Achuckallen

Instigating Better

work smart

Football and You

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football-game

I’m a football fan. Maybe even a football freak. But one of the realities of being a fan is that you are the shorter version of fanatic. I remember watching the NFL and the AFL on a black and white TV with rabbit ears with my Dad and thinking, this is a great game.

I’m a Georgia Bulldog fan. That means that I fully expect to start the season 5-0…but wait for it…October and November are coming! I’m an Atlanta Falcons fan. I fully expect to be missing my heart as I watch it stomped upon, one more time!

But let’s face it. Anybody can have a day where nothing goes right. Kind of like the University of Tennessee two days ago. Or the Falcons earlier today.

The question is, do these teams have three critical elements that all of us need to overcome a setback and get back in the win column. Our lives are similar to the game of football. So, here are three elements that you might find helpful in your life’s game.

  1. Strong teams and strong players recognize that you are going to fail, but that doesn’t make life fatal. Every single winner has had losses. The real question is what did you learn from the loss that matters. Losing is essential to appreciate winning! Get off your pity party and get back up, dust yourself off and get back in the game!
  2. There will always be naysayers! Plenty of people stand on the sidelines and babble on about what they should have done. It’s always an easy call from the cheap seats! A buddy of mine once said that if you are pedaling uphill as hard as you can, you don’t have time to deal with every yapping dog that is chasing after you! Leave the stands and get on the field. There are plenty of things to focus on. Dream poopers aren’t one of them. Press On!
  3. Get back in the gym. Get back in the film room. Refine your trade. Work your plan! Stay the course. When we surrender our willingness to learn, we have surrendered our right to lead. Preparation is the fuel of champions! My friend, Dr. Jay Strack offers this thought on getting prepared to win, or to win again: “The future belongs to those who are prepared.”

Don’t offer emotional, uneducated assumptions from the cheap seats. Get in the game. And when all goes wrong, take your losses and the critics and toss them away, after and only after you have learned all that you can from them. Then get back in the gym. Get back in the film room and get back on the field.

You have been created to strive for excellence. You are equipped to overcome loss and the critics that come with it. Once you are prepared, play to win! Walk off the field spent and exhausted from the battle and lay your head on the pillow tonight and close your eyes as you think over the events of this day with the joy of knowing that you did all you could, with all you have. Friend…there will always be days when you must look in the mirror and state: “All I can do is all I can do. And all I can do is enough!

–AChuck

Saturday Share – 7 Ways To Work Smarter

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Each Saturday I share a BLOG that might be a help for you. With the new year within 2 days, I thought you might appreciate this week’s Saturday Share BLOG – 7 Ways To Work Smarter, Not Harder: by Jesslynn Scott

Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort makes all the difference. Work with how you spend your time in a day. Develop habits that can help you know what is important, what is not. With discipline, planning and organisation, eventually, you would find yourself working more effectively without wasting time.

1. Take breaks – It sounds counter-intuitive, but taking a regular break during your workday actually increases your productivity. It’s also better for your health. Whether you work as a freelancer or work in an office environment, walking away from your desk will minimize eye fatigue and prevent blood-clots in your legs. Research shows that even five minutes away from work is enough time to renew your focus. When the afternoon slump hits, take a break. For even more energy in the afternoon, skip the coffee and incorporate brain-boosting snacks like blueberries and walnuts. The healthy fats and antioxidants will give your tired brain a much-needed boost of energy and focus.

2. Make rituals a part of your day – Believe it or not, most of what we do everyday is actually habitual. So if we can develop healthy habits, then we can be moved to success with less pain and efforts. If we are used to doing the same thing at the same time in the same place, the environment and the habit itself can condition us and make us more efficient in what we want to do. Start your day off right by using a morning ritual during the workweek. Incorporate ideas like morning pages, meditation, and exercise into your early hours to improve your focus. Great morning routines start the night before by prepping for the day.End each workday the same way as well. Shut down your office. Clear off your desk of any clutter so that you can start each morning fresh. Whether working from home or an office, make a point to start a ritual that says it’s time to end the workday.

3. Have a “Do Not Disturb” block of time – The best part and worst part of working from home is that you work from home. People living with you can pop in and out of your office during working hours “just to chat” or discuss little things. Make it clear that between certain hours, you are not to be disturbed unless it is an emergency. Guard that time. For working at the office, the same principle can be used. Inform co-workers that you don’t want to be disturbed.

4. Check email and social media at certain times only – It’s so easy to check email or social media several times a day. The problem is that quick looks derail your focus. It takes almost 25 minutes to return from a distraction. Shut off email notifications and stick to a regular email time—once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Do the same with social media. Everything will still be there when you’re ready for it.
5. Make a top 3 priority to-do list – Pre-planning your day is a must if you want to get things done. But instead of making a long to-do list, make a list of the three most important things you need to accomplish. By limiting your list to only three priorities, the list becomes manageable and not overwhelming.

6. Develop a time management system – Filofax, Erin Condren, and Franklin Covey are all very popular pen-and-paper planners. There’s something to writing things down. Evidence even shows that writing longhand improves memory. An added plus: decorating your daily pages can be inspirational. If you aren’t into your own handwriting, there are apps and websites like Trello to help you out. Boards and cards can be broken up, labeled with colored tabs, and details can be added within each card. The possibilities are endless.

7. Organize your workspace – Make a regular effort to organize your cloud-based or desktop folders. This is a huge time saver. Use labels in Gmail or folders in Outlook for all your emails. Make everything clean and uncluttered. Learn to use shortcut keys instead of relying on your mouse. Along with keeping your online workspace organized, keep your office organized too. Have a designated time (like Friday afternoon) to get rid of old papers. File receipts and invoices in a file cabinet or a portable file box. Having an uncluttered work area improves focus.

To work smarter, it isn’t just about having laser-focused attention and access to the latest apps and software. Know your limits and distractions and use that to develop a system that works for you. Keep yourself accountable. You’ll accomplish more without sacrificing all your time.
Stay Cool, Chuck

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