Being Intentional About NOT Getting the Blue Ribbon

I received quite a look from a group of program participants last week when I asked, "What are those areas of your work or life where you are intentionally NOT working toward getting a blue ribbon?" After a long silence, one participant said, "Housework." Another answered with, "exercise," and someone gave the response of "the way my vehicles look."

Based on the idea that we have limits (which we do), it's important to be intentional about choosing the areas we are seeking the best results and the ones we will settle for something less. Always agonizing about how things aren't the best in all areas can literally be overwhelming and reduce our productivity and sense of accomplishment. When we make a conscious decision NOT to focus our best efforts on one area, it frees up resources for other areas, and psychologically tells our brain that it's okay not to focus on those areas. We reduce our guilt as well.

The key is to know how this choice will help you get better results somewhere else. For example, one of my "non-blue ribbon" areas is my yard and lawn (just ask my neighbors). I enjoy a green lawn free from weeds and flower beds brimming with color, but right now my focus on the weekends and evenings needs to be on my wife, my daughters and my parents. When those seasons of my "orchard" change, I'll turn my attention to my lawn and landscape. I'm also driven by one of my quotes in my book, Getting the Blue Ribbon, which is, Some things you can not grow again.

Change, Success and The Principles of Margaret-Part 2

In my last blog I told you about Margaret, one of my heroes. Currently, Margaret is struggling more with her MS and has had to take some time off from her work as a therapist. In an email from her husband a few weeks ago, he (without knowing it) revealed one of the success principles Margaret follows. He wrote: Margaret certainly takes advantage of feeling well. Other variations of her principle could be she strikes while the iron is hot, or she makes hay while the sun shines.

Too often I fear we waste those times of "feeling well" on less than important endeavors. We lose blocks of mental focus time because we are checking e mail or aimlessly chipping away at a convenient task. Meetings are spent on updates that could have been dispensed to the group electronically. Families forego their opportunities to grow together, and instead are content to "hang out" in the same house doing their own thing. And as Margaret so skillfully knows, those moments of opportunity can never be recovered in the future.

What do you need to be working on today if you "feel well" physically, emotionally, mentally or even financially? A better "harvest" awaits those who take advantage of feeling well. 

The Apple In Your Hand

What are you working on right now? More importantly, what results will you get from working on it? What tangible result will you have after your work on the task is completed?

Too often I think we make ourselves busy with tasks, but never stop to think about if we are creating something of value-REAL value. At the end of almost every task there should be a concrete result that comes from working on it. The result may be a completed form, a new widget or even a smile from the person who is the recipient of your efforts. If there is not a quick tangible result you can envision, why are you working on it?

In keeping with the spirit of apples and "orchard thinking," what will be the apple in your hand when you get done with your current tasks for the day? If you can't identify something concrete, maybe it is time to revisit your choice of tasks to undertake.

Environment, Environment, Environment!

Here's a news flash for you-A study out of Belgium found that if male teenagers increased their viewing of TV shows or movies with car chases or high degrees of action, they were more likely to engage in risky driving when they got behind the wheel.

We could interchange the words to include almost any poor habit. Spend time around coworkers who are frequently distracted from their work, and your tendency will be to do the same. Engage in conversations that are less than positive about someone else, and you will find yourself doing it more often by your own choosing. The environment in which we live and work has an incredible impact on our actions.

The plant world reinforces this fact. You simply can't grow certain things in certain environments. Specific conditions have to be present for the plant to achieve its greatest potential.

If you are currently struggling with accomplish a project at work or simply build a stronger relationship with your spouse, ask yourself one question: Have I created the right environment for success? If the answer is "yes" then maybe you need to check your source of motivation-or lack therof. If the answer is "no" then take some steps to create a better environment for success.

You may look impressive working so hard, but what are you really moving forward in your work and life?

Time Management and Focus

I hear it all too often. People talk about not being able to focus on what is most important. I laugh because too often they have created the environment that is preventing them from concentrating on the task at hand. Here's a partial list of ways we (yes I do it too) sabotage our opportunity to get the "best" things done:

• Leaving the mobile phone connected to our bodies (a vibration is as much of a distraction as a ring tone)
• Leaving the mobile phone on. I currently have a parent in poor health and need to be as connected as possible, but I still turn off the phone for short periods of time when I need NOT to be interrupted (I know the opportunities presented by delegation).
• Poor physical habits. Where do we start? Caffeine, carbs, lack of physical exercise and poor sleeping habits are all elements that can enhance or diminish our ability to focus.
• Visual distractions. One of my weaknesses is that I will leave something on my desk that needs my attention. While I am working on something else my eyes glance at it and I am immediately distracted from the task at hand.
• E mail notifications. Every time you hear the "ding" or see the message box it makes you wonder, "Is that the notification that I've won the lottery?" Again, all concentration is lost.

The next time you need to really focus, try these three steps:

• Plan ahead. Start hours ahead (or even a day or two if it will be a major work event of several hours) and think about how to prepare yourself physically and mentally for the task you want to focus on.
• Communicate. Tell everyone who regularly communicates with you about your plans so they can be your " gate keepers" and minimize interruptions from other people.
• Get out of your current environment. Find a place that has no distractions that is away from your regular workspace. Make it one that is also not visually distracting (working from home doesn't help some people because they think about laundry, house cleaning or other tasks to be done).

In most cases it's not that you can't focus, it's just that you haven't created the right environment that allows you to focus.