01.05.08
Posted in Information Mgmt at 2:23 am by Debbie Gilster
I know for sure that I feel it sometimes. The email never stops! 
Thank goodness I made the decision to not use the email capability on my Treo. I just don’t need to hear the “you’ve got mail” chime while I’m away from my office nor feel compelled to see who is communicating with me at every moment. (And yes, I have to struggle to stay away from email while at my computer.) Shutting down Outlook is my best way to focus when I really need to get something done. No interruptions.
This article in CIO confirms, once again, that information overload is an issue. 42 percent of IT managers complain that they are bombarded by too much information; 39 percent say they can’t figure out which information is current; 38 percent say they need to weed out duplicate information; and 21 percent say they don’t understand the value of the information they do receive. (From a recent Burton group report.)
If IT people, who know how to work technology feel this way, how is it for the rest of us??? I’m sure the percentage is higher!
The article goes on to talk about our increased expectations for responsiveness and that individuals feel an instinctive need to respond to their email and messages. What I love the most is their bottom line statement…
“Increased communication is not the same as effective communication,” writes Santos, a Burton group analyst and report author. “Interruptions and more information are not inherently bad. How an individual or organization reacts to it is what will determine effectiveness.”
Yeah!! I’m doing the right thing by trying to stay away at times from the little pest that just won’t be quiet. Techniques center more around our own self-discipline. If my ideas aren’t enough for you, here are a few more from the article.
Santos recommends these four tactics for limiting technology interactions and, thus, limiting the magnitude of the information overflow:
1. Schedule e-mail time. Set aside time for e-mail reading sessions for at least two to three times a day, for 5 minutes to 10 minutes at a time. (Sometimes this is easier said than done.)
2. Turn that “e-mail arrived” chime off! Avoid the Pavlovian effect of responding to the e-mail “toast,” which Santos says is that annoying pop-up interruption. “Use communication options on a scheduled basis, and limit interruptions to true emergencies,” he writes. (In addition, Santos also recommends that CIOs try an “e-mail free Fridays” program for their staffs.)
3. Discontinue BlackBerry use. (Or at least keep real-time access off and check it on a predefined schedule, Santos recommends.) “Rather than responding to interruptions,” he writes, “initiate communication on your schedule.”
4. Set aside immersion times. “One well-publicized approach to information overload has been promulgated by Bill Gates—the information retreat (called a ‘Think Week’). Biannually, Gates sets aside a week to consume items, books and articles of interest accumulated by his assistants,” Santos writes. “This accomplishes two things: It keeps him current in a ‘crash course’ type of environment, and (for him) ferments a creative brew of ideas that translate to strategic initiatives for Microsoft.”
All good ideas to help us conquer information overload! Let me know any other ideas you have.
Be more effective!
Debbie
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08.23.07
Posted in Time/Goals, People/Family at 7:44 am by Debbie Gilster
As I get older, I am certainly noticing a loss of memory. BNET had a great post which both confirmed this is normal as we reach our mid forties and gave some suggestions. Now…if I could just remember where I saw the post?!? Here it is!
A Yale University study recommends a combination of physical and mental exercise to stop the brain from shrinking. One of the best physical exercises is to do something aerobic. We are also to combine mental brain exercise with activity such as reading, visiting friends, going to the movies or restaurants. I’ve got some of the mental part down, especially talking and eating. No wonder I also need the exercise!
All kidding aside, this is getting to be a serious problem for both me and my clients. We can only put so many systems in place to write tasks down, record phone numbers and create lists. We need to be able to rely on our body to assist us and should be helping it to stay healthy and tuned. We must make the time and prioritize this in our schedules. If we do, the result is actually more productivity!
I’m off to the gym…what are you doing?
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08.10.07
Posted in Time/Goals at 6:43 pm by Debbie Gilster
According to Chris Anderson of The Long Tail…
Don’t watch TV.
That’s all. (He also added especially college sports.)
Such a simple thing that can waste a lot of time. I do find it nice at times to veg in front of a movie or senseless show and not think about work-related issues. Often times though, the time just slips away. My recommendation…minimize the amount of time in front of the TV. Log where your time is spent for a week, you may be amazed how much you actually spend on the couch or distracted by the noise.
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05.09.07
Posted in Processes at 7:35 pm by Debbie Gilster
I regularly get my haircut every 6 weeks and I’ve been going to the same person for years because she does a good job. This last cut just wasn’t right though. When I discussed it with her on my visit this week, she realized she wasn’t following her process. She usually does a quick “maintenance” cut for two times but every third visit she does a regular cut, to get things totally back into alignment. She didn’t follow her process, she tried 3 maintenance cuts.
This principle is so true for areas that we want to organize or keep in order. It is just part of the process that at some point you will need to do a deep cleaning or re-organization. The closet, a drawer or the workbench needs more than just a little straightening up. The papers on your desk, the supply cabinet or your bookshelf need a thorough looking at. You’ll know when the timing is right.
Just recognize that to keep your business (or life) in shape, you will need to schedule time periodically to really organize the space. Getting things in order is one of the best stress relievers!
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05.01.07
Posted in Operations, People/Family, Processes at 8:57 am by Debbie Gilster
This past week I had what could be described as a travel nightmare.
I was on my way to the National Association of Professional Organizer’s annual conference, where I was scheduled to take a certification exam, give a workshop on Procedure Manuals and attend sessions. Due to thunderstorms in Dallas, my plane from Orange County, CA was diverted from Dallas to Austin. We were supposed to just refuel in Austin, but instead sat 8 hours on the tarmac. We watched 3 movies, ate rationed crackers and were eventually fed a slice of pizza (which they had delivered). Eventually the decision was made by the pilot that we couldn’t go anywhere. There we no hotel rooms in Austin to accomodate us all, so the Red Cross brough in cots. I spent the night in the Austin airport, sleeping in a lit room with a bunch of strangers, listening to the overhead announcements drone on.
I eventually arrived in Minneapolis an entire day late and my luggage came 9 hours later. I missed taking the certification exam and attending a special class I wanted to go to. I experienced discomfort, was glad I didn’t have to go in my airplane’s bathroom again and had to catch up on my sleep. BUT…I did learn a few things:
I managed to keep a positive attitude during the entire event. What could I do to control the weather in Dallas anyway? None. I was safe on a plane and the people around me were friendly and nice. I got to watch two good movies I hadn’t seen yet. (Ok…I almost lost it when they weren’t going to let us have our luggage while sleeping in Austin.) Later when I learned that 7 people lost their lives to a tornado in the Dallas area that night, I was even more thankful for my situation.
Always carry a toothbrush and toothpaste with you! I took mine out of my purse due to the security hassles, but they will be a mainstay from now on…tucked into their ziploc bag!
I dressed in a nice suit this time instead of comfortable sweats and sneakers. Who cares what I look like next time! (Now I know…if you have to immediately go into a meeting, this won’t work. At least look for an outfit that travels well and is comfortable, especially the shoes.)
We all need to have a plan for disaster preparedness. It was interesting to watch American Airlines try to figure out how to handle this. I particularly chuckled when the flight attendants analyzed for 45 minutes how to pass out 112 snacks to a plane of 125 paasengers! Red Cross was wonderful. The Austin airport staff really rallied to assist. Your disaster preparedness plan should kick in automtaically and flow smoothly. Even if it is a slight delay for the customer.
Communicate openly. The pilot went above and beyond. He regularly let us know what was going on and explained the process to us. Several times he had the stairs wheeled out and you could get off and go into the terminal. Only you, not your checked bags. Once there, you could not return to the airplane. He gave us choices and explained them clearly. Many companies don’t do this with their customers. Explain why you do what you do. It is usually in the best interest of the customer and they just don’t know it until you tell them.
Apologize from your heart. The pilot did this many times, even though it was not his fault. Yes, he could have decided to go into the gate a lot sooner, but he really thought the weather would let up. Even though he couldn’t control the weather or the decisions by the air traffic controllers, he apologized. We felt the sincerity. We even got a few minutes to stretch our legs on the tarmac and had a chance to meet the man behind the voice. I received an email the next day from American Airlines apologizing for the incovenience. While it was sent to all of us, it was well written and sincere. It was a nice perk to get 5,000 miles too!
Don’t complain in front of your customers. For the most part, the flight attendant’s kept a good face. Some grumbling was heard about their own inconvenience (one hadn’t eaten before she got on the flight and wanted to be counted in the cracker distribution). Your customers count on you to have a positive attitude. It helps to model what they can be doing.
I have much more I could say about this experience, but it can all be summed up in one question my good friend Karen kept asking me…”Are you having fun?” Fun is an attitude. It is what you make of it. I could have chosen to be miserable, but I didn’t. My exam will get made up some way and I’ll get the information from the class I missed a different way. Plus, now I have some really good stories to tell!
Keep your perspective positive in all situations. Rember, your customer is always looking at you. You set the tone for their experience. My experience was fun. Not the kind I imagined, but it was what I made of it.
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04.20.07
Posted in People/Family at 9:25 am by Debbie Gilster
OK all of you parents with older kids. Why didn’t you warn me about this latest stage I’d be going through???
COLLEGE PLANNING!
My oldest son Patrick is a senior in high school and wants to “go away” to college and experience the bigger college scene. We live in California and have many wonderful colleges to choose from (as well as in-state tuition) but that was not his desire. None of us were sure if he really had the grades and test scores to get in some places, but we had to let him try. This “process” of applying has taken about 6 months and here are a few of the lessons I’ve learned:
Keep your mouth shut! It is better to just pay the fee and let him apply (within reason of course), then to tell them they can’t get in. Let the school do that.
Do review the entrance requirements (grades, test scores, etc.) with them and get clear about due dates. I created an Excel worksheet of his final choices. Some schools did drop off, by his choice, when he realized he was probably out of the running. The biggest help was having the dates as a reminder.
I “gently” reminded him about due dates and discussed with him that this was more his responsibility. Much was done up to the wire, but he made the due dates. This was probably the most stressful part for me…how much do I really push? Does he really have the organization skills at 18 to stay on top of this? I decided to act somewhere in the middle.
The essay writing exercise brought us a lot closer together. His Dad and I did take him to lunch one day to brainstorm ideas he could write about. His first draft topic was not the best choice, as it didn’t give him enough room to show his character. It actually positioned him in a negative sense. I had to choose my words very carefully so as not to hurt his feelings, and let him still own it, but after a few talks and brainstorming on another topic, he whole heartedly agreed. I almost cried when in frustration he said, “Mom, they want me to write about character traits and I don’t really know what they are.” It struck me that this is really hard for most adults to know about themselves, let alone a high school kid. This is definitely something they could have been writing about, over and over again, in their high school English classes and apparently do not. So…we went onto the internet and explored sites that list character traits. As we discussed them, he was able to form an outline of ones he felt applied to him. Then he turned them into an essay outline. Suffice it to say, we went through several revisions of the essay drafts…I had to be careful not to cross the line of writer and let him “own” the essay. In the end, he learned about himself and we are closer as a result. What a relief for all when the last application was submitted.
Then the wait. All email for the college went to him. All mail has his name on it and you’d better NOT open it or suffer the wrath. This is the time you pray you are communicating well together. We fared fine but he still liked to tease us.
Colleges wait to tell you until the very last moment. My husband and I had many private talks about the wait and the possible outcome. We maintained a positive and somewhat low-key discussion with Patrick so he wouldn’t get overly anxious. I was happy to see he was handling well. He was a bit anxious but he did not let it consume him. Then the answers came in…a lot of no’s but several said yes. He really wanted USC, I think more because many in the family went there, but it was not meant to be. The applicant pool this year was huge. He handled the no’s well. It came down to University of San Francisco and the University of Washington. He chose UofW and we are all ecstatic. We have much family in the state of Washington, including my parents (Patrick’s grandparents). He will be looked after well. Thank you Lord!
Then came the immediate flurry of signing up, paying the money and of course, getting a school sweatshirt which I think Patrick hasn’t taken off yet! It is kindof cute to see all of his friends with their respective shirts.
My husband has delved into the process for paying for this (all access to the school is through Patrick now)…the saga isn’t over but that can wait for another blog post.
The kids are growing up and so am I. They are learning to deal with real disappointment and also experience the fruits of their efforts. I am continuing to learn to let go and trust that things will work out.
Now, will someone tell me how to deal with the issue about getting ready for my child to leave???? I am excited for him and I’m crying inside. I’m trying to be tough on the outside and know that when he really leaves in August I’ll have to deal with it. My head knows it is a new stage for both of us. It doesn’t make it any easier!!
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04.16.07
Posted in Time/Goals, Operations, Information Mgmt at 9:33 am by Debbie Gilster
I am proud to announce that we have moved foward and released a new and improved version of our website at: www.CenterForProductivity.com.
It has a new look, better navigation, more information and hopefully is easier to find solutions to problems for small business owners. Internally, we now have an easier platform to release new products and information.
Check it out. Let me know what you think. Watch as we take ourselves to the next level.
The lesson for me on this: Strive for excellence, not perfectionism. I realized my perfectionism tendencies have allowed this project to drag out. I used my webmaster more, scheduled regular accountability meetings and just had to make it a priority. Yeah!!!
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09.01.06
Posted in Information Mgmt at 8:00 am by Debbie Gilster
I essentially lost interest trying to list all of the details. But many of you asked what the final outcome was so I thought I would summarize.
My tech guy did get the systems working.
The connection between the server and my desktop computer loses the connection for just a few seconds several times an hour, but quickly recovers. It is more of a nuisance. I don’t appear to lose data. I figured out on my own (and he confirmed) that my server is older technology and needs to be replaced. Not a cost I want to expend at the moment if I don’t have to as it will be several thousand dollars.
The bill from Tech guy was fair. He did not charge me for all of the hours (thank goodness).
In all of this he has somewhat disappeared. He rarely calls to follow up on things. I know I am out there on my own and now with a server to understand and support. While he did document the network details and finally sent me the file, it was not complete. At least it is a start for a new tech support person I hope.
Since I am on my own, I have had to learn the applications. We finally figured out how Elizabeth, my assistant, and I could share Outlook calendars. That was one fo the primary goals for this getting a server. It is MUCH more productive.
Next step…begin looking for a new tech support company. Why or why can’t the small guys follow-up and be available? In looking back, I should have listened to my intuition when I interviewed this guy.
Another lesson learned!
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07.27.06
Posted in Information Mgmt at 7:57 am by Debbie Gilster
Today was bittersweet. I felt honored because I had so much “technical” expertise working on my server connection problem. My tech guy worked with Microsoft engineers for a few hours, but alas, the issue could not be resolved. We even made it to the top level support at Microsoft.
Microsoft suggested a special program to run and thank goodness, the system dropped while my tech guy was still here! (Murphy must have been sleeping.) They replaced my switch box with a different brand and that didn’t solve the problem. They checked lots of different settings. Still, nothing worked. They were stumped!
The next suggestion is to replace the network card in the server because it appears it doesn’t always respond when the Dell tries to talk to it.
Hmmm…
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07.25.06
Posted in Information Mgmt at 8:00 am by Debbie Gilster
The continuation of our computer upgrade saga…read from the bottom up on this post to start at the beginning.
Throughout the week I gradually installed back on some of the miscellaneous programs I had been using. Most are utilities or add-in’s that I had downloaded from the Internet. Boy, these aren’t organized as well as they should be. I’ll be working on a solution for that!
My folders had a mix of programs I really use and paid for, plus programs I downloaded the trial version and don’t care about now. I am really getting to see which utilities help me be more productive. (For instance, I am really missing my Outline utility…as I do research it is how I collect my thoughts and information.) I haven’t had as much time as I’d like to find these on my hard drive as there is “real” work to do to make up for the time lost last week.
The connection to the server keeps dropping.