9 tips to strike a better balance between work and life

1. Keep a work Journal: How many pieces of paper or Post-Its are flying around your desk? Too many. Pick one thing in which to keep all your notes, work agenda, and things to do. One thing; not one notebook, one pad of paper, and one Post-It pad. ONE object. This will be your daily bible to stay on track and make sure you have everything organized in one place. In turn you will be more effective with an organized work schedule and your tasks prioritized. Also, by recording your daily activities and taking notes you'll be able to write your reports quickly and efficiently and find that one phone number or address you can't find but remember writing down when on the phone with your client. This one notebook will be with you on each meeting, phone call, and used to write all your thoughts all the time. Each day I start with the next blank page, write the day and date on top, and re-cap the previous days notes and events. I start by carrying over anything I did not get completed the day before and that kicks off my to-do list for the day. This will keep you motivated and focused on your daily tasks. If you notice that your notes seem light, especially if you are in sales, then you know it is time to kick it up a notch and get business rolling. When that notebook is filled do not throw it away! Believe it or not, I still have notebooks from 5 years ago that I have found old contacts or important notes about how I can do my job better. Once the notebook is full, date it with a Sharpie on the cover and binding, and place it on your bookshelf. I promise you will look at it again in the next 6 months for notes that you are missing.

2. Highlight only 5 tasks a day: No matter how long your to-do list is, highlight only 5 things that you must get done today. Too often, people measure their value by how long their to-do list is, but really their list is full of things that are not important or the person is procrastinating too long on getting things done. When I started my first sales job I remember telling a good friend that I have so much to get done personally and professionally and I feel that I end up getting nothing done by the end of my day. I asked him how he is able to work a full day, go to the gym, return phone calls, and read books on his industry to stay on top of new trends. He said each day he highlights 5 things that he really wants or needs to get accomplished before end of day and those 5 things end up being 35 per week and then 140 a month. These 5 items are a mix of business and work, but usually those important things that we put off; calling grandma back, reorganizing the linen closet, updating our client database, or making that yoga class that we need to balance our life. Highlighting just 5 tasks is something I strive to do every day.

3. Start with the hard stuff first: It's so easy to procrastinate on the more difficult or annoying tasks on our to-do list, but get them over with at the beginning of your day. We are naturally drawn to the simple, quick, tasks because they give us a false impression that we're doing more than we really are. Saving the hardest tasks for last can be detrimental to our success and ability to save time, because we have already used up our initial energy on non-critical tasks. You will also create more stress worrying about the dreaded tasks ahead that you continue to put off until he end, causing more stress, distraction, and less motivation. Getting the harder things over with will end up boosting your morale and sense of achievement earlier in your day; in turn giving you a boost of energy and focus to get even more accomplished!

4. Cut out non-work activities: The most obvious, but most difficult, thing to do is limit activities that don't relate to the job at hand. We say it is just a few minutes here and there, but those moments add up and suck up precious time that could get you out of the office sooner. Also, every time you take a break to catch up your friend Sally on last night's dinner or send a mass email about the kids, it takes your head out of work mode. You end up losing more time by switching gears when you change from productive work mode to procrastinating mode. We all do it and I am not here to criticize, but if work is more demanding some days then cut out those activities that are slowing you down. If you think it is not an issue I suggest you time yourself every time you switch gears for personal items; looking at the Internet, even to read the news, or making a personal phone call; you will be surprised how much time it takes out of your day.

5. Work Fewer Hours: Don't think of productivity as putting more hours into your days. Less hours generally mean more time to spend on your personal affairs, which leads to better health and lower stress levels. Sure, staying late or getting in extra early looks good to upper management, but if the numbers are not moving or your productivity seems the same or lower, then what is the good of working longer? I know I work better in the morning, so I am usually the first or one of the first folks in my office and I tend to do more interactive work, visiting clients, activities in the late afternoon over crunching numbers and writing proposals. I am not there until 8pm at night, and I focus on all work even more until 1pm. I know I have achieved more between 7am and 1pm than many do working from 9am - 6pm. I care about my personal time and realize the importance of completely shutting off work so that the creative juices are restored for the next day's work. If you are not making time to eat, sleep, and spend time with your loved ones then you are not re-energizing yourself to do a better job at work. Some of my best ideas are on the weekends, going for a run, or when I am painting. Sometimes not trying to think or focus is beneficial to your long term success. If you do not allow your brain to switch gears, then it will burn out on working on the same gear over time.

There are always special circumstances, though. If you operate in an environment that runs 24/7 services and Something Bad happens-well, then you need to fix it if takes you 24 hours. Hopefully, you'll get corresponding time off in return. If you're on a deadline then put in the time to get it done, but I doubt you're needed 12 hours a day on a daily basis. There are always exceptions, but measure whether you are working late for the sake of working late or if you really have work to get done. I think you see where I am going with this.

6. Change it up: Monotony is a key factor that leads to boredom or getting in a slump at work. If you continue to toil on the same spreadsheet each day or the same project for months, take a breather. You may be stuck trying to complete the assignment at hand or delivering the results needed. See what else needs to be done and work on another project for a short period of time. It will help break up your day and re-stimulate the skills needed to finish the project or excel sheet. A good artist never has one painting going at a time, but rather several paintings at a time that they rotate working on each day.

7. Be an Active Listener: This is my number one problem! I want to multi-task, especially at work, so I tend to read emails while on the phone and eating a bagel. No good. It is humbling to be writing this as one of the skills to master, because it is the one task I need to work on developing. Most of us think we are good listeners, but we really are not. It is harder than you think to offer your full attention to someone speaking and worse when they write an email that we skim and respond with a question that was answered in the email. I'm guilty! Since, I am actively working on improving this skill, here is what I have learned about "active listening:"

a. pay attention - give the speaker your undivided attention. That means putting aside distracting thoughts such as preparing your response or rebuttal.
b. show that you are listening - use your body language to show that you are paying attention, by nodding, using facial expressions, and making small verbal comments such as "yes" and "uh huh."
c. provide feedback - our personal filters, assumptions, judgements, and beliefs can distort what we hear. Prevent this by: reflecting back, asking clarifying questions, and summarizing the speakers ideas then ask for confirmation.
d. defer judgement - allow the speaker to finish and don't interrupt with counterarguments.
e. respond appropriately - active listening is being respectful; you are gaining information and perspective. When it is your turn to respond be candid, honest, and open in your response. Be assertive and treat the other person as he or she would want to be treated.

It takes a lot of concentration and hard work to be an active listener. Old habits are hard to break and more people have problems listening then you would guess. Improve your active listening skills now to become a better communicator and improve your workplace productivity and relationships.

8. Limit Meetings: One activity that breeds bad listening skills are long unorganized meetings. I observe many office meetings that take time away from selling and being productive. In the end those attending the meetings subconsciously expect wasted time and learn to enter the meeting prepared to "zone out" or update their notes and to-do list. This is a bad trend that can easily be fixed by keeping each member at the meeting on track. I know it may demand cutting someone off from discussing their weekend, but it must be done to keep the energy and flow of the meeting focused on the agenda. Pointless meetings are a waste of everyone's time. They can be demoralizing, energy-sucking vortexes. Recovering from a bad meeting can take further attention away from actually getting things done. Much of what goes on in meetings can be substituted by effective individual planning, e-mail, issue tracking, or planning better in the first place.

9. Information Management: We are both blessed and cursed to have so much technology available at our fingertips, but don't let it control you. This means all sources of data: e-mail, documents, cell phones, iPods, PDA's, digital calendars, etc... Very simple: don't read what you don't need to read, don't respond to emails that are not important or business related just to chime in, file away emails that are not needed in your inbox, and delete those that you really don't need to look at again. It is easy to be buried in digital information, so pick your device vices and make sure you control them to help you be productive.

No one is perfect at time management, but it is necessary to work on the skills above to take better control of your life. My productivity increased tremendously when I applied these tools to my life and I have seen others improve as well. If you are unsure where you are with your time management skills then take a basic Excel spreadsheet and write down what you did every 15 minutes for one day. Yes, I did this in college and believe me you will be surprised where you spend some of your time. It is a little annoying, but it is only one day and the results will help notably. In turn, you will gain more time for yourself, find fulfillment in your accomplishments, and get more done in one day than you thought possible.

If you don't know yet, figure out what motivates you to excel, finish, and progress in life. Are you competitive? Do you enjoy supporting others in the office and helping them achieve their goals on the job? Does your family depend on your to succeed and advance your career? Whatever it is that motivates you - find it - and keep it on top of your mind each day as a constant reminder as to why you do what you do. In the end it only benefits you to be more productive, achieve goals, get more done, and spend personal time with your loved ones.

Get moving buddy!

BRON: www.thedailyanchor.com