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There are days when I feel overwhelmed with my “to do list”. Many business owners and business professionals have shared similar experiences with me. All of us would like to be more effective during our day and with the time we have available.

Recently I took some time to develop actions to help myself become more effective, and I think some will apply to each of us. So here is my list of six areas I am working to improve:

1. Become more organized. Most of my organization struggles is with information. I process a lot of information in many forms such as emails, books, magazines, web pages, photos, videos, and my own notes. I have become adept at storing and recalling certain types of information, but I have many opportunities for improvement. Being organized takes effort and time. The goal is to offset the time spent organizing with time saved in finding information when you need it. I also think organization is a process that never stops. Every time I can’t find something, I know I need to work on this area.

2. Improve daily routines. Everyone has daily routines. The most visible are the motions we go through after we wake up in the morning and prepare ourselves for the day. These actions are efficient because we have practiced them every day. We may have different routines for different days of the week, or different routines based on the time we have available. Strive to make minor improvements in your daily habits and routines, and include the actions you want to improve on a daily basis.

3. Know your current priority. Getting and keeping focus on your priority will add tremendously to your effectiveness. There are so many distractions that interfere with our normal day, that sometimes distractions become the norm. Every day know your priority for the day. Stay focused on that priority until it is complete. Handle interruptions by putting them aside until your primary task is complete. Each day can become highly productive in this manner.

4. Use all your available resources. We tend to keep our tasks to ourselves, when we could achieve more by proper delegation. If someone else can do a job eighty percent as well as you, delegate it and help them become better at that task. When evaluating resources that you can use, include family members, friends, co-workers, organizations, and service providers. Write a list of your common tasks using two columns. The first includes things that only you could or should do. The other list are the tasks that others could do. Then see how many of the second list you can recruit others to help with.

5. Evaluate what you will give up. This is a tough concept to consider. To do more of something, you need to do less of something else. That is how it works. You have no ability to create time. From time to time, I evaluate my list of projects. I keep two lists: current projects, and someday projects. If I have too many current projects, then I am not effective. So I keep the someday list of things I wish to do, but are not a priority. This is similar to a bucket list. During these reviews I sometimes have to give up some projects, because there are better options. The second benefit of these reviews is that I discover projects that I have been maintaining as part of my regular schedule that I should not be doing anymore. Things that I can stop. Things that I can give up. Those decisions allow me to tackle new projects.

6. Relax, enjoy, and have fun. This is the best part of becoming effective. I admire people that find their strength zone, and align their life to work within it. They become experts at what they do, and they enjoy doing it. Even if you don’t have perfect alignment, you should be very aware of how you can spend time in the activities you enjoy. Saving part of each day for these activities will keep you motivated and refreshed which will help you maintain your effectiveness.

Thomas Jefferson said, “Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much can be done if we are always doing.”

It is hard to measure your effectiveness. But it is usually easy to tell when you are not being effective. Benjamin Franklin said, “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.” The best use of time has been a challenge for all of mankind, and we will always struggle to improve.

 

Most people don’t write, especially if you exclude Facebook posts, short emails, and text messages. Yet there is a great power associated with putting your thoughts into words. Writing is an exercise in thinking.

There are many weeks I have written about the benefit of reflection and writing a journal, but there are very few of us that have the discipline to follow through and take advantage of the opportunity.

There are many excuses not to write. You don’t have time. You don’t know what to write. You are not creative. You don’t want to put your thoughts where people can read them.

There are two very good reasons to write:

1. Learn from today. Don’t just gloss over today’s activities, but think about what you should learn from today’s actions, results, interactions, failures, and victories. Write down what you have learned.

2. Plan a better tomorrow. Take what you have learned and become responsible for your improvement. Each tomorrow can be a fraction better than yesterday. Imagine how that improvement will add up in a few years.

If you are thinking about your new year’s resolution list, don’t overlook this simple investment in yourself. We all want to be more successful. Reflection thinking and journal writing can be applied to the area of your life where you want improvement. As Christina Baldwin has said, “Journal writing is a voyage to the interior.”

If you decide you are not going to write, then consider this. You are writing your story day by day through your actions. Whether you physically write about it in a book, or not. You are writing the story of your life.

 

There is a proverb that says, “Masters who sacrifice for servants will receive the gift of loyalty.” Your success is multiplied by the success of those around you. The success of those around you can be multiplied by your help and support.

I am not suggesting that we are surrounded by servants that we need to serve. But I am suggesting that your success is directly related to how you help others become successful.

This is the time of year when we are reflecting on the past and making plans for the future. If you want to be more successful next year, increase your effort on serving others. To get you started on this reflection exercise, consider questions in these three areas:

1. Do you have a servant’s attitude when it comes to your leadership? When you are in a leadership position (work, family, organization, business, etc.) what is your true purpose? Are you giving as much as you receive? What can you give to those around you that would help them? How can this group of people be more successful with your help? What unique skills do you bring?

2. What do the people closest to you value? What is the purpose of the people around you? What joy do they receive when you are around? What benefit do you provide that they desire? What brings a smile to their face when you approach them? If they don’t smile, then determine what will make them smile.

3. How can you increase the value added to the people closest to you related to what they value? Why are they associated with you? What can you do to strengthen the value you provide to them (not based on your purpose, but based on theirs). Their purpose is not aligned with the yours, but you can learn what they need. Make it part of your action plan for the coming year to help them achieve what they need to achieve.

Frank F. Warren said, “If you wish to be a leader you will be frustrated, for very few people wish to be led. If you aim to be a servant you will never be frustrated.” You will always be welcomed by others if they see you as a person that adds value, and is not afraid to help.

I facilitate small group meetings composed of individuals that increase their success through increased awareness and networking with others. We all can benefit from more personal success. You can join one of these groups by sending me an email at mbrown@newroadsleadership.com.

If you change the way you see yourself, you will change the way you see the world. Muhammad Ali once said, “The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” How we change over our lifetime is an integrated result of our view of the world and the view of ourselves.

Most people look outwards upon the world, but it is just as important to have an inward focus. You must start with yourself.

Here are four valuable approaches that will change you and the way you view yourself.

1. Add value to others: If you dedicate some of your time, money, or energy in helping others, you will change yourself. People that give of themselves gain significance, fulfillment, personal growth, and a new attitude. By helping others you are helping yourself.

2. Know your values: Every person has a unique view of the world. It starts with who we are. Every year I review what it is that I value. It helps me ground myself, make sure I am aligned, but it also provides a framework for my world.

3. Add value to yourself: You cannot give to others that which you do not have. If you want to grow in significance, you must invest in yourself. There are many ways to grow your capabilities such as reading, joining a group, taking a class, and utilizing a coach or mentor.

4. Being disciplined and accountable: This is the process by which we transform dreams and hopes into reality. If we take action and we follow through in order to accomplish our goals, then our view of what can be accomplished increases dramatically. We become more aware of the possibilities. If we are stuck, and our dreams are only dreams, then we will remain stuck in our current place.

This approach may seem simple, or it may seem overwhelming. We are all in different places along our journey. If you can build these four practices into your daily life, then you will have a better view of your world. If you need some help getting started, send me an email at mbrown@newroadsleadership.com.