Category: Productivity & Effectiveness

As a long-time executive assistant and project coordinator, I continually search for ways to eek the most out of my time. This is my collection of tips and tools to master your time.

Puzzling about busyness

Carl Setzer
It sure seems that I’m busier. Whether that’s a perception or reality, I’m unsure. But the differentiation isn’t important. The feeling is.
Many people I know feel like life is moving faster. A big piece of that, for me, are deadlines. More things are urgent. More people expect instantaneous response. It seems to take more effort to remind folks that 24 hour response times are not insulting.
I’ve noticed more articles by leaders who aren’t checking email every few minutes. They’re limiting their time on Twitter & Facebook. And they don’t necessarily respond instantly to texts or voicemail. This is how the high producers are responding to what I’m feeling. There’s something in there for me, and us all, too.
Our society needs to back away from demanding instantaneous response. It’s unrealistic and corrosive. Respect for others needs to return to being a paramount virtue. That’s healthy for both sides of these issues; for us all.

A Few Of My Favorite Gmail Tricks

Carl Setzer

One of my morning tasks: sorting email. Yeah, the same as zillions of other earthlings. My team are Gmail users, so here’s a quick trick I use to speed up my morning. Plug the following into the search bar: in:inbox has:nouserlabels.

This pulls up everything that’s not been labeled yet. I use labels to help prioritize. Plus, one everything is labeled, it’s easy to pull up the whole thread and then archive the redundant messages. I prefer getting all the responses together in one email. Trying to minimize data scatter.  Another one I use: in:inbox is:unread. Pulls up all your unread messages. Of secondary value to the first, though.

I check my spam folder >= daily, but I don’t scroll down to the spam tag. In the same box, just type “in:spam”, and it pops up fast.

Business Tip Of The Day: You’re Not Too Busy

Carl Setzer

Was just told about a real estate agent who regularly dumps files on their admin, without any explanation or discussion, because they’re “so busy”. They’ll just figure it out. Ugh! If you’re “so busy”, then you really need to take the minute or two it takes to give an explanation of the file, or task you’ve dropped onto your staff. Expecting folks to just “figure it out” is a near guarantee for re-doing/un-doing work, which is duplicative and wasteful (which should be obvious). Reminds me of one of my father’s adages: “you might think you’re too busy to do it right, but you won’t be too busy to do it again”. Slow down, folks; take the time to set your staff, and, thus, yourself, up for success.

To just be me

Carl Setzer

It’s so easy to succumb to this desire: be something, something important, impactful, powerful.  Chasing after an ideal “should be”, losing sight of who you are; cruel phantoms. So easily we get pulled into career/family/cultural expectations, that when we lose sight of ourselves, we don’t easily see the path back. That’s assuming there is a path “back”. I expect, for many of us, this is a path forward; new direction, new experience. Often, the path of self-discovery and self-acceptance is a journey of deep creativity; true exploration. A journey not started in youth, rather born out of regret and emptiness.

Thought on the day

Carl Setzer

Thought of the day: It’s preferable to learn from the mistakes of others than to make them yourself. The whole purpose of an event like Family Reunion, and education as a whole, is to pre-learn the mistakes great minds have made, and avoid the pain and costs they incurred. Really, someone taking the time to explain anything they’ve learned is a gloriously generous gift. I’ve long known that, but have really deepened my appreciation for those that generosity. 

Oh, The Challenge Of Stillness

Carl Setzer

One of my challenges: sitting still. I love getting stuff done. This week, though, is about learning, preparing; not about acting. For action without planning often is empty, or worse, counterproductive.

I don’t spend enough time planning. Sadly, it’s very easy to confuse action and activity with progress. I need to add “focusing time” into my day. Thus, I shall act rather than react. And ensure my efforts build something, not just spin my wheels needlessly.

I’ve known about this weakness for awhile. Yet, it’s really being driven home this week. If I learn nothing else this trip, my deeper understanding of this is worth it all.

Zero Inbox or Damnation

Carl Setzer

The mania of my life lately has provided a convenient excuse for putting off zeroing my inbox. After spending a bit of my weekend scrambling because I missed crucial emails, I’m raising it’s priority again. “Later’s” glorious promise, and inevitable bite.

In Stephen Covey parlance, I’ve spent too much time in Quadrant 1, urgent/important and Quadrant 3, urgent/unimportant. Neglecting the important/non-urgent work of Quadrant 2 has always provided pain points for me.

KNOWING what’s outstanding, what my commitments are: critical knowledge that I musn’t allow to slip. And, hence, I”m all back in with my favorite project management tool: IQTell. Additionally, making sure my work, my actions track with my goals, priorities and values is the ultimate in live-giving. Focus, focus, focus!

Living La Vida Browser

Carl Setzer

This morning I popped onto my computer to get some work done. After a bit of work (some email, updating social media, zap out a few blog posts) I’m struck the fact that nothing on my computer is open safe Chrome. I also have my task manager open, and a document for my son (for school). My browser has really become the center piece of my computing.

I’ve noticed this coming for some time. Yet, today, it gives me deeper pause: how will this affect us going forward? One obvious piece: tablets & phones. The more tools available via browsers (at least those optimized for HTML 5), the more effective and powerful these devices become. More and more of my work gets done on my tablet. I expect this will drive us more into the world of such tools as Chromebooks as well. Hard-drive space will become less critical for the average user. I expect the demand for laptops will whither, much like desktops have. Don’t get me wrong: there will always be demand for laptops and desktops, but the average home user won’t need the power features. Email, documents, Facebook simply don’t demand the power of your average laptop.

I know, also, that there are affects coming that I can’t predict right now. That’s the thing that excites me. Some right, perhaps right this second, is thinking of a new way to do X with this new reality. And it will change the way we live. This might define a key part of “me”, this excitement. I see change and feel the possibility. Hence, I gaze towards the future and see possibility, delight, wonder. Happiness, then, consumes me. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Living La Vida Browser

Carl Setzer

This morning I popped onto my computer to get some work done. After a bit of work (some email, updating social media, zap out a few blog posts) I’m struck the fact that nothing on my computer is open safe Chrome. I also have my task manager open, and a document for my son (for school). My browser has really become the center piece of my computing.

I’ve noticed this coming for some time. Yet, today, it gives me deeper pause: how will this affect us going forward? One obvious piece: tablets & phones. The more tools available via browsers (at least those optimized for HTML 5), the more effective and powerful these devices become. More and more of my work gets done on my tablet. I expect this will drive us more into the world of such tools as Chromebooks as well. Hard-drive space will become less critical for the average user. I expect the demand for laptops will whither, much like desktops have. Don’t get me wrong: there will always be demand for laptops and desktops, but the average home user won’t need the power features. Email, documents, Facebook simply don’t demand the power of your average laptop.

I know, also, that there are affects coming that I can’t predict right now. That’s the thing that excites me. Some right, perhaps right this second, is thinking of a new way to do X with this new reality. And it will change the way we live. This might define a key part of “me”, this excitement. I see change and feel the possibility. Hence, I gaze towards the future and see possibility, delight, wonder. Happiness, then, consumes me. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Living without regrets

Carl Setzer
A life with no regrets doesn’t need to mean one with no mistakes. Really it means you’re always looking forward, not obsessed with the past.

Our culture pushes a fear of failure, deeply. With that, achieving failure often triggers a deep identification AS a failure. It’s an easy trap to get ensnared by. Watch for it!
It robs joy, and drains focus for the NOW. This builds a negativity mindset, one where all compliments are distrusted, all opportunities are dreaded. In this world, the only efforts wth making are ones with guaranteed outcomes. Which are few and weak.
The ultimate regret:  failing to finish a dream. Seek to prevent that. Keep your eyes forward; find dreams and embrace them. Then steel yourself to fight, fumble and stagger your way forward. It’s helps to focus forward, towards the top of the hill we’re climbing. Efficiency often is inelegant. Crossing the finishline is ultimately what matters, whether perfectly coiffed or dripping sweat.

Updated: I found this graphic that sums this up well. Enjoy!