| Progress Passwords |
|
|
|
Progress Passwords Not often can you say that a couple words can change your life, but that's the case in this story. See what words can play a part in helping you work smarter instead of harder.  "Open says me," might have worked wonders in the past, but in the 21st century, you need to update the words you use to expect a result. So Work Smart, Not Hard! Author Jane Schulte and "Work Smart, Not Hard!" Workshop presenter Kim Jehn divulge some of the "Work Smart, Not Hard" secrets with a couple passwords that hold the keys to succeed.
PEND
Put this password in action, and you will Put an End to Needless Distraction (PEND). This No. 1 recommendation from Schulte, her readers and workshop attendees gets items off your desk and off your mind with an organized reminder system. To get started, check out Cincy Chic's "Smart Simplicity Hides the Hard." This article details how to implement this system into your life and provides a webcast to show how it works.
Once you understand the system, you can adapt it to fit your needs. Jehn uses the e-PEND, which takes the system from tangible folders to e-mail folders. She transfers e-mails into their respective folder of when she needs to take care of the task, and it clears her inbox of "have to remember to do that" e-mails.
HOLD
Similar to the PEND system, this password can be put into action to clear your desk or inbox without letting important tasks fall through the cracks. Set up tangibly or on e-mail, this system provides a place for items on which you are awaiting a response. For example, if you send out an e-mail needing a response, you could fail to receive your answer and forget to follow up until it is too late. Or you could put that e-mail in the HOLD folder to ensure that you either receive your response or follow up by the end of the day.
Jehn recommends blind copying yourself on e-mails you intend to go in the HOLD folder so that you easily can send that copy into the folder.
Unlike the PEND system, this organized location is meant to hold items for the day at hand. If the task does not need to be taken care of until a later date, it goes in the PEND system.
Prioritize
Whether it's procrastination, fear or downright laziness, it's almost human nature to take care of trivial tasks while putting off major projects. In the end, though, this system can lead to last-minute struggles and hair-pulling frustration. (But hey, you cleaned your keyboard!)
To remedy this dilemma, create four levels of prioritization: A, B, C and D. The tasks that, if not completed, will cause negative consequences should be put in Priority A, and all other tasks are put in priorities B, C and D with decreasing importance. Priorities mean nothing if you don't stick to them, though, so be sure to tackle all items in Priority A before descending the priority ladder.
To help you learn more passwords for success, PRISM offers (or soon will offer) several workshop opportunities:
Go to the PRISM Web site at PRISMClosings.com to learn more about these workshops and how you can attend. Also, you can buy the book behind the workshop (Work Smart, Not Hard!) at Stop-Struggling.com.
PHOTO CREDITS | ||||||||||||||||||
View all articles by this author Last update: 22-03-2010 10:38
|
||||||||||||||||||
No comment posted
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
