 Clean it out to create some space! This week’s Weekly Planning Hack gets you to think about what needs a clean out to create more space, focus and/or speed. Sometimes taking 15 minutes to clean something out can be of great value. For example, if your technology is starting to slow down, maybe it’s time to ensure a back-up can clear some of the video files that are piling up. Or perhaps, emails need to be archived. Cleaning things out may also help to find things that have been “lost” or simply buried. What are the things that could benefit from getting a clean out? Consider all these areas:
Be aware of how long things need to be kept. For example, in some jurisdictions business records may need to be kept for seven years or longer. What are the things that can benefit from a clean out? What have you let pile up and really could benefit from a few minutes spent organizing? Look around with clean eyes. Take 15 minutes today, or over the course of the next several days to clean something out. Let us know what you chose and what you found! Have fun cleaning! Jennifer Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Pick up a copy of any of her books at Amazon. Book Jennifer for a coaching session to explore productivity, teamwork and business issues. Contact her by phone at (416)996-8326 Check out these Instagram accounts @coachingbizbuilder & @remotepathways! Check out upcoming programs on our calendar! Are you a remote professional? Listen into the Remote Pathways Podcast on your favorite podcast player!
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 “One of the best pieces of advice I heard from a mentor was to consider the MUST do’s versus the NICE to do’s when prioritizing. It’s made a huge difference.” – Jennifer Britton With a gazillion things on your task list, what’s a “MUST do” versus a “NICE to do”? Discernment is a key topic of recent Weekly Planning Hacks here. Questions to ask yourself as you consider what is important:
Activity: Take time to note all of your tasks. What are the MUST TO DO’s vs the NICE TO DO’s? With those items on the NICE to do list, do these get DEFERRED? DUMPED? DELEGATED? Decide what you are going to do with them, and if they are to be delegated, make sure you check out this post on delegation, one of the tasks that many professionals find challenging. For more on delegation, check out these past two PlanDoTrack blog posts: If you are on LinkedIn, let’s connect and check out this older article I wrote on delegation. Enjoy! Jennifer Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Pick up a copy of any of her books at Amazon. Book Jennifer for a coaching session to explore productivity, teamwork and business issues. Contact her by phone at (416)996-8326 Check out these Instagram accounts @coachingbizbuilder & @remotepathways! Check out upcoming programs on our calendar! Are you a remote professional? Listen into the Remote Pathways Podcast on your favorite podcast player!  Just like a cup of coffee or a stew, creative ideas often benefit from some percolation time. Perhaps you are working on a big project, or a creative task. Taking time to step away can be of benefit to let our brains still work on it. In fact, our brains still work on projects, even when we step away from it. A great strategy for tasks which might not be flowing yet, is to start it and then let it percolate. Perhaps go for a walk or a swim or have a discussion with some one. This marination, percolation time can be necessary. Check out these articles:
Enjoy your reflections! Jennifer Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Pick up a copy of any of her books at Amazon. Book Jennifer for a coaching session to explore productivity, teamwork and business issues. Contact her by phone at (416)996-8326 Check out these Instagram accounts @coachingbizbuilder & @remotepathways! Check out upcoming programs on our calendar! Are you a remote professional? Listen into the Remote Pathways Podcast on your favorite podcast player!  One of my favorite creative projects this year has been creating and co-hosting the Remote Pathways podcast with Michelle Mullins. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, I hope that you will listen in, either at our site, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Little did we know back last fall when we launched in November, how may people would be working remote at this moment in time. The Remote Pathways podcast explores the people, places and pathways to remote work. Here's a list of where our first 10 episodes have taken us (each one is about 15-20 minutes in length): Episode 1 - Welcome and Introduction. Listen in here. Episode 2 - Getting Started with Remote Work. Listen in here. Episode 3 - Goals, The One Page Plan. Remote Pathways - Serial Entrepreneurs and Coaches. Listen in here. Episode 4 - Vision, Metrics, Pathways: Project Management and Sales. Listen in here. Episode 5 - SMART-E Goals, Creative Solopreneurs and Virtual Facilitators - Listen in Here. Episode 6 - Systems, Mentors and Work From Anywhere. Listen in here. Episode 7 - Collaboration (In the virtual space); Pathways - Voluntary Sector and Selling Your Start up. Listen in here. Episode 8 - Special Guest - Jennifer Grote: Strengths, Wellness and Mojo Habits. Listen in here. Episode 9-Remote. Virtual or Mobile? Listen in here. Episode 10 - Susan Combs and Mentoring in the Virtual Space. Listen in here. Let us know what is your FAVORITE episode so far? What other topics would you like to hear? Use the comments listed below, or share with us over at the Remote Pathways Facebook page. With best wishes, Jennifer Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized You can now pick up a digital PDF copy of PlanDoTrack at our Potentials Realized Store. Download and print at home! Let's connect to discuss the virtual and remote support needs you have for your team or organization. Phone me at 416.996.8326 (M-F 8 - 4 pm ET) Check out upcoming programs on our calendar - Virtual Events of course  In the remote workspace working ahead (a little bit) can be an important practice, especially if disruption is more the norm than the blip in your work style. While some things will change if we undertake them too early, there are several things that you might benefit from working ahead around. Consider these items:
Over the course of a day, we can pull off tangent many, many times. That may be the reason that several schools of thought in time management assert to get the most important, and often the most difficult thing done first. I see this happen in my work on a regular basis, especially when I work around proposals, and presentations. I need a certain amount of creative and deep thinking when doing these two things, and if I can, I’ll find very early times of the day to at least get started, and sometimes finish, these tasks. Usually I am thankful given that inevitably urgent pressing matters pop up, requiring, my time, focus and brain power. If you were to invest in starting 30 minutes a day earlier, or getting a head start on thinking on a train ride, what would you want to work ahead around? Best, Jennifer Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Pick up a copy of any of her books at Amazon. Book Jennifer for a coaching session to explore productivity, teamwork and business issues. Contact her by phone at (416)996-8326 Check out these Instagram accounts @coachingbizbuilder & @remotepathways! Check out upcoming programs on our calendar! Are you a remote professional? Listen into the Remote Pathways Podcast on your favorite podcast player!  Over the last month we’ve been exploring the five different productivity keys of PlanDoTrack. The last one is celebration. When are you pausing to take stock of your accomplishments? When are you stopping to celebrate what you have achieved? Taking time to celebrate is critical for business success so that we:
Celebration doesn’t always mean a big party. It can mean, taking 15 minutes in a team meeting to acknowledge achievements and share insights learned. Celebration typically involves stopping, pausing, sharing and harnessing what’s working. What are the things which are going to earmark a time for celebration in your team? For more on this topic check out:
Best wishes, Jennifer Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Pick up a copy of any of her books at Amazon. Book Jennifer for a coaching session to explore productivity, teamwork and business issues. Contact her by phone at (416)996-8326 Check out these Instagram accounts @coachingbizbuilder & @remotepathways! Check out upcoming programs on our calendar! Are you a remote professional? Listen into the Remote Pathways Podcast on your favorite podcast player!  Tasks expand to the amount of time we give them, according to Parkinson’s Rule. What are the time windows you are placing around the tasks and projects you are working on? As we know, time spent does note equal results and/or productivity. In fact, corralling your time and putting a boundary around key tasks may help you. What type of tasks might benefit from a boundary? If you are an entrepreneur or solopreneur, consider:
If you are a remote worker, this might include:
Many of these become big black holes where there may be a point of “diminishing returns”, or in other words, value in spending time on the activity only up to a certain point. With social media for example, what can I get done in 20 minutes that 45 minutes might not accomplish? Is the 45 minutes I spent doubly impactful, or just a little bit more? Notice how you prefer to work and what’s useful. The same can be applied around the time spent on personal activities:
What are the boundaries you want to create around your work? Kind wishes, Jennifer Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Pick up a copy of any of her books at Amazon. Book Jennifer for a coaching session to explore productivity, teamwork and business issues. Contact her by phone at (416)996-8326 Check out these Instagram accounts @coachingbizbuilder & @remotepathways! Check out upcoming programs on our calendar! Are you a remote professional? Listen into the Remote Pathways Podcast on your favorite podcast player! |
AuthorJennifer Britton is the blogger behind the popular Teams365 blog, a daily,blog for team leaders and members since 2014. Her latest publication is the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner. Pick up a copy at Amazon. Pick Up a Copy
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