Turn the Tables on Intimidation

There are so many things that can disrupt your productivity.  I’ve already posted recently how fear and focus can halt your productivity and here is one more:  Intimidation from others.  Those who seek to intimidate often have false power given to them only by themselves.  These individuals may not be the easiest to work with, but they certainly need to be addressed, no matter what level of the food chain you are.  Check out the link on Verbal Intimidation and learn how you can fight back without losing your own cool.  If you have additional ideas or stories on how you’ve handled the verbal intimidators, please share!

One of Those Days…

Today I had one of those days.  Seriously. 

Oh wait!  I bet you think it was a bad one, huh?  Why is it that when we talk about having “one of those days,” it usually goes on to mean it was a day from Hell?  Well, I’m not here to argue, but it was one of those days – one of those days you just don’t have everyday.

Last night I returned from a 2 day business trip across the state.  Sometimes that is like coming back from vacation – lots of emails, lots of phone calls and lots of catch-up.  Like a medical professional who has a practice, that is how I consider myself within the Getting Things Done world.  It’s my practice.  So by practicing GTD for almost a year, I came back from my trip in pretty decent shape.  I processed over a hundred emails within 30 minutes, made some appointments and phone calls got a few things done for the day.  So far, so good.

The local newspaper where I live publishes a weekly business journal.  In today’s edition was an article I had written that covered a few posts I have done on this blog – the majority being on Push-Pull Marketing.  Not only did this serve to help others like others have helped me, but it furthered the organization I work for.  So far, even better.

After lunch Senator John Thune came by the children’s hospital I work for and we met with him for more than an hour about how to help children with autism that we serve.  It also gave me the chance to let him know what a big fan my father is of him, especially when he beat Tom Daschle a few years ago.  And I’m not done yet.

Processing a few emails by the end of the day I came across no less than three emails from various departments all favoring the recent endeavors of my staff.  Not only were those people happy about the creative work we did but they were also favorable about how they were treated.  I’m almost done.

Coming home, I looked at my blog and there was the cherry on top of the sundae.  The number of hits for today tied my best day ever.  Don’t get me wrong – I like doing this blog for my own sake and for returning the favor to others of what I learn from them.  But seeing that the things I write hit a small chord with others in the blogosphere does warm my heart a bit.  

Today was one of being productive, receiving recognition and of being rewarded.  It was a lot like this blog and also like life.  If you put effort into your life, then over time it will come back to you.  As a motivational speaker once told me, “No Deposit, No Return.”  I’m encouraged more than ever to continue and I hope this will encourage others to stay the course in whatever you do.  Make good choices.  Help others.  And one day you will have one of those days too.  Seriously.  

Fear is Contagious

This is Part 2 on the conversation centered on Fear. The first part covered how Fear is a Choice. Taking things a step further, we’ll discuss how contagious fear can be. At least it can be. Much like misery, fear loves company. It gets fed by the masses. And it moves quickly if left unchecked.

When we watch the news, which story leads the newscast normally? It’s never the good stuff and rarely the acts of heroism. What sells is sensationalism and the negative the better. Fear and the story of fear is like a virus as it passes from one person to ten. Ever been employed at a company where a small rumor of takeover consumes the watercooler? Fear.

Fear left to its merry way will halt the future of any project, any promotion, and any marketing initiative. I used to have a boss who played the “What If” game and it killed every idea that anyone would come up with. We used to wonder how the guy ever got anything done due to his fatalistic imagination.

So we have firmly established how fear moves through people and causes panic, havoc and overall discomfort – so how do we stop it? Simple. Surround yourself with the right people. We all know the people in our lives who thrive on the drama, the gossip and the negative energies. At times they are entertaining. At times they are annoying. But make no mistake, they will drag you down. Literally.

A great sales person with a positive attitude fears little simply because they fill their mind with positivity. Daily emails sent to them from Zig Ziglar might help. Goals set for the week will help as well. But nothing can substitute a live person with the right attitude to keep fear at bay. It’s just the way it is. The right person can provide perspective, a unique angle, but most of all provide rationale to the equation.

(Thanks to RockStarVanity for the picture)

Conquering Fear

Fear.  It’s a frightening concept – literally.  It causes panic.  It causes anxiety.  It causes stress.  And it comes in many forms.   I recently talked to a friend of mine who’s ex-husband was causing her a great deal of fear.  During their marriage she encountered a lot of abuse – mostly mental and a bit physical.  She found the courage to leave the relationship and continue to raise her children.  The process of dealing with the fear in that relationship has still been a struggle.  Her self-esteem had fallen victim and was her own worst enemy.  Deciding after four years that enough was enough, she found the strength to confront the ex.  The outcome was insignificant but the victory was actually found in having the discussion itself.  You see she found out she was a new person and no longer a slave to his own insecurities that manifested itself in anger towards her.  She confronted her fears.  And now she can move on. 

 Fear in the workplace is not as dramatic as this scenario, but it can still take its toll on us.  We all have that “something” at work that we avoid, whether it be a project, person or task.  So, in the coming posts, I’ll be talking about fear and tying it into how we can conquer fear to be more productive.  It’s time to eliminate panic and confusion, stepping outside of your comfort zone, avoiding avoidance and reaching all the potential you have within you.

Parking Lot Productivity

 

Here’s a great post from our friends at Lifehacker.com.  This would have been nice to know a few weeks ago…

These days, it’s harder to get a new cell phone without a built-in camera than with. If you’re not all that enthused about taking grain pictures with it, you can still get some value out of the little lens, as detailed at the Digital Inspiration blog. One idea in particular caught my eye:

Car Parking – Most shopping malls here have huge underground parking but there aren’t any signboards so it gets tough to locate the car. So when you park the the car, just look toward the lift (or the exit) and take a picture or record some video. This will save lot of effort (and time) when you return with all those heavy shopping bags.

Focus…Daniel-san!

OK, I couldn’t resist with that title (alluding to Karate Kid for those of you who did not grow up during the 80’s). FOCUS.  You can never be productive without focus.  You can never produce effective anything without focus.  You need to do everything with focus.  This morning’s CNN Headline News showed a stat that reveals cell phone use while driving causes people to drive slower, change lanes less often and generally adds to traffic problems.  What, you mean multi-tasking is not such a good thing after all?! We all have problems focusing.  When I was a kid my mom took me to the optometrist and he had me look at letters to repeat back to him – ONE AT A TIME.  I wasn’t asked to juggle, gargle or repeat the Star Spangled Banner while upside down.  Simply focus.  Leo at Zen Habits has a great post on how to make this year your best and has focus included in his list of ways to improve.  I highly recommend this read in a world that continually challenges us to be our best.  His insights are a beacon and I hope you appreciate this article especially. 

Reflections of a productivity seeker

Over the Christmas holidays I took the opportunity to increase my productivity in a way I never expected.  I took a full week off so that my family could travel 5 hours away to see more family and I had all intentions of listening to my iPod on the way down, learning more about ways to increase my productivity.  I was going to take my index cards with me, my Moleskine in hand, and I was planning on dumping my mind of all undone tasks.  I was going to do a lot more reading of Joseph Jaffe’s ‘Join the Conversation.’  I had it all planned out.In the event you haven’t guessed the plot…I did little to none of the above listed tasks.  But I was as productive as anyone could be – just in a different way.  I stepped back.  I allowed myself a break.  I watched people.  I listened.  I breathed.  And I worried less.  I quickly realized that in my world of productivity and social media education that I was letting other things pass me by.  So I took more time than usual with my children, with my wife and less time working.  I “unplugged.”  The Mac was fired up on brief occasions to check personal emails and that was about it.  In the end I learned a basic lesson.  There is a need, a real need for each of us to breathe a little deeper, to step back, to really look at the big picture and to put some priorities in check.  Best of all, I was able to put my GTD system to task and I found that as I listed my top of mind projects on an index card, they matched up on my iGTD list as well.  Allow yourself the time to reflect and the hands of time will smile upon you.  And so will your family. 

Jott This Down & You Won’t Forget It!

Let me start by saying I am not affiliated with “jott” in any way, but let me say without a doubt that when you visit www.jott.com, it will be a moment of astonishment.  For productivity lovers like me, I almost had to grab the nearest box of Kleenex (well, I do have a cold in addition to…).

Jott is an application unlike any other I’ve seen and they have even gone so far as to begin to list ways you can use it.  I’m sure upon further thought there might be even more.  But for now, let’s start with a simple explanation.  After starting up an account with Jott (which is free at this point in beta, but expect a price in the near future once you’re hooked), you enter the phone number(s) that you call from the most, your email address(es) and then we start to scratch the surface.  You can enter your contacts by importing them from many different mail applications or by typing them in.  At that point, you call the Jott number,  1-866-JOTT-123.  Following a short prompt, you can say ME or a friend’s name.  From there, your speech is converted to text and then that message is emailed to the appropriate party.  In other words – we’re talking about a virtual Blackberry minus the need to type.  Whether you have a list of tasks you want emailed to you or a rash of emails to send, it can now all be done with the use of your cell phone or nearest landline.  Need a reminder?  It will send you one on the date you request.  Set up folders and you can send messages into that folder – tracking expenses, to do’s, etc.

Amazing, huh?  But it doesn’t stop there.  You can lump names into a distribution list, work or personal.  One call to Friends means everyone on your list now knows you got that new job or your baby was born.  If you’re a fellow blogger, you can actually call in your blog and have it converted to text.

Is there more it can do?  Oh Yeah!  Stop wasting your time and check it out at the link provided above.  It’s a tool any GTD’er will salivate at – so enjoy this great tool while it’s free.

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