Tag: margin

Lessons from Millie… Turning off the agenda

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We got a dog for Christmas. Yep, I finally gave in. Those who are closer to us know that I have been holding out on this one, while Adena and the girls have wanted a dog for years.

It hasn’t been a surprise that much of Millie’s regular walks are handled by yours truly. The girls are not quite to the point of doing it on their own. And when given the opportunity of staying home or walking with us, they frequently prefer the former, especially while it’s been cold outside.

To give Adena room to focus on homeschooling and starting the day well, I typically take Millie out for her morning jaunt around the block right before I head out to work. One of our recent strolls, I was struck with a revelation – Millie has no agenda and maybe it would be good for me to try turning off my agenda sometimes.

Too much on my mind

You see, when we head out, I have two or three things in my head.
1. Millie needs to take care of her, ahem, business.
2. We need to get around the block and back to the house.
3. What will I be moving onto next in my day? My first meeting, the pressing project, the unfinished work from yesterday, etc.

But Millie isn’t thinking about any of those things. She’s enjoying the sights and sounds of our neighborhood which somehow change every day for her, while they look exactly the same for me. She’s taking her time and if she wants to stop, just to sniff a patch of grass, she will do just that. In fact, I’m even starting to see that sometimes she is just happy to be WITH ME!

Turning off

And then it occurred to me, I might need to follow Millie’s example from time to time and try turning off my agenda. It isn’t necessary to have an agenda every moment of the day. Or even every day of the week. (I’ve written a post on the importance of margin here; guess I needed a new object lesson on that!)

Make some time today for turning off your agenda. Go for a walk and see the sights and sounds of your neighborhood. And try to do it with fresh eyes. Millie and I may see you there!

Formula for Forward Progress

Ingredients for Forward ProgressI’ve been working through a number of projects lately and I’ve started to see progress in multiple categories. It occurred to me that, in my experience, progress has a very simple formula. To use math lingo, I would contend that Progress is a function of New Ideas, Spare Bandwidth, and Resources. If you hold all of these constant, you will likely maintain the status quo.

Ingredients for Forward Progress

If you can increase at least one of the three, though, I believe progress will result. Here’s why:

  • New Ideas: If you only think about your challenges or operations the way you’ve always thought about them, you’re not likely to see change. New ideas, or innovation, can come from visiting someone else’s organization, going to a training event, or bringing new perspectives into the team. Increase your openness to new ideas and your capacity to think differently. It will pay off.
  • Spare Bandwidth: I’ve written more about margin here, but let me summarize by saying that you can’t build toward progress if you spend all of your time doing the same things. If you can’t break out of your own time routines, it may be time to bring someone in who can contribute spare bandwidth to your efforts. (In the not-for-profit arena, finding a volunteer with some experience in your area of weakness and bandwidth to help you build is a big way to add value.)
  • Resources: Sometimes you have plenty of new ideas and even the bandwidth to execute them, but your limiting factor is resources, financial or otherwise. If you’re a leader with financial decision-making authority, watch for this to be a lid for your team. If new ideas and spare bandwidth are going under-utilized, you may want to look for a way to allocate additional resources.
As in math, you don’t necessarily have to increase every value to achieve a greater result. Adding new ideas can cause progress even if you hold bandwidth and resources constant. And the same is true for each. In fact, sometimes new ideas or spare bandwidth can help you continue to make progress even if you need to decrease resources (cost-savings innovations, e.g.).
Paying attention to these three factors will help you lead your team forward toward your goals and vision.

You can’t manage time…

Time Management is one of those things people spend lots of time trying to figure out. The reality though is that the clock keeps going regardless of your efforts. The only thing you can manage is yourself and how you use or invest the hours of your day.

Here are some tips for using your days wisely:
time management

Take a break

Surprisingly, you get more done if you’re rested and refreshed. Spend an appropriate amount of time sleeping, in recreation, and in activities that develop your mind and capacity.

Think priorities

What is most important to you? If you focus on this first, you’re more likely to accomplish that. If you are unfocused, time will fill up, but likely not with the most important things.

Make decisions

Lingering over decisions will slow progress, sometimes needlessly. I’m not suggesting adopting a reckless posture, but there comes a time when decisions need to be made. At that point, make it and move on.

Take notes

I have heard it said that the dullest pencil is better than the sharpest mind for permanent recall. I carry a notebook with me almost everywhere I go. I also use EverNote as a tool on my phone so I’m rarely without some capacity to keep up with things discussed in a meeting. I’ve found that taking notes makes meetings much more productive. It also reduces the likelihood of needing to revisit things repeatedly.

Involve others

This also makes the work fun. Delegation and teamwork will enable you to accomplish more with your time.

What else?

Any other insights you’ve found for getting more done?