Aerolatte

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Are you working harder not smarter because you do not have a written plan?

What would happen if you could increase productivity and decrease your time? There is a great analogy between your own productivity and the simple everyday grocery list.

Since I work with and speak to a lot of different people from small business owners to high school students, I have discovered that personal stories are the best way to not only building relationships, but create a contextual meaning for those in the audience.

Through this discovery process, I share the power of the simple written grocery list.

Most people have had the experience of going to the grocery store. And for most, at some point in time, there was a written grocery list. This written grocery list is literally an action plan of what to buy, where to shop, etc.

Due to being in a hurry, interruptions, etc., the written grocery list is left on the refrigerator, kitchen table or even the office desk. Now, you know the rest of the story.

• More groceries are bought
• Items from the list are forgotten
• More money is spent
• More time is wasted
• More energy is wasted

And, upon returning home, most people will have negative feelings from exhaustion, frustration to even stupidity.

By all accounts, the simple, everyday written grocery list or action plan has value and its value is truly significant due to all of the waste. So if this plain, common written grocery list has value, where is the written action plan for the rest of your life or the life of your business?

Without a written plan as evidenced by this written list, your productivity suffers and more importantly, you are no longer in control of your own productivity. Your productivity is now in the hands of someone else. In the case of the grocery list, you are now on the grocery store owner’s plan and believe me he is a happy camper when people fail to bring in those written action plans.

If improving productivity is your business goal or even personal goal, then take the time to construct a written action plan. You already know the results because written plans even as simple as the grocery list deliver quick results.

Is your productivity where you want it to be? M.A.P. for Success, a FREE email course may help you begin to chart a course of business, professional or personal success. Visit http://www.processspecialist.com/action-plan.htm.

If you are seeking additional help to increase productivity or to get you to where you want to go, then register for the FREE monthly teleconferences registration at http://www.processspecialist.com/seminars.htm.

Please feel free to call me, Leanne Hoagland-Smith, Your Chief People Officer and Business Coach for individuals and organizations that are tired of not being where they want to be and they want more for their selves or their businesses. 219.759.5601

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“I know there was something I had to do today… What was it?”

Why not save yourself the time and effort of constantly asking that question and get into the habit of writing a Daily Action List. Start off by purchasing a spiral notepad. Spiral notebooks are great because they keep your information all together. There’s no loose bits of paper flying around and you can always refer back to your previous lists if you need to.

Write up your list after you arrive at work in the morning and use the power of Triage to prioritise your work. If you’re not familiar with Triage, it’s a battlefield term, referring to the sorting and allocating of medical treatment, food and aid on a needs basis.

How do you decide? Use the A, B, C, D, E framework

A=Action it now

Place an ‘A’ next to any tasks that need to be done today. These are the keepers – the things you’ll do first. Considering the Pareto Principle they are most likely the 20% of your tasks that will produce 80% of your results.

B= Better do It

These are the tasks you need to look at more closely. If you’re not sure you need to do them there’s a very good chance that these tasks are not urgent. You better do these tasks, but only after you have completed your ‘A’ tasks. Your ‘B’ items may become tomorrow’s ‘A’ items – so you’ll need to spend sometime looking at them before you can decide if that’s the case.

C= Could do it

Mark with a ‘C’ anything you could do if you get time. These are the tasks that may become ‘A’s later down the track, but for today and tomorrow they are low priority.

In the short term, these are the 80% of things that will give you just 20% of your results. The ‘C’s will probably make up on the most tasks on your list – and will be the things you are tempted to get started on straight away. Don’t! These tasks are easy and quick, but remember that they are not urgent and are low-value work.

D= Delegate it

‘D’ is for delegate. If you are a manager or supervisor ‘D’ should become your favourite letter of the alphabet! As much as possible try and delegate all low-value work. Yes, in the short term it’s probably quicker to do it by yourself, but training other people is a much better idea in the long run.

E= Eliminate it

Any tasks that are taken care of by someone else or are just no longer necessary should be labelled ‘E’ and crossed off your list immediately.

You get all the satisfaction of drawing a big red line through it and without having to do it yourself. Watching your list get shorter as your day goes on will give you a great sense of accomplishment.

Paul Puckridge awakens managers and employees to the need that they must develop their ‘worksmarts’ so they can get to the next level at work and future-proof their careers.

Know as ‘the worksmarts coach’, he wants to pass on the message that, ‘what got you to where you are today, won’t be enough to get where you need to be tomorrow.

Paul is an author, teacher and speaker on leadership, innovation and worksmarts. He is the Training Director of The Success Institute – Australia and ovwe 15 years has written over 30 professional development programs, 10 books and a host of other professional development materials.

To receive regular articles, downloads and templates, or get a FREE copy of Paul’s ‘How to Develop Your Worksmarts’ simply sign-up at http://www.paulpuckridge.com

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