213 Shares In my recent NewHabits-NewGoals time management programs I have noticed a disturbing trend: now, there is always at least 10% of the class that is unable to comply with my request to turn off their Blackberrys or iPhones for the duration of the class. This needs to be put in context, however. None of the people sitting in my classes are emergency room surgeons, firemen or policemen. I am not delivering these programs in a war zone, during a hurricane or in the middle of a tornado. Yet, they find it absolutely... More »
149 Shares During the course of the average working day, we make a number of promises to get back to people. We make some of them verbally or in writing directly. At other times, we quietly make a personal promise to ourselves. Many of us are resigned to what we believe is God’s cruel trick – not giving us enough hours in the day to respond to everyone. Others complain that they can never find the time. The problem is that almost no-one tells the truth – their time management system isn’t doing the... More »
90 Shares “I’m feeling guilty because I procrastinate too much” A quick search on Twitter confirmed my hunch. There are a lot of people talking about procrastination, and the tweets I surveyed are filled with feelings of guilt, regret and remorse. The word “procrastinate” is a heavy one, and I believe that people are trying to solve the problem the wrong way, leaving them with baggage that just won’t seem to go away no matter what they do. Procrastination: Not a Problem! Perhaps procrastination simply isn’t the problem we think it is. Webster’s Dictionary... More »
“Most people who attempt to learn a new time management system fail.” I can’t prove the above statement with hard facts, but I have a sense that it’s true, based on my personal experience and observations. If success is defined as 100% successful implementation, then that statistic is most certainly true. On the other hand, perhaps 99% of the people who take a time management program put down the book, or drive back home, agreeing with 100% of the ideas. So, the million dollar question is: what’s the problem? Did the time... More »
13 Shares You know you are in a bit of trouble when your boss tells you that you need to improve your time management skills. In times past, when training budgets were somewhat normal the solution was easy. Sign up for a class in New Jersey, make sure that the boss is involved in the planning, offer a one page post-course “summary,” and email a thank-you for the life-changing opportunity. Simple. Nowadays, however, the boss is likely to deny the cost of the tuition, flight, hotel and meal expenses while still expecting to see... More »
142 Shares A few months ago as I was travelling through LaGuardia airport, I caught site of a fellow traveller with his two hands clicking away on his Blackberry. What looked a bit different was the fact that both his hands were above his head, clicking away on the keyboard as he stared upwards at the device. What was truly bizarre was the fact that he was using the urinal in the men’s room at the same time… “multi-tasking.” Apart from the health and hygiene considerations that make most of us cringe (I figure... More »
A participant in one of my time management workshops recently shared that her corporate culture has evolved to the point where a manager who owns a Blackberry is expected to respond to email within the hour. In a few of those instances in which she took too long to respond, the results was an email to her boss’s boss with a complaint. This made me wonder… What happens when an employee receives the “gift” of a Blackberry or iPhone from their company? What unpoken expectations are delivered along with the smartphone? What... More »
