Mark S. Brown – Page 41

Are We More Productive in a Yellow Office?

Wouldn’t it be great if you would become more productive by painting the walls yellow? I recently read an article on 6 Totally Strange But Effective Productivity Hacks. One of the six encouraged us to surround ourselves with yellow.

According to the article, filling your office with the color yellow can help you concentrate. This sunny color decreases the production of melatonin, the hormone which makes you sleepy. Supposedly putting yellow objects and furnishings around your office can keep you more alert and awake, leading to better productivity and renewed focus.

My curiosity led me to investigate how yellow was being used in workplace design. Another article I found claimed yellow is associated with intellect and the expression of thoughts.

Further searches led me to this site that showcases rooms decorated in yellow, and a site that sells yellow office chairs.

Do you think it really makes a difference? If it did, I would imagine all offices becoming yellow. We all want more productivity, right?

Maybe the reason we don’t see all the offices in the world decorated in yellow is because different colors impact the environment in different ways. For example, orange is a color of adventure which inspires and creates enthusiasm. It is optimistic and sociable and suggests affordability. Who would have known?

If yellow does not seem to be working for you, I would suggest getting back to basics by defining smart goals that are linked to your passion and have your full attention. If you need some help with making the basics effective, lets talk about it. If you decide you want to try yellow walls, call a painter!

A Great Tip for Getting Unstuck

We all get stuck. You know the feeling. The one where that voice in your head is telling you all the reasons why you cannot do something. We all face these struggles at times. How do you get past your internal barrier?

One method is visualization. Visualize yourself going through the steps of getting past your barrier. Not just the results, or the success, but actually doing the work required.

As a simple example, think about getting an apple from one of the higher branches of a tree. Obviously this is a very simplified example. But to get that apple, don’t think about what it will feel like to hold and taste the apple, instead visualize the steps required to get the apple.

Will you bring a ladder? Will you climb the tree? Will you use something to knock the apple from the limb, or will you grab it and pull it from the limb? Visualizing the steps is different than visualizing the results. Once you can see yourself doing the steps it is a matter of following through. The action required becomes clearer.

Ok. That was a really simple, basic example, and your challenges are much tougher. But sometimes, we just need to break our challenges into small steps. Steps that we can see ourselves taking.

I want you to think of your biggest current challenge. Then think of the very first step required to achieve that challenge. Visualize yourself doing it. Then go out and do it. Take the first step. Each successive step will be easier.

Achieving a dream requires taking the journey. Need a push? Send me an email!

Whose Priorities Are You Working On?

Have you ever felt like you were working on everything that everyone else wanted, but had no time for yourself? If you fail to put into perspective all the priorities that you have in your life, you can quickly become drained of your energy.

If you are like me, you can divide your priorities into three categories:

1. Priorities that are required of you. You have no choice, but to keep these high on your list. Maybe they are activities that only you can do. Or activities that are required because of your position or occupation.

2. Priorities driven by desire. These are the priorities associated with activities that provide you joy. They energize you. You are always trying to fit these in your schedule.

3. Priorities that give you personal results. These are the priorities that help you sustain or grow your income. These activities are what provide you the ability to pay for your life.

The next time you updating your priority list, think about how you can make sure you are covering all 3 types of priorities. It will keep you in harmony with your long term plans.

If you would like to review your priorities and find more clarity in your actions, I would be glad to meet you for a coffee!

3 Books with the Biggest Impact

A friend of mine challenged me. What 3 books have made an everlasting impression on your life or career? Wow, only 3! Dozens are very memorable. Reducing to 3 I thought was going to be an impossible challenge. But I had to try.

1. Getting Things Done by David Allen. This book I read several times, and in various stages in my career. It is a great reminder that only action gets results. It also help me define a process that allowed me to get more done in less time. When you apply the principles over years, it makes a difference.

2. The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner. All the successful leadership teams I built over my career, I trained using material and ideas from this book. It allows leadership to be learned with an understanding of values, but ties together the leadership actions required in a leadership role.

3. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell. This book captures what a person needs to understand to find the leader within themselves. No other book allows a person to develop an understanding of leadership from 21 different, but related perspectives. It encourages people to reflect on their own development.

Books that I had a tough time not putting in the top 3 were First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, and Today Matters by John C. Maxwell. I really wanted to make a top 5 or 10 list.

That is my top 3. How would you define yours?