Simple Strategies

from Able Leader, June 2008

by Steve Kaye

Life is complex.

Most people feel like they live in a whirlwind of too much to do. It's enough to make you numb.

Here are three ways to gain control of your time and your life.

1) Simplify Your Home

A disorganized home will depress and distract you.

On the other hand, an organized home becomes an energizing refuge from the chaos outside.

Start with your closet. Remove everything that you have not worn for the past two years and donate it to a charity. If you haven't worn it recently, it's probably out of style, not needed, and causing clutter.

Then go through your house. Collect everything that you no longer use and donate these things to charity. Or toss them out.

And finally, take care of everything that is broken. These lingering monuments of things to do, whisper "Fix me" every time you pass them. Silence them by either 1) fixing them (if they are worth keeping), 2) donating them, or 3) throwing them away.

2) Simplify Your Work

Make your work environment an efficient tool that maximizes your productivity.

Start with your desk or workplace. Remove everything except those things that you use daily. Put everything else away in drawers, file cabinets, archives, or the trash. A clean work space gives you the freedom to concentrate on the task in front of you.

Next, put away loose papers. The secret to efficient filing is to set up places (or destinations) to put things. So, you may have to invest a little time organizing file folders or other target locations for the things that accumulate during your work.

Make a list of your daily tasks. Then rate them on two counts: 1) value to your company and 2) ease to perform. In doing your job, concentrate on the high value tasks that are the easiest to perform. Similarly, ignore the low value difficult tasks. This will maximize the amount of high value work that you perform for your business.

Of course, use common sense. For example, some difficult tasks are essential and must be done. If possible, meet with your boss to plan priorities so that you maximize the use of your time at work.

3) Simplify Your Life

Start with the ordinary things. This includes taking care of tasks the first time that they come around, such as paying bills on time, starting projects early, and honoring agreements. These situations become more expensive and difficult the longer you wait to complete them.

Combine activities, errands, and other responsibilities. Let existing systems take care of work for you, instead of inventing a new process. Delegate jobs to others who can do them.

Return phone calls. Recognize that people often need to talk with you before proceeding with their projects. And without a return call, they don't even know if their messages are reaching you.

Avoid complications. Seek the easiest way to deal with events in your life. Avoid arguments over minor issues, comply with policies and rules, and deal with dilemmas as soon as possible. Note that meddling in other people's affairs can balloon into expensive and impossible campaigns.

One note: you will have to invest some time implementing these suggestions. And if you have a lot of clutter, you may have a huge task ahead of you. So, make it easy for your self.

Nibble through this gradually. For example, instead of watching TV, spend an evening eliminating clutter from one room. Often, clutter goes away in layers. That is, once you remove some, you find more clutter that you can discard. Similarly, bring a sandwich to work so that you can spend part of your lunch time preparing a filing system. And in general, set boundaries to protect yourself from time consuming complications.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300