Two Steps Forward

I woke to rabbit tracks in my yard and saw a deer out early munching some grass she'd found underneath the snow.  It's amazing when you get moving before other people at the things you will see, things that will be missed if you wait until there are other human footprints tracking everywhere.

With a fresh slate, you get to create the path, make the impression, define the direction.

Use your new year to be the first one to take two steps forward.

Heather M. Hilliard is Principal and Chief Strategist for R. Roan Enterprises, LLC, a professional services consulting firm supporting businesses in pointed areas of expertise as well as with individuals for targeted projects or career development. For more articles like these, visit her posts on LinkedIn or on G+. 

#seizetheday, #makeithappen

15 Ways to Increase Your Productivity Right Now

Improve each day through New Year’s Eve to identify your resolution (if you haven’t finished planning your revolution). 

1.  Keep your goals in front of you. If you keep your larger “weight” in front of you, you focus on what’s ahead (instead of the weight that you carry on your back).

2.  Feedback is best when it looks at the future. Solutions to solve problems are far better than complaining in order to reinvent the wheel.

3.  Make time for the right things. Get rid of bad habits or time-wasting activities so your energies are used for productive purposes.

4.  Build better foundations. Lift yourself and others higher to see farther on the horizon at what’s possible (rather than using blocks to protect your turf).

5.  Tools make things easier. By selecting the right choices to streamline various aspects of your life, you simplify and reduce stress.

6.  Be mindful in discussions. When you listen for clues about others’ moods and show attentiveness, you discover what people aren’t saying.

7.  Reduce distractions. You gain power by retaking control over little things (like too many coupon emails), so you own your focus.

8.  Accept that reassessments are healthy. By adjusting as you progress, you make sure that you are capturing the strong winds that move you forward faster.

9.  Get involved with something bigger than yourself. Show your gratitude for what you have by giving back to others.

10. Realize what you don’t know and go learn something. Refreshing our learning skills makes it easier to adapt and overcome when obstacles rise in our paths.

11. Take time to just drink your coffee. Your mind needs quiet time, so sit down, unplug and pause in order to help strengthen focus for the next task.

12. Green is good. Greenery is the color for 2017; make sure you bring not only plants but also green habits into your home to be on trend as well as improving the world.

13. Say what you mean. With finesse and kindness, you’ll find being articulate and authentic will be a better strategy than any SEO plan.

14. Train your brain. Make information mean something when you digest or express— it helps you and everyone around you, too.

15. Practice what brings you peace. By making time weekly for what brings your soul contentment just for its own sake, you’ll be healthier and happier. 

Heather M. Hilliard is Principal and Chief Strategist for R. Roan Enterprises, LLC, a professional services consulting firm supporting businesses in pointed areas of expertise as well as with individuals for targeted projects or career development. For more articles like these, visit her posts on LinkedIn or on G+. 

#seizetheday, #makeithappen

Five Ways Time Can Be On Your Side

The days are about to get longer - records of lunar and solar eclipses for 2,700 years were tallied and we've gotten an additional seven hours in our lives in the past two dozen centuries.

You can imagine all of the things that are possible with that much time, but you know that all of that time isn't just for us right now. So what is this phenomenon really telling us?

A scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography notes that there is time and then there's how fast the Earth spins. This latter component, called Universal Time, proceeds and nothing you can do will change it... just like you can't change other people, the way someone works, or how other folks set priorities.

However, Terrestrial Time has only been measured by atomic clocks for a little over 50 years. There are many examples about what can be accomplished in "time comparisons." But this, too, has been modified by natural events, such as NASA showing how an earthquake recently moved the Earth's axis and shifted time. 

This year, these two kinds of time will actually be realigned and extra second will forever be added on New Year's Eve because time on the planet is out of sync.

If you feel you don't control your own time - be it through a manager's assignment or the kids' multiple activities - you don't need an international society to tell you to adjust your pace. Things occur in your life where you naturally realize you need to move your axis.

You can make shifts in your life to simplify in order to use your "real time" more wisely.

1. Realize multi-tasking doesn't work; it just wastes time. Set yourself discrete blocks of time to accomplish parts of tasks or entire projects that you know matter most. 
2. Prepare for your meetings in order to use time wisely. On calls or during face-to-face meetings, take five minutes before the discussion to pinpoint what progress means for that event. 
3. Respect the time limits you've established. Working on a specific schedule allows your brain to have a fresh mindset instead of "pushing through" and making mistakes. 
4. Effectively use waiting time. Short "vision" work is possible when you've organized your projects to reduce interruptions, so write that text while waiting on the next event. 
5. Eliminate waste. Just like you empty the fridge from expired products, your life is full of them, too, and thus anything (from stagnant relationships to lagging ideas) either need recharged or removed. 

You can take back your time. It's a great idea for starting in the next few weeks when you gain "real time" as well as Universal Time.  

Heather M. Hilliard is Principal and Chief Strategist for R. Roan Enterprises, LLC, a professional services consulting firm supporting businesses in pointed areas of expertise as well as with individuals for targeted projects or career development. For more articles like these, visit her posts on LinkedIn or on G+. 

#seizetheday, #makeithappen

Priceless

Remember not to drive so much you forget to fill your gas tank - literally and figuratively.  Balance is priceless.

www.nola.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/03/i_hate_forgetting_to_remember.html

Too Busy Being Busy?

Sooooo many cutsie phrases trying to show people just how busy one worker bee is over another... but there's no meat on the bone.  "The hamster wheel of email" - does this describe your feelings about the device on your hip? Ha!

This nine minute video is worth your valuable time, especially if you don't work in the actual "mother ship" of your company (or "Death Star" as one senior leader called his headquarters recently).  The Digital Revolution has rocked our world... but some people are too busy being busy rather than being efficient, losing their work/life balance and reacting to "over-exposure" in the process.  However, by opening your eyes and taking control of technology, you can be happier again at work.

I use the RSA videos for my graduate students; they are excellent tools for adult learners as they both entertain AND get the point across the first time.  The discussion raises a good point - that we should be working on creativity rather than sheer productivity.  Competitive advantage will best be generated by employees being encouraged to think, to imagine, and to create a better future.


On an inside note to some of my connections linked through Milwaukee - I also laughed and must disclose that to my knowledge RSA has no affiliation and is not influenced by "the meatball".


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G11t6XAIce0

Staying Strong

If you are honest with yourself, you have felt overwhelmed or even annoyed by LI messages, FB posts, texts, missed calls log, voicemails... and when you go through them, then you still may feel as though you aren't keeping up with your own things.  Well, as you fight to keep your head above virtual-message waterlines, make sure that you are spending quality time alone.  Yes, alone - electronically detached.  If you can't hear your own thoughts, it is extremely difficult to figure out the next step for your project, lead your team's presentation, or contribute meaningfully to the company's product launch. 


My team used to joke that at a certain time each week, they knew they couldn't find me and almost the exact length of time I was off the grid.  But, they knew right where I was... horseback in the woods.  My quiet time allowed for exercise, focus, reflection, and for some learning from a 1500 pound animal - if I wasn't in the moment, my moment could easily end up on the ground in a big "pay attention" message.  By doing something physical that is nearly second nature, you allow your mind to block out the messages and lists in your head in order to focus on form and function.  When you are done, you may be physically tired, but mentally refreshed and actually have discovered answers or next steps figured out for the remainder of the week by letting your sub-consciousness attack an issue while you attack the trail. 


[Also - when you go off the grid, for safety's sake, let someone know.  And if you switch days, tell them that, too - or you'll be surprised at the panic that can develop because you are always on your game and no one can reach you.  (I am still apologizing for that lack of courtesy to Robert and the gang.)]


Make sure you take time for yourself - it will make you better than ever!




http://www.businessinsider.com/how-mentally-strong-people-use-solitude-2015-7

"It's Just Work."

What's your niche? Have you found "a knack for something that somebody was willing to pay for" that  you enjoy and still gives you time for your family and friends? Don't worry. You will. Just have faith and look how it may not be like Wobegon, but you will find your idyllic life. He didn't have a path, either, but he focused on what was important and had a plan - and it would be tough to find anyone over 30 that doesn't know his name. This article from 1997 is interesting - especially since he just announced retirement.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1997/10/its-just-work/305002/?single_page=true

Don't Forget the Importance of Play

As adults, our focus is on responsibilities - bills, jobs, the order of things.  Children, however, tend to focus on play and enjoy themselves.  Turns out, we can learn from kids.  Our minds still need distraction that has no other purpose but to allow a time of enjoyment.  It's not just about breaking up the boredom or drudgery of the work task.  It's about distracting the mind with something simple.  And K.I.S.S. is important.  It's not about texting or playing a smartphone game or watching cute animal videos; you need something tactile - squishing a stress ball, shaking a snow globe, even spinning a paperclip on your desktop (hopefully out of ear-shot of your boss).  You need to take time for you and your brain to chill out.  Don't rely on fish oil supplements or vitamins to boost your memory - K.I.S.S. and play.


http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/07/stress-toys-focus-work/398453/

Betting on Forgetting

"The brain crowns winners and losers." Americans tend to believe that the more tasks that you cram into a day, the bigger winner you are. However, asking for help or using 'cheat sheets' to get things done makes us think to ourselves that we are being perceived as a loser. But remember if you actually get things done and don't forget to call a friend or complete an errand for a family member, then that actually makes you a winner. It doesn't lessen your status if you have a helping hand to get things done.


http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/07/11/421749669/trying-to-remember-multiple-things-may-be-the-best-way-to-forget-them