I have spent the last month tackling a long list of projects and tasks at the office and on the home-front that has unconsciously been zapping my energy! Some big stuff and some little stuff that I was tolerating which was also whirling around in my head and taking up space when I happen to notice it (or trip over it!).

Of course, most of items, I already had on a projects list(this is my big picture list) or a to-do list (weekly to-do list) but it still created some mental clutter even though it was written down in a safe spot. BTW, writing things down and getting them out of your head is the first step to reducing brain clutter!. You don't realize how much mental energy "incomplete" items take until you've tied a bow on the task or project and considered it done!

I want to upgrade my foundation so I can be proactive and focus on thinking bigger in my business and my life!!

What's on your spring list of things that you need to delegate, delete, simplify, or just get done???

Often, I hear from people that they are down in the weeds and don't spend enough time looking at the big picture! Sometimes it's being in a "comfort zone" where it's just easier to put your head down, get the work done, and react to things around you. You may be doing a good job but you're really not getting the most out of your expertise and you're probably not "seizing" big strategic opportunities as they present themselves (let alone MAKING strategic opportunities that are good for you AND your organization!). And on top of all of that, you may not be getting the recognition that you deserve and living up to your capability of doing much much more!

First thing to do is to get to find some time and energy to tackle the big picture! Once you've lightened your load, you then need to carve out "ROCKS" in your schedule to do some big thinking on something that will have strategic impact!

Here are 3 keys to get you going:

1) Pick a Hot Topic (and a BHG – big hairy problem)!

The first step in thinking bigger is to find a hot topic that you want to tackle! Pick something that you are passionate about and that will make a great impact. You may want to start in your own area and pick something meaty that is more strategic than what you are doing now. Or you may want to pick something that is really big that goes across several different groups in the organization.

Once you've decided on a topic area, then what's the BHG or biggest (hairiest) problem to be solved?? At this stage, don't worry about "how" to solve the problem but make sure you've picked a big one so you can properly frame it in the next step!!

2) Brainstorm Your Big Idea!

Now, take your problem that you've defined and turn it into a question. Your brain naturally likes to answer a question which is posed to it. So when you frame the problem as a question, your brain will work at answering it even if you don't think you even know the answer at first (how cool is that??!!).

I suggest using a good old fashioned "pen and paper" to do this exercise and creatively brainstorming some solutions. I like the mindmap tool for brainstorming by taking a blank piece of paper and putting the question in the center in a "bubble" and then drawing lines to other big bubbles (ideas/challenges/steps) and so on.

Then you can take a look at patterns and formulate your Big Idea or your message about this problem. I always like the Big Idea and the 3 main focus areas that will help solve this problem (it's easier to think in "3s" – both communicating and receiving ideas!)

3) Have some Coffee Chats

Now it's time to start "socializing" your idea. Who do you need to get input from and then set up some coffee chats to meet with those people. Consider peers, experts, senior execs, customers, or vendors to get a broad level of input.

"Coffee Chats" are a great informal way to build relationships and understand other Points of View. Two key questions you can ask are "What are your challenges" and "What do you think?" These will start revealing the validity of your Big Idea (your POV), evolve it and get buy-in by understanding other perspectives and the challenges. Along the way, you can look for allies to support your Big Idea.

When you're at the stage when you have to present your Big Idea to a larger audience, you'll be able to have a strong story to tell with many viewpoints and challenges included. Much easy to get buy-in and move forward!

Try out these strategies for thinking bigger and getting a Point of View that can create big impact!

And if things do occasionally go sideways, with a proper system, it's much easier to reset so you're progressing full steam ahead at a rapid pace. 

So what are these SYSTEMS?  And how can you get some too? 

A system is anything that is repeatable and that you do on a regular basis.  Systems can also be called routines, habits, structures, or processes that keep you moving forward fast and efficiently.   A system can have one or many steps and can be completed by one or more people.  You can implement systems that you can do on a daily, weekly, monthly or annual basis. 

The biggest benefit of having a system is that it helps everyone to STAY organized, focused and to get things done faster.  If you have a clear system of what needs to be done it clarifies expectations and causes less overload and stress for all involved!  It really is the KEY to sustainability and scalability of a business, organization, or even your family!

So what kind of systems can you implement?  The sky is really the limit once you get started, but here are a few examples of areas that many people find useful:
- Business: Team/Project Meetings, Strategic Planning, Email, Communication Plan, Networking, Innovation Process
- Home and Family: Getting ready for the day, laundry, meals; cleaning, mail, paying bills, gift giving, activities, and vacations.
- Personal: Exercise, Getting together with friends, Haircuts and Self-Care

Here are some recent conversations I've had with clients in this area who have created systems to:
- batch all meetings for teams and one-on-one direct reports every Monday (at the same time)
- create a yearly communication plan including key messages, key projects, the method (email, live, teleconference, newsletter, blogging, etc.), the players involved, and the frequency for each method
- how to maintain top priorities for projects and daily/weekly To-Dos
- how to get the laundry done and put away
- how to free up time and outsource or delegate things that you currently do!

Now it's your turn!  The first thing to do to create a system is to identify a break-down in something at work, at home, or in your personal life.  For instance, you can start with something that is bugging you, drains your time (or money or energy), causes you stress, is not getting done, or something that you are always in a rush or doing at the last minute! 

What system would you like to create? Once you've identified a system that you'd like to create, here is a method to upgrade or overhaul what you're doing today!  

An Approach to Creating Systems:

Step 1: Identify the System that you want to create
Step 2:  What would Success look like to you? 
What's the BIG picture that will guide your success, decisions, and resources?
Step 3: WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHEN – What are the steps that are taking place today?
Who does what and when?  Why is it important?
What can be outsourced or delegated?
Step 4: What's the CYCLE? -  Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Seasonal, Annual, or Just-In-Time (when it Breaks-Down)
Step 5: What's working?  What's not working? Experiment and try something new
Step 6: How do you ensure it keeps going?  What are reminders or follow-up that is required for maintenance?  How do you know i f you need to reset?Pick a system and get going!  

Here are some systems that have really worked for some of my clients. Here are a few examples to give you some more ideas:

• batch all meetings for teams and one-on-one direct reports every Monday (at the same time)
  
• create a yearly communication plan including key messages, key projects, the method (email, live, teleconference, newsletter, blogging, etc.), the players involved, and the frequency for each method
  
• how to maintain top priorities for projects and daily/weekly To-Dos
  
• how to get the laundry done and put away
  
• how to free up time and outsource or delegate things that you currently do!
  

Now it's your turn! Pick a system and get going! It'll free your mind and get you focused with confidence and ease!

We have gone from skiing on the hills to summer weather almost overnight.  We had "spring break" last week and it was hard to believe that we had enough snow to ski nearby!   At the end, the snow was only on the hill but it lasted enough to ski in short-sleeves!  I am definitely a spring-time fair-weather skier!

Our kids took snowboarding lessons for the first time and had a blast.  It was a great demonstration of motivated learning and it is always amazing to watch. 

To enjoy something so much that you are willing to fall down (literally) and get right back up and keep trying until you succeed.  They had so much fun and took every opportunity to practice  - like finishing lunch early and practicing again before their afternoon lesson started and then going back to the hill again on the final Sunday to get in the last few runs as we were packing up.  

My son has big plans now (he's 7 yrs old) )  ….next year he'll snowboard instead of ski, the year after he'll be freestyling (like this picture above – yikes!), and then in a few years he'll instruct!  What do you think the chance of all of this coming true?!  Well, with a plan AND determination AND motiviation to practice......it's definitely a real possibility!   

What beautiful music to my "coaching" ears!

The pace of the world has accelerated and doing more-with-less is the norm. Doing things different is a must to survive and finding every possible efficiency is essential. Using technology and apps that make things easier is a welcome relief. Check out these 3 apps that I now couldn't imagine living without either at work or on-the-move!

1) RoboForm

The RoboForm application stores all your passwords for websites and applications. This app automatically remembers the userid and password and will automatically enter it for you when needed. I use this application on my PC and access it from my toolbar. It can also be synchronized with an iPad and iPhone. This application has saved me so much time and frustration trying to find up-to-date usernames/passwords OR having to request a password reset for an account. I have over 100 passwords for web sites for my business, setting appointments, online banking and shopping,etc. and find this app invaluable. Thanks to my Virtual Assistant, Kristen Poborsky from vawithanmba.com for suggesting this one!

Website: www.roboform.com

Cost for PC: $30; Mobile "Everywhere" Version Upgrade:$10-$20 Annually

2) Evernote

Evernote is an application where you can capture notes, ideas, pictures, web content or anything you like. It's a sophisticated note capture system but my favorite part is being able to access Evernote notes anywhere from any device. So I can make notes on my PC and then I have access to them from my iPhone and iPad. It's very handy to keep track of things but also to jot down ideas or work on things when you're on the go. One of my clients recommended this one and I have been using it ever since!

Website: www.evernote.com

Cost: Free Trial (I think the basic version is free); You can upgrade to Premium with additional features for $45 annually.

3) iThoughtsHD

This application is for creative brainstorming using mindmaps. A mindmap essentially is a "brain-dump" of all your ideas on a particular topic so that you can take all your ideas and group them into a plan. You can do mindmapping on paper but it is handy to have it in an electronic format that you can edit on-the-go. Also, you can output the mindmap in a list format to formulate a plan and email it to yourself or others! Another client recommended this one!

App Store on iPad (through iTunes): iThoughtsHD around $10

Website: www.iThoughts.co.uk

I'm playing around with some voice recognition apps (speech-to-text) and will keep you posted (most of this newsletter was written with one!). If you love other apps, let me know as I'm always looking to do things differently and optimize my own performance as well as help my clients do the same!

I hope you enjoy your increased productivity with these apps.

Now is the time to think bigger and act bolder! Enjoy!

I am a little alarmed with the number of people that I have talked to recently that are really not that happy with what they are doing! It's especially a sad state of affairs when most people spend more time at the office/work than anything else in their life!  Don't you agree?

Why is there an alarming trend of dissatisfaction? I see many people that are too overloaded to even assess whether they like what they do anymore.  This is more a case of burnout than simply job dissatisfaction (although the job or workload could be the root cause).

For others however, it could be a dissatisfaction or demotivation that gradual creeps up and you have a feeling of things not being "quite-right"! This can be especially confusing when you're successful (and deliver great results) and you "used" to like it.

So what to do about it?  Here are 3 ways that you can be in that delightful place holding a steaming cup of coffee and be included in the "I love my job" club that you thought would never happen!

1) Set a Strong Foundation

Start by setting a strong foundation! You know you have set a strong foundation when you are motivated and energized by what you do.  You also look forward to how you can change, evolve, and innovate which naturally makes you feel engaged.

The other big part of setting a strong foundation is the environment that you work in. If are in sync with your environment – like the people, location, values, direction – then it is motivating and inspiring.

Start the groundwork on setting a strong foundation by really honing in on your strengths. It's not enough just to do an assessment on strengths like StrengthFinder2.0 (my fav).  It's a good step but only the beginning to give you some ideas and language around your strengths.

Most importantly for your strengths is to assess what activities you are doing every day and reflect about what you really "love" about each of them (or not!). Strengths can be very precise and specific!  Don't just "think" about your strengths but see how you "feel" about them.  Sometimes our brains can "rationalize" liking things when we really don't - but this does not a motivated person make!

Along with your strengths, make sure your passions are included in a strong foundation. Passions are strong drivers and usually come from either a place of complete enthusiasm and joy  or at the opposite end of the spectrum, from a place of utter anger or disbelief (like in something unjust).   Either way, it stirs up a sense of deep motivation and meaning to what we do.  Having passion keeps us slogging through tall mountains and tough challenges.

Clarifying a strong foundation takes some effort but it is well worth it when you know your castle (or your work at least) is built on solid rock than on sand that can tumble with the slightest breeze!

2) Defining the Big "Ideal"

If you could define your job (or your life!) anyway you would like, what would it look like?  I like to call this the "Big Ideal"!

Take a blank page and write down the ideal environment, the ideal industry, the ideal values, passions, and the activities you would like to spend your day doing? What kind of challenges or problems do you want to tackle?  What kind of travel, location, or responsibility do you want?  What type of flexibility is ideal?  Does it align with your personal brand?

Why not get really clear on what would be "ideal" so you know the direction of where you really want to go?

3) Get Out There and Be Bold!

Now that you have started to set a strong foundation and are clearer about your "big ideal", start where you are right now and see what you can evolve to create more opportunities that you really want to do! Perhaps you can trade-off with a colleague on tasks/projects or delegate to someone else on your team?   Take on new responsibilities and do things differently so that you are playing more to your strengths each day.

Here is your opportunity to be bold and step out of your comfort zone and connect with people and talk to them about where you are going and how you're going to get there (inside and outside of your organization). Find out if you can continue to evolve what you're currently doing, take on new strategic projects, or start taking next steps in your career growth.  Once you've had some of these conversations, you'll soon realize if there is a good fit now and for the future (or otherwise you may need to cut your losses and consider some other options)!

Invest the time in building a strong foundation, a clear direction, and get out there and be bold so that you can start on the path of the "I love my job" club too!

Good luck and enjoy!

Gallup is one of the leaders in Employee Engagement surveys. They have shown that the more engaged people are in their work, the better productive, customer-focused, and profitable a company is. People are also more fulfilled, more creative and more innovative. The increased energy and passion and optimism of the future allow people to thrive!

So focus on getting your team (or the people around you) more engaged and you can enjoy the leveraged impact and results! What can you do to engage your team more (or yourself for that matter)?

Here are 3 keys to get you going:

1) Setting Clear Expectations Related to the Big Picture

Setting clear expectations up front is a critical step in engagement. At this stage, focusing on the outcomes or results that are expected and not the "how" to get there is important in engaging and empowering people up front. Generally, people don't like to be told what to do (who does?). So, clearly outline the results necessary and then allow lots of flexibility, it will motivate people to put a plan together so that they can do it "their way".

Another important part of this phase is clearly defining the big "why". How is this project connected to the bigger picture, why is it important, and why is it beneficial for the individual? This becomes increasingly important as you get more of the latest generation of "millennials" on board (or with your kids:)!) and a "what's in it for me" attitude!

2) Playing To Your Strengths

Strengths are those activities that you are naturally talented at, that you find easy, and you love to do. This is a recipe for focus and fulfillment! And not surprising, the more aligned you are with your strengths, the more productive and creative you naturally become!

Wouldn't it be great if you worked at a job where you could apply your strengths most days? It has been shown that for those people that can apply their strengths more often that they are also more engaged!

For those (including me) that have been a job that isn't a good fit for your strengths, you are demotivated, less confident and less productive. It can be a dangerous downward spiral of dissatisfaction and can dramatically increase the chances of leaving that job (bad for retention). Luckily in my case, I left a job for another one in the company instead of leaving altogether.

It's always a good idea for managers and their teams to be clear about strengths and job fit and make sure they're aligned as this has a significant impact on employee engagement!

3) Building An Environment of Trust and Support

Any good relationship is built on trust, mutual respect, and support. According to Gallup, the biggest influencer on people's engagement is their direct manager. So what can you do to increase the engagement with your direct team? Build rapport by providing different opportunities for everyone to get to know each other including you.

When in meetings with your team, listen more and ask my favourite question that I heard from a talk by Tom Peters - "What do you think?"! It's simple and effective and will get others involved in making decisions and mapping out the road to the future.

Try out these strategies for getting more engagement with your team and see your productivity and results soar!

Sign up for this newsletter by email at www.xtremeproductivity.com

Your thoughts create your reality.  Your thoughts are key in your confidence, willingness, and motivation to take ACTION! Action creates forward momentum and progress.  This is especially important when you want to makes changes and innovate whether for yourself or on a strategic project!

We all have an "Inner Critic" or as I like to call them - GREMLINS. If you're going along at the status quo, the gremlins may not rear their ugly heads quite as much.  But if you're in a chaotic environment, making big changes, stretching yourself to grow and reach a really big goal, or in an environment of negativity, then the GREMLINS can be out in full force.  The GREMLINS include the self-doubt, the fears, the "who do you think you are" and "not-good-enough" thoughts that enter our mind.

What are the benefits of having GREMLINS? Not much really!  Perhaps there are some real fears that should be looked at to ensure our safety and de-risk situations.  But for the most part, these GREMLINS are self-imposed limits that hold us back and keep us thinking small and staying small.  They really keep us STUCK so we're not willing to make decisions or take action! How can you think really BIG and act really BOLD and push the limits of your own growth and your company's innovation when your own mindset is in the way??!!

If you want to think bigger and act bolder, your thoughts have to align with what you're doing and where you're going!

Remember the only person that is imposing a limit is YOU based on your thoughts, experience, and expectations!

1) Be AWARE of your own THOUGHTS !
The first step is to become aware of what you are thinking and what you're telling yourself.
Remember, you do have a CHOICE on what you THINK so choose wisely!!

2) Create a SUPPORTIVE "thoughts" environment!
Turn your GREMLINS into ALLIES!  You ARE what YOU THINK! Become aware of what you say to yourself.  Write it down and make a choice to change it.

3)  Create a New Inspiring Thought
What is a new and inspiring thought that can propel you into action and keep you moving forward.  I always use the Nike saying "Just Do It"!  What's yours?

Your bonus challenge is to:

"Never, never, never say ANYHING negative about yourself!"
- David Neagle -

One strategy we discussed is to look at everything you do and to NOT treat them equally. This is really difficult for the perfectionist in us!  Imagine the suggestion of not doing you best job all the time in everything you do?

Can you relate?  I know I can.

I used to do all my own work – every item “T’s crossed, I’s dotted”!  I had very high standards, was a great team player, and responded to everyone’s request.  I think it was a mixture of taking on the responsibility where others couldn’t or wouldn’t, the fear of failure, and a little people-pleaser in me not willing to let anyone down!  Sound familiar?

You don’t need to be perfect in everything you do.  You’ve heard of the 80/20 rule where 20% of the action produces 80% of the results.  What if you applied that to every project that you do?  Would you be better off getting 80% of the results of every MAJOR thing you do with less effort?  Or burning yourself out by going that extra distance?

Here is my new mantra to put things in perspective and guide me in this area:

“Be excellent where excellence is required.
And be good, when good is good enough!"

Think about it and use these 3 tips to get what you need to get done and get the results and success you want and deserve!

1)    Set LIMITS

One of the biggest complaints I hear from busy professionals is that they don’t have enough time.  So put a limit on how much time you’ll spend on an email (or all of them), a task, or even a bigger project.  It will apply a little more pressure and propel you into action and make hard calls on what’s important and what’s not.

2)    LOWER (or RAISE) your STANDARDS

In some areas, you may have to lower your standards on what you’re willing to do and the amount of detail that you agree to complete.  Start with the easy stuff like around the house and be willing to relax and not be “perfect” at every turn!  Then take a look at everything you do at work!  Question why you do things and lower your standards.

In other areas you may want to consider RAISING your standards.  A great example is taking care of your personal health which often gets left on the backburner for many when things get crazy!

3)    Choose To Be REACTIVE Or PROACTIVE

Be “choosy” on what you are PROACTIVE on.  Pick your most important priorities and make sure you are driving them to get the results you want.  In other areas, choose to be REACTIVE.  Slow down your response time, let others step up, be brief in your input, and limit your involvement!  You may just find that you may have not been needed after all.

Good luck with changing the way you work and live!  Try out these tips and let me know how they go!

It has been quite busy over the last month and found that my mind was racing a bit with everything going on. It happens to all of us these days especially when you are playing a bigger game and Thinking Bigger and Acting Bolder!

The clutter in my office and at home had been piling up as I worked on some major projects. With a few extra piles, new projects, documents needing to be shredded, it was creating just a little more clutter in my brain and I wasn’t focusing as much as usual.

I found it was time to set aside a whole day to do a major “RESET” in my work and life! As a result, my mind is clearer and I’m much more focused to get more done with a renewed sense of calm and knowing that things are on track and I’m playing to my potential. This is what I want for myself and for you!

When the piles of stuff and things to do keep growing around you at the office AND at home, your mind fills up with mental clutter! With more mental clutter, you have less clarity on what needs to be done and less focus to do it. This mental clutter causes your brain go to into overdrive and it can feel like your mind is bouncing. It can also put you into a sense of overwhelm and a feeling of a little bit out-of-control. This is happening more and more often as workloads are increasing, stress is at an all-time high, and expectations to do more with less are sky-rocketing.

You can tell if your mental clutter is high if: you forget things easily, you are not taking actions that you know you could be, you’re feeling stressed out, or if you’re waking up at night with your brain racing (just to name a few!). If that sounds anything like you, it may be time to do a major “reset” to clear the clutter and clear your mind!

You may feel like you don’t have the time to do it but it’s definitely worthwhile to make the time to do it for your sanity alone! In the short run and long run, you’ll save a TON of time and you’ll be more focused as a result. You’ll also be more energized and clear-headed and also feel more in control and ready to tackle anything. All well worth it!

Your Assignment : RESET Day!

Get ready for a RESET Day and clean up the clutter! That includes physical clutter but could also mean electronic clutter too. You can do this on your own or even better with an entire group. Set aside a RESET Day (or an afternoon) and get the garbage bags, recycling containers and shredders ready.

1. Have an end-goal in mind. If you picture what you want your space to look like or have a goal like “a clean desk where I can see the floor”, then it’s much easier to achieve it. Better yet, keeping your bigger goals in mind like working towards that promotion or getting a major project completed which will set the stage for making decisions on what is important to keep and what to get rid of.

2. Be prepared. Get everything that you’ll need ready for your day like garbage bags, recycling, shredders, file folders, notebooks, markers, computer, etc. so you can focus on clearing the clutter!

3. Go through everything quickly. Sort through everything as FAST as you can and make categories that make sense to you: projects, work admin, personal brand, networking follow-up, etc. I have file folders ready for new projects, and my calendar and contacts open on my laptop to update as I go along. Don’t get caught up in “doing work” during this process. This is more about getting organized so you can free your brain of clutter. Get rid of everything that you don’t need (be ruthless) and recycle it, shred it or put it in the trash (or delete it from your computer)!

4. Create a list as you are sorting. You want to create a master inventory of all the projects, commitments and an action list of what you need and want to do. I have a list of projects and a smaller action list for both work and home. Track these in a way that make sense for you either on paper (like a notebook) or electronically or a combination of both. You want to get everything out of your head and into something that you can use to track your actions.

5. Clean up and systemize! Put all your projects together in files and put them front and center on your desk or in a nearby filing drawer. Use your master inventory (projects and action lists) to track the things you need to do. Create systems to keep them up to date like reviewing them weekly!

I have a RESET day at least twice per year (or when needed) to purge the clutter and make sure I’m on track and going where I want to go! Try it in your group (or family) to get organized all together and have a celebration afterwards! You’ll gain time and energy when you clean up the clutter around you, and free your mind to focus on Thinking Bigger and Acting Bolder!

If you would like to gain more time and energy, be clear about where you are going so you can accelerate your success, and make a bigger impact for yourself and your organization, please contact me to find out how the Xtreme Productivity Coaching Programs may help you at anneraymond@XtremeProductivity.com.