3. Think about the Return on Investment (ROI). You may invest time in training someone to do a task for your once, but then they will be able to perform that task for you every time it needs to be done, saving you time and money time and time again. Short term investment for a long term gain.
Stay tuned tomorrow for some guidelines and ideas around how and when to outsource or delegate.
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 For the month of February we are offering “A Shot of Time Management” Mini Package which includes:
- The Simply Placed Time Log
- Debbie’s book, Six Word Lessons To Be More Productive
- A one hour Phone Consultation (We’ll discuss your time management or productivity challenges, how to use your time log, how to review and analyze the results and how to create an action plan for change)
- Two 15 Minute Follow-Up Accountability Calls
- A monthly e-subscription to the Simply Placed News including strategies to help you increase your focus, organization and productivity.
We’ll help you find more time to focus on high prioirity tasks and more time to spend on what matters most to you.
Investment: $125 with Lacey (Residential) & $225 with Debbie (Business)
Let us know if you have questions or are interested in taking advantage of this special!
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 Do you know where your time really goes? Yesterday, we posted about creating and using a time log to track your time for a few days.
Note in 15 minute increments what you do throughout the day and be brutally honest. Remember, you are just trying to raise your awareness here, not trying to impress anyone. The more honest you are on paper about how you spend your time (the tasks and activities that you engage in as well as the duration of time you spend on any one task or activity), the more useful your time log will be.
Once you have tracked your time for a few days, take time to to review & analyze your log. Look for time wasters; tasks that weren’t the best use of your time, tasks you did to avoid doing the tasks you were really supposed to be doing, or tasks that took much longer than you thought they should or would.
Identify unneccesary, low priority or low value tasks that you spent time on and consider whether or not you could eliminate them, reduce the time you spend doing them, or delegate them to someone else, all of which would free up more of your time to do the things that only you can do.
Were you surprised at how you are really spending your time? Once you have taken the time to identify the time wasters, the next step is to take action:
- What tasks can you delegate to someone else so you can spend your time on those tasks only you can do? Identify the task, define the skill set needed and then pick the right person for the job. Clarify with them what needs to be done, the outcome you expect and by when the task should be complete. Make sure that you’re not doing tasks someone else could or should be doing for you. For example, if you have an administrative assistant, let them take care of the administrative tasks (data entry, scheduling, travel arrangements, etc.). When you spend time on these types of tasks, it is not the best use of your time.
- How can you minimize time spent on certain tasks? Is there something you can learn to do faster? Do you have a lot of reading for work? Would employing some speed reading techniques save you time? Can you chunk tasks together to get them done more efficiently? For example, only check your email three times a day and process your email each time, instead of all throughout the day. Minimize distractions as well when you’re focused on your higher priority work. Turn off email notifcations, silence your cell phone so your messages can go straight to voicemail, use a “do not disturb” sign on your office door for periods of time, etc..
- What time wasters can you eliminate completely during your day (or only use as “rewards” during defined breaks)? Consider posting a “not to do” list of things you’d like to stop doing in order to increase your productivity. You might include things such as surfing the internet without a purpose, spending time on social networks unless they are for a specific work-related purpose (again, perhaps during breaks is fine if this gives you something to look forward to after focusing for a certain period of time), reading periodicals that don’t add value to the work you do, etc..
You time log will raise your awareness about how you spend your time. Once you identify things you can eliminate, minimize or delegate, you’ll find you have more time available for the high prioritity tasks and work that will help you accomplish your goals and achieve the results you’re after.
Let us know if you need help reviewing your time log. We can help you identify time wasters and help you come up with solutions for how to use your time more efficiently.
For the month of February we are offering “A Shot of Time Management” Package. Check back tomorrow for details of this Timely package.
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 Do you ever glance at the clock just before 5pm when the workday has almost come to an end and ask yourself, “what did I accomplish today?” Are there days when you feel like you just couldn’t accomplish anything on your “to do” list? One thing we recommend to our clients in this situation is to use a time log to track how they spend their time.
You can create your own time log by creating a spreadsheet that has the time you start your workday to the time you end your workday. Not an Excel wiz? No worries, this exercise can be accomplished just as easily by taking out a piece of paper and writing time slots down the left hand side. We recommend using 15 minute increments. Next to the window of time, write down what you worked on or did. For example, write down what you did from 9am to 9:15am, 9:15am to 9:30am, etc. Did you check your email, talk on the phone, talk with a co-worker, work on a project, file, surf the internet, etc.?
Block off some time on your calendar right now to create a time log. Once your time log has been created, make it a priority to keep track of your daily activities for the next few days. Be brutally honest about how you spend your time; remember, this is only for your benefit. Keep your log close by so that it is easy to update throughout the day.
The purpose of this log is to raise your awareness about how you currently spend your time. Once you have a few typical days worth of your time logged, take some time to review it. You may be surprised to see where your time goes.
Check back for our next blog post on how to review and analyze your time log.
Don’t want to create your own time log? We’ve created one for you and its included in our current package special, “A Shot of Time Management “. You’ll get a one hour consultation, a time log, our book, Six-Word Lessons to be More Productive and two 15 minute follow up calls to help you analyze your log and create an action plan for change. Contact us today to book your package.
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