A random tip that just may save Much discomfort:

If you don’t usually wear underwear, and you know you’ll be going through airport security, remember to put on that extra layer.

You know, just in case.

This tip originally appeared in The Simplifier #36.

How to add some whistle to your work

When your brain isn’t clear about what, when, how, or for how long it should be doing something, your attention scatters. This lack of clarity triggers frazzled and frantic feelings. Here are some strategies for keeping calm while doing your work.

Mono-tasking gives your mind big relief—plus, the activity at hand benefits from concentrated attention. Focusing on one task at a time provides the opportunity to be present with whatever you are doing. It allows you to relax into an activity once the goal and parameters are set: “Why am I doing this?” and “How will I know when I’m done?” (For more on mono-tasking, see “Multi-tasking: the Cost” and “Mono-tasking tips”.)

Separating planning from doing acknowledges that multi-tasking is a necessity at times. It also acknowledges that planning and doing activities utilize different brain functions and that jumping back and forth between the two is practically inviting your brain to short-circuit. When you catch yourself not knowing what to do for an activity, stop! Take a few minutes to define the goal, and only then switch to doing mode. (For more on planning vs. doing, see “Planning Time vs. Doing Time”.)

Routinely using a work flow productivity system, like David Allen’s Getting Things Done, provides huge relief for your head. This clears your mind from trying to keep track of unfinished and unscheduled tasks and projects. Not to be underestimated!! I say routinely because it does take discipline to maintain.

Doing the important stuff first prevents frantic scrambling at the end of the day. We also enjoy more fulfillment from making progress on what’s important.

Scheduling make-up time in your busy weeks allows you to keep up with your high-priority ToDos while being flexible with unexpected demands. You decide when this would work best for you. One client dedicates one hour Wednesday afternoon as well as three hours Friday afternoon just for catch-up.

Working with your biorhythms encourages you to align activities with the time of day that works best for you. Match peak brain time with mentally challenging projects and slower brain time with repetitive or auto-pilot activities. (For more on biorhythms, see “Scheduling with Biorhythms”.)

I like to get out of my office and work/write in cafes. Laptop in front of me, the music & voices around me become a lively backdrop for writing and thinking. However, working in a café in a small town is practically inviting conversation–and really, I do come here to work :)

This morning I saw someone in the café who is in one of my workshops. He was barely willing to say hello to me! “It’s your writing time—I don’t want to interrupt!” I appreciated his sensitivity and realized that I hadn’t emphasized the fact that it’s my responsibility to protect my work time (when working in a public place). Besides, maybe I’d like a break and would like to talk! Or perhaps we had a few things to discuss that take priority to what I was currently working on.

It’s my job to be clear on what my priorities and to convey, gracefully, if it isn’t time for me to chit-chat. I can say, “I’m in the middle of a project.” Or if it looks like he has something to discuss, “can I call you later to talk about that?”

What makes this easy is having a phrase or two that you are comfortable saying, for ex. the ones I just mentioned.

And when you see a friend or acquaintance working in a public place, be sensitive to whether they look like they are wanting to converse or continue on their task at hand!

by The Simplifier Co-Editor Lance Brown

If clutter is starting to overwhelm your office, yard, car, or any other three-dimensional space, and you can’t seem to figure out how to make any headway, the 360-degree method is a simple way to make quick, visible progress.

Simply put yourself in the middle of the space you want to declutter, facing some fixed point on the perimeter. Point to that spot with your arm out. The line between you and that fixed point is your starting line. Now pick a direction, left or right, and pivot in that direction until you are pointing at clutter of some sort (if you’re just starting, you’re probably pointing at clutter from the start!) And simply resolve all clutter as you come to it, item by item, a sliver at a time.

Eventually, the sliver will become a wedge, the wedge will become a quarter, the quarter will become a half, and before long, the whole 360 degrees of your space will be clutter-free.

How do you “simply resolve all clutter” as you come to it? That’s the beauty of the 360-degree method - it asks you to resolve your clutter one object at a time. If you find yourself pointing at something which shouldn’t be there (i.e., clutter), take that item and put it where it should go. If it doesn’t have a place where it should go, create one. If you simply can’t find or make a place, then you may have to consider reducing your overall load of stuff.

Clutter taxes your peace of mind, and with zero benefits. It has to be dealt with one way or the other. The 360-degree method is a good way to achieve triumph over your clutter in an incremental but very noticeable way.

P.S. - Of course, it’s key that you don’t let the wedge that you’ve cleared get recluttered while you’re completing the circle. If it does, start back at the starting point again. Don’t worry - clearing that section will be easier the second time around!

Bookkeeping is one of those necessary activities that frequently ends up on the “popularity” list with the likes of dentist visits and scrubbing that pesky moldy stuff from the shower. Delegating is a great solution, though not always feasible. If you are the one who wears the bookkeeping hat, here’s a simple tip that makes your data entry considerably easier:
(And by the way, the following tip and payment info slip tool are just as useful if you delegate your bookkeeping to another. They can’t be expected to fill in missing info without your help!)

Write your coding notes on the receipt as soon as you get receipt.

This is especially for the expenditures whose purpose isn’t obvious. For example, if you take Meal write-offs, you’ll want to include who you met with and what you talked about (a couple of words should suffice!) The IRS doesn’t like a bunch of restaurant receipts by themselves–they want to know how it connected to your business.

For example, I’ll write: “Meals - mtg with Judy re: year end tax prep”

Or what about those receipts that don’t even have the name of the business on them?! Write it down directly on the receipt while you are there, plus (for example) “Ofc Exp - copy paper”.

Notice in both of my examples I wrote down the account (Meals or Office Expense) that the expense was associated with. This makes for one less question to ask when in the midst of the data entry process.

Jotting down the basics in the moment is in line with simplifying by separating Planning from Doing time. Reserve data entry for Doing time–you’ll be thankful you took the time to record your thoughts at the time of the purchase.

I also keep a couple slips in my wallet for those times that the business I’m buying from doesn’t provide a receipt. They are “payment info” slips and prompt me for all required info.

Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing comes up with some pretty creative ideas. Kudos! This one is on goal setting. Interestingly, I did a short post on SMART goals (Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) in the not too distant past and have since noticed that it’s a popular post (according to key word searches). Well, all you SMART goal fans, get ready for a whole new acronym. It’s not pretty, but it’s catchy in its own special way.

Since I’m all for visualization, I dig his encouragement to tap in and think big. Why not? What kind of life do you want to live? Making the most of it? or making it day by day for the duration?

Granted you could look at these as two techniques for two different goal types. One being the big picture compass setter that points you to the land of Oz, and the other one to define the steps to get you there. I’ll let you sort out which I think would be SMART and which would be ITOCA.

And now, Robert’s not-so-famous (yet) I.T.O.C.A. Formula:

1. IMAGINE you’re on your death bed looking back. And you say to your loved ones gathered around, “You know I’ve had a pretty good life, but I really wish I’d done X.” What is X? That’s your unreasonable goal.

2. THINK about it all the time. Don’t push it out of your mind. Obsess about it; brainstorm and draw mind maps. Get the idea out of the abstract and into the concrete. Form a mastermind group and kick around ideas. Make it real.

3. Be aware of OPPORTUNITIES and coincidences that present themselves. You couldn’t see them before, but now, with increased focus on your goal, you’ll start seeing, reading, hearing about things that are connected to your goal. Explore these things. They’re there to help you.

4. When the time is right, make a COMMITMENT. On the TV poker shows they talk about going “ALL IN.” Don’t hold back. Make a promise, not based on knowing how to achieve your goal, but on your desire to make it real. If you have to know how ahead of time, you’ll never take the leap.

5. ACTION. Now it’s time for the real work, and that consists of putting one foot in front of the other every single day. Keep things alive by creating action plans, researching, asking for assistance, and networking with like-minded people. In other words, create an environment in which the goal can be realized.

Imagine, Think, Opportunities, Commitment, Action: I.T.O.C.A. Now that’s a pretty bad acronym compared to S.M.A.R.T., but I promise you it’s a better formula for getting what you truly desire.

By Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing. Please visit Robert’s web site at www.actionplan.com for additional marketing articles and resources on marketing for professional service businesses.

Liz Strauss has a fun list of The Top 10 Ways to Start Living Your Life. The one that really jumps out at me as one you don’t hear about too often is #8:

Learn the physical symptoms of when your head and heart become disconnected.
We know when we’re having a knee jerk reaction, when we’re feeling sorry for ourselves, and when we’re being blind to people’s feelings. We can remember how it felt physically while we were behaving badly. Get to know those symptoms, and you can stop the behavior. Living life will feel a whole lot safer because you won’t be in danger of shooting yourself in the foot.

Good reminder to check in with myself–I know what it feels like to be “off”. The question is, do I do anything about it? I’ve spent more time in relationships that should’ve ended months earlier because I ignored the signs that were popping up in me and all around me. One in particular was very rough. My head was saying, “stay”, and my heart was saying, “get out of here!” The less I listened to my heart, the less it seemed to try to communicate with me. Ouch.

I also really appreciate #4: Surround yourself with people who enjoy living. We are so influenced by the people we hang out with!!! I’ve noticed I pick up small mannerisms and sayings of people I spend a lot of time with (not to mention being influenced by their perceptions on life!!) If I don’t want to be heavily influenced by someone yet want to maintain relationship, I’ll just limit the amount of time I spend with them.

These both speak out as reminding me to take charge of my life. If I don’t like how something is going, or how I’m responding–change it.