• 
  
  
• 
  

If you're new here, welcome!You may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. You can also subscribe for email updates if you'd like. Thanks for visiting!

We all deal with tight deadlines on a regular basis. Many of us work directly with some very impressive (and intimidating) executives. At times, the pressure can be overwhelming.

If you work in a position where working well under pressure is a requirement, check out the following tips to help you manage the stress and perform at your best, even under pressure of looming deadlines and high powered bosses.

Stop Procrastinating

Nothing – and I mean nothing – adds unnecessary pressure to a situation like good old fashioned procrastination. Waiting until the last minute to start working on a project is asking for everything to go wrong. If you’re a chronic procrastinator, you undoubtedly know this. Expect that there will be delays at every step. It’s always helpful to start projects much earlier than you would think necessary and set mini-deadlines along the way. Give yourself plenty of time to perform at your best. Work that is rushed is often inaccurate and low quality. Avoiding procrastination will help decrease the number of circumstances in which you are under a huge time pressure to get things done.

If you’re one of those people who “work well under pressure” and you feel you need that tight deadline to push yourself, you can always set a “fake deadline” for yourself. Make it a week earlier than the real one. That way, you still put the pressure on yourself but you’ll have some flexibility so if things go wrong, or you just need more time to check your work, you’ll have it.

Ask for Help

I don’t know why it’s so hard for us to ask for help. I guess it’s a pride thing. We all want to show that we are endlessly capable so we think that asking for help is like admitting we aren’t. Well, it’s time to get over it. Sometimes, we can’t do it all. We’re only human! When the pressure is on and you feel like you’re about to crack, you don’t have to suffer alone. Call upon your team to help you out. You help others all day long – they’ll be thrilled to show you the same support. And don’t be afraid to take them up on their offers to assist! So many times I see people drowning who refuse to take the life vest. Again, it’s a pride thing. Stop it! Just accept the help, be grateful and share the credit where it’s due. That’s perfectly acceptable in business.

Organize and Prepare

Most of us go through periods where we are extremely busy followed by short periods of calm during which we can reorganize and prepare for the next wave of action. During these lulls, be sure to use your time wisely. It can be tempting to just sit back, relax and pat yourself on the back for all your hard work. But don’t forget that this period of stillness is only temporary. Take some time to reflect on what is working well and what isn’t. Consider what projects/tasks are coming up on the horizon. Can you avoid any pressure in the future by doing some preemptive work now? How can you improve your organization system to make the next flurry of activity less stressful?

Slow Down

It can be tempting, when dealing with a heavy load of pressure, to move into “speed demon” mode. Remember that you often end up sacrificing accuracy and quality when you concern yourself with trying to move at lightning speed. It also increases your anxiety level making the pressure that much more intense. Take a minute to breathe deeply and keep your composure. Don’t allow the need for speed to rule your behaviors in critical moments. Be smart. Snap decisions aren’t always the best way to go. Don’t allow time pressure to push you into doing mediocre or unsatisfactory work.

Following these key tips will help you decrease the amount of pressure your under and better handle it when it comes along.

As anyone who reads this blog regularly knows, I am a natural planner. I love it. Organizing, researching – these things are my lifeblood. But, as I mentioned in a recent article, planning can be the comfortable phase of productivity so it’s easy to get wrapped up in it. The real work comes in the “doing” phase.

So while I love planning, I’ve learned to embrace the “just do it” technique, more accurately described as the Learn-As-You-Go method of productivity. In fact, this blog is a product of it. If I had spent all the time I would have liked to in the planning stages of this blog, it wouldn’t even be started yet. It was such a big project – and something I knew nothing about – I knew that if I didn’t just get on with it, I would get overwhelmed and give up. I had to jump right in and let myself sink or swim.  I hoped that once I got moving on the project, inertia and the drive to see it through to the end would keep me afloat.

I’ve found that there are four critical tips to bear in mind when using the Learn-As-You-Go technique. I’d like to share them here but I can also tell you that this is a delicate art. These tips will help you but your process will only be perfected in the moment as you work with it.  

1. Experiment and Don’t Fear Failure

You can’t be afraid of trying anything and everything when you’re using this method. You have to test things out and see what works and what doesn’t. Research won’t ever take the place of good old fashioned experimentation.  Recognize that you may lose a few dollars along the way, you may spend a significant amount of time testing a method or a resource only to find it is completely wrong for your needs, but nothing is wasted.

When I first started this blog, I used a free hosting service and in about two weeks, I realized that was the wrong move.  I needed my own domain name, my own hosting service, and a completely different platform for the kind of blog I wanted to build. I spent weeks working on the old one only to basically scrap it and start over. Was it a waste of time? Not completely. By the time I got the new one set up, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. The old one had helped me focus my idea in a way I never could have done on paper. I needed to tangibly create it to know what I wanted and what I didn’t want.

2. Track Success and Failure

When using the Learn-As-You-Go method, every failure is a significant lesson. It’s a step in the right direction because you’ve eliminated something that doesn’t work. As Thomas Edison said when inventing the light bulb, “I didn’t fail ten thousand times. I successfully eliminated, ten thousand times, materials and combinations which wouldn’t work.”

In order for failures to be truly useful, you have to track them, analyze what went wrong and why, and understand how to avoid making the same mistake in the future.

3. Expect Frustration

Just the concept of “Learn-As-You-Go” implies ignorance at the start. I don’t know about you, but for me, ignorance is frustrating. When I don’t know what I’m doing, I get impatient and annoyed with myself. When I was starting this blog, I almost gave up multiple times out of sheer frustration. I felt like I didn’t have the capability to do it. That’s just crazy! It’s important to keep in mind that Learn-As-You-Go can be an emotional process. Don’t beat yourself up for not knowing things – that’s what it’s all about! Take it slow, focus on patience, and don’t let mistakes or small frustrations make you want to give up. It’s all a part of the process.

4. Ask for Advice

One of the things I wish I had known when starting this blog was how open and helpful other bloggers are. If I had realized this, I would have sought more advice from them. As it happened, I had quite a few wonderful mentors along the way who popped up and offered advice at the perfect, crucial time.

If there’s one thing to learn from this it’s just a reminder that people are almost always willing to share advice. If you appear to be willing and receptive, they will share everything they know with you. Don’t be afraid of asking others what they did and how they did it. Sure, not everyone will be helpful. But it doesn’t hurt to ask. And the advice you get will probably be miles better than anything you’d read from a book. Firsthand experience offers a totally personal perspective. And if you’re seeking the advice of people you respect and admire, you know you can trust their opinions.

A Question of Time

So what is more time efficient: thorough research, establishing a concrete plan and then executing it? Or jumping in with both feet and using the Learn-As-You-Go method? Well, it all depends on the project and the person. For me, Learn-As-You-Go is much more effective for projects that appear overwhelming at first. With starting this blog, I couldn’t really wrap my head around all the different little pieces and I never would have figured out some of the technical details without just stumbling my way through. So, while I’ve made a lot of mistakes and spent more time than most people would consider rational, I still think it was faster than the alternative. In reality, the only alternative would have been to read a bunch of books and articles on blogging, carefully weigh the pros and cons of the different technologies, create a detailed plan for the creation and launch of the blog, and then execute those wonderful plans. More than likely, I would have needed a solid Plan B and C along the way, as even the best laid plans….well, you know the rest. I feel certain that for me, with this project, a plan would have only complicated matters. While the process was somewhat messy and frustrating as I stumbled around learning along the way, it was overall a better use of my time.

The Learn-As-You-Go method isn’t for everyone. People who are hands-on learners are much more inclined to find this a helpful technique. If you learn well by reading and researching, you may find the trial-and-error nature of this method frustrating. For many of you, this technique will work well for some projects but not for others. Give it a try and see how it feels. And if you’re an expert in this technique, please add your tips in the comments section below!

For me, the beginning of 2008 has sparked a flurry of organization attempts both at home and at the office: I’m trying to gather together my tax information in a way that actually makes sense for once. I’m trying to set up Quicken (for the third time now) and make it really work and produce information I care about. I’m in the last stages of organizing my e-book (The Effective Executive Assistant) which is proving to be a technological nightmare. I could go on and on with the projects that are currently absorbing every minute of my spare time - but I won’t. Let’s just say, I’ve got a lot of pots on the stove that I have to keep stirring gently to make sure they don’t completely boil over.

And so I turn to the organizational process. Getting Things Done, the popular book and productivity system developed by David Allen, is one of the most talked about productivity tools in the blogosphere. (To find out more about my thoughts on the usefulness of it, read Getting Over GTD) As a productivity blog-junkie, I know a thing or two about GTD and the dozens of systems that have been created in its wake. I have never, nor do I ever plan, to follow it to the strict letter of the law. But I am always in the process of refining my own system so GTD often influences my decisions of how to do things.

And let me tell you, I am experiencing severe GTD-ADD. This is what happens when you get so concerned with being productive that you can’t even concentrate on getting ONE thing done, because you’re thinking about the process of getting EVERYTHING done. I’m so wrapped up in the system that I can’t focus on the actual task at hand. Whenever I sit down to work on my e-book, I wonder if it’s the appropriate use of my time. Whenever I sit down to strategize the use of time, I wonder if I shouldn’t stop all the planning, take my own advice and JUST DO IT ALREADY.  It’s a vicious - unproductive - cycle!

I blame GTD and the unrealistic expectation it creates. There is this overriding idea that once a “perfect” organizational system is in place, you won’t forget things, you’ll be twice as productive, you’ll achieve more in less time and it will all be stress-free and covered in rose petals. Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating but that’s how I feel. I have this idea that people who are really productive and organized are experiencing a world I’ll never know. They’re ten steps ahead of me and I’m struggling to just keep my head above water. So anything I do with my precious time suddenly begins to feel like a waste of it. I start to feel panicked that I’m not fully, 100% on-track.

And you know the really sad part of all of this? When I start to feel overwhelmed with projects, like I don’t know what I should be doing with my time, and that I just can’t concentrate on getting even one thing done, do you know what I do? I read productivity blogs. No joke. I can waste hours reading Zen Habits, Achieve-IT, LifeDev, Ian’s Messy Desk, and Organize IT. I bounce around the internet, living in a state of pure and total ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) concentrating on nothing but still feeling like I’m gathering the necessary information that will one day catapult me into the ultimate “Productivity Zone”.

I am totally aware that this is NOT the best use of my time.

And yet, I feel that the extreme focus on multi-tasking and getting things done is quite counterproductive in itself. I think it sidetracks us and makes us feel like we’re never productive enough, never organized enough. And such thoughts are de-motivating, distracting and downright irritating.

There is probably a fine balance that I simply haven’t achieved. But I have to wonder if others feel this same way. Do you feel that all the focus on getting things done makes you even LESS focused when trying to get things done? Or am I alone here?

If it’s just me, I’ll shut up and live with my GTD-ADD on my own. I’ll be ok. Distracted and less productive than you…but ok.

Today, I’m going to share a new productivity tool I’m trying to use in my life. It’s pretty easy really. It requires no resources like planners or index cards or special notebooks. You don’t have to read a book about how to do it. It’s only 4 simple words:Just Do It Already!!

Ok, here’s the premise: stop planning what you’re going to do. Stop mapping out the steps involved with your project. Stop getting organized and JUST DO IT ALREADY!

Collectively - as a society - we waste so much time gathering our strength.  We buy books that tell us how to do things that, if we only started doing ourselves, we could probably figure out along the way - and it’s likely that we’d find our own, unique way of doing them that’s far more effective anyway.

I’m guessing that, if you’re reading this site, you’re a lot like me. And let’s face it - most of really enjoy organizing. We’re good at it! We know how to do it and it come naturally. Or we want organization so badly, it becomes an obsession we try to learn everything about. So, whenever there’s a big project looming, we delve right in to the organization of it. We get out our pads of paper and our index cards. We start doing research and making notes. We do everything we can to put off JUST DOING IT.

A perfect example - I’m trying to write a novel. I’ve been trying to do this for roughly my entire life (give or take a few of those early years when I wasn’t actually aware of language). Most of my life, I can remember writing stories and wanting to be the girl in the photo on the back of bestselling novels. I’ve always been convinced that my life and career would somehow revolve around writing. So, throughout my life, I’ve created outlines of my perfect novel. I’ve collected books on how to write and I’ve poured over them for weeks. I’ve bought hundreds, yes hundreds, of beautiful journals and notebooks. I’ve participated in workshops and classes. But I’m still woefully without a novel to show for my efforts.

The reason for this sad lack of productivity? I’ve failed to implement the final - and hardest - step. The last step, the “do it” step, it often thrown aside in the excitement of organization. While organizing may feel productive, it’s not. It’s only the preparation of productivity. You have to actually DO IT to be productive. You have to produce something.

So I encourage everyone to join me in making this New Year’s Resolution: JUST DO IT ALREADY!!

Let’s make this the “year of the novel” or the “year of the 20-pound-weight-loss” or even the “year of starting-my-own-business”. Whatever your big project is, stop thinking about it, planning it, and organizing it. In 2008, starting doing it!

For a little added motivation, leave a comment below and let us all know what your big 2008 project is. I’ll start: I’m going to write that damn novel already!!

Happy Friday, All!  

As many of you know, I’m not the world’s most tech savvy gal. However, lately I’ve become fascinated with the enormous world of online organizational and productivity tools that are available. And the best part is, most of them are FREE! Hey, who doesn’t love a bargain??

Below, I’ve listed a few of the coolest sites I’ve found. Check them out and give them a try if you’d like. Let me know what works well and what needs improvement. Personally, the one I’ve really taken to is the first one on the list (backpack).

But I plan to explore the others more and see if something else is superior for my needs. Please share your opinions in the comments section!!

1. Backpack - Track to-do lists, notes and ideas. Very easy to use.

2. Remember the Milk - Manage tasks and to-do items

3. Highrise - Contact manager and task manager

4. Jott - Create lists and reminders via your phone

5. Sandy the Assistant - Set reminders and tasks via email

6. Vitalist - GTD tool to organize actions, tasks and projects

7. Ta-da List - Easy to-do list tool

8. Basecamp - Collaborate with others on projects

9. Todoist - Simple to use task manager

10. Wridea - Idea manager: categorize, organize and never forget an idea

Recently, I posted an article that discussed preparing for the much dreaded End-of-Year Professional Review. As many of us know, the end of the year is typically considered a good time to reflect on the past and consider goals for the future. So why not take this “Year End Review” concept and apply it to our personal lives with a “Year End Personal Review”? Below is an outline that details some basic to-do items you might include, along with some larger, more thoughtful suggestions for your consideration.

1. Update contact information for friends and family

This is a helpful thing to do at least once a year. Make sure you have everyone’s updated address, phone and email information in one central location. This is helpful for sending out holiday cards as well (which I vow to do this year!!). If you need to, send out a mass email to friends and family and just ask if anything has changed since last year.

2. Review Someday/Maybe list

The Someday/Maybe list idea comes from GTD (Getting Things Done). It’s the place where you put all the random ideas that pop into your mind - books you’d like to read, places you’d like to go, classes you’d like to take. The end of the year is a perfect time to take a look at it and see what things could be worked on during the next year. It’s a great place to get inspired for New Year’s Resolutions.

3. Review budget and overall financial situation

Even if you try to constantly watch and improve your financial situation, it’s helpful to take an in-depth look at least once a year to see how much you’ve been spending in each “category” (such as food, entertainment, clothing, etc) and also how much you’ve been able to save compared with years past. Review accumulated debts and see which direction things are going. Are you getting more efficient with your money or have you been slacking off? Are you gaining debt or getting rid of it? If you find that your savings account has dwindled, resolve to get back on track. If it has grown to a significant amount, it might be a good time to consider finding an investment with a higher rate of return. Taking note of finances is also helpful when preparing for the inevitable holiday spending spree.  Plan ahead for it and stick to a budget! For help getting back on track, check out 31 Days to Fix Your Finances from The Simple Dollar.

4. Deep clean the house

Whether you have family coming to your home for the holidays or not, taking the time to do a deep cleaning will make life less stressful. If you’re going away for the holidays, there’s nothing like coming home to a beautifully clean house. Personally, we’ll have family visiting so it’s a great time to clean all those little corners we normally forget about. We don’t see the dust bunnies buried there, but you can be sure that a visitor will!

5. State of the Union

Check in with your partner and see how things are going. Many couples get into the routine of daily life and they never really sit down and see how the other is feeling about things. The end of the year is a nice time to get together for a brief status check. Is everyone feeling solid, happy and satisfied with the union? The holidays can be stressful and many times, we end up leaning on our significant other for support. Doing a quick check in lets you say how much you appreciate it and depend on it. Use this as an opportunity to really express how you feel and make improvements when needed. If you recognize that you haven’t spent enough time together in the past year, make it a resolution to change that. Put some firm actions into place now to keep the state of the union positive for everyone involved. For some great relationship advice, check out How to Build Intimacy in Any Relationship from Think Simple Now.

6. Organize paperwork

The end of the year is a good time to gather all the miscellaneous papers floating around and get them properly labeled and filed. Get rid of those not needed and box up anything important that you won’t need to have easy and immediate access to. For real efficiency with the paper, get rid of it! Check out How to Go Paperless: Bury the Paper Before It Buries You from Lifehack. The paperless idea might not be realistic for everything, but even a few things stored electronically will really help.

Use this Year End Personal Review concept to recognize your accomplishments of the past year and set your sights on an exciting, productive new year. Use it as a tool to consider where you’ve been, where you are and where you’re going. It’s also an excellent way to help you wind down and relax during the holiday season.

For more help tracking goals throughout the year, check out The Goal Tracker Template.

If you enjoyed this article, please consider subscribing to our feed (in a reader) or subscribe for email updates.

Next Page →

• The E-book: Learn More
  
  Only $10.99 USD

• Enter your search terms

  Web www.eatoolbox.com Submit search form

• 
  RSS Subscribe
  
  What is this?

• Get Updates via E-mail

  Enter your email address:

  Delivered by FeedBurner

• The BEST of EA Toolbox

  
  Energize Your Workday
  
  How to Speak Your Mind (and Keep Your Job)
  
  How to be Proactive
  
  Goal Tracker Template
  
  15 Ways to Enjoy Work (a little) More
  
  The Art of Biting Your Tongue
  
  Caution: Your Emotions are Showing
  
  8 Tips for Better People Skills
  
  Getting Over GTD
  
  10 Ways to Build a Better Team

• Buy me a coffee!

  
  

• Categories

  • Business Etiquette
  • Communication
  • Computer Skills
  • Computer Skills
  • Everyday Tips
  • Goal Setting
  • Motivation
  • Organization
  • P.O.W.E.R. Tools
  • People Skills
  • Philosophical Mumbo Jumbo
  • Productivity
  • Success/Career Growth
  • Team Building
  • Templates
  • Uncategorized
  • Updates
  • Weekly Cheat Sheets
  • Writing Skills
  • You Asked for It!

• Archives

  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007

• Recent Posts

  • My BIG Announcement…
  • Professional vs. Social Online Networking
  • Change Management
  • The 2008 Annual Administrative Summit
  • Productivity Tip: Bring Solutions
  • 2728, 29, 30…
  • The STAR Method of Interviewing
  • Tips for Performing Well Under Pressure
  • Managing Up
  • Now Available for Download: Part 2 of Virtual Meeting Webinar
  • 6 Simple Ways to Reinvent Your Job
  • Reminder: Webinar Part 2
  • Happy Administrative Professionals Week! You Deserve a Treat…
  • What Are Your Professional Values?
  • Breakdown? Breakthrough!