We Need More Claire

This generation has no Claire! Yesterday, the social mediasphere was up in arms and tweets over a senseless, racist article about Black women. Responses ranged from pure outrage to scientific rebuttal to the classic shoulder shrug. We have a living, breathing role model of class and beauty in our own First Lady Michelle Obama. We’re lucky to have her. But where’s the Claire for this generation – and why don’t we demand it?

Through the wonder of Netflix, I watched much of the old Cosby show on the laptop over the past few months. It began as a nostalgic look back for me, then quickly my critical eye took over. The other characters were great, but Claire was a study in class, stern but loving parenting and sexiness. The playful banter between she and Cliff, often at the end of an episode with no words, set to beautiful jazz was something to witness. Next I noticed that I don’t see it anywhere anymore.

I was excited when Private Practice and Grey’s Anatomy began with two smart, beautiful black women doctors – married with kids – were principle characters. They were soon divorced and almost dismissed as women in favor of them as mother figures. Some of that has been corrected but my heart was still hurt with the casting decisions. Why couldn’t Bailey stay married? I just gave up watching.

So maybe if we demand More Claire, writing such as the disrespectful crap we saw yesterday will barely make a ripple rather than starting a wave of drama. Here’s Claire!

Say When!

If you allow a business, even a successful one, to dictate the terms of your life, you will always find reasons to delay making the big personal decisions...” If Not Now When on INC.com by Meg Cadoux Hirshberg

Keeping it in Balance

This morning, I followed the instructions of yesterday’s productivity message by setting my own agenda before checking out the email and waiting texts. As I decided which tasks to add to list, I noticed an unsettling trend. All of the personal life tasks that need attention were being pushed down the list by the increasing workload. In some cases, it’s inevitable.

As INC.com columnist Meg Cadoux Hirshberg points out, there is little space carved out for the personal in the life of an entrepreneur. “Theoretically, entrepreneurs control their lives and schedules. But the exact opposite is usually true: Entrepreneurs are whipsawed by their businesses,” she writes when discussing the issues of building Stoneyfield Farms with her husband. Again the issue of managing productivity moved front and center.

Completing one more task, making one more phone call, sending that last email of the evening  – all of the to do’s that work their way into the bedroom at the end of the evening take away from important items that one must do for herself.

Trying to remind yourself of your own personal project tasks can be difficult. Hirshberg was married, supporting her husband’s vision but she also voiced the need to pay attention to work/life balance. If you’re single, no one’s there to pull the coattail to force a 3-day weekend in order to ultimately increase productivity. Thankfully, there are those like my twitter friend who make me promise to take time and then send me tweets like this one she sent last night: “glad you are taking the 5 you promised…gonna hold you to your promise on this one.”

Hirshberg suggests that there is no right time to do anything when running a business so she and her husband forced the time into the schedule. That family time and rest were crucial to their ultimate success.  We work better when our bodies and minds are rested and prepared to handle the day. Let’s add a challenge to be productive in our personal lives.

Today’s productivity challenge:

1.  Add two personal tasks that you’ve avoided to your calendar.
2. Set an end time to your work for the next three days.
3. Delegate tasks that can better executed by someone else. 

Let’s make it work!

Take Control of that Mountain

Confident … Calm… Strong… Take control of that mountain.“  Kelly – Spin Instructor

Day One: Creating your own agenda.

In this morning’s class, the instructor pushed each of us to visualize a push up a hill. The analogy immediately took me to my real mountain: the work hill. On my desk, on the bedroom floor, on the bed – almost anywhere I look there’s some actionable item. Later, I thought even more about the concept of taking control of the actual projects and jobs that dominate my weekly calendar. With that I decided to focus the next 10 posts on Productivity.

Where to start?

We often use mind games to deceive ourselves into believing that we’re productive. One is the Shell Game. Moving one specific task to a different shell (list) delays actually working on the project. The next is the 20 Questions Game. You begin the process and immediately ask a number of clarifying questions that don’t make anything clearer; they do nothing but defer action. You may have other tactics that you use that make it harder to get more done.

In the article, “Being More Productive” in the May 2011 Harvard Business Review (HBR), David Allen and Tony Schwartz discuss the many ways leaders can create a culture of productivity. One tip in the article deals with how we begin the day. “Another ritual I have that aligns with David’s work is to always do the most important task of the day first thing in the morning, when I’m most rested and least distracted. Ninety percent of people check their e-mail as soon as they get to work. That turns their agenda over to someone else,” said Schwartz. Until reading that, I hadn’t realized how true that is as I often reach for the PDA first.

Creating your own agenda is critical to conquering the hill. Spend time this week determining your PWA – personal work agenda – in order to best prioritize the work on your plate. Let’s get at it!

LINK: Being More Productive on HBR.org

“Help! I Need Somebody”

‘Won’t you please, please help me?’ The Beatles Help!”

Busy, busy, busy!

The goal is productivity – not simply being busy. As I gain more experience as a business owner, I’ve learned the most important words to reach that optimal level productivity.  They necessary, but very simple:  “I don’t know and help.” While you don’t always have to use those words explicitly, one must be willing to acknowledge when there’s more research or information necessary. It’s liberating, stress-relieving and many times, a great cost-saving technique. Nine times out of 10, someone nearby or within two email questions knows the answer. Not using those words or asking for help can dig really deep holes that can kill a contract or career.

It’s great to read successful business owners and thinkers discuss the process. Jason Fried, co-founder of 37signals and author of Rework, penned an article on Inc.com titled “How to Hire an Assistant.” In it, he wrote about his company’s search for an administrative assistant for the first time since its founding. Letting go of tasks that need to actually get done vs. live forever on a to-do list requires that we control freaks release some things. In a Harvard Business Review blog post titled, “The Words Many Managers are Afraid to Say,” Linda Hill and Kent Lineback  discuss the importance of asking questions AND listening to the answers.

Taking the time to understand the exact assistance or answer you need has to be the first action step in the process. I imagine the beginning of the process is reminiscent of a 12-Step meeting of some sort. I guess I’ll go ahead and start here.  “Hi, my name is Mia and I’m an overextended business owner.”