End of Year Review

Recently, I read an article on Office Arrow that discussed preparing for end of year reviews. It answered the question... what about those of us that work for ourselves and those of us that don't have a formal end of year review? The end of the year is typically considered a good time to reflect on the past and consider goals for the future. So why not take this "Year End Review" concept and apply it to our personal lives with a "Year End Personal Review"? I encourage you to find a quiet spot and review these simple items. Then, schedule time before too far into the new year to get these items completed.

1. Update contact information for friends and family

This is a helpful thing to do at least once a year. Make sure you have everyone's updated address, phone and email information in one central location. If you need to, send out a mass email to friends and family and just ask if anything has changed since last year.

2. Review Someday/Maybe list

The Someday/Maybe list idea comes from GTD (Getting Things Done). It's the place where you put all the random ideas that pop into your mind - books you'd like to read, places you'd like to go, classes you'd like to take. The end of the year is a perfect time to take a look at it and see what things could be worked on during the next year. It's a great place to get inspired for New Year's Resolutions.

3. Review budget and overall financial situation

Even if you try to constantly watch and improve your financial situation, it's helpful to take an in-depth look at least once a year to see how much you've been spending in each "category" (such as food, entertainment, clothing, etc) and also how much you've been able to save compared with years past. Review accumulated debts and see which direction things are going. Are you getting more efficient with your money or have you been slacking off? Are you gaining debt or getting rid of it?

4. State of the Union

Check in with your partner and see how things are going. Many couples get into the routine of daily life and they never really sit down and see how the other is feeling about things. The end of the year is a nice time to get together for a brief status check. Is everyone feeling solid, happy and satisfied with the union? The holidays can be stressful and many times, we end up leaning on our significant other for support. Doing a quick check in lets you say how much you appreciate it and depend on it. Use this as an opportunity to really express how you feel and make improvements when needed. If you recognize that you haven't spent enough time together in the past year, make it a resolution to change that. Put some firm actions into place now to keep the state of the union positive for everyone involved.

5. Organize paperwork

The end of the year is a good time to gather all the miscellaneous papers floating around and get them properly labeled and filed. Get rid of those not needed and box up anything important that you won't need to have easy and immediate access to. For real efficiency with the paper, get rid of it! The paperless idea might not be realistic for everything, but even a few things stored electronically will really help. Also a great time to get your emergency documents in order.

Use this Year End Personal Review concept to recognize your accomplishments of the past year and set your sights on an exciting, productive new year. Use it as a tool to consider where you've been, where you are and where you're going. It's also an excellent way to help you wind down and relax during the holiday season.

I wish you a 2010 full of productivity ~ doing the things that matter most to you! I'm heading out on vacation and will be back in early January full of new ideas, thoughts and blog posts.

Remember, we have to UNPLUG in order to RECHARGE!

Happy New Year!

Last 2009 Quote of the Week

We will open the book.
Its pages are blank.
We are going to put words on them ourselves.
The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.
~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Santa Baby

Even Santa has a to-do list... Merry Christmas!

What's your Productivity Personality Type?

Laura Stack, otherwise known as The Productivity Pro is an author, trainer, speaker and consultant around all things productive. She also clearly has an amazing team surrounding her and lots and lots of energy. (This was my conclusion after seeing her very overstimulating website). In any case, I just read a quirky and somewhat interesting article that she wrote on people's individual productivity personality types & thought I would share it.

Can you find yourself in any of these? Article Below.....

Everyone has a productivity personality. It's the collection of strengths, weaknesses, and day-to-day habits that come together to determine how a person works best.

It is important to get a handle on your own personal productivity personality, but don't stop there. After all, most of us depend on others at some point in our day and the individual work styles and attitudes of those around us can have a huge impact on our own ability to get things done.

I've put together a list of the 12 dysfunctional personal productivity personalities and how to deal with them. Hopefully this list will help you smile (rather than cringe) the next time a coworker's bad habits start to drive you up the wall.

1. Scrappers
The scrapper's desk look like a modern art exhibit, covered in scraps of paper. They write important notes on whatever is close at hand, whether it's a fast food receipt or the back of an envelope.

Handling the scrapper: You can't force scrappers to adopt a comprehensive planning system. Just make sure that items pertaining to your work don't get lost in the shuffle. Send follow-up e-mails detailing key meeting take-aways, check in before important deadlines, and never fail to follow up on a delegated task.

2. Pilers
Pilers keep everything and file nothing. There will be boxes on the floor and every inch of desk space will be occupied by stacks of paper.

Handling the piler: Chances are that any document, book, or report that you put in the piler's hands is going to end up in heap someplace. Also, be sure to set clear deadlines. Their idea of giving something a high priority is placing it on their "immediate attention" stack. Don't ask them to do something "right away," ask them to do it by a specific date.

3. Multi-taskers
Multi-taskers always have a thousand things going on at once and generally take pride in it. They get many things started but few things completed. And they often appear frazzled, overwhelmed, and scattered.

Handling the multi-tasker: Always use caution when working with a multi-tasker. He or she will rarely admit that they don't have the capacity to take on another task and can easily become distracted by competing priorities. Always double-check to make sure that they can and will do what is expected in an agreed-upon timeframe.

4. Interrupters
Interrupters will constantly show up at your desk, interrupting your day and derailing your train of thought. Their interruptions are almost always ill-timed.

Handling the interrupter: If someone asks if you have a minute, don't be afraid to tell them you don't. The more cautiously you guard your own time, the more others will begin thinking twice before asking for it needlessly. A polite response to an interruption is to simply point out that no, you don't have any time right now but would be happy to meet later in the day if needed. A simple "Do Not Disturb" sign can go a long way -- just don't abuse it.

5. Procrastinators
Procrastinators start things with just enough time to squeeze them in before the deadline. They also tend to put off high-value (often challenging) tasks in favor of more pleasant, less critical ones.

Handling the procrastinator: The best way to get out ahead of a procrastinator is to plan in advance and evaluate results on an ongoing basis. If your procrastinator is expected to deliver a weekly progress report, they'll be more likely to stay on track.

6. Socializers
Socializers waste inordinate amounts of time chatting with coworkers and keeping up with the personal lives of everyone at the office. They're great at planning the company party, but tend to fall short in other ways.

Handling the socializer: Socializers do what they do because they get something out of it -- interaction, stress relief, distraction from work, whatever. If you don't have anything along those lines to offer, they'll lost interest in you pretty quickly. Politely point out that you are trying to keep your day on track and need to get back to what you were doing.

7. Meeting addicts
Some people apparently just love to call meetings, often resulting in a lot of time wasted by everyone involved.

Handling the meeting addict: Don't be afraid to decline a meeting when it's appropriate to do so. Simply state that you don't feel your presence is needed and ask that you be kept in the loop on any important outcomes that might affect your work. Second, don't be afraid to suggest an alternative to a meeting. When you get the request, simply call the organizer to ask if the matter could be handled by e-mail or conference call. You might be able to resolve the issue on the spot and save everyone a lot of time.

8. Crisis creators
A lack of planning by one person leads to a crisis for everyone else. Even minor issues are exaggerated into a full-blown disaster and everyone involved ends up feeling stressed. Crisis creators seem to always be fighting fires and coworkers are often dragged into the fray.

Handling the crisis creator: Unfortunately, we often have to step in and help fight fires even if they aren't our fault. If a certain individual is constantly working in crisis mode, it is important to keep a cool head and don't get overly stressed. Once the crisis is resolved, insist on a debriefing meeting to figure out what went wrong. Once crisis creators realize that problems aren't going to be forgotten, they'll be more inclined to stay out of trouble in the first place.

9. E-mailers
E-mailers send an e-mail for everything. They never use the phone or walk across the hall to deliver a ten-word message, and they LOVE the "Reply All" button.

Handling the e-mailer: You won't have much luck influencing the e-mail habits of a colleague, although you can request the recipients do NOT Reply to All. What you CAN do is set clear expectations concerning your own use of e-mail. If you only check your messages a few times each day, tell people. If e-mail isn't a good way to get a response from you, they'll stop using it for everything.

10. Packrats
Packrats have never thrown anything away in their professional lives. They are often overwhelmed by their own treasure trove of obsolete documents.

Handling the packrat: Packrats are sometimes highly organized creatures, but are often more worried about the thickness of their project files than they are about what's inside. Never trust a packrat to manage priorities or to take away the key points from any given interaction. Be direct about what you need from them so you don't end up with a ton of unnecessary research or extraneous background information.

11. Perfectionists
By insisting on doing everything perfectly, perfectionists generally fail to accomplish much at all. They work hard, but complete little. Perfectionists keep meticulous meeting notes, promise the world during planning sessions, and often seem to crack up just as the project is coming together.

Handling the perfectionist: When you are working with a perfectionist, it's a good idea to plan for frequent touch points throughout the project. Define the level of expectation and the exact deliverables. This will help keep the perfectionist working in manageable (if imperfect) chunks and also give the person a chance to dazzle you with little presentations throughout the project.

12. Workaholics
Workaholics work an 80 hour week and never miss an opportunity to remind you of it. Puzzling, though, is the fact that they seem to accomplish less than others working half the hours. The workaholic typically has no boundaries between work and home life.

Handling the workaholic: Remember that to a workaholic, "end of day" does not mean five o'clock. Usually, it means "before tomorrow." When you are expecting something from a workaholic, keep in mind that you will likely see an e-mail roll in at 10:45 p.m. Since they plan to be working into the evening anyway, they tend to waste time during normal business hours. You can subtlety nudge them in your direction by saying things such as "I'd like to have that by three o'clock."

What's lurking in your desk?

I was working with a client today in her office and we came across something that I just had to share... it's not that this "thing" is that odd (well, it's sort of odd), but it's more about what it represents.

First of all we found this in her file drawer (you know the drawer... the one that is meant for files?)

Secondly, she had no idea where it came from, who gave it to her or how long it had been there.

Do you have something like this lurking in your file drawers? If so, now is the PERFECT time to get your files cleaned up, re-organized, streamlined and up to date! Here's a reminder of this process... a step-by-step guide that I wrote about last year.

After we got done laughing about this "find", we both agreed it could be a great white elephant gift (and that would be a productive way to get rid of it!) :)

Happy re-gifting!

Quote of the Week

“Take rest;

a field that has rested

gives a bountiful crop.”
-- Ovid Roman Poet

Tid Bits

1. Got Junk? Electronic Junk in particular? If so, there is an E-recycling event going on this coming weekend in Santa Barbara December 11th and 12th from 9 am - 4 pm in the SEARS Parking lot (corner of La Cumbre & Calle Real). Now is a GREAT time to clear that electronic clutter once and for all and dispose of it responsibly!

2. I have raved about my friend and colleague Lori Cooper, owner of Wardrobe Wisdom many times before. She just did a post on her blog comparing/contrasting our businesses and how we both unearth lots of "stuff" while helping people pave the way to greater clarity. Check it out by clicking HERE!

3. In the spirit of the season... just a reminder from the ADD Management newsletter on 3 tips for practicing self-care during this busy time of year.... they are too good not to post!

1. Wind down every night to destress and sleep well.

When the stress picks up, it's more important than ever to allow recharging time. Sleep is extremely important, and winding down before bed helps ensure restful sleep. Think of yourself as a cell phone. If you don't get charged, you won't work the next day!

2. Eat well.

Don't underestimate the power of food to make or break your mood and energy levels. If you use sugar and caffeine to keep you going, instead of nutritious whole foods, you're sure to crash. And crash hard!

3. Say "no."

You're the only one who knows what you can comfortably handle, and what's too much pressure, time, energy, or stress. If you push yourself too much (or allow yourself to be pushed to much) then you'll burn out and be no good to anyone!

Have a wonderful weekend preparing for the season!