From: kim@gregorycoaching.com Sent: 30 March
2006 12:57 To: kim@gregorycoaching.com Subject: *** SPAM ***
Getting Things Done - Coaching Insights March 2006
Getting Things Done
- Coaching Insights March 2006
Gregory
Coaching is just completing the end of its financial year
2005/6 and it has been our busiest to date. Clearly this is
something to celebrate! Thank you to all those amongst you who
have contributed to this.
And
there have been some casualties along the way – this
newsletter being one of them. So this month is all about a
subject that is close to my heart and to the hearts of many of
you – getting things done.
Traditional time management
theories work for very few people - in Myers Briggs terms they
tend to work best for "S"s (Sensors) and for "J" (Judgers).
There are newer, different proposals out there and I've
invested some time in reading them. Here’s the
theory:
• Our brains are wired to procrastinate (NOT
follow through). • Poor follow through is a normal
phenomenon. • It's a mistake to assume that if we want
something enough we'll make it happen. • To rely on will
power alone is a poor idea for most of us.
So what
can we do when we don’t seem to be doing what we say we will?
• Catch yourself doing it right; and ask yourself “how
come that worked that time”? Look for the cues that
took you in the right direction and recreate those cues –
everywhere. For example, if you notice that you have a much
higher “hit rate” of honouring those 1:1s with your team
members when it’s over a lunchtime sandwich then go with the
flow. Make them all lunchtime events. • Do just
a little bit of the dreaded task and give yourself permission
to stop any time. Often the getting started is far worse than
the actual activity, so, if you’ve got a report to write, type
in just three words – and tell yourself you can stop anytime.
Try it – it’s worked for this newsletter
today! • Make yourself a “Will Do” list and keep
the list short. Be very cautious about letting things onto the
list; and complete everything that’s on the Will Do list. Only
let yourself do other things when you’ve done everything on
the Will Do list (because it’s usually doing the off-piste
things that take up all the time. Don’t believe me? How many
of you had “Reading Kim’s Coaching Insights” on your
list?). • Create a really compelling reason for
doing something. For example, we know that many people who
need to make sales calls don’t. They already know all the good
reasons why they should – and that’s not enough to make it
happen. So, find a really compelling reason, e.g. give
a colleague £100 of your own cash and tell them that – if
you’ve not completed what you said you’d do by the end of the
day or week – they can keep it. • Leverage your
willpower. When you make a decision to avoid eating cakes and
- all the time you have cakes in the vicinity – you’re relying
on your own willpower to stop you. Leverage your willpower by
no longer having cakes in the house; or by promising to give
your children a whole morning of your time - only doing what
they want - if they catch you eating a cake. •
Pick your intentions very carefully. It’s so easy to say to
ourselves, “I’ll just …”. Next time you catch yourself saying
this …STOP. Only commit to doing things that really matter to
you then you’ll have more time to focus on the things that
really are important to you.
Take a look at these these
books
as they have many more great ideas:
If you or
your colleagues are interested in learning how to manage stress levels then this may be just the
course you're looking for. In May SM Training are running a
cost-effective one-day workshop in Surrey.
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