Step out of avoidance and into productivity!

Julian Consulting

Promoting healthy teams: The right people with the right fit, enjoying right relationships.

April 2011

Greetings!

What do you avoid?

"My annual physical"
"As much conflict as possible"
"People who suck the life out of me"
"Tasks at work that suck the life out of me"

The list goes on. . . . This month we look at stepping out of avoidance and into productivity.

Deny, Delay, Delegate, Do

Step out of avoidance and into productivity.

Deny. "I wasn't aware." What could be easier than avoiding a task by pretending it never existed?

This tactic is only open to people wired in a certain way. Some personality types (particularly those with a judging preference) cannot imagine pretending that an assignment never existed. Those with a perceiving preference, where every day is new, are often quite expert at this tactic.

The upside: Sometimes things really don't have to be done and if you can just move on without giving them another thought, you're better off.

The downside: It can be like taking prescription drugs - great when used properly, addictive and debilitating when abused.

Delay. "I will do it tomorrow." OK, some people find it is easier to admit that a task exists, while simply choosing to put it off.

This strategy may be part of a larger prioritization system recognizing that not all tasks are equal. If you really cannot do it all today, then, by definition, some tasks have to be delayed.

The upside: Prioritizing is key to success - you must not be ruled by the urgent, the insistent, or the loudest person in the room.

The downside: If delay isn't part of strategic prioritization, it can be fatal since there really are deadlines in life and not all of them are known. For example, you keel over from a heart attack because eventually clogged arteries close.

Delegate. "I need you to do this." If you've got someone to whom you can delegate, then it doesn't get any easier.

Except that delegating can bring on a new task - following up to make sure that the person completes the delegated task as intended and by the deadline.

The upside: When you have competent people who can be trusted, partnering with those having complementary skills is the surest way to maximize your effectiveness.

The downside: Delegating to those who are incompetent or cannot be trusted simply makes your life more complicated as you must now manage not only yourself, but another. (Unless, of course, you are gifted in denial - then you can delegate and forget. See the downside of "Deny" before doing this.)

Do. "I completed the task as intended and by the deadline." Completing a task is often the result of disciplined effort.

Without getting into another topic entirely, I'll simply say that my theology contains these beliefs:

We were made to work.
Meaningful work is something to be cherished and nurtured rather than avoided.
Meaning can be found in any work that is ethical because humans have the capacity to instill meaning through their participation. That is, I find meaning both in washing dishes and in serving clients.

The upside: This is the place you go to visit the joy of work. It is here that you realize why you matter and how you can make a difference in the lives of others.

The downside: Some people want to distinguish being from doing, arguing that being is the more important of the two. While I agree that some people live frenetically without experiencing contentment, peace or joy, I believe that who I am (my being) can be discovered and expressed through what I do.

The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

Productivity from a different perspective.

"There is nothing new under the sun" - so said the writer of Ecclesiastes more than 2000 years ago.

Somehow authors still insist they are saying something new. In The 4-Hour Workweek, author Timothy Ferriss recycles many insights, "Emphasize Strengths, Don't Fix Weaknesses," while reminding us of some that are easily forgotten, "Relative Income Is More Important Than Absolute Income."

My dad told me, "If you read a book and get one thing out of it, it was worth reading." Sometimes it seems like a painfully long journey to get to that gem, but fundamentally I agree.

Here's my assurance - if you read this book, you will find your one thing. Ferriss wants us to remember that the quality of our lives can be found in creatively restructuring whatever quantity we've been allotted (what he calls "lifestyle design").

There is a bit of oversell associated with this book. For instance, on the jacket we find: "You can have it all - really." This from a thirty-something who is unmarried and without children. The back of the jacket reads: "Warning: Do Not Read This Book Unless You Want To Quit Your Job." Personally I would recommend it to you even if you love your job.

(Click here for a link to the book on Amazon.)

The oversell associated with this book leads me to include something new this month - a creative rebuttal. While I would choose to express myself less coarsely than its author, Penelope Trunk, it's a fun read.

5 time management tricks I learned from years of hating Tim Ferriss

Trunk writes:

Most weeks Tim probably has a 100-hour workweek. It's just that he's doing things he likes, so he lies to you and says he only works four hours. He defines work only as doing what you don't like. It's childish. It's a childish, semantic game.

Perhaps, but it's also effective marketing. The 4-Hour Workweek sounds a lot more intriguing than How to Work 100 Hours Per Week while Spending Only 4 Doing Things You Don't Like.

Thanks for reading. I'm here to help you be productive in your work.

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Committed to your professional and personal success in 2011 and beyond,