Improvement People
used to believe it was impossible to run a mile in less
than four minutes. It was called the “Four-Minute-Mile-Barrier.”
For many years, athletes tried to break this barrier, and
no one could do it; in fact, there was a multitude of scientific
evidence to support the fact that it couldn’t be done. Then
in 1964, Roger Bannister, a British medical student, broke
the barrier. As you’d suspect, it was a huge deal and made
headlines in the world of sports. Guess what happened after
he did it? Yep—a lot of people started doing the very same
thing—five or seven athletes that year. Why? Simple: he
had shown them the possibility and encouraged them to break
through their own limitations.
When you believe that something is impossible to do, you
don’t even try, or you do it half-heartedly, so that when
it doesn’t work given your low level of effort, you do what...say,
“see, I told you I couldn’t do it.” “It’s impossible! I
knew it was!” This is the famous self-fulfilling prophecy.
If you think you can get better and be more productive,
you can, and you will.
Always think, “What if”? Take stock. Think about your daily
tasks and ask some important questions. “How can I do this
better next time?” “How can I be more efficient?” “How can
I get these results with less effort?” Occasionally, you
must take the time to stop, step back, and ask yourself
these questions. You can’t just keep plowing ahead without
occasionally regrouping and reassessing what you’re doing
or have become blind to doing.
Here are a few concrete and immediate ways to begin making
changes:
Sitting bombs. You’ve passed that magazine twenty
times - you know, the one that has a great article for your
mom—and keep telling yourself, “I need to
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send that article.” Do it now. Decide that, whenever
possible, you will dispatch routine tasks immediately.
If it takes less than three minutes, do it right then.
Appointments. Your friend repeatedly cancels lunch
dates at the last minute. This drives you crazy, but you
continue to put up with it. Next time, don’t avoid dealing
with the issue. If the person is important to you, explain
how frustrated you are.
Waiting time. It makes you nuts to have to continually
wait for your doctor, who is always late (we must go to
the same doctor). Instead, you decide you will make good
use of this time and now carry notecards and magazines
in your tote.
Forgetfulness. At the end of the day, you had
to rush out the door and leave that project half-done.
You’re always frustrated, because when you return and
look at the page, you can’t for the life of you remember
what you were thinking or doing. Before quitting for the
day, jot a few notes on a sticky note about where you
left off and what your next step is.
Post-vacation slam. You return from vacation and
are so overwhelmed by your overflowing paper and email
in-boxes, you’re more stressed out than before you left.
Decide instead to return a day earlier, so you can get
unpacked, do the laundry, and sort your mail.
When something is bothering you, do a bit of introspection
to see what’s going on and how you might approach it more
efficiently or effectively next time. If you’re in a rut,
and you’ve grown accustomed to low productivity, change
may not be comfortable and change may not be easy. Take
an honest look at your life, determine what’s no longer
working, and change it.
Make it a productive day! ™
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Contact:
The Productivity PRO!®
9948 S Cottoncreek Drive, Highlands Ranch, CO 80130
Phone: 303-471-7401 - Fax: 303-471-7402
E-mail: Laura@TheProductivityPRO.com
Web site: http://www.TheProductivityPRO.com
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Laura
M. Stack, MBA, CSP, is "The Productivity PRO!"(R),
helping people leave the office earlier, with
less stress, and more to show for it. She presents
keynotes and seminars on time management, information
overload, and personal productivity. Contact Laura
at 303-471-7401 or Laura@ TheProductivityPro.com.
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