I had a fantastic time meeting and working with the great people of MPI Houston this week and wanted to recap the highlights for those who might not have been able to make it.

1. Create a workload management system.  It's important that you have a consistent location and process for staging your work.  Working Sm@rt prescribes the use of tasks, calendar, mail folders and contacts in Outlook to maximize your efficiency.
2.  Don't store work at the inputs.  Work items are usually a collection of tasks, appointments, communications (email or verbal) and an assortment of information necessary to complete the work item.  Process your work and organize it for easier output.
3. When work arrives, break it down and stage it.  It will always be easier to make the best prioritizing decisions when all of your work can be seen in the same place. 
4. Take control of your inbox.  Getting control over your email inbox is crucial - and the best part is, it's not nearly as difficult as you might think.  Look to triage your incoming email by converting to tasks.
5. Respond, don't react: look for hidden sources of reactivity.  Try to cut down on the amount of reactivity in your day by turning off the default email and task reminders.  Also, changing your welcome screen from Inbox to Calendar will keep you from diving into email before you've seen the high priorities tasks and appointments for the day.
6. Reduce "mind traffic."  Acknowledge your brain spikes (the nagging thoughts that pop up at 3 am) and log them into your workload management system.  Remember to date activate each spike by asking "When is it appropriate for me to work on this?"
7. Plan for reality, not perfection.  This skill hinges on three steps:  knowing your reactivity factor, planning for unknowns and then making realistic commitments.  Every role has a different level of reactivity and understanding yours is critical when planning your day. 

I hope this helps you create more productive days!  Feel free to reach out for more information on bringing this program to your organization or upcoming meeting.  Email me at [email protected] or follow me @debcullerton on Twitter.

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