Welcome to the first of a series of weekly Wednesday planning hacks. In the spirit of all things planning, doing and tracking, I’m pleased to offer this new weekly series here at the PlanDoTrack blog. Similar to other weekly series I host at my sister blog, Teams365 blog (found at Potentials Realized.com), my hope is that these weekly posts will not only serve as a quick focus area for you, and over time will add up to be a valuable resource. I'll also be doing a live video on each of the tips every week, sharing it over at the PlanDoTrack Facebook page. Let’s get started with the Pomodoro Technique, the focus of weekly planning hack #1. Have you heard about the Pomodoro Technique (often associated with the icon of the Tomato)? As I wrote last January 2018 at the Teams365 blog, the Pomodoro Technique is an invaluable tool in creating focus in today’s digitally distracted world. Here’s what I wrote in Teams365 #1470 on Minimizing Distractions – “Creating "focused work" periods. Whether it's 30 or 60 minutes a day, focused times, which have no immediate distraction allow us to get things done. Many studies find that our immediate productivity can be boosted by giving projects time windows and time frames. The Pomodoro technique is one example of accelerating productivity. It posits that focused activity for 25 minutes can be followed by a 5-minute break. Read more about the Pomodoro Technique from its' creator here.” How might more focused bursts of attention support you and your projects right now? What would it be like to experiment with more focused bursts of time where the rings and bings of everyday digital life are silenced?" Let us know if you get the chance to experiment with this! 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 the new 19 Productivity Tips on-demand program. Explore this video based program at your own pace, and join Jennifer for bi-weekly calls as part of your course. Follow the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series on Instagram
0 Comments
Week 4 Focus – VALUES – What’s important to you? Focus Question: What are the values that anchor your business? Description Like a compass, values provide an important anchor for us. They influence our decisions, ways we work, and how we connect with others. What are the values which influence your work? Research/Story Working with Values as a Coach is a foundational part of what we do.There are many different ways to work with values as a coach including:
Activity Values Checklist Use the downloadable values checklist (found below) to highlight different values you hold. Once you have identified your top 5, give them a tagline or 3-4 adjectives each. For example: If one of my values is high touch, that also means – small group size, integrating 1-1 calls with group calls, and taking time to really connect. Connection to the Workbook and Planner Given that values are such a core part of our work, you are invited to review these several times throughout the workbook. As part of the Iceberg you are invited to identify your top 10 values for you and your business. Write these out on page 24 (CBB) or page 25 (PDT). You may want to read through this entire section from pages 23 – 29. There is also space on page 38 under “Be True to Who you Are” - The Micro-Vision on page 38 (CBB) or page 42 (PDT). You are invited to return to this in the Ecosystem in Section 4, noting your top 5 values as part of your anchoring system, grounding you (page 104 – CBB; page 108 – PDT). Note your top 5 values there as well. Download a one-pager to create you own annual analog resource. Enjoy! Jennifer PS - Share your vision and how you engage with these activities on social media. Use the hashtag #dscam2019 (It stands for Daily Steps + Consistent Action = Momentum) Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Author of several books including: PlanDoTrack (2019), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Effective Group Coaching (2010) Potentials Realized - Specializing in support to virtual and remote teams, leaders and entrepreneurs Award-winning Coaching Skills Training Join us for one of our 2019 Annual Coaching Groups - Teams365 Leadership Lab for Virtual Leaders and Team Members or Coaching Biz Growth Lab - for coaches and other virtual entrepreneurs (416)996-8326 Stay Connected Week 3 Focus: What is your theme? Focus Question: What’s your theme for this year? Description Like the name of a book or TV show or movie, themes provide an overarching focus. A tag line for a year, or a program, helps to cut into the “essence of it”. Like a metaphor, a theme will often capture many layers of ideas in just a few words. As we wound down the year, I asked all the group members I worked with what their metaphor or theme was for the new year. Metaphors help us move to the bigger picture, 30,000-foot view, or what some coaching models call the Meta-View. In times of change and turbulence, leaning into our metaphors become extremely powerful. Spend some time thinking about what you want your theme or metaphor to be for the year. Research/Story There can be many ways of exploring and identifying themes. Many times, I like to go and select a card, or roll the “story cubes” and see what comes up.One of the three annual programs I run is called the Learning Lab and Design Studio, and focuses on support to professionals wanting to create their own learning programs (on-demand, coaching programs, webinars, retreats). Here are the nine icons which were rolled early last year, creating the following story around the LLDS 2018: The apple – As the first cube selected, I take the apple as a representation of Knowledge – very appropriate for us at the Learning Lab and Design Studio where the lens is about all things learning and creating engaging learning and growth experiences for the groups and teams we work with as coaches, trainers and facilitators. Magnifying glass – Every month in my annual programs (the Learning Lab and Design Studio (LLDS), the Coaching Biz Growth Lab (CGBL) and the Leadership Lab (Teams365 LL), a different theme gets put under the magnifying glass. As a facilitator myself, it encourages me to continue my pursuit of learning, keeping abreast of new trends in our field, and exploring topics I can bring in my own work to my clients. The Flower – As an avid gardener in the warmer months I was pleasantly surprised to see this come up. It got me to researching to see if different flower symbols have different meanings – and in fact they do – here’s a cool list. For this story, I’m taking the flower as a representation of the importance of building up your garden bed and taking time to appreciate the beauty they exist. I think that for many of us doing a lot of work with groups and teams we are moving so fast (like our clients are) that it’s quite rare to have a quick pause to take stock of what we have, and what we can do. The LLDS creates one of these important pauses. Footprints – The LLDS is also about taking action and leaving your mark. Once a quarter I host a 4-hour virtual retreat afternoon, geared to get you into action around your own work. This year I’ll also be hosting quarterly program hacks so you can do some real-time design work in a compressed time frame. Lightening Bolt – One of the two calls each month is a facilitation lab. In establishing this program in January 2016, I felt that it was really important to create a place where we as facilitators could try out different tools, and experience them as learners ourselves, before taking them into work with our clients. Book - There is an abundance of topics we cover throughout the year, and I’ve loved how there are now more than 24 sets of templates, articles, and almost 50 recordings for LLDS members to explore when they have time. Conversation – One of my favorite symbols (the conversation bubble which is also on the title of my newest book, Effective Virtual Conversations) was next in the storyline. The other element I love at the LLDS is the conversations that ensue. It is a small group conversation experience, and unlike larger group webinars where everything might be chat only, we engage every week in rich conversation. Fountain – The fountain to me represents the fact that there will always be a myriad of topics left to explore. Our work and professional field is not static. It’s ever changing and evolving. The LLDS provides a regular reminder to keep learning. Tree – For the last three or four years now I have been returning back to my roots as an environmental scientist in different ways, particularly as I speak and write about ecosystems. My work has always been very multi-disciplinary, and the tree symbolizes how at the LLDS many of our conversations span the different disciplines of coaching, training, learning, education, e-learning, facilitation, social change…. Source: http://groupcoaching.blogspot.com/2018/01/setting-new-year-intentions-at-learning.html If you work with a favorite card deck pull it out now and select a number of card randomly. If you have a set of Story Cubes, consider rollilng these to get your theme for the month (or year!). Share it with us using the hashtag #dscam2019 (Daily Steps + Consistent Action = Momentum) Connection to the Workbook and Planner Every month you are invited to start your month with a blank page entitled “Monthly Plan for ____”. See page 147 (CBB) or page 151 (PlanDoTrack) for the first one in the series. When I run the month-end planning sessions, note that I make sure to ask the question, “What’s your theme?”. Like I have just shared, monthly themes can continue to pull us forward, particularly through the ups and downs experienced over the course of a month. Include your monthly theme on your Monthly Plan page. You’ll also note these theme boxes scattered throughout at the bottom of other pages - Monthly To Dos, trackers and others. Themes take us back to the bigger picture of business and can “infuse” the activities we undertake. What theme have you set for your work this month? Download a one-pager to create your own annual analog resource. Enjoy! Jennifer Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Potentials Realized - Specializing in support to virtual and remote teams, leaders and entrepreneurs Award-winning Coaching Skills Training Join us for one of our 2019 Annual Coaching Groups - Teams365 Leadership Lab for Virtual Leaders and Team Members or Coaching Biz Growth Lab - for coaches and other virtual entrepreneurs (416)996-8326 Stay Connected Happy New Year! Thanks for joining me at the PlanDoTrack blog. This blog is geared for professionals of all kinds - leaders, entrepreneurs and team members. We focus on all things related to personal productivity, teamwork, leadership, impact and efficiency! Where do you really spend your time? What impact are you getting from your efforts? What’s your vision? These are some of the big picture questions I’ve been asking as part of the 19 for 2019 Productivity Tips. For the last month over at the Teams365 Blog, I’ve been including twice a week productivity tips over the last month, to gear us up for 2019. I thought it would be useful direct you to them, in case you have missed them. Be sure to check out the first six in the series: 1. Have a clear vision (December 4) 2. Where are you getting your results (December 5) 3. Consider your 80/20 (December 11) 4. Be ruthless with your time – it’s a non-renewable resource (December 12) 5. Know where your time goes (December 17) 6. Chunk it! (December 18) Best, Jennifer Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder Now Available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner – Pick up a copy today on Amazon Join us for a new year virtual planning retreat on Tuesday January 8th from 1-5 pm Eastern (on zoom) Is 2019 your year to move things forward through group learning and accountability? Join me for one of our annual groups - The Teams365 Leadership Lab (focusing on team leadership, virtual teams) The Learning Lab and Design Studio (focusing on program design) or the Coaching Biz Growth Lab (focusing on business development) It’s the last day of 2018 and time to turn the page (metaphorically) to a new chapter. Before we do, try to grab a few minutes today to wrap things up and wind things down. Here are some of the questions I like to include at the end of the year. I’ve taken them from Teams365 Blog – post # 1091, at the end of 2016. Here are ten questions to support you in taking a look back at the last year: 1. What's been your biggest success this year? 2. What are you most proud of accomplishing? OR What were your greatest results? 3. What habits have most supported you this year? 4. What three adjectives sum up the year for you? 5. What were key relationships instrumental to your success and experience this year? 6. What has been your biggest, and most important, learning this year? 7. If you were to give this year a book title, what would it be? 8. What do you want to make sure you keep doing in the new year? What do you want to stop doing? 9. What do you want to acknowledge yourself for? 10. What and how will you celebrate the successes of 2018? With whom? Have a wonderful last year of 2019 and I look forward to stepping through 2019 with you, with regular blog posts and ongoing calls to support you in becoming more focused and intentional in your work. Best wishes, Jennifer Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder Now Available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner – Pick up a copy today on Amazon Is 2019 your year to move things forward through group learning and accountability? Join me for one of our annual groups - The Teams365 Leadership Lab (focusing on team leadership, virtual teams) The Learning Lab and Design Studio (focusing on program design) or the Coaching Biz Growth Lab (focusing on business development) At this time of year, a lot of our focus shifts to year end planning, but what about planning for Q 1? If you have taken time in the last few weeks or months to capture your annual plan, now is the time to pull it out again, and open it up. What had you highlighted for Q 1 – January, February or March? What are the:
With the launch of the Coaching Business Builder in Summer 2018, a sibling edition of PlanDoTrack (for professional coaches), I’ve been intrigued to see different people’s affinity to planning at different levels. Some professionals first turn to the quarterly view, and others to the monthly view. What do you prefer? What’s the window that helps you plan? As you go about your planning for Q 1, be sure to reflect back on the last blog posts around Winter Planning Questions. Best, Jennifer Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder Now Available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner – Pick up a copy today on Amazon Is 2019 your year to move things forward through group learning and accountability? Join me for one of our annual groups - The Teams365 Leadership Lab (focusing on team leadership, virtual teams) The Learning Lab and Design Studio (focusing on program design) or the Coaching Biz Growth Lab (focusing on business development) As we step into winter this week, there is the opportunity to do some planning and stock taking for ourselves, our team and our work. Part of the philosophy and foundation of the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner is that short bursts of planning allow us to undertake more focused effort. By the same token, focused bursts of action, done consistently, create momentum and movement towards where we want to go. If you are not yet in the habit of undertaking quarterly planning, I hope that you will consider starting to take 5-10 minutes each equinox (usually around the 20th or 21st of March, June, September and December). The great thing about this is that it’s usually about a week to ten days in advance of our next quarter, another key planning point. For the past five years I’ve posted daily blog posts for Team Leaders and Members over at the Teams365 Blog. Each quarter I like to include some questions to get your planning juices flowing here are several questions to consider as you go about planning for Winter 2019:
For weekly journaling prompts, check out the Saturday posts at the Teams365 Blog. Enjoy your reflection! Jennifer Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder Now Available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner – Pick up a copy today on Amazon I'll be hosting the last 4 hour PlanDoTrack Virtual Retreat on Thursday December 20th from 1 - 5 pm ET, just in time for year end and Q 1 planning. Is 2019 your year to move things forward through group learning and accountability? Join me for one of our annual groups - The Teams365 Leadership Lab (focusing on team leadership, virtual teams) The Learning Lab and Design Studio (focusing on program design) or the Coaching Biz Growth Lab (focusing on business development) |
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 CopyUpcoming Programs
Join us for the 21 For 21 Virtual Co-working Sprints - $21 US. Want to access the recordings and bonus worksheets? Join us at the Booster Pack $79 US early bird rate. Sign up at 21for21 Virtual Co-working - STAND OUT VIRTUALLY! Stand Out Virtually - Incubator - Running an online, virtual or digital business and want to get the word out to organizations? Join us for the 8 week Stand Out Virtually Incubator. Next group starts April 2021. Build out your brand, offers and proposals. Virtual Facilitation Essentials (8.5 CCEs)- Expand your toolkit for better remote and virtual conversations. This is a virtual train-the-trainer - 5 weeks: Fall 2021 programming starts in October $495 US Learn more and register. Coaches! Register for the 60 Day Coaching Business Builder Accelerator. Join us for 60 Days support and ACTION for coaches wanting to grow their businesses. On-Demand Course. PlanDoTrack Facilitator Training Program (24 CCEs) - Starts again in October. Contact Jennifer to discuss. Month-End/Quarterly Planning Session: Thursday September 30th - 8 -9 am ET Archives
January 2021
Categories
All
|