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Reasons Why Marketers Need Project Management Tools

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Project Management System
Photo via Foter.com

Most marketers rely on their automated solutions and regularly work with different groups: like engineers, developers, and even the accounting people. What’s more, in that work, there’s a considerable amount of time and energy spent. One way to avoid this loss is using project management tools.

A project management system is an essential tool in today’s environment for all businesses. Without a project management system, most of an entrepreneur’s time is taken up doing documentation, disseminating information from clients to designers to developers and everyone in between. The benefits of a project management system is not only limited to easy communication and documentation, but it also helps you to keep track of every second of the project, helping you focus on other more important things.

To help you know if a project management system is (or is not) what you need, here are a few reasons why task management software is so essential for any business:

1) Keeping Schedules

As a marketer, you need to keep projects on schedule.  But for whatever reason, things don’t always work out as planned. With a project management tool, it is easy to track the time you have on hand for a particular project. You can set the start and the end dates of your project, to help you keep track of time. Every employee gets notified of the set deadlines, and after completion of the project, you can also update your client with the work status.

2) Tracking the Projects

Manually tracking all your projects is never as efficiently done as on with software. From planning the project to tracking the deadlines, assessing work progress and profitability per project and tracking other details in a precise manner, a project planner helps you do it all like a pro. Every piece of information that you want on all your projects is available with just a click – and you can easily compare which project is better for your business.

3) Communication

It is very common for communication gaps to happen while a team is working a project.  And this can spoil the project.  The project management software bridges this gap and makes it easier for you to contact clients and employees, keeping them current on the project status along with other critical details. It also makes it easy for clients and employees to communicate to each other, completing the communication cycle.

Miscommunication is reduced or eliminated and unnecessary delays are avoided by using a project management tool.  This keeps work flowing, employees updated and clients satisfied.

4) Easy Collaboration

While working on a project, there are different departments working on a single project. It gets hard to share all documents, files, project details and updates with every department. Project management tools come handy here. You can assign every employee, from any department, tasks on a common platform, and can also share the details, updates and documents over the software. This helps all the departments collaborate without delays due to miscommunication.

5) Swift Documentation

Unlike conventional methods, you do not have to go through different spreadsheets, files, or accounts to access project details. With project management tools, the project’s entire data set is accessible from one account and is available to the full team. This makes it easy for you to keep a record of all the documentation done on the project, and saves time, helping you work more efficiently.

While this gives you a brief understanding of how handy project management systems can be in terms of handling a project, you need to evolve your processes as technology evolves. As technology has advanced, traditional pen and paper documentation is no longer the best thing to do. It hinders your chance to grow your market and hinders the efficiency of your entire workforce. Whereas, project management systems maximize the performance of the project team and also improves the overall project workflow.

Take a step towards improved productivity, implement a project management system today.

Olivia Cote

Olivia Cote is a Digital Marketing professional and has been working under this stream from the past 15 years with the experience of determining the most creative ways to advertise the company’s products and services along with the complex product research. She has been writing blogs and articles, on topics which are related to project management, to drive the business.

Who’s Baby Is It?

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Baby Consulting Productivity Email
Photo via Foter.com
Photo via Foter.com

I was listening to a podcast the other day and the interviewee was talking about consulting and an interesting conceptual framework that just made sense to me.

The story went like this.

Imagine you have a baby.  And I’m your babysitter.

Is the baby my baby?  Or your baby?

Of course it’s yours.

Now imagine I’m babysitting your baby and your baby gets sick.  And I have to take it to the doctor.

Is it my baby or your baby?

It’s still your baby.

Just because I’m taking care of your baby doesn’t mean the baby is mine.  It is still yours.

The same concept applies to a consultant.

If you’re helping a sick business turn itself around.  The CEO and management team are still in charge of the results of that company.

It is theirs.

Just because the consultant is helping with advice, direction, and maybe helping out in specific areas, that doesn’t make it the consultant’s company.

The consultant is still just the consultant.

The key point the consultant on the podcast was making is he gets the CEO involved and makes sure the buck stops with the CEO.

Any issues that need to be resolved, the CEO owns.  Not the consultant.  The consultant is just an adviser to help the CEO.

The issue was when CEO’s wash their hands of things and don’t support the consultant.  Then blame the consultant when the results don’t come.

They’ve basically thrown the baby out with the bathwater.  They’ve assumed they can hand off responsibility for their business to the consultant.

It just doesn’t work that way.

And so it is whether you’re a CEO or an employee at a lower level on the food chain.

You need to own your shit.  But they need own theirs too.

Don’t let them dump their responsibilities on you and then blame you for not delivering.

This is often easier said than done with managers and coworkers often dropping their issues on your plate.

You can’t always avoid taking on their troubles.  But often you can help without just adding it to your workload.

Here’s some questions to ask.

“How would you approach it?”

Rather than solving their problem for them, get them into the habit of solving their own problem first.  Or at least pre-thinking several solutions and then getting your opinion on the final direction or option they are thinking is right.

By helping them think better, they’ll grow their skills and not need you to make as many decisions for them.  This is especially important for new managers as they often are great doers but struggle with getting things done through others.

“What do you need from me and when do you need it?”

Being specific on the ask when someone needs your help is important too.  How many times have you had something dropped in your lap only to deliver what you thought was needed or was working on it when the originator of the task shoots you a nastygram email about you dropping the ball.

What happened is you thought they wanted something else or that it wasn’t as urgent as they thought it was.

A communication disconnect.

Don’t let that happen.  Ask a few follow up questions.  And also that way you’ll know in advance what you’re getting yourself into and if it isn’t an appropriate use of your time you can address it then.

“Do I need to get these emails?”

Email is a Hell people often get mired in.  Asking yourself if you need to be included on an email is often critical to cutting down incoming email messages and reclaiming your time to focus on more important tasks.

Emails tend to be something that ever expands.  The only way to reduce it is to take an active role.  Yes, you can create autoforward rules to move them to a folder you won’t see.  But that doesn’t really address the problem.

Go through your inbox and note down which email subjects don’t really need your involvement or awareness.  Then email the originator and tell them you don’t need to be included on future emails of that specific type.

Doing this once a quarter is like spring cleaning for your office life.  It is amazing how good it feels to chop 100 messages a day down to 50.

So who’s baby is it?  Make sure you know.

Looking for other ways to get more done in a day?  Check out these 74 productivity tips to get more from your day.

Why, Like Trump, You Need Your Own 100 Day Plan

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Donald Trump 100 Day PlanWhether you’re on the pro or con side of the Donald Trump presidency, you can’t deny that he has achieved more of his agenda more quickly than any president in recent history (and maybe all time).

And he isn’t getting stuck in the mud of the bureaucracy in the process.

He is taking focused and specific actions that are in his realm of authority (whether he’s pushing the envelope of that authority is certainly up for debate).  This allows him to move quickly rather than spending a lot of time waiting for others (i.e. Congress) to move on things.

What this means is he’s making change happen quickly and getting results quickly.

And that is something that is highly noticed and often well rewarded in business.

And if you’re an employee, you want to be able to demonstrate that you’re actively driving business results (and yes, you can do that in any position from the front desk to the corner office).

Or if you’re starting a new job it is even more critical to make that big, positive splash in the first 30-60-90 days.  And having a good 100 day plan is critical to that success.

The 100 Day Plan

The 100 day plan isn’t a new concept.  It is often used both for those implementing the plan as well as those on the outside evaluating an administration’s success.

It is common in evaluating political administrations as they come into office.

And it is common for leadership transitions in business.

Change is often both exciting and scary.

And people like to make assessments of a situation quickly.  The 100 day plan is a way to do that.

But it isn’t just Presidents and CEO’s who can implement a good 100 day plan.  You can too.

Whether you are a middle manager looking to transform a workgroup or project team to achieve your annual big goal (and get that raise or bonus).

Or you are a project coordinator or telecom construction manager or site acquisition specialist looking to make your mark.

Take these concepts and make them your own.

By implementing these you’ll rocket your career forward and be that “go-to” person everyone wants on their team (and that means future job opportunities where you set the terms, not them).

So back to the Trump example, let’s see what he did and how you can use the same concepts to replicate that success in your job situation.

The Grand Vision

Nothing great starts without a compelling vision.  Something visible, interesting, maybe somewhat controversial.

For Trump it was “The Wall”.

He told everyone what he was going to do…Build a Wall (and it would be huuuge).  And Mexico would pay for it.

You don’t get bigger and more audacious than that.

So what is your grand vision?  Or one you can pull from the company goals?

Most big companies these days have a performance review process.  As part of that process people are expected to set goals for themselves (or their bosses do it for them).  In most cases these goals are designed to align with the company’s strategic goals.  Whether that is delivering a big project (in my wireless telecom project that could be delivering the Plan of Execution (POE) – that is often another version of the client’s 100 day and annual plan).

So first you need to find out what are the important objectives for your company.  And then ask and brainstorm how you can influence those results from your role and your team’s role.

Once you come up with that big goal or plan (in my telecom development world it could be “Start Construction within a Week of Site Acquisition Complete”).  Those in telecom know that doesn’t typically happen.  PO’s, landlord access issues, weather, materials.  You name it, there are things that can derail you.

But this is a Grand Vision you and your team can very much understand.  And then everyone on the team can bring ideas and implement things in their area of responsibility to make this happen.

But great things can’t happen without…

Work With High Achievers

Trump didn’t do the standard politician thing of appointing bureaucrats to pay off political favors and do his bidding while screwing over the country.

No, he brought in top performers.  Doers.  Transformative Leaders.  People with the same vision and implementation style (do it now and break the rules instead of just melting into the toxic beltway bubble).

It is the same with great companies.

You don’t achieve awesome results by micromanaging everyone.  There just isn’t enough time in the day to do that.

You need highly motivated people driven for success.

Not all “A” players.  But definitely a lot of “A” and “B” players who are motivated to succeed.

I’ve worked with a lot of these people over the years and have found you can accomplish so much more with good people who are compelled by a Grand Vision and their own desire to succeed and grow in their career.

They make things happen.  They develop trust.  And team members start having an almost psychic connection with each other where they complete each others’ sentences and just know what needs to be done.

You need to work with high achievers.  And if you aren’t with them, you know who they are and where they are.  Connect with them and start preparing to make your next move in their direction.   Good people want to work with other good people.  It makes everyone better.  You need to be thinking that way.

Which takes us next to the…

Create an Implementation Plan

No grand goal is complete without the key 30-60-90 day steps or milestones to get your grand objective accomplished.  Trump used his knowledge of business, real estate deals, and project management (he’s known for getting projects done ahead of schedule and under budget) to lay out an aggressive but achievable plan.

You need to break down your plan in the same way.   What are the intermediate steps or objectives that will get you there?

Lay out those building blocks.  Look at the things that are limiting factors in your success.

Is it certain people you need on the team?  Or certain skillsets?  Or training?  Or a re-engineered process?

Look at the details and your Implementation Plan will be your roadmap to success.

But that roadmap is worthless without…

Action, Action, Action

You need to hit the ground running.  The greatest plans are worthless if you aren’t willing to put in the action and hours to turn your vision into reality.

Trump is known for an incredible work ethic.  He works all the time and never lets up.  He’s passionate about his work and will not let laziness stand in his way.

And you need to do the same.  Whether it is the start of a new year, the start of a new project, or starting a new job, or you’re in a turnaround situation.

And with the new smartphone age of super short attention spans, you really need to show incredible progress in the first 30 days of a new initiative or opportunity.

So bring that implementation plan, cue up your actions on Sundays so come Monday morning you’re hitting the ground and ticking off those actions and getting results quickly each week and over the first 30 days.

But what happens when you face others who are not on board?

Dealing Swiftly With Naysayers

Trump is known for his work on “The Apprentice” and his catch phrase, “You’re Fired!”

In his first days in the White House he demonstrated this by immediately firing the interim Attorney General who was actively undermining his position (by telling the bureaucrats under her to not follow Trump’s executive order that set certain immigration guidelines she didn’t agree with).

As with the AG, anyone who undermines his work, will likely be fired immediately and replaced with people who will commit to the vision.

And similarly, if you’re in a leadership position or a turnaround situation you need to be aware of who’s in and who’s out as well.  And you’ll need to make appropriate changes quickly if you want to avoid the “naysayers” sinking your ship.

One of Trump’s biggest challenges is he’s bucking the system.  And a lot of the bureaucrats who didn’t vote for him are vehemently opposed to him and his agenda.  As such, they’ve they’ve undermined his initiatives by leading information to media (who are very willing to spread an anti-Trump message).

I’m sure that will lead to some action (like Reagan’s firing of the air traffic controllers) to send a message that will begin the transformation.  Will it be a big impact in the VA?  Or something similar?  We’ll have to wait and see.

You may have to do the same.  Gossip and negativity spreads like wildfire and can kill momentum.  So you need to bring along those that support you, convince those that are on the fence, and replace those who actively oppose you (yes, you need some who will challenge you but support the final decision, but once that decision is made you can’t have people undermining that decision).

And the good 100 day plan you have will help you through that.

Reflection and Revision and Repeat

Like every great plan, it is often obsolete on Day 1.

Things change, often rapidly.  And you need to be prepared with contingency plans.  Backups to backups.  And be willing to adjust your approach as new information presents itself.

The great leader will be able to roll with change and still align it to his master plan.

And you need to do the same.  Flexibility is critical when you’re dealing with people and implementing rapid change.  But if you can be flexible, you can get a lot accomplished.

Document, document, document.

Documentation provides clarity.

As you’re setting expectations with your team, being clear on what you want from them and how you’re holding them accountable is critical.  Too often we do that after the fact or are not clear ourselves and expect everyone to figure it out themselves.  Not a recipe for success.

That can be preparing a more formalized Project Plan that lays out your expectations for each person’s contribution.  Or it can be job descriptions and definitions of success for each role that will help ensure the vision is achieved and the results flow.

And you also need to document your successes.  And this can also then help you so you can…

Reward Success

So you laid out a great plan, implemented it, and saw success.

But did you forget to acknowledge and reward those who supported your vision and implemented their part successfully?

And it isn’t just about money (although that is important to hiring and keeping great people too).

Life is too short not to share success with others.  And no grand plan is achievable without the contributions of your team members, vendors, clients, etc.

So make sure you’re providing regular and specific acknowledgement of the performers.  And share those successes with the group and show how their contributions are getting everyone close to the goal.

This reinforces a positive feedback loop that reinforces success and energizes the team.

Implement Now!

So what are you waiting for?  Why are you still here?  Go make 2017 awesome.  Get started today.  Start putting together your 100 Day Plan.

Need strategic guidance on your own 100 Day Plan?

Or have you decided you want to investigate other options outside your current situation where you might have more opportunities to achieve your own grand visions and work with other top performers?

Then contact me and see whether it might make sense to work together in some form (finding you that next opportunity or career coaching or strategic opportunity evaluation).

Regardless of how you move forward, make sure you do move forward.  Life is too short not to.  And you’ll find the ride is awesome!

Is An Avalanche Headed Your Way?

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psd / Foter.com / CC BY

If you buy an Apple product you expect to get the coolest must-have electronic gadget available.  But service is secondary.  You need to work around their schedule, not the other way around.  But you know that when you buy their products.

And that  is the way with most things that are in high demand.  Where they have a virtual monopoly and can make the rules.

But where there is competition.  And where you do have choices.  Caring for your client does matter.

Are they really doing you a favor?

This week I felt like a few vendors I work with had that same approach.  Where they were doing us a favor by providing their services to us.  And that may be true.  Or it may not be.  We’ll see where things go in the  future.

But I also experienced a truly value-based approach with high level of customer service and follow up.

And the experience was very different.  I’ll lay several customer service examples – you be the judge.  Which vendors would you choose to do more business with in the future?  And which ones may have an avalanche coming their way that could put a dent in their future prospects?

 

Situation #1 – Great start, fumbled finish

  • New Vendor
  • Promises will use their best resources and provide a good result
  • Vendor jumps on a last minute project
  • Good quality result prior to paperwork delivery
  • Go back work required
  • Vendor doesn’t respond with paperwork or expected delivery date in expected timeframe
  • Vendor vents frustration that we’re being difficult our paperwork requests
  • Vendor does not circle back with original contact to find out how work went and get additional feedback

Situation #2 – Great start, fantastic finish

  • New Vendor
  • Vendor promise best resources and a good result but will have some bumps along the way as they learn our processes and bring in some other value adds that will help us longer term
  • Vendor jumps on a last minute project
  • Good quality result prior to paperwork delivery
  • Go back work required
  • Vendor jumps on the fixes right away
  • Vendor follows up to discuss lessons learned and proposes additional offerings to fit our needs

Situation #3 – Clueless Complacency

  • Vendor shows up late to job site where timeliness is critical
  • Claims bad traffic
  • Vendor representative is contacted by management to find out what happened
  • Vendor representative says that it isn’t that important to show up on time since once the project is underway no one will remember the start lateness
  • Our client does not feel the same way and escalates accordingly

Situation #4 – Failure to Communicate

  • Vendor is a quality vendor who has a solid history
  • Vendor has internal issues that affects the ability to do future work
  • Vendor does not inform us
  • Vendor stops returning phone calls
  • Vendor representative is contacted by management and they share their challenges

Situation #5 – Effective Communication

  • Vendor is a quality vendor who has a solid history
  • Vendor is contacted for work and mentions they have another project that will keep them busy for the next month and they won’t be able to take on new work

Situation #6 – Inward Focus to the Detriment of Client’s Goals

  • Vendor is a quality vendor who has a solid history
  • Vendor team member communicates that their company has put limits on them that could cause them to miss a deadline
  • This is not communicated by Vendor Management

 

When dealing with complex projects, communication and commitment to the shared goals and deadlines is critical for success.

And although projects can be difficult and there are times where you want to openly share information and times when you want to dig in deeper before sharing, not communicating in a timely fashion and not caring about your client’s client is often a recipe for disaster.

But it is amazing how few business owners (and their staff) see it that way.  And what it does is ultimately create bad blood and cost them business.

Communicate freely and regularly and align yourself with your client’s goals

Open and honest sharing of information (although painful at times) will often help everyone hit their objectives quicker and easier.  And ensure a flow of future work.

So if you are facing difficult situations.  Remember these examples before you try to bury things and shade the truth with your team and clients.  Because although you may avoid a blowup in the short term, the long term could be the death of your company.

Ultimate Productivity Tips List: 74 Impactful Ways to Get the Most from Your Day

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Ultimate Productivity Tips List

You’re hurried and harried.  Trying to get everything done in your life.  And at times it seems overwhelming.  Like there’s no way to stay up with it all and get things done.

But there is hope.  After scouring the best productivity tips I could find, here is my 74 “ultimate productivity tips list” that will supercharge your results…and get your sanity back.

NOTE: Checking out all these resources will take some time. You can read it all right now, try to remember to bookmark it, OR you can download the entire Ultimate Productivity Tips List in ebook form for FREE and read it later…and get the “Ultimate List: 156 Most-Read Marketing Blogs” ebook thrown in as well.

 

  1. Schedule time in advance – Here you pick a block of time to work on a specific project or task, put it into your calendar.  By doing that you’re more likely to do the work than just trying to fit it in.
  2. Unplug the TV and put it in the closet – TV is a distraction that some people just can’t get past.  Now this may not work if you’re not the only one in the house but it is worth trying.  You’ll find you either get more work done or have a much more satisfying family life – where you actually pay attention to each other.
  3. Set a timer for 35 minutes – Breaking down your time into manageable increments and then setting a timer and working until it ends will help you stay focused and completing more work than you could without that regimen.
  4. Shut off the phone, wifi, and close yourself in a room – Imagine no phone calls, no texts, no emails, no interruptions from other people.  Just you and your project to knock out.  What would be put off for weeks or months can often be knocked out in a short-focused session or two.  I’ve recommended this to people I’ve managed and they’ve knocked out large to-do-lists in a day or two that had been hanging on for weeks and months.
  5. Determine your best “Productivity Window”  – Are you one of those annoying morning people who wake up all bright and cheery?  Or are you someone who loves to stay up late and is used to partying all night?  Do you crash after lunch?  Whatever it is, determine your most productive hours of the day and make sure to schedule your most critical tasks to be accomplished during those hours.  Also look outside yourself and to the people you need to interact with.  If you’re in sales are you meeting with prospects and clients on Tuesdays and Wednesdays?  Or are you squandering those prime times with paperwork and showing up on Mondays when their buried and can’t meet with you or Fridays when they cut out early for the weekend or are burnt out from the week?
  6. Take a walk – Getting exercise can be as simple as taking a walk.  You’ll clear your mind and be relaxed and ready to tackle things when you return.  This is particularly important if you find yourself spinning your wheels and not getting going.  Often physical movement will clear your head and help you return to a more productive you.
  7. Create a Success Journal – Often we think we haven’t accomplished much.  But keeping track of successes big and small will often improve your mood and increase your motivation.  I’ve also used this as an employee to help with annual reviews.  We typically forget all the progress made in a week, month or year.  Without documenting that you often lose track and don’t realize how successful you’ve been.
  8. Commit to it publicly – For some people embarrassment or failure is a huge motivator.  So take advantage of that by telling others what you’re accomplishing.  You won’t want to have to worry about not following through and having them ask you about it.  So you’re more likely to do it.
  9. Pay money – I’ve had mixed results with this. But often in sales sales managers like to have salespeople with spending habits they can barely afford.  The thought is that if they have to make that sale to pay the rent, mortgage, or car payment they will make the next sales call and close deals.  The challenge is often people will buy something like a course or attend a conference but then they don’t follow through and just rationalize that at least they learned something.  Money can, but doesn’t always motivate.
  10. Set goals – Goal setting (and tracking progress towards them) is a time-tested way to make progress.  When in doubt, set goals for more than you thought you could do.  You’ll often accomplish more that way.  Human nature has a habit of either reaching the goal or stopping just short.  So if you goal is bigger, you’ll get farther with a more challenging goal. 
  11. Chunk your time – Different tasks can and should happen at different points in a day or week.  So when you’re planning your tasks make sure to break your calendar into chunks and schedule accordingly.
  12. To do list – The good old fashioned to do list is a time saver by helping you jump into a task rather than wasting time trying to remember what tasks you were going to do and prioritizing them.  That is done in advance with to do lists.
  13. List of 3 to 5 most important things to get done that day – This keeps it manageable and memorable.  It also prevents overwhelm.  When you have a list of 20 items, getting started on the first often seems hardly worth it.  So by shortening your list you are more likely to stay motivated and knock them out.
  14. Evernote app for your cell phone – Keep your to do lists with you on your phone so you have them when you need them.
  15. Procrastinate Effectively – Coming up with great ideas takes time.  If, for example, you’re trying to come up with a cool blog post, you can sit at your computer and tell yourself, “Think dammit!” But you won’t find that creativity springing forth.  If however you go for a walk or a run or to the store or cook dinner – you get the picture.  You’ll find that ideas jump out of you like little leprechauns on steroids.  Then when you sit down at the computer you have all the energy and insight at your fingertips.  And you knock out that post in record time.
  16. Plan your day – Take 5 to 10 minutes at the start or end of each day to plan the upcoming day.  Then you’ll be ready to tackle your priorities right away instead of having to figure them out when all the craziness starts.
  17. Two-touch rule – If it is simple then knock it out then.  If not then schedule it for later and tackle it then.  But don’t keep picking up the document or task and put it down and pick it up and put it down.  You’ll never be productive that way.
  18. Know the difference between urgent and important – Some urgent tasks need to be done right away.  But if your important tasks (which are often the most difficult) are tackled early, they often don’t get done.  And you or your business suffers.
  19. Single-task – Multitasking sounds like a great idea.  But often what happens is you just keep jumping from one fire to the next.  By focusing on a single task and going until it is complete, you’ll find you actually get more tasks accomplished.  The biggest culprit with multitasking is your smartphone and email.  If you’ve cleared those two out of the way then single-tasking is child’s play.
  20. Take breaks – Typically no more than 35 minutes in a sitting.  But test out different time durations for you.  You may be the Type “A” ADD personality who can’t sit still for more than a few minutes.  Or maybe you can sit and work hours on a project without loss of productivity.  Do what works for you but getting up and moving around will often help you get more done faster.
  21. Be realistic about time – I’m guilty of this often.  I think something will take an hour to accomplish.  And an hour and a half later I’m still wrapping it up.  We are often horrible at estimating time.  But you can get better by setting timers and then seeing how long it actually takes to accomplish something.  And by guessing and then confirming the time results you can get better at it.
  22. Stop perfectionism – Not everything has to be perfect.  And if you strive to be perfect in everything then you’ll find tasks take longer and your results suffer.  There are times when good enough really is good enough.
  23. Delegate – You don’t need to do everything.  Is there something that someone else could do faster, cheaper, with less brain damage?  Entrepreneurs in particular often need to be focused on only the things that they and only they can do to drive the business forward.  Everything else should be delegated to employees or contractors or family members or just not done at all.
  24. Just do it! – Sometimes the Nike slogan is all appropriate.  There are times where you just have to jump in and get going.  Kick yourself in the butt or get someone to do it for you.  Whether that is an accountability partner, coach, family member, peer, boss.
  25. Listen to podcast or audio course while commuting – It used to be cassette tapes and CD’s.  Now podcasts are the rage.  Driving time is learning time.  Take advantage of that time and you may find that the ideas are flowing once you arrive at your destination. 
  26. Take a 10 minute power nap – If you’re dragging, knock out a nap.  Set the timer on your phone and take a nap on your couch or in your car.  In 10 minutes you’ll be back energized and raring to go.
  27. Brainstorm during non-work time – I know this could come off as being a workaholic or not paying attention to family.  But there are lots of times throughout the day where you can drift off and think and figure and kick cool ideas around in your head.  Whether during trips in the car, in the store, exercising, getting ready for work in the morning.  Anywhere that you have tasks you can do on autopilot.  Those are the times to let your mind go wild.
  28. Schedule set times in the day to make/return phone calls and send emails – By setting a couple times a day to tackle emails and phone calls (assuming you have the flexibility) you will knock those out fast and not keep interrupting other high value tasks by the constant interruption of your smartphone.
  29. 10 minute hourglass – A version of the timer but with a shorter duration to knock out quick tasks.  10 minutes keeps you ultra-focused.  Great for household chores.  You can even make it into a challenge. How many 10 minute chores can you do before you exceed 10 minutes?
  30. Get your family or coworkers on board – If they know in advance the limits you’re setting and how they benefit everyone then you’ll be less likely to have them dragging your productivity down.  This is especially important from people who work from home…where distractions are everywhere and “work time” isn’t often as respected as at the office.
  31. Hire a virtual assistant – You can use them to do almost any task you don’t want to do.  Certainly anything administrative comes to mind.
  32. Early to rise – Although some of you are more productive at night (after kids go to bed) than early, early morning risers typically accomplish more because at the start of the day you’re more rested.  At the end of the day you’re more tired and focusing becomes difficult (along with creativity).
  33. Break the job into parts – Often tasks seem overwhelming and you don’t know where to start.  But if you break the overall task into smaller bite-sized pieces, you’re more likely to get started.
  34. Apply the Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule) – All tasks are not created equal.  Tackle the 20% that get you 80% of your results first.
  35. Tackle the most difficult or painful task first – It will make the rest of your day a breeze and get you in an awesome habit that will pay big dividends in your future work life.
  36. Set a deadline – No deadline means it will take MUCH LONGER than it would with a deadline.  Not setting deadlines is just lazy (that’s your coach telling you to make it happen).
  37. Put in the headphones – May keep coworkers from distracting you with needless questions or water cooler discussions about office gossip.
  38. Set your phone to stun! – Okay maybe not.  The Star Trek phaser isn’t in your smartphone…yet.  But turn off the notifications for email and your social stuff (i.e. Facebook notifications, news updates, sports scores)
  39. Clear out your email in box – File or delete anything you’re not actively working.  And once a week really do a purge.  I challenge anyone who says they can be productive and find things with a thousand emails in their inbox.
  40. Use keystroke shortcuts instead of the mouse – If you’re on a computer all day those keystroke shortcuts can save a boatload of time.
  41. Wait for others to respond – When your work requires you to live in your email box, and emails are flying fast and furious, sometimes you can wait for others to respond and solve the problem.  Then just sort by subject and move the whole group to a folder once the problem is resolved.  You can often clear 5-20 emails in a shot.
  42. Get enough sleep – Lack of sleep will make you cranky and unproductive.  Get it in.
  43. Avoid the sugar rush – Watch what you eat and make sure it is supporting you.  I won’t lecture you on what is bad for you but just be aware and adjust accordingly.
  44. Take a vacation – If you can take two weeks off in a row you’ll find you’ve lost the insanity you had being caught up in the hamster wheel.  Of course you may find that you are so relaxed it will take a few days to amp back up.
  45. Track your time – Don’t know why you aren’t getting anything accomplished?  Log what you do each day for a week.  You’ll find out pretty quick where your time is being squandered.  Then you can reprioritize your day.
  46. Apply the 2-minute rule – If a task will take less than two minutes to complete…do it now.
  47. Be decisive – Pick something and go with it.  Action wins 9 times out of 10 over overthinking.
  48. Practice saying no – By not doing other’s work you will free your schedule for what is important to you.
  49. Set mini-deadlines – Setting deadlines for subsets of the overall task will ensure the big project stays on schedule.
  50. Make it a habit – If you have certain tasks that need to be accomplished regularly, set a certain time each day to tackle those tasks (like writing) so it becomes a habit you no longer have to think about or make a decision about. 
  51. Reduce clutter – Clutter can make getting things done more difficult or finding what you need.  At the same time a clean desk may be too clean and make it hard to get going (like a blank page).
  52. Practice punctuality – By being consistently on time you’ll more likely hit your deadlines and other commitments.
  53. Get clear – If you don’t know where you’re headed you won’t get there.  And fuzzy goals or unclear steps will leave you spinning your wheels.
  54. Call or walk over and discuss the issue – emails and texts can often spiral out of control.  Particularly when tone comes off wrong.  If you can call or visit the person to sort things out.  Often disagreements over email can be resolved quickly by phone or in person.  And people are rarely and underhanded and evil as you assume from emails.
  55. Ask for help – If you’re not making progress on something, often getting help – brainstorming or helping provide clear direction – can get you moving forward again.
  56. Document it – If you’re learning something new that is going to be done repetitively.  Or if you are going to train someone else.  Take detailed notes.  Then test your notes against the task.  Like a pre-flight checklist a pilot uses, your notes can reduce time and redo’s.
  57. Handle tasks in batches – When I had a paper route my brother and I would get all the insert ads stacked in a row then we’d pull the top one off each stack and put it into the newspaper.  By doing that we could knock out the task in a fraction of the time if we didn’t batch things.
  58. Be flexible – Nothing ever goes as planned so roll with the punches.
  59. Create or join a mastermind group – you can hold each other accountable.
  60. Hire a coach or mentor – They’ll help you both keep on track as well as see things that you might be too close to.  And they often have experience you don’t that can shortcut you to better solutions.
  61. Work before pleasure – I know pleasure is fun.  But you won’t accomplish much in the instant gratification culture.  Knock out your work then enjoy the rewards.
  62. Take massive action in one session – If you want to make major progress, hole up in a hotel room for a week by yourself and go crazy.  Or do a three hour binge work session.  Short work sessions feel productive but focused big chunks of time can move you along dramatically.  Blogging daily for a month will jump start a blog versus starting once a week.  You can scale back later but the positive momentum is now there.
  63. Write until done – Writing articles or blog posts just doesn’t work in multiple sessions.  You lose the tone, the feel of the article if you start and stop.  So go until it is done.
  64. Don’t edit while you write – Your writing will slow to a glacial pace if you try to write and edit together.  Write first then edit later.
  65. Work your passion – You will just get more accomplished if you are passionate about it.  So go figure out your passion and go do it!
  66. Simplify – A simple life is easier lived.  Get rid of things that require too much maintenance for the value they provide you.  Declutter.  Focus on what’s important.
  67. Automate – Whatever processes or procedures you can use technology for, do it.
  68. Take breaks – Walk outside to get some fresh air and stretch your legs.
  69. Use checklists – Checklists reduce planning time.  You just do the next item on the checklist.  And it can ensure better accuracy as well so you don’t have to do a task over.
  70. Do Not Disturb Sign – Put up a do not disturb sign or indicate the time you’ll be back or hold office hours.  Or close the door.  Those all help reduce interruptions from others in your office.
  71. Let the phone call go to voicemail – Is it really that urgent?  Often they won’t leave a message and it saves a 15 minute discussion.
  72. Reduce or eliminate useless meetings – Meetings can eat up a day in no time.  So regularly assess if a meeting is necessary, if it is critical you attend, and who else really needs to be there.  Shorter, fewer, and meetings with fewer attendees will make all meetings more productive.
  73. OHIO – Only Handle It Once – words to live by.  Not always possible but a target to strive for with paper and emails…or dirty dishes.
  74. Work from home – It is simple.  You save the commute time and eliminate a ton of distractions.

Hope you enjoyed this list.  Let me know which ones you found most helpful.  Post a comment.  Also help others by tweeting, sharing and liking on the social media channels you use.

Thank you.

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