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Good morning sunshine!

What are your morning habits? What morning routines can you introduce into your day for greater focus and productivity?

Whether in my 20s, 30s or 40s, I have found over the decades my morning rituals have changed quite considerably. Depending on my age, my morning routines were quite different when my roles were single, wife, mother of two small children, single parent, employee, boss and now, entrepreneur.

Now, with my teenagers increased independence, mornings with them are so enjoyable, rather than rushed and harried. I ensure I prioritize time on my morning routine to set the day up right and realize, I have always had time to do so. What I did not have in my previous harried years were clear personal priorities rather than concentrating only on the priorities of those around me. Priorities that include health and emotional well-being as well as work and kids.

The first thing I do when I wake up is a ten-minute meditation (love the Headspace app). I set my intentions for the day, followed by a large glass of ice water. The Australian in me needs that ice water for a quick jumpstart, and it is just as important as my morning coffee.

A tip to those that don’t make their bed after jumping out of it in the morning – start doing so. The simple act of making your bed — no matter what — gives you an instant feeling of accomplishment and that sticks with you throughout the day. (Not to mention, it’s less tempting to crawl back into a made bed than an unmade one!)

I have found a great workout gym close by called Fit Body Boot Camp that has 30-minute classes, and with that time frame, it is difficult to find an excuse not to go. If I can get in a good 30-minute workout class, or alternatively exercise at home prior to starting my ‘work day’, all feels good in the world. While getting ready I use this as my ‘thinking time’ of what is planned for the day ahead. I intentionally think about how I can transform interactions into positive encounters, be focused and present, and attain my established goals for the day. I mentally go through the meetings and calls I am taking and outcomes I would like for each one. It is then time to fuel up. My favorite go-to in the morning is a green smoothie.

I have an annual business plan, that is broken down into quarterly targets and weekly project priorities. Every Sunday evening, I spend time evaluating my past week and mapping out what priorities need to be concentrated on in the upcoming week. At the end of every business day, I review my schedule for the next day. I ensure I have a minimum of three, 50-minute periods to enable focused, uninterrupted time to concentrate on my top three projects. Starting the day already knowing what the priorities are, ensures that I am getting through the items that will bring me the most return on a professional level.

I am a strong believer in the 80/20 Rule or Pareto Principle. What that means is that in any given situation, 20% of your activities are normally responsible for 80% of your results. The time spent scrutinizing items on my ‘to do’ list is a key daily habit. I focus on the most important items first, guaranteeing the most significant results consistently.

When in my productivity zone (the 50-minute uninterrupted focused project times), I turn off my phone and concentrate on the task at hand. When not in calls or in meetings, I use a 50-10 productivity tip learned that has been extremely helpful. I work uninterrupted on one activity for 50 minutes. I then take a stretch or do something completely different for ten minutes. I use this time to stand and move around. The invigorated blood circulating keeps my energy up; it works brilliantly.

Use your schedule to stay on top of priorities, meetings, and activities. Don’t forget to schedule in breaks like lunch and actually take a break and refuel – working through will not help you get to the end game any faster (well, perhaps the ultimate end game, but who has prioritized that as a goal?!).

I would also encourage you throughout the day to:

  • Smile for no reason; it simply makes you feel happier,
  • Be kind and do kind for others; we often are too focused on a task at hand and don’t stop to think what our clients or colleagues need from us. Remember the Golden Rule.
  • Be present — listen — when being spoken to. It will make a great difference in the conversation outcomes. Excuse yourself if you need to take a call or text don’t do it in front of another; it devalues their time and takes away from your focus and attention.
  • Use every transition (even if it is as simple as every time you walk through a door frame) to think of what you want out of your next action.

If you would like to book a free 30-minute High-Performance Coaching Consultation on techniques that you can implement to boost your productivity, or learn more about high-performance coaching please schedule a time by clicking on the the link below.

Schdedule a Session

If you have any questions about 90-day coaching packages offered through Jenny Reilly Consulting, please email jenny@jennyreilly.com or call 604-616-1967.

 

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Game-Changing Tactics to Help you with Stress Management

If you Google Stress Management youwill find 611,000,000+ results, and over 94,700,000+ references to research papers on the topic. I am often asked for tips on managing stress in the workplace – where, oh where do you start…

Periods of stress occur in high pressure situations – when deadlines are looming, there is a lack of resources, staff morale is low, during company takeovers, and the list goes on and on. Individuals feel the effects of stress when they do not feel fulfilled or appreciated in their job, are not being authentic in their professional role, feel disconnected from personal priorities, or are suffering from complete exhaustion and burnout.

Try these eight tactics to help manage your stress:

  1. Awareness = Reflection Time What is working? What is not working? What can you implement to improve what is not working? Reflection helps you work out discrepancies between what is important to you and how you spend your time.
  1. Energy Management – Mental, Emotional and Physical Working longer and harder will not make your job easier. Getting less sleep, not eating well, and not exercising will not help reduce your stress levels nor improve your job performance or productivity. Here are a few strategies for managing and maximizing your energy:
  • Monitor your energy levels and be cognizant of how you are feeling – it will make a huge difference to your productivity, satisfaction on the job and interactions with others.
  • Set aside time daily to work on high priority tasks, assign designated times for email and returning calls, and try batching similar tasks for greater productivity.
  • Take brief and regular breaks away from your desk.
  • Eat well and try to have small meals or snacks every three hours, integrate cardiovascular exercise into your schedule and protect your sleep.
  • Express your gratitude for a task well done, remember to smile and don’t take yourself too seriously – it is okay to have a good laugh.
  1. Leadership Learning Never Ends Schedule time to learn. It can be as simple as reading for 15 minutes per day on a professional development topic that will assist you in your position. Knowledge and skill improvement through reading, coaching, training or a mastermind is recommended. Utilize and effectively maximize your systems and tools to manage your time, projects and client records.
  1. Manage Yourself Know what you are good at (not just what you think you are good at) and which of your strengths are the most valuable – then operate from your places of strength. Performance cannot be improved from focusing on weaknesses. Know your values and stand by them. Understand how you work with others, how you are perceived and what you could do to improve your professional relationships. Know the type of work environment that you thrive in and can make the greatest contribution.
  1. Morning, Afternoon and Weekend Planning Routines Try to not look at your phone, email or social media for the first two hours of the day. Set aside time every day to work on your top three priorities and stick to it. At the end of the day, prioritize tasks for the next. Evaluate progress at the end of each week and plan for the next.
  1. Move from Complexity to Ease Stop multitasking – it is not effective. Tackle one thing at a time and make sure that what you do has the greatest impact and return on your time investment. Keep it simple – one thing at a time.
  1. Resilience – Break Down the Complex Your professional and personal lives are complex, and unexpected challenges do occur. Resilience is built and can be developed. It helps how you assess, react and cope when the unexpected occurs. Think rationally about what needs to be done, be mindful and improvise when needed.
  1. Take Charge of Your Schedule – Take Conscious Action Now It is okay to say no, or advise when something does not work for you in your schedule. Do not allow your email, social media, or constant meeting requests to take over your day. Design your week to work for you, focus on your goals and act with intention.

I would love to hear from you on any other Game Changing Stress-Reducing Tactics  you use and that have been a game changer for you. I will be giving away three $15 Starbucks cards – so please do participate for some Java energy. I will be using Google’s Random Number Generator to pull three submissions. Please have in your response by Friday, November 23rd, 2018. I will announce the winners on Monday, November 26th, 2018.

Please click on the button below to complete the following two questions:

  1. What stress-reducing, game changing tactics do you utilize? How have they made a difference?
  2. If you could work on one area in your professional life to reduce stress, what would it be?
Complete 2 Questions
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Attitude is everything – smile for success!

Do you have the right attitude? Are you perceived as open, approachable and communicative?

I want you to think of one leader that you admire. Ready? This individual has the uncanny ability to be comfortable in any situation and always comes across as having a positive attitude. They have an aura of confidence that enables those around them to feel that all is in their control. They are authentic, honest, competent, kind and know how to put others at ease in their presence. Now, isn’t that how you want others to perceive you in your leadership role?

The leader that I admire professionally is a CEO that has an exceptional attitude and possesses the characteristics outlined above. He always greets with a smile, is a great role model and mentor to his employees, and is known for his positive, engaging attitude. He has a wonderful persona and, in all honesty, is an all-round nice guy. He is in a cut-throat, highly demanding business; however, I have never seen him be anything but composed and genuinely interested and passionate about what he is doing. He makes eye contact, ensures when he is speaking to someone that they have his undivided attention, asks questions and seems genuinely interested in others responses. He is humble and not frightened to make fun of himself to make others feel more relaxed, and always so very, very calm with an inspiring demeanor. Now, that being said, he does make the hard calls and decisions; however, it is all in how he delivers his message that emphasizes his business acumen and competence.Attitude counts! Having the right attitude means coming across positively, holding your head high, engaging in conversation and smiling. Being upbeat and thinking about what you say before you say it – words have implications, so use them wisely. Attitude, skill, competence, emotional intelligence, resilience and reliability are all key areas of success in a leadership position. You need to follow through, do what you say you will do and when you will do it. Effective leaders give 100% effort on a task at hand, and don’t procrastinate or shy away from a difficult or confrontational situation.

You need to practice these traits day in and day out for consistency and continual improvement – they just don’t happen miraculously. And remember, what you exhibit is what your team will reflect – so team performance and morale will improve with your good example.

How can you remain ‘on’ in your professional and personal life from morning till night while retaining a positive attitude? How can you ensure that you will be engaged at every event and show up professionally, with competence and a stellar attitude? What standards do you have around attitude?

It is time to do a ‘temperature check’ on your attitude today? How would you rate yourself?

Attitude can be negatively impacted by stress. Stay tuned for an upcoming post on STRESS MANAGEMENT. It could be the game changer for your attitude!

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Over Deliver = Exceed Client Expectations

Are you planning effectively to exceed your clients’ expectations? Are you maximizing your project management software and internal processes to ensure that you have sufficient time to deliver every stage of your project on time? It is important to be prudent when scheduling, so build in a contingency percentage into every task to ensure you have a runway for the unexpected. Good planning can help you raise the bar on customer satisfaction. At the same time, if you are exceeding client expectations, this trickles down as feedback to the team and in turn increases morale, as staff are proud to be associated with excellence.

You will find with good planning that, more often than not, the contingency you have created may not need to be utilized and you will be able to deliver early. Only make promises that are attainable. When you exceed expectations, you deliver with the ‘wow’ factor. Clients value great service, so exceeding their expectations in turn yields repeat business and increased ROI.

Competence is determined by your ability to perform successfully and efficiently. The objective is that you never deliver short nor late – a high-performance tactic that you want to instill in your daily practice. Always aim to deliver early, better than promised, on (or better still) under budget. In this competitive market economy, bringing in new clients is an obvious objective, but ‘wowing’ and retaining them cannot be underestimated.

Easy ways to exceed customer expectations – yes, all common sense:

  • Be prompt, engaged and present in meetings
  • Put in the time to develop your client relationships
  • Ask questions, and then, more questions, so you fully understand what is expected
  • Deliver exceptional service and quality
  • Clearly communicate what you can and cannot provide to avoid misunderstandings  around expectations
  • Put yourself in your clients’ shoes – what would you need to be ‘wowed’?
  • Acknowledge and thank your clients for the opportunity to have their business

To help you maximize client satisfaction and your personal and professional success in the year ahead, I’m offering a one-day workshop on Tuesday, December 11, 2018 in Vancouver – Organize and Kickstart Your Planning for 2019 – limited space is available.

At the workshop you will:

  1. Design a personal plan for the upcoming year to increase your focus, productivity and results.
  2. Learn high-performance tactics and hacks to enable you to work smarter, not harder or more hours.
  3. Design your year ahead to be the best year ever!
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Catch yourself the next time you say “I am so busy…” think about it, are you really?

Busyness is not good business

I went through a period in my career, where I was ‘SOOO busy’! I was SO busy attending meeting after meeting, my days were scheduled from the time I walked in the office to the end of the day. My real ‘work’ time and I mean by that productive time where I would actually get things done, started after 5:30 pm daily. I was SO busy, juggling work projects, priorities and staffing issues, days moved quickly into years on the job.

Don’t get me wrong,  I was very productive and overall attained exceptional results. But oh how much time was wasted during business hours on non-productive meetings, and so much work time overlapped into my personal time in order to retain my level of results. I felt like I moved through life putting out one fire and then going to the next, putting that out and then going to the next. Sound familiar?

I would wake at 5 am and get some emails done before waking my children to get them ready for the day. Rush to work, for many years being the first in the office so I could get some quiet time before my day was taken hostage by others agendas. My breakless days rarely included time to eat lunch. I ran on adrenaline and a lot, yes a lot, of coffee.

I would get in an hour at the end of the day after staff had left the office and then rush home to cook and have dinner with my children. I would spend time with them doing homework or activities and when I had them tucked in bed, my nightly work routine would start. This is when I worked on projects and finally got around to doing some email, which I often did until one o’clock in the morning. Not exactly a healthy existence; and oh how much time I wasted over those years, surviving this way year after year. My message for you: simply don’t do it!

On reflection, did I really have to be that busy? No. The norm of the environment that I was working in was not based on your effectiveness nor results, but the number of meetings and projects you juggled—how ridiculous! I remember trying to implement a ‘no meeting Wednesday’ or a day to work remotely to actually get some work done, and I was laughed at for such a ridiculous idea. Now how many progressive organizations function around these two options, and retain engaged employees with higher levels of productivity, increased results, and sustained longevity?

Looking back on this time of craziness, which many leaders recall similar times of “busy-ness,”I laugh at myself at the time I wasted, the time I will never regain. With maturity and increased job responsibilities comes a bird’s eye view of how you could have done things differently.

I spend time daily reminding leaders of these very facts: life is short; be a good leader; take time with your family and friends as it is precious; and treat your health, well-being and exercise time like gold. Just like when you are on a plane and you are told if you are traveling with a child to put on your air mask first, it is the same in life – the more time you actually spend looking after yourself, the better person you will be and in short, the better leader.

I challenge you to take five minutes and evaluate what is on your calendar for the next week. Then ask yourself the following:

  1. Are there any meetings that are not essential in my calendar this week?  Cancel them, or reschedule them when they will be most productive.
  1. Do you have time blocked off daily to work on your top 20% of tasks that will bring you the greatest impact?  If not, move things on your calendar to enable you to do to so. Daily, I concentrate time on my top 1-3 tasks that are essential to move important projects forward. I do not allow this time to be interrupted or bumped for another type of meeting.
  1. Do you have a process at the beginning of your day that you follow to ensure you stay on track?  If not, I encourage you to simply spend the first ten minutes of every day thinking and strategizing about what you expect to get out of your scheduled interactions so you   have a plan which will provide you greater focus. Do the same at the end of the day, evaluate what you accomplished, if there are any carryover tasks or follow up that you need to do and schedule the time to do so.
  1. Is there a day, or half a day a week that you can allocate as a ‘meeting free’ zone so you can get some concentrated time on a special project?  If you do not do this already, make it happen it will change your work week for the positive considerably.

If you would like to connect with me on this blog post to continue the conversation, please join my Facebook group at  https://www.facebook.com/JennyReillyConsulting/

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