Cathy Stucker - The Idea Lady

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Get More Done Today

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get-more-done
Working from home can be challenging. You’re trying to get some serious work done, but after a full day what have you accomplished? Sometimes not much at all. But don’t get discouraged – instead, take action to be more productive, starting today.

Tell your neighbors and family that when you are working, you are working. As in no knocking on the door, no phone calls, no anything but work. Does this seem harsh? Think of it this way – do you go to your neighbor’s job and ask to borrow a cup of sugar? Many people do not realize that during our working hours we are actually working. It is hard for people who do not work from home to understand that we need to be able to work undisturbed. You don’t have to be rude, but you have to be firm.

Can’t get started? Maybe it’s because you don’t know where to start. Here’s a tip: [Read more…]

Pomodoro Technique – More than Time Management

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Pomodoro, the Italian word for tomato, has made it into the world of time management. It was in the 1980’s when Francesco Cirillo, a brilliant innovator and creator known for his works in software programming and company productivity, developed what is now known as the Pomodoro Technique. Simply put, it is a time management method that allows an individual to accomplish tasks in intervals of 25 minutes. It was named after the kitchen timer that Cirillo used when he was still a university student. Of course, the kitchen timer was shaped like a tomato.

Although the Pomodoro Technique uses 25-minute intervals, there is nothing magical about 25 minutes. You might choose to work in blocks of 15, 30, or 45 minutes. One caution: Going over 60 minutes can be counterproductive. The idea is to focus on a specific task and focus can diminish after a while.

Four Principles

Time management is not anything new. However, Cirillo aimed to develop a method that would increase productivity while at the same time lessening stress and pressure. In line with this objective, the Pomodoro Technique revolves around four main principles that make it different from other time management techniques available.

1. Work with Time

Many people feel that time is against them and that they are constantly racing against it. While this type of thinking could get you pumped up into finishing your tasks on time, the Pomodoro Technique instead teaches you to work with time rather than against it. It all begins with 25-minute intervals. How much work can you get done in 25 minutes? How many time intervals do I need for a specific task? Instead of trying to squeeze in as much work as you can for every period of time, appreciate time and understand your tasks so that you do not beat yourself up racing against the clock all the time. Install timesheet calc application to get your hourly totals.

2. Reduce Burnout

Aside from the 25-minute time intervals, the Pomodoro Technique includes quick breaks that are purposefully scheduled to reduce burnout and stress. Racing against the clock gives people the tendency to burn out as they push themselves harder than they should. By taking short but meaningful breaks, the mind and body are relaxed and re-energized, ready again for the next task at hand.

3. Stay Focused

Distractions are all around us. Especially in this day and age where everything is just a click of a button away, people can get easily distracted (Hello, Facebook?) and this could take minutes and even hours of their valuable time. The Pomodoro Technique believes in a prioritizing principle that lets you put off distractions for a later time. After all, chances are that the distractions can indeed wait, and that your world will not stop moving if you do not attend to them right away.

4. Create Balance

In the end, the Pomodoro Technique gives a sense of accomplishment. When people struggle with time management, they often feel inadequate as they feel that they could have done more with their time. By mastering the Pomodoro Technique, you are able to increase productivity and so are able to allow yourself the luxury of time off that is well deserved. Enjoy balance both in your work and personal life with the Pomodoro Technique and discover the potential that you have in your person.

There are many resources available that will help you learn more about the Pomodoro Technique. Aside from books and seminars, websites available online can also help get you on track to being a Pomodoro Master. The whole method may sound deceptively easy, but it has helped millions of people from all over the world. Those who find themselves giving in to temptations and to procrastination or even those who simply find it difficult to focus will appreciate the Pomodoro Technique and just how productive it can help them be.

What can you do in 25 minutes? You might complete an entire task from start to finish or you might just make progress on a task. For example, you could write a draft of an article or blog post, then use one or two additional intervals to edit and publish it. You could brainstorm ideas for new products. Tackle a couple of little tasks that have been on your to-do list seemingly forever, but never rise to a level of urgency where they get done (or just delete them from the list). Take on a task you dread but have to do, such as invoicing or paying bills. Exercise–go outside for a walk, get on the treadmill or jump on a mini trampoline. Catch up on social media, and stop when the 25 minutes are up. Read something. Clear the top of your desk or organize that junk drawer.

Use your 25 minutes wisely.

How Multitasking Destroys Your Productivity

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cost-of-multitaskingYou can do it all, but you can’t do it all at once.

Many people like to brag about how busy they are and how many things they do at the same time. Maybe they would be less likely to take pride in that habit if they knew that it temporarily lowers their IQs by up to 15 points. That means that multitasking is harder on your cognitive abilities than smoking pot (and we all know how sharp pot makes people).

Although it may seem that you are getting more done by doing five things at once, in fact you are less productive. [Read more…]

The High ROI Hour

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If you were to write down all of the things you do in a typical day, what might that list look like? You would probably be surprised to realize how much time you spend on tasks that do not make money for you. For example, in a typical day you might spend one hour on email, two hours on client work, one hour on invoicing and bookkeeping, one hour on the telephone, one hour on social networking and other online activities, and the other two hours…who knows where they went.

Based on that list, two hours were spent on actual paying work. The rest was administrative, overhead and wasted time. Although some of those other tasks are necessary (It doesn’t pay to do the work if you do not invoice and get paid for it.) it may be possible to have them done by someone other than you. Or you may be able to set up a more efficient system so you spend less time on those tasks.

Here is the really important part: [Read more…]

Idle Chatter or Worthwhile Talk?

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This week’s Monday Morning Message from Wm. H. Danforth, founder of Ralston Purina:
What is the Monday Morning Message?

Before you read this message glance around and see how many conversations are taking place on your office floor.

How much of it is idle chatter and how much is worth while talk?

You wouldn’t dare — twice — to come into my office and tell me about the vaudeville show you saw last night. But some people impose on the good nature and courtesy of others by wasting their own time, and the other fellow’s time, with social visits during office hours.

Show me the man or woman that avoids useless explanations and gets right to the point.
Show me the man or woman who saves golden minutes by frankly telling the chatterer to be gone—

Show me these, I say, and I will show you the Purina Leaders of today and tomorrow.

This type of Monday Morning Message makes me uncomfortable because I must check up myself. Maybe it will make you uncomfortable too, and we will all have a better week.

Good-bye — Idle Chatter
Enter—Worth While Talk

Although William Danforth wrote this message decades before the Internet became a part of our lives, his words apply to the Internet, too.

The “office water cooler” may still exist for those who work in offices, but wherever you work you can be lured into idle chatter via Twitter, Facebook, email, texting and other online communications. Each of these has valid business and personal uses, but it is easy to get distracted by unimportant chatter and waste minutes or hours everyday.

We all need a little downtime during the day to decompress and recharge. Spending a few minutes catching up with friends and colleagues, in person or online, can be fun and the interactions keep us connected day-to-day. However, when it becomes a habit that encroaches on productive time, it is time to scale back.

Draw a line between productive time on email and social media and non-productive time. Pay attention to how much of your work day is spent on “idle chatter,” then decide if you need to make some changes. One way to start is by setting aside time every day to handle email and social media. Set a timer, and when it goes off, get back to other tasks.