Recently I did a keynote presentation to over 200 sale managers from a large corporation. It was a pleasure to be asked to speak to this fine group. What was even more exciting was to walk into their corporate facility and see the “set up” of the meeting. They had taken the concepts from “Juggling Elephants” and wrapped it around the theme for their conference. In the lobby they had set up a concession stand for the breaks where they served drinks, popcorn (popped fresh in a circus like popcorn machine), and cotton candy. The Directors had dressed up in a variety of circus outfits (gypsies, barkers, clowns, etc.) with the M.C. and the vice president dressed as a ringmaster. Every detail was covered right down to circus music that played at the breaks. Each participant had been given the book “Juggling Elephants” prior to the conference and were encouraged to read it before attending. This was a group, like most of us, that has plenty of acts in their circus. The stage was set for us to have a fun yet very frank discussion on the importance of being the Ringmaster of our circuses and creating the performance of a lifetime. I would highly recommend such a setup and experience to any organization whose employees are feeling overwhelmed with too much to do. Taking an intermission to refocus is critical and will bring a return on the investment.
Living Life Intentionally
It is so easy to get caught up in the “thick of thin things.” To work a full day at your job, being real busy and leaving the office thinking, “What did I actually accomplish of worth today?”
It can happen in your personal life as well. 5 years go by like a flash and you look back and think, “what have I accomplished?” I have done some good things. I have been busy. I have been keeping those “elephants” up in the air but, have I progressed in taking my life, my relationships, my career to the next level?
Life is meant to be lived intentionally. More than ever, we are faced with so many distractions that get in the way. What needs to be turned off? What needs to be removed? What changes do you need to make in your life so that you can add in those dreams and goals that you want to achieve?
Be intentional. Choose one thing. Write it down. Make a plan. Hang it on the wall as a reminder. Focus on it. Work on it daily. Baby steps. It is what will help you get up in the morning.
One Easy Way to Fail
I enjoyed an article in INC Magazine recently titled, “How Hard Could It Be?: Five Easy Ways to Fail” by Joel Spolsky – The article mentioned five reasons technology projects go wrong. In line with the message of Juggling Elephants was Mistake No. 5: Work till midnight. Some highlights from the article are:
“There's a whole body of literature establishing that working more hours doesn't produce software any faster. Edward Yourdon, the software entrepreneur and author, dubbed this kind of project the ‘death march.’”
“Software development takes immense intellectual effort. Even the best programmers can rarely sustain that level of effort for more than a few hours a day. Beyond that, they need to rest their brains a bit.”
“Compelling employees to spend even more hours sitting in front of a computer won't really translate into more output--or if it does, it will be the wrong kind of output.”
“Running a death march is not the only way to make a project late and a budget buster. But it is a surefire way to do so.”
I think the same concepts apply to “non-programmers” as well. A lot of times we feel that if we work longer hours we will be more productive and get more done. The reality is that the law of diminishing returns applies. We need to take daily intermissions and “rest our brains a bit”. We need to maintain a good performance in all the rings of our life. A good, focused, 8 hour day will deliver better results in the long run.
The Value of the Quad Pen
One tip that I have found to be simple but helpful in managing my 3 ring circus is to use a quad-pen on a master calendar. A quad pen has 3 colors of ink (black, blue and red) and a pencil all built into the same writing device. I write all of the activities going on in my life on one calendar but I use the colors from the quad pen to differentiate the three rings of my life. I use black for my business appointments, blue for my personal activities and red for the activities that relate to my relationships. I use the pencil for appointments that are tentative and have not yet confirmed.
This method keeps my calendar organized but also gives me a great visual way of seeing what is going on and where my rings are having conflicts. A real danger is having multiple calendars that are not in sync (like a work calendar, a pocket calendar and a family calendar). One organized calendar will reduce the stress of wondering what ring I should be in and when. If you use an electronic device or PC for your calendar, the same concept works using color labels.
The Happy Employee
I usually see myself as a “the glass is half full” type of person or at least I try to be. I think that optimism and enthusiasm go a long way toward creating quality performances – especially at work. I like this quote my Norman Vincent Peale, “Think enthusiastically about everything; but especially about your job. If you do, you’ll put a touch of glory in your life. If you love your job with enthusiasm, you’ll shake it to pieces. You’ll love it into greatness.” We spend a lot of time and a good deal of our lives working. We might as well spend the time chasing greatness, being passionate and creating a love for the work that we do.