How to manage email expectations

Email is distracting me from everything else.

It’s been years since it was paramount that I be available at all hours of the day. I managed social media for two technology companies. To do my job well, it was essential that I monitored our brands and was available to assist our customers when need be. That was over eight years ago. 

In 2005 B.i. (Before iPhone) days, I was commissioned a Blackberry by my employer. I remember that blinking red light often represented urgent matters related to my role in rebranding an entire television network across Canada. I was dealing with issues across six time zones! 

These days, I still get urgent emails from time to time, but it’s seldom. I am thankful that I have few fires that need extinguishing now.

When I worked for the television network, my boss did something inspiring. This is something I am implementing today. Walter had an out of office email auto-reply on all of the time. It read something like…

Thanks for your message. I check my email twice a day at 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. If the matter is urgent, please call me at XXX-XXX-XXXX. 

I am certain this inspiring move made Walter more productive. I know this because of the amount of time I find I am stuck in my inbox. This has inspired me to repeat this method and combine it with only checking social media at specific times of the day (or taking months off entirely). It’s time to get more serious with my goals to produce better content.

By managing the email expectations of my clients, prospects, and colleagues, I can now focus more time on the work I need to do. Blocking myself from checking email and removing notifications allows me to improve my productivity and focus.

“Turn off your email; turn off your phone; disconnect from the Internet; figure out a way to set limits so you can concentrate when you need to, and disengage when you need to. Technology is a good servant but a bad master.”

— Gretchen Rubin  

This #KillerCalendar Will Save Your Life

Ok, maybe not save your life, but it will greatly improve it. This isn't a productivity blog, and yet I keep finding myself writing about the topic. I suppose it's because it is the new year. Everyone (including myself) is pumped about improving their lives. As for productivity, be sure you are following smart people like Mike Vardy, Erik J. Fisher, David Allen, and Michael Hyatt (whose calendar idea I borrowed for this version). 

My Killer Calendar

I want to introduce you to an idea that is working for me to stay focused. It's also helping me to reevaluate how I am spending my time. The idea is my Killer Calendar. Don't worry, nobody dies. 

I balance many different projects at once. I have incredible consulting and coaching clients at any given time. I also need time to write content here and in the Nice Maker. I also carpool to get the kids to school, gymnastics, clubs, etc. And then there is Max at my side, who seems to always be anxiously ready to head outside for a pee.

My Killer Calendar has helped me to stay focused by dividing my time into specific chunks dedicated to different topics such as, Client Work, Business Development, Family.

3 Steps to Create Your Killer Calendar

1. Along the left side of the Google Calendar interface, you will see My calendars and Other calendars that you are subscribed to. Turn them all off by clicking the box next to each one. Your calendar should be blank.

2. Create a new calendar and call it  "My Killer Calendar". 

2. Add general daily areas of work you need to do, these should seldom change. This isn't a to do list, for that, grab my daily goals worksheet. Carve out blocks of time for each item. You could have sections like, Gym, Team Meeting, Client Work, Personal Development, etc.

Tip: It helps to make these reoccurring in the calendar, so you don't have to create a new item for each day manually.

Here's my Killer Calendar for weekday mornings. 

3. Along the left side of the Google Calendar interface you can select different calendars. Turn your regular calendar back on, so you see how your work week compares to your Killer Calendar. Moving forward, you will adjust your regular calendar to be sure it fits your Killer Calendar template.

The Killer Calendar will help you know what you should and shouldn't be doing each day. It will also help you realize how you can adjust your life to make up more time in a day.

I have decided to shorten my walks with Max on days I drive the kids to school from 60 minutes to 30 minutes. I also now eat breakfast with my kids, and I shower as they are getting ready. This saved me another 30 minutes. I have adjusted my Killer Calendar to reflect this, and now have an extra hour to work on my clients on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Win!

I recommend you print your Killer Calendar, so you can review it through the day to be sure you are staying focused. Mine is taped to my wall over my desk. I aways find printing items helps me get the work done, which is why I made my Daily Goals worksheet for you. 

Do you do this too? If you try it, let me know how it works for you.

5 Ways Airplane Mode Can Make You Productive

When we think of airplane mode on an iPhone or iPad, we think of air travel. That glorious switch on our device shuts down all communication, which surely saves us from falling from the sky. Thank God for airplane mode! 

Down here on the ground, airplane mode can be used in ways to help us become less distracted and more productive. Here are five reasons airplane mode can help you get more done. I love the button on my phone and you should too.

1. No calls. It is seldom that I get an urgent call that can't wait. Since the inception of the cell phone, we carry our devices everywhere just in case. The truth is few of us ever receive an emergency call. Note how many emergency calls you get this week. Do you see what I mean?

2. No notifications. Admit it, you have promised yourself to review your notifications and adjust the settings countless times. Yet you are still interrupted by that annoying game your kid put on your phone. It pokes you with reminders to gain more coins, gems, or to feed your virtual kitten. Yes, you can turn off all of the notifications, but most people don’t because what if someone tags you on Facebook today?

3. No browsing. What’s the weather going to be like tomorrow? What’s the latest breaking news? Has anyone shared my latest blog post? It doesn’t matter which browser you use on your phone, Chrome, Safari, Atomic, iCab… each leads you right back online. You can’t access them without an internet connection. 

4. No Siri interruptions. I was once on a live webinar with hundreds of people, when suddenly Siri replied to me out of the blue. One second I was rocking my way through a presentation, the next I was looking at my phone exclaiming, “Not now, Siri!” Shut that woman (or Australian man if you are Heather) down while you are working.

5. No text messages. Both my kids got an iPod touch for Christmas. Both haven’t stopped texting me ever since. This is fine, I love to hear from my kids, but small talk can be distracting when you are working. Think of the time you are spending in airplane mode as time you are making money to help put your kids through college. They will thank you for ignoring them later. 

Two Bonus Airplane Mode Tips

Stop a text message from sending. Not quite a productivity tip but this one can help you. If you are sending a text message (especially a multi-media message), you can quickly switch your phone to airplane mode to stop the message from being sent. Once you switch it back off, the message will say it was undelivered. Thanks to Matt Elliott from CNET for saving us from potential embarrassment.  

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Queue Instagram photos. I avoid oversharing on Instagram. If you share too many photos in a row you will annoy your followers. Instead, you should queue photos for Instagram using airplane mode. Just do everything as you normally would. When you are ready, switch the phone to airplane mode, and upload the photo to Instagram. It will give you a failed message. When you switch off airplane mode the photo will still be there waiting for you to try again. Hit the round, refresh arrow and your photo will be uploaded. This is handy if you are saving a photo for #throwbackthursday, but today is Monday. 

If you want to be productive this year be generous with how often you use airplane mode on your phone. It’s the next best thing to moving to Cuba.

Six must-know tips to work from home

Part of the purpose of this blog is for me to share things I have learned about being an entrepreneur who works alone. While I’m not a huge fan of the word “solopreneur,” it does encapsulate my work life. I also work from home, so if you do, too, this post is for you. 

Six tips for people who work from home - people like you. 

1. Your couch is dangerous.

Ella was sick, she was home from school with me for a few days recently. She spent the day on the couch watching tv, reading, and resting. I spent the day next to her on my computer. When she returned to school, I worked for two more days from the couch. My back was aching, and I felt much less productive. The couch is a symbol of laziness and procrastination. 

If you work from home, you must carve out your corner. Set up an ergonomic workspace that is distraction-free. Avoid the couch at all costs (unless it’s to console your sick kiddo). I’m back in my office now and feeling much better. 

2. Schedule time daily to use social media to connect with people.

I’ll be the first to admit that social media can distract from getting the work done. However, if you are genuinely being social, it’s not a bad place to pop into. If you work alone, you need interaction throughout your day. People need people. Allocate a little time through your day to log into Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn to say hello. See what your friends are up to and meet some new people. Use an app like Freedom to switch off access to social networks when your time is up. 

3. Beware of the kitchen. 

When you work from home, your fridge is close - too close. Making snacks is a form of procrastination. Your kitchen equals lost time and gained weight. If you must stretch your legs (and you should), pop into your kitchen for a quick glass of water instead. Staying hydrated is essential, and your increased bathroom breaks will get you up for a stretch. 

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4. Stretch!

https://spinecenterbr.com/simple-stretches-to-relieve-back-pain/

Take breaks every hour to stretch. Reach for the sky, reach down to your toes, and get up! The best thing about working from home is nobody hears your grunts as you get into the downward dog position on the floor.  

5. Find a professional lunch or breakfast group you can join or start your own. 

Find a good group of professionals who you can network with. I wrote all about this in my book, New Business Networking. Getting out of your house to meet people is a positive way to spend some time each week or two. If you can’t find a group to join, consider starting your own. 

6. Reward yourself.

When you work for a decent company, rewards are given for meeting milestones. Do the same for yourself. Set your goals and get to them. If you meet your monthly goal, reward yourself with a movie or a hike. Do something for the fun of it because you deserve it. 

Working from home isn’t always easy. Staying productive is vital. Time is your most precious commodity and a terrible thing to waste.