“Much of what sophisticates loftily refer to as the “complexity” of the real world
is in fact the inconsistency in their own minds.” ~ Thomas Sowell
To lead an effective life, we need to be able to make things happen - to engage with our world so it will supply us with the experiences and results we seek.
Solving problems in groups can be a process of trial and error, unless you have properly identified the problem.
Developing a clear and accurate understanding of what the problem is can help you avoid doing the work of solving the problem over and over again.
When you have a problem that has no obvious solution, ask the meeting attendees to define the problem to the best of their ability. Write these definitions down, where everyone can see them, without challenging any of the suggestions. Once everyone has proposed a definition, then you can get to work on crafting a single, unified version.
When the problem itself has been defined, you can get to work on the solution.
One of the pitfalls when you work at home is maintaining a consistent and persistent attitude toward getting your work done. When I am “working for myself” on a project that I have assigned to myself, the deadline seems less real, less urgent.
Last week I sorta jumped from one thing to another, until I was able to land a couple of client consultations and some marketing work. (…read more about my services here…) Then I was able to spring into action, getting the work done on time and under budget. This week, I have two of my own projects to complete, and there is a bit of a real time-element to them. I would very much like to have them done in two weeks. It’s time to buckle down.
Create a Weekly Schedule
I used my Open Office spreadsheet program to create a weekly schedule template. It runs Monday through Sunday, and includes all of the hours from 5:00 am to 8:00 pm (I like to get up early!):
This is a much-simplified version of the “7 Habits Weekly Planner” that we discussed previously. In fact, if you have trouble with filling in the 7 Habits planner, you may want to use the simple one as a rough draft for filling in this one:
In any case I used the worksheet on Sunday when I ran my Weekly Review in order to prepare for the tasks and projects that I wanted to accomplish this week. For more information about the 7 Habits Weekly Calendar please read these posts:Implementing the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
If you are looking to get more information on how to implement the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People in a Getting Things Done-style system you are in the right place. Over the course of the next few pages you will encounter lessons in personal change that can transform your life.
Because this is not exactly a simple concept to implement, I have created a set of 7 lessons that will guide you through the stages of implementation over the next 7 weeks. This should give you a chance to focus on each new habit in your life for one full week before implementing the next one. Some of the lessons are supplemented by a follow-up worksheet that I have created to help you start implementing the new habit.
I would really like to hear your comments, start a discussion.
Newton’s First Law of Motion says that moving objects will continue moving in the same direction at the same speed.
No matter what might be going on in your life, you can do one thing today to advance your goals. You may even be able to do two things. Then tomorrow will be a little bit easier.
Apply some acceleration and reach your goals. Live your life.
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January 20th, 2009 by Stephen
There is a new post on building successful teams at the SOBCon Blog. I would love to get your input on your own best team-building practices.
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