“What separates those who achieve from those who do not is in direct proportion to one’s
ability to ask for help.”
Donald Keough, former President of Coca-Cola.
Do you find yourself overwhelmed at work on a regular basis? Do you find it difficult to strike a work/home life balance because work leaves you feeling worn out and unable to fulfill your personal obligations? What about having fun – enjoying your free time – have you forgotten how?
The stress that you are experiencing is common in today’s society where everything is instantaneous. Long gone are the days where you had to wait for the mail; when you were completely unavailable to clients and colleagues on evenings, weekends and vacations because there were no cell phones, Blackberries ™ or laptops.
Today’s professionals are plagued with the chaos of clutter that continues to grow with each email and piece of paper mounting in in-boxes throughout the day. The pile grows because decisions must be made quickly and when you encounter bottlenecks, it becomes unmanageable and creates extreme stress. Eventually frustration festers and exhaustion sets in until you hit major meltdown.
While for some of us this is an occasional scenario, for many, the pace kept in order to stay afloat immobilizes an otherwise productive life. And it does not stop at work; it seeps into your personal time and eventually becomes a way of life. You do not know differently as you have no contrast, i.e. uptime and downtime. It is all uptime.
So, with the complexity and speed of the workplace today, it is no wonder many of us find ourselves with never-ending “to do” lists, mountains of paper or electronic information and constant demands on our time and energy. Since this is not going to change any time soon, simplifying your work environment is key.
You have a sense of what being organized looks like as you have friends and co-workers who have homes or offices that appear neat and calm. Those same individuals never forget birthdays, never arrive late for appointments and never act frazzled. Yet you fear filing papers and files away because you may never find them again or remember what projects are outstanding. So, you surround yourself with them so you will feel secure. But are you?
Being organized is necessary in order to make other goals attainable and I am going to make it easy for you. I started using the time management tools contained in my book, Work Smart, Not Hard!, 25 years ago when I was a legal secretary. As I fine-tuned them over the years, I continued to be promoted and have ultimately achieved the position of Chief Operating Officer of a very successful company.
If you have allowed the overabundance of your choices or habits of collection to paralyze your life, I urge you to read the book. If you are overwhelmed, or just looking for ways to become more productive, adopting some or all of the tools in this book may be just what you have been looking for.
Here’s to your success!
