Great Leaders Do These 5 Things Every Day

Do you leave the office in a frenzy?

How you finish the workday is SO important.

It sets your mood for the rest of your evening; it impacts your personal relationships, your overall satisfaction, and your quality of sleep.

Plus, it sets the stage for the next time you're in the office.

Perhaps you spend the last 10 minutes of your workday reviewing your calendar for the next work day. Great.

Or, maybe you sprint to the end, burying yourself in work until the very last minute -- then you grab your stuff and run for the door without saying goodbye to your colleagues.
Review your end-of-the-day routine, especially before a holiday vacation.

Try one of these '5 Things To Do Before You Leave the Office' because you're ready to be better:

1. Stay focused.
One of my mentors early in my career gave me some great advice, "When you're at work, work!" Brilliant, don't you think? Keep from getting distracted or caught up in non-work related activities at the very end of the day.

One study by psychologist Gloria Marks shows that people get interrupted at work every 11 minutes. Use a countdown timer (like e.ggtimer.com) to expand the amount of time you work on one thing. Report back how your productivity is impacted.

2. Prioritize 'urgent' communications.
It never ends... the communications keep flowing; some urgent and some not -- and all at the last minute. This is when your management skills are put to the test.

Successful people decide what requires a response and what can wait. Defer long, sensitive conversations until you and your colleague are at your best and won't be interrupted.

3. Review what you achieved.
In addition to focusing on what you still need to do, it's important to look back on what you've done. Reviewing what you achieved gives you a sense of accomplishment. On particularly trying days, it reminds you that you got more done than you realized.

Successful people not only think about the projects they've handled that day; they try to analyze when and why things went right and wrong. Savvy professionals know that they learn and grow from these reviews.

4. Determine your 3 MIT's for tomorrow.
Successful people have a list of items ready for the morning that they've identify their primary objectives.

Decide before you leave the office at night. The more you get clear before you leave, the better chance you'll have at getting to your Most Important Things. (MIT's)

5. Say "Thank you."
Great leaders have a gratitude plan. Look for people doing great work throughout your day and say, "Thank you." Yes, it's that easy.

Gratitude works in both directions; you connect to your core values, and your team feels acknowledged for their efforts. Great leaders build a work culture that people want to be part of.

Yours in momentum,

Jason

Carve out some time on your calendar to reflect.

The end of the year is a time of excitement and energy.

It seems that each year these couple of weeks go by WAAAYYYY too fast; before I know it, it's January again!

Block out some time to reflect.

Gather your calendar (printout if possible) and a notebook, and go lock yourself in a conference room (or coffee shop) for an hour.

For just 60 minutes, review your accomplishments over the past year and start dreaming about the year ahead.

Ask yourself the right questions and you will gain valuable insights to begin the new year with energy and focus.

Take it one month at a time. Start by reviewing what you did, where you were, how things were going LAST January. As you scan those 31 days on your calendar, ask these questions to gain perspective on where you were about a year ago.

1. Why did I go for what I did?

Review several goals you set out to achieve last year. For each, clarify the "why" behind the what. Describe in DETAIL your motive for action; that is, "What was the purpose of you working toward each goal?"

2. Who was there for me?

Identify at least 5 people who helped you over the past year. What, specifically, did they help you with? Write a letter to each one letting them know the part they played in your success over the past year.

3. What am I proud of?

Last year, you got things done; there's no debate there. But, of all the projects you completed and events you attended, write a few paragraphs about the 5 MOST important ones...the achievements you know you'll talk about years from now.

They say time flies when you're having fun.

No matter how you look at it, another year is about to start. Want to make it better?

Look back, learn, and plan for a future even brighter than today.

Five Questions to Ask to Get Started

Trust Yourself and Engage in the Process

Rethinking Success | TEDxSamfordU

Have you ever done something because it’s the right thing to do, not knowing if anyone would notice? Here’s what someone said recently:

“Jason and Jodi really care for each member ~ I don’t feel like just a “customer” in their program.”

This is our intention, whether we work with our clients in person, on the phone, or virtually (as I did last summer in Menorca!)

We recently published a 4-part seminar series titled: Get Momentum: Move Beyond “Stuck” to Finally Achieve Your Dreams.

You could have learned:

• the #1 thing to do when you earn a promotion.
• to manage time better in the morning to get more done.
• the ONLY reason people miscommunicate (and argue!).
• that Get Momentum teaches you to live your best life.

Last week a Get Momentum member from Michigan told Jodi, “I’ve saved thousands of dollars this year alone by delegating work more clearly to my staff.”

And just yesterday, Jason spoke with a member in the Middle East who is practicing what he learned in video #2. He has arrived home in time for dinner with his family more times this week than the entire month before!

1. Did you watch those videos and make a change?
2. Are you using that “time management” technique?
3. Is your communication more clear and deliberate?
4. Are you ready to take what you do to the next level?

Don’t stop at the 4th video. Keep the momentum going. You are capable of SO MUCH MORE, and we can coach you to be better!

Join the Get Momentum Academy today.

This 12-month program is an online AND in-person coaching program. In just 2-4 hours per month, you’ll learn how to:

• Be a better leader,
• Manage your team more effectively,
• Eliminate the “distractions of unproductive days”, and
• Get more of the most important things done.

You’re not done. You’re not tapped out. You haven’t reached your peak.

More is possible. Momentum is possible.

It’s time to work with coaches who know you, what you need to do AND to join a community that holds you accountable to the promise you made to yourself.

Read what Fabien Modoux - a long-time Get Momentum member in New York City - said about how the Get Momentum Academy has helped him be a better leader:

I’ve been a part of another online leadership training program in the past, but the Get Momentum Academy is the best I’ve experienced. The monthly themed content is very valuable and relevant to my day-to-day life, but the greatest benefit for me has been the accessibility to Jason and Jodi and the other Get Momentum members.

Jason and Jodi really care for each member - I don’t feel like just a “customer” in their program.

They respond quickly to needs and requests and Jason has gone out of his way to introduce me to an alumni member to help with one of my specific needs. That alumnus generously connected with me pro bono as a great kindness.

The online forum has provided several opportunities for me to connect “in real life” with members to collaborate on ideas and offer accountability to move toward our respective goals.

I can’t recommend the Get Momentum Academy more highly. I hope you’ll consider joining and will look forward to connecting with you if you do!

Don’t put off for one more day what you can start RIGHT NOW!

Click to learn more and join the Get Momentum Academy.

3 Steps to That Unplugged, Peace-of-Mind Vacation People Talk About

If there were a few things you could do, to increase the likelihood that your vacation was a good one, when would you want to know what they are?



Read on... 3 Steps to That Unplugged, Peace-of-Mind Vacation People Talk About

Health and Wellness...Do you have your team together?

Tomorrow is Monday, March 14th. And, we’ve schedule our virtual #CoffeeChat for Get Momentum members* around the world so that they can meet to discuss a leadership theme we call:

Health and Wellness

Over about an hour, you'll hear what other leaders are working on. Also, listen in as your coaches (Jason and Jodi Womack) discuss how THEY fit it all in!

Want to watch a 2-minute VIDEO on the Virtual #CoffeeChat, you can visit http://getmomentum.co/march_coffeechat/

*Virtual #CoffeeChat is open to Professional and Premium members of the Get Momentum Leadership Academy.

Join today, and learn how to get momentum on your goals in life, and at work!

 

Are you a Healthy and Well #leader?

The clocks have fallen; sure, you could think “I have one hour less per day.” Or, you could think, “This is Leap Year, I’m a day ahead!” Either way, I’m writing to ask:

How are you curating your “Health and Wellness” team?

Last Monday through Thursday, we traveled southward along the coast of California. (Jodi rode in a car, Jason and his buddy Joe rode their bicycles!)

We started after lunch at Nepenthe (south of Big Sur) and four days later arrived to Santa Barbara. In all, we covered 208 miles and along the way, we reflected a lot on this month's theme...

• We ate well.
• We rested.
• We moved.

6 Questions: The Wellness Advantage (To begin the monthly theme at Get Momentum)

Around the world, Get Momentum members are studying the impact of the Big Three on their overall productivity at work and performance in life:

1. Rest
2. Nutrition
3. Movement

Considering Getting #Momentum on health & #wellness goals? Before you join, please take a 6 question survey here: http://goo.gl/forms/NqL6PJqqhx 

Your "Health" challenge during Q1 of 2016

Will you wait until it’s too late?

Do you know the “health” statistics?

I regularly advise senior leaders and entrepreneurs. When we get to the truth, turns out were all between 35 and 65 years old. (It’s who we usually work with.) As such, we can see that there’s a lot more time behind us, than in front of us. Not to be pessimistic or anything, but look…if you’ve just turned 62 [you know who you are!] you’ve got less than half-way to go.

So, when I see it’s the 29th of February, I know it’s easy to think of it as a throw-away day. 

Or, you could think of it as an extra day. So, how are you taking care of you? So that you can take care of others?

There are FOUR reasons to include a “health and wellness” plan in with your personal (and professional) development plan. When you press “PAUSE” and reflect on WHY you’re studying your health habits, mindset, and results, you’ll find immediate benefit.

Here are four reasons to make the most of this month’s Get Momentum Leadership Academy Theme “The Wellness Advantage.”

1. Overall Health

It’s not just about joining a gym. Or changing your diet. Or buying new clothes. Or spending time with new people. Or…
It’s not about only one thing. Your overall health and fitness should be a priority. And, if it is going to be the priority (at least for the month of March) then you’ve got to develop full-body balance.

Balance does NOT mean everything is equal. Balance means everything is accounted for. Measure. It. All.
Start with the choices you make. Then go to the voices you hear. Then go to the results you achieve. Write things down, make checklists, and promise you’ll check in with the people who care most about you.

2. Weight Loss

The easy one to point fingers at, and the hard one to control. Weight loss is about a good many factors, this month we’ll address all three: Nutrition, Movement, and Rest. After you’ve met with a doctor/wellness professional, and have the clearance to start working on this stuff, work on your weight loss methods.

In January, here’s what I did:took alcohol out of my diet completely for a month;ate a minimum of 5 servings of fruit/vegetables a day;worked out a minimum of 75 minutes, more than 4 days each week;went to sleep when I was tired, and got up without an alarm clock.

It was a month-long reset…Oh, and I lost 7 pounds between December 23rd and January 31st.

3. Stress Relief

This month’s focus is on wellness, and that includes our minds and our hearts as well. Stress doesn’t just go away on it’s own. And, it doesn’t show up on it’s own, either. The BEST thing I (Jason) can do to identify my stress is to make a list of things that are “stressing me out.” Big, little. Personal, professional. Long term, short term. I’ve got to see it, so I can feel it. Make sense?

Again, check with your doc to make sure it’s ok to work out BEFORE reading the rest of this…studies have shown that intense workouts produce cortisol, “the stress hormones.” So, if you’re not in a place of wellness – mind, body and spirit – then suddenly starting a workout routine will just continue to weigh you down…and stress you out!

4. Socializing

Call someone and invite them out to for a walk. Sign up for a local 5K walk, and post it on Facebook. Do a google search for “hiking group” in the city you’re traveling to next. Stop by a running/outdoor store while you’re on a work trip. Bottom line: If you want to go far, and get better, go together. 

Joining a group, signing up for an event, or even hosting an outing (think a group walk at lunch at work!) is a great way to meet and expand your circle of friends.

What Do the Pros Say?

Heather Kampf is a professional runner from Minneapolis, MN. At not even 30 years old, she’s won gold medals and even won three races in three days back in January, 2015: the Bermuda Invitational Mile, 10k, and Half Marathon. 

This year, 2016, she won the mile race for the FOURTH time, finishing in less than 4 minutes and 43 seconds! She gives some advice here:

Go Long. Go Hard.

I found this comment she made, “Even while training for the mile, I do weekly long runs of 12 to 15 miles.” 

For those of us who won’t ever run a competitive mile, here’s my thinking: “There are things you do in sprints (lead challenging meetings, have difficult conversations with your partner/spouse, handle incredible stress and overwhelm) and the long, hard work you do prepares you to be able to do all of that…better.

Go up. Go down.

Heather has talked about doing “plyometric drills” in an article I found in Runner’s World. I love this quote, “Besides giving me a stronger, more powerful stride, they reinforce good running form…” 

Here’s our question, “What are the ‘drills’ you need to do, so that you’re ready to perform when it’s time?”

Go out. Stay out.

Heather has been quoted many times on staying out there a “little more” than what’s comfortable. If she’s consistently running 4:35, 4:45, 4:55 miles, why should she spend hours a week running? She says that she has a workout that “grinds on you like a race; you have to focus on trying harder just to keep the same pace.” 

I happen to know MANY of you need to do this kind of mental AND physical training to be ready when the time comes.

You know, I know, you know... Right?

Can you imagine your work, your life, your world 5 years from now? Look, it’s just 60 months. 5 birthdays, 5 “New Years” celebrations.

When it comes time to you building your future, how are you progressing? Look, as someone in this community I want to give you something that I KNOW WORKS!

Print this document, and identify 101 goals you have FOR YOUR LIFE.

For your work. For your family. For your community.

After you write 101 goals, fold the papers, put them in an envelope and send it to me in Ojai. I'm going to hold the envelope - AND NOT OPEN IT - and send you your goals in one year.

Willing to play? Print this, you deserve the gift of your attention!

So, it’s Monday night, and I’m done for the day. This will be the last thing I “publish” before I go read a bit. I’ve built my workout schedule for the month, and my writing schedule for the week. How about you? Can you believe this is the 6th Monday of the new year?

Quick announcement: in a couple of weeks - March 1st - I'll be in Wichita, Kansas speaking at a great event. In anticipation of that day, one of the coordinators and I spent some time on video discussing some of the points of the book that Jodi and I wrote together, "Get Momentum: How to Start, When You're Stuck”...

I really want to share some of those ideas with you here --> The 7 People of Highly Effective Habits

There, you will hear my story of rewriting the title of one of my favorite books of all time, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People."

Then, that day on March 1st, I'll share just a few of the secrets I know… If you can make it let me know! (I’ll be signing books for people who don’t have copies yet!)

I've studied this...So you don't have to!

Starting in 1996, I’ve been studying “The Productivity Problem.” Starting as a high school teacher, I realized early on that it wasn’t “time” that my students needed (or, that I needed, for that matter) as much as it was FOCUS. Now, some 20 years hence I’m only MORE sure that HOW we work is intricately tied to WHAT we get done.

Look, you can have the most noble “Why?” on the planet; if you work ineffectively inefficiently, you’re just not going to be able to get it all done.

I joined the David Allen Company in 2000, and started presenting Getting Things Done seminars while becoming the “Other Productivity Guy". Now, what you might NOT know - or only heard about - is that I'm just as likely to be "UNproductive" as I am likely to get a BUNCH done. But, that’s a story for another blog post...

If we haven't talked voice-to-voice yet, "Happy New Year.”

Please click below & read an article I originally wrote for 

Get Momentum Leadership Academy members

worldwide titled:

PRODUCTIVITY: 7 Essentials for Making Your Strategy Succeed

Ok...

Today is February 1st.

You were excited when you started the new year, but if you haven’t implemented any new changes, 2016 will be the same as last year

Think about it: 31 days… Gone.

2016 is 1/12 over.

We launched the newest Get Momentum theme today. The purpose of THIS month's skill-building and leadership development coaching at Get Momentum is to give you the information and practice you need to save up to an hour a day by...

You'll have to take the quiz to find out if you're even eligible!

CLICK HERE to take the "Productivity Through Technology" QUIZ...

I’m announcing this month's theme to more than 50,000 people around the world.

Some of you are going to take me up on an offer. For those who do, you're in for a real treat.

Alas, most of you won’t. And you'll continue wasting time and effort every day. (Do join us!)

Let me share with you why I have so much energy this Monday afternoon:

• I’m on track to run in my first-ever Marathon on Valentine’s Day. No, don’t congratulate me yet, I still need to run those 26.2 miles - healthy - before I celebrate.
• In 5 days, Jodi and I will receive the galley copy of our newest book, "Get Momentum: How to Start, When You're Stuck" (Wiley, May 2nd, 2016)
• Oh, based on my race performance last year, I’ve qualified to race in the USA Triathlon NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS in August. (See you in Omaha!
• Today, we launched the February theme at the Get Momentum Leadership Academy. It is titled, “Productivity Through Technology."
• And, I’m VERY excited about having you join us at the Get Momentum Leadership Academy.

Why?

Because we want to give blog readers the FIRST chance to create a #Better future by studying the secrets of leadership, productivity and workplace performance.

By now you’re still wondering if Get Momentum will be valuable for you. So, just ask yourself which of the following best fits your situation:

1. "I’m feeling overwhelmed, and I’m not sure what my next steps are."
2. "I feel isolated in my business and want access to feedback."
3. "I struggle to be accountable and stay on track."
4. "I feel like I’m missing out on “insider information” and it’s holding me back."

If you agree to ANY of the above (even just one!), then Get Momentum may be a great fit for you.

That’s because as a member, you get ALL THIS... (<-- click!)

Here’s the link to join tonight. I promise, you won’t regret it!

Allow me to share what I know having studied thinkers AND doers like

• Elon Musk,
• Bruce Lee,
• Beethoven,
• Oprah,
• Michelangelo,
• Steve Jobs
• and other world-changing, thought-provoking, revolutionary leaders.

Here's something else you might not know:

Since starting our company in 2007, Jodi and I have invested more than 20,000 hours and $200,000 dollars learning what makes top performers the best in the world.

Click the link below, read the article, and your week will be better. I promise

7 Productivity Essentials for Making Your Strategy Succeed

Yours in momentum,

Jason

PS: What exactly IS Get Momentum?

Click here to find out...

Every day at Get Momentum, we work to give you your time back.

If you could learn to be Productive With Technology and save up to 200 hours a year, when would you want to start learning?

Click here and join us at Get Momentum; next month you'll immediately gain access to more than just technology tips.

I challenge you to tell me what is going on that is "costing you time” and I will search for ways for you to save up to 5 more minutes a day.

That’s Five* more minutes.

What? Are you saying that doesn't sound like a lot in the grand scheme of things? I’m tellin’ you, it's huge.

Consider this: 5 minutes is more than a few ticks on the clock.

It’s five more minutes to play.

And...

• Five more minutes to focus.
• Five more minutes with the ones you love.
• Five more minutes to relax.
• Five more minutes to ...

Let us show you how you can do it.

Join today.

 

*Five minutes saved each day = 21 hours a year. My commitment to you: Join Get Momentum, and we will teach you how to save 5 minutes a day at least 5 times a day.

You will regain 200 hours over the next 12 months. I challenge you to join us...

 

 

4 Ways to Improve Meetings

4 Ways to Improve Meetings

 

This month at Get Momentum, we'll coach you to improve your skills in managing meetings. But, not just "managing" them, you'll learn the MOST important factors in:

Planning

Attending

Leading

and Following Up the meetings you're a part of. 

 

Want to learn how? Click here...