Time Management and Productivity Blog: August 2012

Networking Tips #32 But I don't know anyone

Many people are put off going to networking meetings because they won't know anyone.

Well, we all felt like that once and you can overcome that initial nervousness with a few simple tips.

Arrive early - it's easier to meet and talk to people as they arrive - rather than enter a room full of people who are already talking.

Approach someone who is on their own. They're not already engaged in conversation, possibly feeling nervous too, so will welcome your approach.

Watch the body language. Two people standing directly opposite each other, engaged in conversation are less likely to be open to an interruption. If they're standing at a slight angle to each other, it's easier to engage them in conversation.

Three is better than two. For the above reason it's easier to approach and join a group of people than to join a group of two.

Make eye contact and smile. You might be feeling nervous but don't look at the floor and hope no one will come and talk to you. That's why you're there. If you make eye contact with someone and smile they're more likely to approach you or welcome you in to their group.

Go with a friend, guest or colleague - that way you won't feel you don't know anyone - just don't spend all your time chatting to the one person you know!

If you're a regular networker, welcome new people, someone standing on their own or looking uncertain to join you.

"A stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet."

Talk (Photo credit: lovelornpoets)

Too much email?

A familiar story - I regularly hear from people who are struggling to deal with their Inbox and find it's taking up more and more time in their day.

Don't get too attached to your email. It's probably not the most important thing going on in your life right now. Yes, it's great to feel loved and see a new email arrive in our Inbox but that doesn't mean you have to deal with it there and then or that you need to need to deal with every single email that comes in to your Inbox.

Look at what's coming in - stop the flow at source. If you've subscribed to newsletters that you no longer read, click the unsubscribe button. If you've been subscribed to lists you didn't request, ask to be removed or click the unsubscribe button.

Use filters, folders and rules - manage what arrives in your Inbox so you can make more sense of what's important. Automatically move anything that doesn't require your immediate attention to an appropriate folder.

Feel you're missing out - are you really going to read the email that's now six months old? Probably not and the information it contains is unlikely to be critically important and is probably out of date. You probably don't need twenty different sources of similar information. Identify two or three sources of information you trust - whether for business information or personal development and stick with those.

Limit the time you spend in your Inbox. That 'quick check' of your email can eat away at your time if you allow yourself to get distracted. If your intention is to spend ten minutes checking your email, make sure it is just ten minutes.

Constantly dipping in and out of your email throughout the day means you're wasting time and not working efficiently. Every time you get distracted or switch tasks it takes longer to get back to what you were working on.

Only check your email a couple of times a day. Sounds tough but how critical is email? No really, how much difference will it make if you respond immediately or the same day? Now this does come with a caveat - if your business is very email driven and it's time critical - for instance you receive orders or support requests via email then this might not work for you. However, for most of us - getting back within a few hours or the same day is fine. If you respond instantly - you set expectations.

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The 2012 Olympic Legacy

The dust has settled over another Olympic games and our athletes have done us proud.

There are few who can have appreciated the astounding amount of dedication, hard work, sacrifice and shear passion that has gone in to making the games what it was and for taking all those athletes on to the podium.

The 2012 games has been "Inspire a generation". It's inspired us all to get involved if only watching and cheering on our teams from the sofa but the feel good factor has been there in abundance.

It starts with the basics - encouraging children to get out and exercise, get involved in sport at school and not spend so much time indoors on their computers and play stations. Get them while their young so their talent can be spotted, encouraged and nurtured with the right training and coaching or just to give them the right attitude towards being fit and healthy.

It's never too late to start - we all heard stories of those athletes who had only been training together for a few months or had only recently come into their sport.

Be inspired to get on a bike, go out for a walk, jog or even a run.
Get in to the pool and do a few lengths.
Perhaps you'll even be inspired to take up or try one of the many other sports.

You too can grab the inspiration and motivation which the games has generated and decide what you'll commit your drive, dedication and focus to - not just in terms of fitness but in other areas too.

What do you want to achieve in your life in the next four years? Make a commitment and create a plan to get you there. Find the people who can help - get your own team of coaches, trainers and a training partner to support, motivate and encourage you.

What legacy will you take with you from the games?

Inspire a Generation (Photo credit: urbanora)

Book Review: Getting Things Done

If you've got a logical analytical mind then this is the book for you. David Allen offers a system to help you get back in control and improve your productivity.

Many people swear by the system introduced in the book it's spawned a whole series of apps and add-ons for devoted GTD'ers to implement in to their lives. There are some good basic principles in here that will certainly make your life easier and give you a structure to work with.

Some people just can't get to grips with it and find themselves falling by the wayside as they follow it's very step-by-step method. It's not ideal for those who struggle with checklists and

As with any system - it's about finding and implementing what works for you.

Get your copy today - Getting Things Done

Previous Book Reviews or checkout other book recommendations.

Liberating or Isolating - working from home?

I was listening to Woman's Hour while driving to a meeting in town yesterday and caught the discussion about working from home.

Having worked from home myself for several years, I've seen both sides. Whether you work from home as a freelancer or as an employee.

In some ways it's totally liberating, as you can work in your own environment, create your own boundaries around your time and it allows you to work flexibly.

If you're working around children and a family it can be a good way to adjust your hours so you work around school runs, nursery and childcare but that also has it's challenges.

You avoid the hours spent on the daily commute into work - delays in traffic or sitting on cramped, crowded public transport - too hot in summer, freezing cold in winter.

You're your own boss - you won't get distracted by the other people around you or constant interruptions at your desk.

You don't have to put up with sandwiches for lunch everyday or unhealthy options or temptations in the staff canteen.

Because you can work flexibly - take the opportunity of breaks during the day to do the shopping, clean the house, walk the dog, pick up the children but don't use that as an excuse to put off work.

It can be isolating if all you see day in day out are the same four walls and have little interaction during the week.

Social media has helped to change some of the isolation - at least you can connect with other people during the day and even get some of those 'water cooler' moments.

You might miss out on the buzz (and distraction) of having other people around you, so make sure you don't become isolated at home. Get out and about for meetings. Meet up with friends for lunch or coffee a couple of times a week.

Go for a change of scenery every now and then. Often it's easier to focus and be productive in a different environment - coffee shops, libraries or hotels offer an alternate space in which to work or you could try hot-desking or co-working.

You can find yourself getting distracted by chores around the house rather than focusing on work. If that's the case - take a break for a while before getting back to work.

It can be difficult to draw a line between work and home and there's a temptation to work much longer hours. It's important to have a cut-off point.

Be realistic about working from home - if you have young children or a spouse who's around all day - don't expect to be able to stick to a strictly 9-5 working routine. You may only have a few uninterrupted hours a day in which to run your business, so make sure that time counts.

It's not for everyone - what's your experience of working from home?

(Photo credit: atconc)

Join the 30 Day Time Challenge

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All change needs a period of adjustment before you get into new ways of working or being.

The simple ideas and tactics in this jam packed e-book will not only remind you of what you ‘should’ be doing but will take you step by step through the process to transform your habits and create long-term changes that work

This challenge will help you:

Get your priorities right
Write effective to do lists
Develop your productivity skills
Avoid procrastination
Set clear boundaries
Find time saving tools and gadgets
... and much more!

By the end of the challenge you’ll be far more productive, get more done in less time and have transformed your time habits.

Follow the challenge, put it in to practice, see how much time you save and what a real difference it makes.

Sign-up for the 30 Day Time Challenge or

Buy the 30 Day Time Challenge on Kindle

Share your objectives for the 30 days, ask questions, post your results on Twitter - use the hashtag #30DayTime or join the conversation on Facebook.

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