A stat crossed my desk that suggested 50% of emails aren’t understood. 50% - really ??!! I did a bit of research and found this article. The article indicates that the words we use often land in ways we didn’t intend. A compliment turns sarcastic. A question turns...
Who is the “customer” of a meeting? This is an odd question. Meetings are scheduled. We attend. Presentations are reviewed. Conversations happen. Updates are discussed. Yet, why? For whom? Is the organizer the customer? What did the customer hope the meeting...
You might be thinking…. What is taxonomy? or How does this apply to work? The definition of taxonomy is the branch of science concerned with classification. Taxonomy can be used to organize and index knowledge. The “knowledge” can be anything. Stored documents....
The organization and productivity worlds are full of processes and systems. Those systems manage physical things as well as digital information. Both can be overwhelming. And, sometimes, so can the recommended solutions! My Perspective With everything I’ve read and...
I’ve always been driven by measurement. Targets are an indicator as we move toward a goal. If we need more sales, plan strategies & tactics and track sales. If we want to increase our email list, consider how to do that and measure to see if it’s working. The list...
Today, I listened to an episode of the Lazy Genius podcast. The host suggested we shift our perspective on a to-do list and instead create two lists: The have-to and hope-to list. This helps us realize what is not optional and yet we don’t lose sight of what we want...
With college far in the rearview mirror, there were classes I never wanted to consider again. One of those was Thermodynamic…right up there with Differential Equations. Anyway, in my sustainability class last week, the title of the section in the module caused panic:...
There is a lot written about using Friday afternoon as a time to wrap up tasks for the week and plan for the week ahead. The theory is that this is the time of the week when things are winding down for the weekend, and we aren’t at our best for deep work and...
The concepts of flexibility and autonomy are talked about in the context of work and often interchanged. Yet, there is a difference between the two when it comes to where and when we work. Flexibility is the ability to be easily modified and include...
We have explored hope in our everyday lives. Broken down the elements of the hope formula: HOPE = Goals + Willpower + Waypower How might this formula translate to a team or an organization? Hope at Work: We can dig into each of the elements of hope and find ways to...
The other day, we had a post about nesting being a moment when you plan, clear, and organize. In that post, my perspective was that this approach could apply at work during times you change roles or prepare for a new project. I had an opportunity to experience a bit...
Yesterday, we covered moments when nesting or un-nesting might happen. The life moments were easier to identify than the work moments. After a bit of research, I found that the term nesting is used in call centers. The nesting phase is the time...
The idea of nesting during pregnancy has been frequently discussed and researched. This is the time when expectant moms clean, organize, plan, and stock up. They are preparing the home for what is ahead. We’ve also heard about empty nesting...
Over the holidays, I wanted to look at the infrastructure of my business. This is the set of digital tools connected to run my business – on my computer and on my phone. Things like website platform, hosting company, CRM system, payment gateways, and more. As I did...
In an episode of Organize365, Jacqui Ioli was a guest. She and Lisa discussed the “Hot Mess theory”. This was a concept Jacqui had developed while supervising outpatient nurses. There were four situations that led to the Hot Mess: Overwork – This occurs when there is...
We have all likely heard of the Pareto principle or the 80/20 rule. This rule states that for many situations roughly 80% of the consequences come from 20% of the causes. My Perspective Thinking about this through the lens of our work, I believe there are at least two...
Friday, the blog post talked about why estimating our work week could be a good planning tool. Today we’ll shift to look at 5 steps we can use to create that weekly estimate. Step 1 – Create a List: The process starts by creating a list of deliverables for the week...
There was an interesting discussion on an episode of Adam Grant’s podcast Work Life. Adam spoke with psychologist and author Brian Little about how our projects impact our wellbeing. Brian wrote the books “Me, Myself, and Us” and “Who are You Really?” He...
The 4th quarter is a time to summarize the year and prepare for the year ahead. As we get closer to the holidays, the time available to do this summary becomes more difficult. This leaves many scrambling in the first quarter to pull things together while kicking...
There is a lot written about using Friday afternoon as a time to wrap up tasks for the week and plan for the week ahead. The theory is that this is the time of the week when things are winding down for the weekend and we aren’t at our best for deep work and...
The concept of reverse organizing is to empty a space and only bring back what you use. Then, after a month or so, the things that haven’t been used can be addressed. Some things may need to be kept for occasional events, others may be recycled or donated. The process...