Procrastination and Time

Is it hard for you to stop what you are distracted with and get down to work?  Are you constantly beating yourself up because once again you got sucked in to who's doing what on Facebook?  Are you afflicted with "monkey mind"?  How much better would you feel about yourself if you fight through that distraction and stick to that task? Will you actually accomplish more in less time? Indeed! Ready to be a gritty construction worker? 

"No one ‘builds a house'. They lay one brick again and again and the end result is a house. Procrastinators are great visionaries — they love to fantasize about the beautiful mansion they will one day have built — but what they need to be are gritty construction workers, who methodically lay one brick after the other, day after day, without giving up, until a house is built.”
-Tim Urban-

Growth and Time

What will it cost in time in order to grow your company?  Are you willing to make the investment in yourself as the leader to allow this growth?  Can a business grow without the leader growing along with it?  Is that nagging voice in your head telling you "you aren't smart enough"?  Or maybe "you can't possibly spread yourself around to all the spaces that would need attention"?  Are you ready to silence that nagger and push for growth personally and in your business?

Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.  
-Napoleon Hill-

Mediocrity and Time

Do you consider yourself of moderate ability or value? Your average Joe? Are you willing to settle for any outcome? Save a little time here and there by cutting corners?  Or are you willing to commit to excellence?  Is your work completed ahead of time? Do you use the resources around you to leverage success for all involved? Is a 59% completion rate success or failure?  Where's your A game today?  Did you bring it?  

There is a real magic in enthusiasm.  It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.
-Norman Vincent Peale-

Multitasking and Time

Are you able to perform more than one task successfully over a short period of time?  Have you always thought that this was a valuable skill?  One you were proud of?  In reality, could it be costing you time?  Narrowing your personal productivity bandwidth? How could you benefit from keeping focused on just one thing and seeing it through until it's finished? Will you end up accomplishing much more than you previously did?

Your conscious brain cannot multitask.  If I'm speaking to you and checking my iPhone at the same time, I'm doing neither.  This is why our society is frazzled; this misconception that we can consciously do more than one thing at a time effectively.
-Deepak Chopra- 

Clutter and Time

Could you use a bigger office?  What would it take to make that happen?  Is it possible that your office is really the perfect size but all that clutter stacked around has taken up too much room?  Would clearing clutter free you mentally and give you more time?  Would you have more time to focus on what is important?  

In the scope of a happy life, a messy desk or an overstuffed coat closet is a trivial thing, yet I find - and I hear from other people that they agree - that getting rid of clutter gives a disproportionate boost to happiness.
  
-Gretchen Rubin-

Collaboration and Time

What is collaboration?  How could working with other individuals add value to your bottom line and give you more time to spend on the things that are your greatest gift? Could you create something higher, faster, stronger? Could talking with your colleagues spark insights you hadn't yet considered? Is it a good idea to collaborate on every issue? When would collaboration have a negative impact on your focus thus impacting your time? To work together or not, is that the question?

As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration.  Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your own.  Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.  -Amy Poehler-

Processes and Time

How long has it been since you analyzed and refreshed your processes? How could having written documents about processes for your business give you more time?  Would it help identify repetitive time consuming errors? What would a simplified process outline look like for one part of your company? If you put this one process in place, what could be the benefit in time and money? 

"The system is that there is no system. That doesn't mean we don't have process. Apple is a very disciplined company, and we have great processes. But that's not what it's about. Process makes you more efficient. "
-Steve Jobs-

Details and Time

Is it just too time consuming to write out all those details?  Do those details help to bring it from a high level view to a view that is up close and personal?  How does the 80/20 perspective fit this? Can someone else be focusing on the 80% and you focus on the most important 20%?  What is the most valuable use of your time? The 80 or the 20?

"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."                    

-John Wooden- 

Showing Up and Time

Have you got your sparkle on today?  Are you afraid to let your light shine at work?  Are you able to share those great ideas you have? Are you mentally, emotionally as well as physically showing up at work?  Is your body present but that's all? Does it take too much time to Show Up!in all areas?  What can you do to SHOW UP! today?

 "The number one way to rapidly grow your profits is to show up!"

-Tammy Cannon-

Breathing Breaks and Time

Could taking five for a breathing break help you maintain your focus? Could it help you relax? Will it end up costing you more than the allotted five minutes? When would you potentially work it into your day to reap the greatest reward? 

"If you can't find 5 to 10 minutes a day to stop, reset and get still, then you should rethink how you spend your time."
-Dr. Mark Hyman-

Autopilot and Time

Are you part of the population of individuals that spend 80% of their life on autopilot?  Do you automatically check your social media or email before you role out of bed?  Do you remember driving to work this morning?  Could paying attention to the things around us put more quality in our time? Would that be time well spent?  Want to get off the train and become more conscious? 

"You can't really be a creative leader unless you are a conscious leader."  

-Chris Barez-Brown -  
thegreatwakeup.com

Internet and Time

What if today there was no internet?  No email? No social media? What would you do with that time typically spent on these activities?  Write a thank you note to someone that helped you? Send condolences to a friend who's mother recently passed from this life?  Help many shovel and unbury from the recent snows? Could it be that this has been the most meaningful day in a while? Time well spent?  

Old friends pass away, new friends appear.  It is just like the days. an old day passes, a new day arrives.  The important thing is to make it meaningful; a meaningful friend - or a meaningful day.  

-Dalai Lama-

Core Values and Time

What matters most to you?  Does your behavior reflect those priorities? Is there something you need to stop doing in order to bring your behavior in alignment with what you say matters most? Do you schedule those most important people and things in your calendar first and then work the rest of life around it?  Would you have a better work/life/family balance if you did?

"Stand for something meaningful and the rest will fall into place."

- JD Gershbein-

Allowing Incompetence and Time

What happens when you allow one team member to under perform consistently? How does that affect the other team members?  Could it be costing your whole organization valuable time by not addressing this difficult conversation? Is it a leader failure?  Lack of direction? Clear expectations? Are the tools available to facilitate success?  Is there a personal issue at the root of the problem? 

"Do what's right, the right way at the right time."
-Arnold H. Glasow-

Shared Purpose and Time

What's your dream for your business or personally?  Do you have a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal)? How do you share that dream or cast that vision for those around you? Do you talk about it often? Are the veteran members of your team able to recite your message by heart because they have heard it so often?  Could you get there in less time if everyone shared the same dream or vision? 

"When you're surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible." 
-Howard Schultz-

Unresolved Disagreements and Time

Are unresolved disagreements between coworkers, supervisors or family members weighing on your business? Would taking the time to understand the other point of view allow you to have more mental time because you are no longer preoccupied with this disagreement?  

At one time or another, we have all faced the temptation to disconnect by giving someone the silent treatment.    ............I have learned that is not the best way to handle a disagreement.  
-Victoria Osteen-

Gossip and Time

Does gossip cost your company valuable time?  How do you measure the impact of negatives passed around your work space?Are you, the leader, guilty of participating in this?  Is it sanctioned because you do it?  Are you ready to take a look in the mirror and take control of this unseen cost to your business?  

It is so destructive and it is so socially accepted that most places are full of it.  -Dave Ramsey-

Communication and Time

How does good or bad communication effect your time and the time of your team?  Does your team know why you are in business? Have you shared where you came from? How you got here? Where you are going?  Share your story and your team will be more committed to help you get where you want to be.  

Trust is the glue of life.  It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication.  It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships.  -Stephen Covey-