One way to end each day

Every day (up until today, that is) this year, I have written about 100 words in reflection of the day. Then, on the last line of the journal entry, I write down a single word.

My intention is to take enough of a break to think at the macro level. The question, "What one word do I think of, when I think of this day?"

Stay tuned, my plan is to publish all 365 of those as soon as I get done with the year... As long as I keep on writing at the end of each day!

The one thing I'd do, if I were you...

Start your day, every day, by thinking a little bit bigger. Not life-altering "shoulds" - just little chunks of information that could slowly shift your perspective away from the (as Ben Zander says) "negative spiral."


I do this by watching a TED talk, most every morning. Yup, each day I intend to let some good information in. I like to see/hear what someone is doing with their energy, passion and interest.

Last year at the SXSW conference (see you there next March, yes???) I took this picture after June spoke on behalf of the TED mission. Quick, after you read this, find a 3-6 minute talk at www.TED.com and watch it now!

I recommend the one by Sunni Brown ... On the importance of doodling during meetings!

Email management ... a big deal? Maybe, maybe not

If you navigate on over to Entrepreneur.com, and do a little searching, you'll find a bunch of articles on productivity, time-and-information management, and even email organization ideas!



There were some great comments on this article, specifically around the great debate:





A) inbox 0
B) just keep everything there, and search it when you need it

Of course, I know enough to know that one can not "blanket-prescribe" a system; that is, what works for your boss may not, ultimately, work for you. What I do know, however, is that magic happens when small to medium sized teams get in a room for 30 minutes, once every few months, and ask this question:

"How, as a team, can we get the most from email?"

Then, follow it up with,

"How, as a team, can we make it easy for everyone to focus?" (That is, how do we minimize and mitigate distractions/disruptions/interruptions?)

Any ideas?

Where to go to get new ideas? Try #ignite

I was invited to submit a proposal to speak at #IgniteNYC (I was not selected this year). I got my ticket, called my friends and showed up at the Sheraton ready to engage.




If you're not familiar with Ignite, Google it. 5 minute presentations, where people get to resent from 20 slides that auto forward every 15 seconds. I loved it. I won't go one-by-one, there were more than fifteen to listen to and watch, but suffice it to say that they were awesome!

What are you doing to build your ideas?

Where do new ideas come from?

After another mentoring session (I am SO thankful for the time she gives me) with Frances Hesselbein, I took some time to think and read and write an write some more. I read a couple of articles from Leader to Leader, wrote a thank you card, and drafted some more ideas in my journal.



How do you find new ideas? And, are they truly "first-thought" items? This has me waking up all all hours of the day, for if we have a new idea that could change things, we could, well change things.

I'm here in Zurich, on Saturday, and there was an "Occupy" event happening in a main square of town. As I walked by the people there, I asked myself, "What's the new idea they are bringing to the public domain."

Over the next 96 hours, I will be re-editing (for the last time!) the book that is coming out in January. The purpose, I'm realizing, of this project is bigger than I originally thought. It's designed to help you get new ideas. I hope it works.

Multi dimensional goal setting

I learn best when 2 things happen:
1. Information comes toward me in a variety of ways; and
2. Information comes toward me again, later.




Is a goal you have set for the next 6-18 months clear? Do you know where you are heading, ready to turn left when it's time? Here are some ideas to make goals that are multi dimensional, and that ultimately draw you toward them.

1. Hear it: Get someone to partner with you, and meet up with them once a week or so for the next 5 weeks. During that #CoffeeChat or lunchtime, share your process of working toward one of your goals. A great peer (or coach, or mentor) is the kind of person who will listen and ask "well-played" questions that get you to think a little bigger.

2. See it: Surely you've got a to do list that you update with some regularity. I'm also positive that "some"where you're keeping up with a calendar, so that you can organize your meetings, travel and events. So, it may seem intuitive to write down your upcoming projects.

I just "updated" mine, and made two lists:

Projects - next 6-18 months
Projects - 18-months from now

Simply writing down, for example, that I'm going to race in the Wildflower Triathlon in May 2013 was quite interesting exercise. So, it's your turn...I'll challenge you to write a list of at least 50 things. We both know you can do it.

Want to up level this one? Find a picture that actually SHOWS the thing you're marching toward. Ever since we got the final version of the book cov, I have printed it and:

+ taped it to my journal
+ put it on the fridge at home
+ carried a small copy of it in wallet
+ and more.
(+ oh, another thing I did: made it the desktop picture on my computer)

See it...it makes it easier to see it come true.

3. "Get" it: When write something down, when you cut out a picture of that goal you're moving toward you engage another "working style." so far, I wrote about auditory and visual styles, now...Kinesthetic.

For the purpose of goal setting, a great kinesthetic activity is to sit down, close your eyes and for just a few moments imagine you're there.

Lately, I have been doing this as I set new goals, and work toward them, of ways to sell 50,000 copies of the next book: Your Best Just Got Better.

See it. Hear it. Feel it. Move through it. Actually sense what you might sense when you're there...then (and this is key, for me) take a few moments to write down what happened while you were there.

Generally, when do this, I come back to the present and realize that there are some tasks I can add to my to do list for the next week that will move me further along the process of achieving my goal(s).

What is something you do, when you do set goals?

Journaling - writing things down to deepen the thinking

After posting a link to "The Things I 'Do' With My Journal" I've received a few questions via twitter @jasonwomack - if you have another question, please do let me know! Following are some of the Q's and A's for you...

Q1. Do you move your "next actions" from your journal to another digital list?

Q2. What's the benefit you have in separating "ideas" and "next actions"?

Q3. What do you think about using different journals, for business and personal (family, finance...)?

These are GREAT questions. Of course, I'm halfway tempted to ask YOU, the reader, to share YOUR ideas about these prompts. Please do leave any ideas you have in the comments, or via twitter ( @jasonwomack ) and I'll respond there as well!

Ok, so Answer 1: One glance at www.outlookdashboard.com or www.lotusnotesdashboard.com and you'll see some options. Of course, it's going to depend on your own workload. For some people completion is the name of the game, and each day they are coming up with, and finishing, their daily tasks.

For me, I keep my own "overall" list management system "in the cloud," this way I can keep it current, access it from anywhere, and trust that I've got all my options ready. About every 48 hours I'll go through my "back pages" of the journal (see Video #1 here) and add anything that needs to go into my online/distributed list management system. (Of course, that synchronizes to my iPad, iPod, BlackBerry and Desktop computer...)


Answer #2: My job is to connect new dots, to see things before other people do, and to synthesize and contextualize what the next 36-60 months of work will be like. It's SO easy for me to come up with more "to-dos," tasks of things that need to be done as soon as possible, and that's why I must have a place where I "force" myself to simply think. Someone who mentors me through thoughts and words (and, we did a great YouTube interview together some time ago) is the author Dan Pink. We share an interest in what drives people to want to do, be and have their best.

One of the things we talked about in that interview we did was the relative importance of setting pen to paper as a way to deepen the thinking, and get lost in thought. And, finally, don't take my word for it. Try it for a week or so...keep a piece of paper off to the side, and anytime you think of something to DO, write it down there. Don't interrupt yourself to go and DO that thing, write it down, and look at it later (within the hour or the day or so...).


Answer #3: I have a short answer to this one...and, it's more of a prompt:
How many places do you want to have to review, when you want to see what you thought? And, "what if" you have a thought about work, while you're thinking about your family...?

I keep one journal at a time, I get about 2 months' use out of it, and I do go back through them quarterly and annually.


Ok, you're turn! What else can I say, what else can I show, what else can I share?

The First of the Month - September, 2011

However you look at it, time is moving...sometimes quickly.

You could say, "Wow, 8 months are already gone!"

Or, you could say, "Wow, 4 months to go!"

And, of course, you could ask, "How old am I?"

You see, no matter how you look at it, how old you are, whether you're a glass-half-empty or other-side-of-the fence thinker, time is marching on.

Ok, so for this episode of "The First of the Month - September, 2011" I want to share a question, an idea and a joke...

1. Question: "What practices have you perfected?"

2. Idea: Spend some time, starting today and continuing over the next 5-7 days, to completely identify those habits and routines that you HAVE practiced to perfection. Now, of course, chunk it down by starting here:

Create an ongoing list, make an inventory of the activities that take your

time

energy

focus

between "0" and about 10am every day. (Yes, consider making a "back of the page" inventory for the weekend as well.)

So, the alarm goes off (or, you wake up naturally with sunlight splashing on your face) and you find yourself doing...what?

Since it's the first of the month, and 8 months have gone by (or, you've got 4 months to go...or, you're that old...), consider looking at and discarding any "practices" that you no longer need to repeat. Replace them with new experiments that will give you equal or greater return on time/energy/focus invested.

Can I share an example? I used to search the internet "regularly" each morning, for any news of the clients I support worldwide. One afternoon, a friend of mine introduced me to GoogleAlerts. Well, that time I used to spend searching one client at a time? It's gone to scanning just a few emails each morning...


3. A Joke: Ok, if you're still reading this, you're looking for a joke. But, if you know me, you know that I'm really not THAT good at jokes...so, here's my request. Leave one (keep it clean and family-friendly, please!) in the comments section below!

What does 100% look like to you?

Would you know it, if you saw it? When the dial is turned all the way "on," just what does that look like?


I had forgotten about this picture, so when I was scrolling through my iPad photo album and saw it, a big smile came to my face. Of course, looking at it I know exactly where we were...

That's Zuma, our Lab, and I took this while we were playing down in the river bottom, here in Ojai, California. It was quite some time ago, as I remember she could run a heck of a lot faster than she can now.

One of the things about watching her, either in some of the videos we have, in these kinds of still shots, or today, when she's lying on the floor next to the desk where I'm typing this short post is...

...she's always ONLY doing, what she's doing RIGHT NOW. Of course, I'm not a Lab. At any given time I've got to have "many irons in the fire." Yet, occasionally, I reflect on this concept of giving everything I've got, to what I'm doing right now.

Today's challenge: What could you do, and only do that for a little bit of time, from start to finish? Focus on it, work on it, and get that one done!

Take "shoulding" out of the project

Have you ever had the thought, "Someone should..."? I used to. Then, I started searching for the answer to this question: "Who is?"



Working here in new York, I do get to see a lot...and, I know I miss a lot too. This isn't a bad thing; in fact, it works in our favor! If you think about focus and productivity, you will quickly realize that there just isn't room in your mental or physical "space" to actually consider it all. So, we have to ignore some things.

So, how do you stop shoulding? Easy, notice what you're shoulding about! Begin by writing (yes, I always promote the process of "getting it out of your mind") down those things that you think really SHOULD be different. Now, what will wind up happening - if you're honest with yourself - is that you'll wind up with 20, 50 maybe even (I've seen it!) over 100 things you think "should" be different.

Included in that list will be things you think you should be doing, things you think you think you should have, or things you think should be happening. Start from there, and try out these three tips.

#1. Put it off...again.
Do you have a calendar (paper or digital) nearby? Good. Go get it and open up to a date AT LEAST 180 days from today. There, about a half-a-year from now, write down what you want to think about...then. Now, you have a reminder of that thing you will want to think about ... in a few months ... that you can just forget about for now. (That "for now" piece is a critical component of this tip.)


#2. Take an action, however small, to begin changing it.
"Jason," you may be saying, "I just can't put this off any longer!" Well, then, get started. Do something small. Buy a book, subscribe to a magazine, register for a class, join a local group/club. Do something with the double purpose of: "Informing" and "Actualizing." You can get the information in, and find some actions to take by looking through the resources you have nearby.

#3. Ask for help, seriously.
Here's a crazy idea: Ask for help. I can tell you story after story of how much time (and money...and energy...) I have saved over the years by letting a small group of people know what I'm working on! I do this via Twitter, my blog, my facebook wall...oh, and by phone, mail, email and in person!

With a little bit of action, you'll find out pretty soon if it's time to take action, or if it's time to let go of that should. Good luck!

Fall in love with the problem

I'm going to have a short meeting with a mentor of mine this morning, all because of something he said a couple of months ago: "Jason, do you love the problem?"

It got me thinking about this "chosen profession" of mine, advising the world's busiest business leaders, working together to create productivity and performance-based solutions to their pressing needs: Getting more done, faster, on a smaller budget, with fewer resources.

Sounds like an overwhelming problem, doesn't it? Well, not if I look at it from another angle... I love the problem. I can think of three reasons it's a worthwhile puzzle to solve:

1) I read the book by Mitch Albom, Tuesday's With Morrie, years ago and it had a profound effect on me. People will wish they spent more time on their MITs - their Most Important Things.

2) There are shortcuts - what a teacher of mind Russell Bishop calls, "Workarounds" - that we can implement to brigade the growing gap between "idea" and "action." In fact, in order to up level your game, you're going to have to do "more with less" and work much, much smarter.

3) Doing more is more fun. Bottom line, I WANT to solve one of the world's biggest problems 'cause it sets me up to work on the next big problem I identify.

Sure, this kind of hard work isn't for everyone. As I am reminded all the time, "Deep thinking is hard work." However, if you're looking for big, worthwhile, life-changing ideas, let's talk. Between the two of us, I'm sure we could come up with a new problem to love!

10 August 2011 - New York City, NY - Mastering Workplace Performance

Thanks again, New York, for the opportunity to share this information with you over a few hours last Wednesday. I remember earlier in the morning, about 20 minutes before we started, someone asked me, "Jason, do we really need an entire day for this seminar?"

Here was (and is) my question back when someone asks me that: "When was the last time your manager and/or team gave you an ENTIRE day to go off to another room and think about how you work ... instead of think about what you need to think about when you're working?"

I did promise I'd get anyone a copy of my previously published book for their iPad/iPhone. Just let me know, I'll email it to you right away!

Ok, so here's a bit of an overview of the information I presented. Of course, your workbook will have all of your notes and a lot of ideas that I discussed. Also, I'm you can see the SlideShow presentation I made for the day over at www.slideshare.net/JasonWomack.

I started off by sharing my perspective of the productive process, and what you can do to improve workplace performance habits and practices. Among some of the things we talked about was this "four-phase" approach to productivity:

1. Identify:
2. Define:
3. experiment:
4: Assess:

Again, we start by identifying something as possible. You set a goal, see an email, get invited to a meeting, buy a book...the list goes on. In a typical day, it might be interesting to keep track of just how many "options" present themselves; just how much do you have to consider doing (and not doing) to get all the work done you have to do?

Defining your work, your projects and the expected results you're aiming to achieve "may" be a full time job! I talked about the importance of Deep Thinking, the ability to get lost in a project, or to discuss around the periphery of an idea to see what you have not seen before. For those of you doing research as a part of your job, it's important to be able to see things from different angles, and to do that it helps to have some idea of the direction AND destination you think you're heading in so that you DO wind up seeing as much as possible.

I always write the word "experiment" with a little e. Why? It just takes a little experimentation to find out whether or not something is worth doing!

Did you consider signing up for reQall? Take just a few minutes and do that now. Then, when you're out and about this week, use it just 5 times. See if that service "might" help you out; I know it has helped me!

Finally, Assess what you're doing, what you've done, and what that is leading to. The last couple of pages in the workbook outline a very specific (and easy-to-implement) weekly debrief process. A "less formal" way to do this would be to stop for a minute or two each Thursday or Friday, and add a few thoughts to an ongoing list of things you've finished/worked on/been a part of lately. Just having this to look back on at the end of the month/year will go a long way in helping you Identify (back to step one!) what to take on next.

The first "group" activity was to discuss practices of effective and ineffective coworkers. Consider going back to your notes to reflect on the habits and behaviors of the people you know you can count on. Can people count on you to do those things? Also, review the way you're ending meetings, preparing for conversations and leaving your workspace at the end of the day. Are you capturing all the ideas, getting ready for tomorrow, leaving the office to head in to your life?

During the seminar, we looked at the different ways that people work. Some people think in terms of nouns and verbs, and we all work according to our Auditory/Visual/Kinesthetic preferences. Several activities throughout the seminar are designed to give you the insight and information you can use to change the way you work, and ask to work with others, so that you're as effective as possible. One of those activities was over on page 6 of the workbook.

Check out slide #61 on the slideshare.net site...

There were THREE workplace performance inventories you created during the course.

1. What do you do by about 10am?
2. What tools/systems do you count on daily?
3. What could you do about once a month to reset/refresh?

Each of these inventories was built up to give you "more objective" information about what you need to do, and how you need to be in order to do better work. remember the activity of coming up with your own "recipe" describing when you are "at your best?" That was also designed to give you ample information and plenty of time to think about how you think, so you can think about what you have to think about.

Make sense?

THEN, we dove deep into systems-thinking. I presented many ways you can maximize such tools as Microsoft Outlook and your BlackBerry. Of course, I'll always be researching different gear, so that I can always give you the most "up to date" material. If you'd like to see a lot of videos on some of the ways you can save time WITH your tools - often even getting MORE work done, faster - just email me. I'll send you some specific links. Or, of course, you can check out the YouTube channel dedicated to this topic: www.youtube.com/jasonwomack.

My question to you: "What did you implement?" What did you go back to your desk to try right away, and...how's that going? I look forward to hearing all about it. Please do let me know in the comments area below!

What would YOU do with an extra 61 hours and 18 minutes?

Ok, so here I go on one of my little rants.

When someone complains about not having enough time, and then proudly states they don't have time to learn how to save time - you know those people...they are THAT busy - I just smile.

I "learned" how to use text replacement on my BlackBerry, MacMail, gMail, Outlook and laptop computer, and wow, have I saved time. Here's one little app I use, just one, to gain time! (By the way, I've made some YouTube videos on these ideas... www.YouTube.com/JasonWomack.)





Yup, that's one million, three hundred seventy nine thousand, five hundred and ninety two keystrokes I've NOT typed.

What would YOU do with an extra 61 hours?

What I promise for my next book.

When do you get to talk about leadership?

Leadership: It's a big topic that people spend time, energy and focus studying, often hoping that the people around them do more of it themselves.


Whether you attend a formal "off-site, leadership development program," read books and think about it on your own, or get together with like-minded people and talk about ideas you all have, get out there and start your next journey.

And, I invite you to participate in the next luncheon here in Ojai.

Predictability: When I get it right

Setup, the less I have to think about it, the better. Whether I'm presenting a seminar or racing a triathlon, not having to think DURING the event is key to a strong performance.

But that freedom isn't free. I labor over the details, practice "off the field," wake up in the middle of the night with the next great experiment and ask mentors for advice all the time.

I'm always amazed by the amount of time I get when I'm prepared to do what it is I am planning to do. This morning, I actually had time to draft 3 pages of ideas into my new spiral-bound notebook (all about the chapter I'm writing this week on feedback and the process of career development).

If you can predict it, anticipate it. And, if you're that close, do something about it now so that it's easier then!

Why do YOU do what you do?

I wrote about this story in my book today (chapter 7!). Earlier this year, I met Tony, who started asking people WHY and documenting their answers with pictures. If you have a moment, visit his site!


When I saw this picture afterward, I sent Tony a handwritten thank you card. I was so happy that he caught me this way. Not just with what I wrote, but with how I was in that instant.

One thing I know is that I have lined myself up in a way that about every day I do get to live my purpose.

It's my hope that the more you read, and the more I share, you DO feel the senses of completion. Sure, some people are hoping to become more productive and develop their strengths and talents...but isn't that so they can experience more???

How about you? Why do you do...what you do?

Location:Rockaway Blvd,,United States

27 July 2011 - Midtown, NYC - Mastering Workplace Performance

Thank you so much for attending this MWP presentation. One of the most important questions to answer is: "When was the last time you took time to think of how you manage time?" For many people participating in our workshops, this was the first time...in a long time!




Remember, there are 96 fifteen-minute blocks of time in a day. One of the first activities I suggest you DO do is to create your "Time Management Budget." Do it with a piece of paper, write it on a white board, create a spreadsheet. However you're going to do it, do it. At the top, write down the number 96, and then start subtracting:

96
- sleep
- commute
- meals
- exercise
- meetings
- work
- relaxation
- other (whatever else you can bring to mind)

Now, most of the time our clients do this, they realize that one issue they are facing is that they often need 105 or even 110 of those fifteen-minute blocks to DO everything they think they need to do in a day. So, it's now crucial that we become more effective and efficient; that we become responsible stewards of our time.

How do you do that? At the beginning of the seminar, I presented to you the 4 "real" limited resources. Time is just one of them the other three are:

Energy: You're a morning person or an afternoon person or an evening person. You get overwhelmed or excited by deadlines. You need a lot of or a little bit of sleep. You can manage a lot in your head or you need to write things down as soon as you think of them. How you manage your MENTAL and PHYSICAL energy will immediately and significantly alter how you use your time. Later in the seminar, we discussed the importance of knowing when you're "at your best." The best reason I can give you for knowing (and following the directions you wrote!) when you're at your best is so that you can manage your energy more effectively.

Focus: According to one of my mentors, Allyson Lewis (author and investment manager), our attention span is about 7 minutes long. Now, that's not just how long we can hold our own focus, but it's about how long we can go before we're interrupted by someone on the desk. "Do you have a minute?" That question is NOT about time (resource #1), it IS about focus (resource #3). Oh, by the way, as you change your focus you will notice a dip or a lift in your energy. (Have you ever seen someone's name in your email Inbox and gotten stress? Have you ever seen the caller ID on your phone and smiled ear to ear?

Systems/Tools: Now, you're remembering, is the resource that affects them ALL! Yes, if you change how you use your systems and tools, you can implement the "Focus to FInish" mindset, you will free up energy by completing more tasks and having to remember less, and you will feel (or it will seem) like you're a better time manager. By the way, this is where it gets so interesting in the "app world." Why? Because inventor after inventor (and, of course, investor!) gets an idea of a new TOOL that will fix her or his system. The trick is to get you to believe in it enough to change your previous behaviors.

After I showed some of the tips and techniques on how to save time using your tools, I showed you how to do just that.

How stop the "bad" habits? How do you drop those habits that actually worked to your benefit for all these years? You know, the unsustainable habits like:

Arriving to the office an hour or so early, to work without interruptions of your coworkers.
Staying at the office late, to work without interruptions of your coworkers.
Logging in to your computer on the weekend or after dinner, to work without interruptions of your coworkers.
(By the way, are you catching the theme here???)
Scheduling meetings for an hour, even though you'll only need 45 minutes, knowing people will arrive and the meeting will start late.
Setting reminders on your desktop calendar/task management system that you continually "Dismiss" or "Snooze."


I've got good news, and better news.
Good: You don't have to stop any of these bad habits.
Better: You simply replace them with new ones that are equal or better in value!

Where do you begin? Start with the three inventories you created during the first half of the program. For the next 5 days, focus in on that page, and I'd even suggest making "the list." The entire inventory of what:

- you do by 10am each morning
- systems/tools/gear/technology you count on to get your work done
- brings you rest, relaxation, rejuvenation and reinvention


Those inventories are critical to the change process. For until you know what you do, you don't know what to do differently. If you can clarify exactly what you do out of routine between the time you wake up in the morning and about 10am, you'll have some information you can use to your advantage. If you want to be more effective, work more efficiently and act as a steward of your time, you get that inventory complete and then you decide what to:

Delete: Chances are high that you're doing something 5 days a week that IF you only did it 3 times you'd be just fine. One client I worked with recently realized she was spending 10-15 minutes a day reviewing her "Sent Items" in her email looking for items that she had to follow up on. For 5 days, we tried an experiment:

- 3 days (Mon/Weds/Fri) she set a timer for 10 minutes and reviewed her Sent Items (as per her normal). When she came across something to follow up on, she pressed CTRL+SHIFT+K on her keyboard and typed in something like: "08/2/2011 - Jason Womack - Productivity TouchPoint video program proposal" which she organized in a "task list category" called Waiting On.
- 2 days (Tues/Thurs) she set a timer for 10 minutes and reviewed the next two weeks of her calendar. When she came across something to act on, she pressed CTRL+SHIFT+K on her keyboard and typed in something like: "Call Jason Womack 805-640-6401 re: upcoming keynote advisory session at conference" which she organized in a "task list category" called Actions.

Within one week, she had Identified more work and Developed a more up-to-date system than she had seen in years. It only took a little bit of experimentation to realize that she could use a little bit of her morning planning time differently.

Delegate: Of course here it's a little tricky. If you're a manager, and have someone on your team who CAN help you with different pieces of work, I'd absolutely encourage you to "Call a meeting" immediately. Sit down once a week for the next 5 weeks, and simply come up with an inventory of what you could delegate. Don't try to delegate anything yet, simply come up with the list. Now, if you don't have anyone to delegate to (if YOU are your own assistant!) then I'd recommend you STILL make this inventory. I did. I have a running list of things I'd ask a staff person, intern or co-worker to do, if someone said, "Jason do you need some help?"

You can, however, begin delegating immediately to your "systems." Consider the examples I gave you of ReQall.com and using GoogleAlerts. Also, consider your own Microsoft® Outlook® Task system the ultimate personal assistant who tracks your reminders, meetings, agenda items and more. I've even seen people keep a digital "memo" pad on their iPhone, BlackBerry® or Droid. There, they continue to add things they need to see or think about later. You're delegating more than actions, you're giving the reminder to take that action to a system that can help you manage the task, the priority, the conversation and he project much more effectively over time.

One thing we didn't get to in our program is the how to and when to PROCESS the big "bucket list" you wrote. Remember I asked you to take just 7 minutes and write down at least 50 items that you could bring to mind while we were together in the seminar. Well, one thing you'll immediately notice is that your "thinking profile" showed up there. Did you write your list as a group of Nouns? Or Verbs? Not that one is right or wrong. One is not better than the other. People are not "normal" if they do it one way and not the other. But, there is some significant information in there. At least there was for me...

The first time I recognized a difference was when I was in a personal development seminar, as a participant, the summer that my wife and I were planning our wedding. We were sitting at a table, and had the experience I showed you...we wrote down a long list of what we were thinking. Well, I was amazed to see that after about 20 minutes (imagine if I had asked you to write for that long!) she and I had two very different lists going...mine, a long list of Nouns. Hers...verbs!

When I recognized the impact of this on productivity and performance (and, our upcoming marriage!) I knew I was on to something significant. Naturally, I think in terms of the big picture, she turns those thoughts into actions. She naturally considers the steps along the way, I easily see the finished product as if it's already done.

Now, how about you? You need to do both, right? So, go through the notebook, and you'll see some extra pages there toward the end. I encourage you to spend time turning your Bucket List in to actions and projects, with starting and ending points. Then, go through your email Inbox and apply the same method. Review your notebooks, and your sticky notes, get as much as you can to this level of "action." You'll see a difference as you practice this more and more.

I hope you got more than a few ideas from our time together. Oh, by the way, based on the questions during and via email and text message over the next day, I collected a total of 23 questions. I already funded more loans at KIVA.org, and if you'd like to join us please visit: www.OjaiKivaClub.com - you don't have to live in Ojai to be a part of the club!

Here are some links you may want to review, as you continue pushing on this information. And, of course I'm already looking forward to reading your comments below! (Leave a question, I'll get an answer to you ASAP...)

Here are some books I recommend: http://www.BooksWeRecommend.com
I just keep learning from http://www.TED.com
Here is a link to specific ideas you can use right away to work more effectively using Outlook (pass this on to your coworkers!)
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4A446D5899736F1F&feature=mh_lolz

I wouldn't write without (Today's list...)

Papyrus...
Bic pen...
Binder paper...
Moleskine...
G2 gel...
Mindmanager...
Microsoft Word...
Om Writer...



I've tried a lot of them, and to this day I still change what I use...hoping that THAT will make it easier! What I'd like to share here are the things that I wouldn't write without. The list is short...but, as you'll see, significant:

1: Freedom. I've got to turn down the inner critic. At times, it's easier than other times, though I have found he's always (and, yes, it is the voice of a he!) always pretty close.

2. "Something" to write with and on. Doesn't matter what, because I'm just in capture mode. I found pens the size of my wallet, and designed my own note-taking business-sized card that goes with me everywhere.

3. What I call a "three-or-more" focus. Is what I'm writing (like this post itself!) going to be able to be repurposed, reedited and reused 3 or more times? Generally what I'm writing shows up as a question via email or a social media discussion...I know I'm going to blog it...and, generally, I will find a way to spin it in to a coaching or/and seminar.

4. Non-attachment. Ok, this is gonna sound weird, after reading number 3, but I have found that life really is one giant paradox! I need to be willing to write, and write, and write, and have enough non-attachment to be willing to through it all away.

That last one is pretty significant, as it gives me complete license to write anything down. I got some coaching while reading a biography of Dr. Seuss a while back...there were times, he said, where he'd spend HOURS and PAGES, writing and re-writing, until he got ONE LINE the way he wanted it. To me, it was extremely empowering to realize that someone as famous as a writer as Ted Geisel didn't always get it right the first time!

So, what do you say...did I miss anything? What won't YOU write without?

Ingredients of a "pretty productive" day

What's the one thing - people ask me quite often - to improve the chances of today being a MORE productive day?


All right... Here's one diagram that shows up quite often in my own note book. In fact, it first showed up while facilitating a leadership workshop for the US Navy on location at Seal Beach, CA.

Take a look and see where you could experiment with a new idea this week.

Routines: What do you do, without even knowing you do it? From the moment you wake up, you're on track to do what is "normal."

Habits: More on the mental side of things, what have you practiced over and over again so that "that" is how you are?

Systems: I think of the applications I use, the services I count on, the "apps" that make it possible to do all of my work.

Tools: iPod, iPad, BlackBerry, computers, all those "things" that make it possible to get things done.

Ok, now that you've got 4 things to think about, how productive could you be?

FBR (Friday Book Review): Poke the Box by Seth Godin

Title: Poke the Box
Author: Seth Godin

Website / blog / Facebook

How I got the book: I ordered it from Amazon.com the "moment" I heard about it being available. It shipped a few weeks later.
How long it took to read: 45 minutes / 1 reading session
Read cover to cover: YES
Favorite quotes (Page # and line):
2: Imagine that the world had no middlemen, no publishers, no bosses, no HR folks, no one telling you what you couldn't do. If you lived in that world, what would you do?
7: Here's what's needed to make something happen: an idea, people to work on it, a place to build or organize it, raw materials, distribution, money, marketing.
9: "What do you do here?"
11: In fact, people within organizations are perfectly situated to start something.
19: Isaac Asimov wrote and published more than 400 (!) books by typing nonstop from 6am to noon, every day for forty years.
23: When in doubt...Look for the fear. That's almost always the source of your doubt.

My Take-Away:

My big thought reading this book was: How am I solving my own puzzles? Find a process I can use (and reuse) to engage with, test and ship a next product or share a next idea. While reading Poke the Box, I wrote down a few of the things I can do:
Identify
Start
Experiment
Assess
Debrief
Discuss
Prototype

I enjoyed reading this book, and feel confident in passing it on to a business colleague of mine that he will get an idea or two as well!

Thank you, Professor Pease. I found this book on a shelf of a local hotel while I was visiting Dartmouth, speaking for the MBA class at The Tuck School of Business. I didn't know much about "Dr. Seuss" before I read your book; and, boy am I happy you wrote it!



Growing up in the 70's, I know we had Dr. Seuss books around, though I don't think I would have been able to rattle off more titles than "The Cat in the Hat," and maybe "Green Eggs and Ham."

I am very glad I had the opportunity to read more about "the good doctor" (and, if you didn't know about HOW Ted Geisel took the name "Dr. Seuss" you've simply GOT to read this book!). With just 5 chapters and right about 150 pages, you'll find all kinds of surprises about Ted's academic, professional and personal life. But, more than all of that, you'll get a good, solid dose of the creative process.

I'm walking away from reading this book with a renewed sense of the process of creativity. Of course, we often talk about the "stroke of insight" or the "sudden" epiphany...what I realized in reading this book by Professor Pease was that the process Dr. Seuss went through was just as tedious, labor intensive and stressful as any management position in a major corporation. And, as a writer, Ted wasn't as Self Employed as one might think...he was writing for a public who was voting with their dollars.

There are some important things to note while reading through this biography...things that are very general to the process many people go through as they create, mature and live up to their own self-identify:

1. Words create.
Throughout his life, Ted said things out loud. He asked for help, he told people what he was working on, and wrote...every day. In fact, when he moved to California, he had a special room where he would go to just to write; sometimes for hours a day (even overnight) as he continued creating with the words he used to tell a story. He said he'd write dozens, or even hundreds of line, looking for the perfect one that would make the story.

2. The past is present.
Like many of us, Ted had a childhood full of hardship, negative experiences and "change moments." With a German background, and a family who was prominent in the local business community, Ted had to deal with the pre-judgments that people made as he was growing up. He shared specific incidences where the way he was treated proFOUNDly affected who and how he was.

The past is always right here with us. What we do, how we act and who we are is inextricably tied to what has happened over time. Want things to be different a year or 10 from now? So, do something different today!

3. Change is constant.

Is it too cliche to add that to a blog post about someone famous? His life changed, over and over again. From selling "dozens" of royalty-dollars' worth of books a year to selling well over a million books a year by the time he passed away, Mr. Geisel definitely saw things change. For the good, for the bad...it just happened that way.

Looking at your own next 1 or 3 or 10 years, what do YOU anticipate coming your way? Or, perhaps it's easier to look backward...1, 3 or even 10 years ago, what were you doing that has an ever-present effect on how you are, what you do, and where you're going today?

A thought-provoking book, I highly recommend this impactful and engaging history about someone who I now know was much more complex than a story about a cat...in a hat.

Are you willing to think bigger?

Knowing what you have to work on - the inventory of options - helps you work smarter, think bigger and make more good things happen.



(That's a view from the lounge chair in my front yard, where I'm going to be sitting later this afternoon watching the sun go down...)

For today - no matter what day you're reading this - how are you planning to work smarter? Or, where are planning to think bigger? These are the topics dominating my writing, thinking and speaking as I'm writing the final three chapters of the book (due to the publisher on August 22nd!)

Working Smarter: Watch you working. Really. The easiest way I know of to work smarter is to bring a very clear awareness to not just WHAT I am doing doing during the day, but how I'm doing it. I can work faster. I can work better. I can get more of the right things done...if I study my own methods.

For example, I've turned to writing blog posts and article drafts on my iPad. I travel "just about everywhere" with it, and even got the extra Bluetooth wireless keyboard. I find that I stay "in it" longer when I'm working off the iPad. That is, I stay focused and don't leave the screen to go to some other website or document. (Was this an accident or by design: It just takes a long time to leave the window I'm in, go to the home screen, and open up another window, wait for a page to load, and then surf on over to it. Instead, I stay here...writing.)

Thinking Bigger: I challenge you (just as I do when I'm working with you in your office, or with your team in the boardroom) to follow thought trails more...for longer periods of time. Two ways I know of to do this (and, I'm old-school, still advocating pen and paper; why? Easy, it takes longer, and slows you down a little bit. A way to work faster? Slow down more...)

1. Pen, Paper, Timer...GO! Set a timer for 12 minutes, and write. Anything. Everything. Twice (if it comes to mind). There are people I've worked for who have said, "Jason, I don't even have time to think." When I ask them to take 12 minutes and do just that, the results are amazing (and, oftentimes, surprising).

2. Pen, Paper, Timer, ONE project...GO! Ok, this one's cool. This time, you'll do the same process with a wildly different result. On the top of this page, write the name or code-name for one project/event/trip you're working on. THEN, set the timer for 12 minutes and write as much as you possibly can ABOUT THAT PROJECT! (Sorry for yelling.)

Either way, think about this: You could probably write down one thought every 10 seconds, right? So, in 12 minutes you could potentially capture ... yes, that's right 70 or more things!

By the way, after write those 70 things, pick a few to work on today. You just may find you move some things, along the way, further...faster!

There isn't just one (it takes more to be the best)

There's an organization based in Santa Barbara named Catalyst for Thought. Today's event (a lunchtime "salon-type" discussion revolved around entrepreneurship, organizational growth and the essentials of running a successful business. The speaker: Steve Cooper, of High Tech CEO Advisor.



Looking back over the pages of notes I took ("brainstorming means you're willing to write any and everything down," Steve said) I have in front of me some amazing lessons that I would pay money for. In fact, he did! Steve shared that some lessons-learned DO cost money, that's just part of growing.

Here is something I wrote in big block letters...

1. Identify the Problem.
2. Find the Need.
3. Provide a Solution.

As easy as it seems, I'm challenging myself to go through this process for every one of my products (ie: solutions).

And you?

Location:Santa Barbara,United States

The "purpose" of purpose

Good day to you... Question: What's your own "So that..."? You know, the reason you do it all...your own raison d'être...your purpose.

I'm in Ojai, CA today (all the way through next week, in fact) and Chapter 7 of my next book is the hot topic of discussion. Everything I'm writing, all the articles I'm reading, even when I'm on my mountain bike in the Los Padres National Forest above my house...it's on my mind! This next chapter of "Your Best Just Got Better" is all about "Improvement...and purpose."



In 1995, I decided to go to graduate school, in education, and learn how to teach. In 1996, I graduated and immediately joined a high school (here, in Ojai!) as a teacher in several departments; I taught US and World History, Spanish I and Spanish II, ESL, Mock Trial, SAT Prep, and I coached Varsity Baseball.

I had a strong "So that..." all the way back then. I wanted to continually improve my teaching skills and content knowledge so that the students I worked for were as prepared as possible for their next steps...whatever those turned out to be.

Now, some 15 years later (phew, really???) I'm still at it. My "So that..." is crystal clear: "To equip clients with the mindset, practices and tools to make their best even better." The book I'm holding in the picture above was given to me by Mrs. Frances Hesselbein, President and CEO of the Leader to Leader Institute. She's a mentor to me, someone who has been interested in leadership and professional development since long before her tenure as CEO (1976-1990) of Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.

We had a discussion one morning over a cup of tea, the month her most recent book was published, and spent an hour talking about students, schools, coaching and leadership. I walked away feeling inspired, honored and "tasked" to go and step further into my own "So that..."

What's YOUR "So that..."? Please do share in the comment area below!

How is your idea generation routine generating ideas?

Are you on the path to make your best better?

If you are, in fact, how far along are you in that process? If you're starting, or halfway there, or thinking you've made it...try this out: Lay out a blank piece of paper, get a pen, and set a timer for 12 minutes. Yeah, just 12.



I coordinated this activity 6 times in the past week, here in New York City, for audiences as small as 20 and as large as 37.

With a blank piece of paper in front of them, a countdown timer on the large screen in front of the room, and "quiet time to think," I invited the participants to think up as much as possible.

If you had this opportunity what would you write down? Do you think the items would be short-term, task-y kinds of things? What about the bigger picture? Would your vision, direction or dreams show up? What about other people...that is, what would you think other people would encourage you to write?


So, with that experience behind me, I stopped by the front desk of the hotel I'm staying at this week in the city. My friend there asked, "Jason, do you have a minute?"

She gave me a list of topics that included: Commitment. Planning. Organization.

Then she asked, "What other things come to mind when you hear those words?"

You can guess what I did, right? I asked, "Can I have a blank piece of paper?" I wrote down her three words, and then I looked up and asked, "What other words come to mind when YOU see those three?"

(It turns out, she's working on a speech, and was asking me to help brainstorm some of the topics...)

Would you believe that in less than a few minutes we came up with 4 more words, a "draft" of an outline, and a great quote she might use in her speech? "How did that happen so quickly?" I hope you're asking yourself that question right now...

She wrote more down.