Do We Work

Three Easy Steps to Becoming More Productive

(image from Shutterstock)

Feeling like you’re always a day late and a dollar short- never really getting anywhere or finishing anything?  Here are three easy steps to becoming a more productive person:

1. Have a Short To-Do List
   
   You need to start your day with a to-do list. Set yourself up for success by making this list short, between 5-10 items.  Having a list of 50 to-do’s is psychologically intimidating and unrealistic.
   
   Research shows that when you keep a short list of to-do’s and complete them all, endorphins (or “happy juice”) are released into the body.
   
   So keep it short and realistic.
   
   
2. Be Specific in the Things You Write Down
   
   “Clean House”, for example, would not be an item easily marked as complete.  Make your items specific and measurable.  ”Clean Toilets, Clean Desk”, these items are not only easier to give an estimated timeline to, they are also easy to identify as complete (which gives us the satisfaction that we so desperately want.)                                                                                                                         
3. Don’t Manage Your Time- Huh?                                                                        Time Management.  Think about it- the term is an oxymoron.  Time cannot be managed.  Time cannot be controlled in any way.  Everyone gets the same number of hours and minutes in every day.  So what can you do?   Manage yourself!  Nothing separates successful people from unsuccessful people more than how they use their time.  Successful people understand that time is the most precious commodity on earth.  So save TV, Internet, Relaxation and Leisure until you’ve completed your list.   This way, when you relax, you will be full of happy juice!

krisspeers

The View from the Top

As I was preparing the last chapter of my book, entitled “Building Life’s Bridges”, I began defining all the life lessons that I’ve shared.  As I recounted the past years and the teachings along the way, I realized that you need to have patience to become the best that you can be.  If I would have tried to fast forward parts of my life, “kinda like the movie click”, I would never have been able to enjoy the most important parts of my journey.  

I was in Vermont last week and went out for my early morning run.  I started up what looked to be a small hill, but soon realized it was turning into more of a small mountain.  It was hard to define because of the winding roads and trees, and not being able to see the end had me a little frustrated.  But then I began to look around at all the beauty- the tall trees and snow covered road, gently winding through the forest.  It was just before sunrise on Sunday morning, and the only noise I could hear was the sound of my own breathing (actually, it was more like gasping at that point!).  I then realized what a great challenge I was facing.  I made a decision to channel my “frustration” into this fresh new challenge, and it gave the run a whole new meaning.  

First, I started controlling my breathing.  I stopped looking too far ahead and focused on everything around me.  I began to notice my perspective again changing.  The experience wasn’t just a challenge, it was a gift.  The reason I call it a “gift” is because I hadn’t asked for it, nor was I expecting it- Mother Nature simply placed it right on my lap.  Instead of focussing on when the run was going to end, I started enjoying the moment, and as I broke through the top of the road, I saw farmers fields and rolling hills covered in snow, as far as the eye could see.   There was a mountainous landscape, and just peaking over top was the morning sun.  It stopped me in my tracks.

I had been convinced earlier that the gift was the journey, but I realized in an instant the view from the top was my reward.  A living picture that is etched in my mind, even now.

 I took a well-deserved break and soaked in this magnificent view.  I then turned around and started back to the hotel.  I can honestly tell you that I began thinking of life’s journey and how similar it was.  Not looking too far ahead and simply embracing the moment is a valuable lesson learned.  To be aware of my surrounding, having a vision for the future.  Some people try and get to the top of the mountain without climbing it, but without the journey there is no reward.

Don’t sit in frustration waiting to hit a home run.  Enjoy the journey. That’s the best part.   The reward is the view from the top.

Don’t forget to call your mother.   

(photo by Derek_F)

larstevens

5am Challenge - Days 8-11

I am proud to say that I’m starting to get the hang of this.  I’m not saying it’s no longer a challenge anymore, Lord knows if my alarm fails to go off, I’m sleeping in (Saturday morning, Day 8, was an example of that).   What I am saying, is that it’s not impossible to change the ingrained habits of our lives.

There are people, including myself, who tend to think that people are born as morning people- and I just happen to be a night person.  In reality I just haven’t tried to change that area of my life.  My life now, the way I choose to live it, requires me to be productive and effective, and the only true way to accomplish that is to be prepared and have a good start to each day.

If I could pass on a tip to help make this process more effective and productive, it would be to have a list of items you want to get done when you wake up.  This is still an area I am working towards.  I tend to take long showers and a long time to pick out my clothes.  I wander around the house trying to wake up.  All this wandering probably wastes about an hour of my time every morning.  

So don’t waste that precious time you decided  you needed in the morning by wandering around like a zombi-  be engaged, be efficient.   And whatever you do, don’t give up…

krisspeers

Day 6 & 7 of My 5 am Challenge

If I was a professional baseball player, I would be hitting over .500 batting average, which would lead the league in batting averages.  I am not batting though, this is my record for successful attempts at waking up at 5am.

My record is 4-3.   I have woken up 4 times in 7 tries. This is nothing to brag about, and to be honest I am gutted.  In scenario’s where failure happens in my life, I like to follow what I call the “1 hour rule”.  I’m hard on myself for one hour, during this time I express my anger, depression, anxiety, I may even wallow in my own self pity, but after an hour I must move forward.  The famous author on leadership John Maxwell calls it “Failing Forward”.

I have even considered re-naming my attempts, because  ”The 6am Challenge” has a much nicer ring to it :), but I can’t bring myself to do it.  My lone problem appears to be my inability to get to bed on time.  

Wednesday night I went to sleep at 1:15am, which lead to me waking up at 8:00am. Last night I was over at a friends house until midnight, and didn’t crawl into bed until after 1:00am, although I managed to wake up at 5am this morning.

People ask me why I would put myself through this, and there are times when I even ask myself the same question.  My answer from the beginning was to be more productive, to give myself the best chance to be successful in life- and I’m sticking to that.  

Anyways, I’m back to work now, on my third cup of coffee, and I hope that the next 7 days produces more positive results than the first.

Have a great weekend.

krisspeers

Conformity is not Courageous

(photo by  tomlinsontravels)

I was reading an article the other day about fear and cowardice, and what the definitions were from the author’s perspective.   Everyone experiences fear, the difference between cowardice and courage is the act.  We can walk away with fear still present or challenge fear with courage.

The pilot that landed the plane in the Hudson River in New York was faced with fear, yet challenged it with courage and landed in the water without a single death.  When asked how he did it, he said that his entire career was spent in preparation for that moment. He was ready, he knew what he needed to do and he did it perfectly.  

I then considered the recent and tragic sinking of the Concordia of Italy.  The captain was off course, unprepared and reckless.  He was also faced with fear but chose to be cowardice, and at the expense of many lives.

The message here is “conformity”.  I was listening to a political psychologist discuss the sinking of the Concordia and the reason for the captain’s actions.  The captain had very much mimicked Italian politicians, who claimed to the rest of the country that everything was ok- the economy was fine-  when in reality is was on the verge of collapse.   There are many examples within the Italian community that support and uphold the captain’s actions, when he told passengers that everything was ok, then lied that he had fallen into a life boat.

This type of behaviour has been quite prevalent in Italian politics, and in defence of the great country, the government has set bad examples.  In my opinion, it was not only an act of cowardice, it was an act of conformity- specifically, to those whom had acted as his leaders and mentors.

Life is like that in a lot of ways- fear, cowardice, courage and conformity.  One article I read said that the definition of failure was conformity.  We all have the desire to be successful, but we often struggle with what we can do to make success possible.  How do we find that special something in our lives that inspires us and challenges our fears with courage?   In my example it is clearly spelled out- to be prepared, study things of interest, and when the opportunity comes it will be an easy choice of courage, if you are prepared for the challenge.

Conforming to status quo would never have gotten Christopher Columbus across the ocean.  Set your boat to sail, but remember to study your path and be prepared for the unknown.  Do not conform, that’s what makes this journey so powerful.  It is the courage to go after something you want, and courage to face your fears.  

It is a lot easier to succeed when you are well trained and well prepared. Don’t forget to call your mother!

larstevens

Day 4 & 5 - 5am Challenge

This 5am challenge seems to call out of me, more than just my tired body out of bed. It requires me to totally change the way I live my life. Any and every ounce of discipline is required to be at work. For some people waking up early is a habit that they have learned since they were young, for me it’s a dog fight, it’s a battle that I must win.

Now Day 4 was awful if you had to ask, I fell for the old “i think i feel sick” lie, and crawled my way back to my warm, cozy bed. I looked for any good excuse why I couldn’t get myself out of bed, and I fell for an old trick I used as a child. This was also followed up by “5 more minutes”, which is a huge lie I tell myself asleep or awake. So day 4 was a FAIL, I woke up at 7:15am, I wasn’t sick, and it was 120 minutes more, not 5.

Day 5, I was determined not to repeat the same mistake. I knew i had to get myself to bed early, and perhaps move the alarm (iPhone) across the room. I was also given the news from my wife Lisa, that she would be joining me in this 5am challenge. So we were in bed early, with only one problem, we both couldn’t fall asleep. When i looked and saw the clock, it was 12:30am, and I knew it will be a dog fight in the morning. In my mind which felt like 3 milliseconds later, was my strum iPhone alarm and the noise of the phone vibrating across the room was ringing in my ear, and its almost like I didn’t realize what it was at first, I just wanted the noise to stop, so i leaped out bed and shut the noise off and re-entered my warm bed, minutes into my sleep i was greeted with a second alarm, my wife’s iPhone. She immediately turned that off and told me to get out of bed, that’s when I became cognitive about where I was and the fight I was in. So I dragged myself out of bed. Day 5 a SUCCESS !!!

Lessons learned, have your spouse support you in any life changing challenge.

krisspeers

Day 2 & 3 - 5am Challenge

For those wondering how my second and third day went, I am happy to say they went off without a hitch, I managed to wake up at 5am both days.

I realized that whenever you make a decision to change something in your life, especially something that has been a habit. You will need to combat those habits with passion, accountability and give yourself the best chance to succeed. I had no problem with having the passion. I also had the accountability portion covered, I wrote a blog about my progress and kept my twitter followers in the loop. I recommend these steps for anyone who is trying to make a change in their life, whatever it may entail. I didn’t give myself the best chance to succeed. I am inherently a night person, and if I’m going to make this 5am challenge a success, i will need to change the time I go to bed.

So now that I know the roadblocks, I can counteract those with a plan, and make the hard decisions to say no to those late movies, head home from events at a decent hour and make sure I give myself the best chance to wake-up at 5am.

What are some of the things that you need to change in your life? Do you have a plan of attack. Attack with passion, accountability and give yourself the best chance to succeed.

krisspeers

Day 1 - 5am Challenge (FAIL)

I would love to tell you the first morning of my challenge was a success, but it was a complete and utter failure.  I love the term “fail fast”, and that’s exactly what I did.

My first kick at the 5am challenge was almost destined to fail, because I arrived home from a bible study that night at 12:00am.  Further to that, I couldn’t get to sleep right away so I watched “Band of Brothers”.  I was glued to the action, which put me behind another hour.  

When I finally got to sleep, I was quickly awoken by my dog who had to be let outside. The time was then 2:15am, and I knew there was no way I could get up in less than 3 hours.  It was no wonder when I dragged myself out of bed in a trance and hit the snooze button.  Then snooze again.  Then snooze again.   I eventually rolled out of bed after 9am, having hit the snooze button at least 30 times in the feat.  

The great lesson I learned in this was to make sure I go to bed at a decent hour.

The old saying rings true, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes one healthy, wealthy and wise”.

Let’s hope tomorrow is a better day…

krisspeers

Inspire to Achieve

(photo by oarranzli)

As we have talked about in the past, most of us have some sort of goal to reach in our life, for a number of reasons.  It is important to really make your goal path as clear as you can in order to make it become a reality.  As you start designing your path and documenting all of the elements needed to succeed, you may find that the goal you once had is not as important.  You have to allow goals and dreams to change over time because as we mature and gain more wisdom, we create a more grounded value system that will allow us to aspire to achieve in a more realistic fashion.

I once read a story by Charles Givens and have shared it with many people.   The book has provided me a true understanding of the meaning behind dreams and goals. Charles and his wife had a goal to climb a pyramid in Egypt and watch the sun rise over the desert.  They carefully planned a trip to Egypt and had all the details in place- or so they thought.  Once they arrived at the pyramid, they were informed that the public was no longer able to climb the structure.  This was devastating to them, and they went back to their hotel disappointed and defeated.

Over dinner that night, the couple discussed their disappointment.  Their waiter overheard the conversation and mentioned that he had a friend who ran security at the pyramids.  He could make the introduction and for a fee, would allow them to climb the pyramids.   Without hesitation, they agreed to go for it.  The waiter took them to his friend and the plans were made.  

Of course, not everything we dream about is as luxury in reality as it is in our minds! When the couple began their journey up the pyramid, they realized that the blocks of stone were 4 feet in height and were infested with snakes and rats.  The black flies were almost unbearable.  It was not what they had in mind, but the end result was still a goal worth reaching.  Once they reached the halfway mark, Charles’ wife was exhausted and scared, and decided that reaching the top was not worth it anymore- it was far too painful- so she gave up and went back down.  Charles, however, kept going and made it to the top.  He watched the sun rise and it was a glorious moment!  When he arrived at the bottom, his wife was waiting for him with incredible curiosity, and asked what it was like when the sun came up.   Charles replied that no matter how detailed he may explain his experience, he could not express the feelings he had up there.  

You see, it wasn’t just the sun coming up, it was the journey he took to get there that made it all so glorious and worth enduring.   

larstevens

Productivity Challenge - Wake up at 5:00am for 30 days

(photo by Gnu2000) 

If you’re like me, than you probably know someone close to you who has a habit of waking up early.  They seem to always be ahead of whatever challenges the day brings their way.  I have always heard that the most successful people are those who wake up early.

Donald Trump is famous for waking up early and only getting between 3-4 hours of sleep each night.  He prides himself in saying he has 15-20 more hours a week than the average businessman.

This discipline has always eluded me.  My Father tried to instil this early in my life, but without success.  I went through my teens and twenties being a total night owl. Mornings were a stressful time of the day, waking up with just minutes to get ready and be out the door.  Procrastination is something I have always struggled with, but I have taken some giant steps towards defeating this habit since the start of the new year- and specifically, with waking up early.   With this attempt, I have decided to take the “5am challenge”.

 The main reason for this challenge isn’t  just to wake up early, it is to become more productive.  Along the way, I will keep a daily journal and blog about my experiences. This is sure to be full of surprises and I hope to pass on some tips, tricks, and humorous challenges that come my way.

Please feel free to join me in this challenge and comment on your progress as well. Here are the set of rules:

1. I must wake up at 5:00am EST everyday.

2. I must exercise for at least 20 minutes every morning.

3. I must go to bed at a respectable time.

At the conclusion of this challenge, I hope that I become more productive in life.  It is an exciting endeavour for me- and one that no doubt will present challenges along the way.    So check in once in a while and find out how I’m doing- I hope to hear your progress too!

krisspeers