Friday, April 5, 2013

Do 1 Thing Different April Series - Suggestion #2


 Do 1 Thing Different - April Series 

#2: Top Of The Hour Touch Base

Ok it's April 5th and this is the second in a series on the challenge for the month of April - "Do I Thing Different".   This series is where you allow me to be your coach and ask you to consciously make changes that are easy and that you will notice.

Over the month, I'll be sharing tips that if implemented can transform your month. I'm asking in the month of April that you commit to change - the 1% way.

The topics will be on a variety of personal development themes in hopes that it will impact a broader audience.  I believe there will be something for everyone! Note at the end of each post there will be a coaching tip. Please take action and share on the blog your progress! You can also tweet what you're working on hash tag #do1thing.

Suggestion #2: Connect more tangibly to how you use your time...how?... read on...

#2: Top Of The Hour Touch Base
I talk in my book Organizational Strategies for the Overwhelmed about the concept of time mapping as a way of monitoring how you do and want to use your time. (If you've not gotten yet, there are links below).

This tip of "Top of the Hour" is a cool way of staying on task by monitoring the passing of time.  It asks you to stay connected to time in a rhythmic, consistent way and thus creates the habit of time awareness. It addresses one of the key challenges with time management - not being aware of where it's going.

Here's what you do: set your watch, phone, or computer to ring every hour and start the work that’s listed on your schedule or to do list.

When you hear the beep, take a deep breath and do a short debrief with yourself. 
Ask:
  • Did I spend my last hour productively?
  • Where there illegitimate interruptions, who did, how long?
  • How did I handle it?
Then look at your schedule and/or to do list and deliberately recommit to how you are going to use the next hour. Manage your day hour by hour. Don’t let the hours manage you!

Coaching tip: Manage your time by the "top of the hour." It's an excellent touch point and way of conditioning yourself to get more of the right things done at the right time.

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Tip sourced from:  Erik Barker - Barking Up The Wrong Tree

If you are having a challenge managing interruptions - read this post

Need help with your productivity? Check out - Organizational Strategies for the Overwhelmed - how to manage your time, space, & priorities, to work smart, get results & be happy -  Kindle - The Book - Nook Audio Book -  The Seminar

This blog is based on this book. In it are actionable ideas on being a better manager - the 1% way: The 1% Edge - The Workbook - Power Strategies to Increase Your Management Effectiveness

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