The Wall Street Journal reports that CEO’s spend a third of their time in meetings. How much of your time is consumed by meetings? Is there value in the meetings you attend?

Double or triple bookings on your calendar are not a badge of honor. It’s unfair to you and to the results you want to achieve to be in meetings all day long. To avoid getting consumed by meetings we suggest:

• - Don’t accept a meeting invitation without an agenda. If you don’t know why the meeting is happening or why you need to attend then “just say no.”
• - Reduce the length of your meetings. Just because your computer calendar books in increments of an hour doesn’t mean all your meetings should be an hour. You can have a 10 or 20 minute meeting. Shorter meetings require you to be prepared, know what you want to get out of the conversation and say focused on the objectives.
• - Document the decisions and action items from your meetings; then circulate the information to everyone in attendance. Too many times people meet and forget what they committed to do or misremember the decisions made.

Take control of your calendar. You have a limited number of hours in the day. It’s up to you to spend your time wisely and get the most value out of those hours. It’s ok to cut back on meetings and use your time in other valuable ways.

Recently we heard from one of our readers that her 2012 theme is “simplify.” (See January 3 Tuesday Tip)  Another way of looking at simplification is to eliminate stuff or declutter life. The benefits of reducing the clutter in your life include freeing your time and energy, reduced complexity, less stress and even cost savings!

Here are some ideas on how you can remove clutter from your life:

• - Decrease Homelessness - find a place for everything. Whether it’s your keys, the papers on your desk, spare change in your pocket or project files in a pile, it’s all clutter until it has a home.
• - Box and Banish – gather all the clutter and put it in a box; keep filling boxes until your space is clutter free then box by box go through the clutter and decide whether to put it away, give it away, throw it away or store it.
• - Reduce Your Commitments – there are only so many hours in a day; spend them on what really matters to you. Evaluate your commitments and determine whether they are serving a purpose or cluttering your life.
• - Reconsider Your Routines and Habits – write down all of your weekly and daily obligations, chores, and tasks, and then update or create daily and weekly routines. It’s easy to keep doing things because you’ve always done them. Rethinking your routines may bring a new sense of calm and order to your life.

Be free, reduce complexity and lessen stress by decluttering your life and your spaces. Letting go is like a breath of fresh air. You’ll feel lighter and happier.

Have you prepared for success in the coming year? Rather than make New Year’s Resolutions pick a New Year’s theme. A theme is easier to remember. It creates a clear way of thinking about your goals for 2012. A theme is also guilt free since you can’t break it!

To select and activate your 2012 Thoughtful Theme:

1. Pick your theme – it should be short and simple. Here are some ideas:  Eliminate, Launch, Breathe, Courage, Simplify, Appreciate, Content, Evolve, Splash, Rebuild, Balance, Growth, Fun, Creativity, Laughter, Abundance, Patience, Free, Revolutionize, Peace
2. Bring it to Life 
       Put it on a post it note and place it where you’ll see it
       Write a story or a poem about your theme
       Draw a picture of your theme
       Create a collage of images that represent your theme
    
3. Use your theme to guide your decisions and direction in 2012

Perhaps your 2012 theme could be one of the thirteen virtues Benjamin Franklin defined. His list of virtues include; Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chastity and Humility. For more information on these virtues and how he applied these themes, see this blog post.

This is a passage of text directly from Chapter 8 of 

Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography

“I included under thirteen names of virtues all that at that time occurr’d to me as necessary or desirable, and annexed to each a short precept, which fully express’d the extent I gave to its meaning.

These names of virtues, with their precepts, were

1. TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

2. SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.

3. ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

4. RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

5. FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.

6. INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employ’d in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

7. SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

8. JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

9. MODERATION. Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

10. CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.

11. TRANQUILLITY. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

12. CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dulness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.

13. HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

My intention being to acquire the habitude of all these virtues, I judg’d it would be well not to distract my attention by attempting the whole at once, but to fix it on one of them at a time; and, when I should be master of that, then to proceed to another, and so on, till I should have gone thro’ the thirteen; and, as the previous acquisition of some might facilitate the acquisition of certain others, I arrang’d them with that view, as they stand above. Temperance first, as it tends to procure that coolness and clearness of head, which is so necessary where constant vigilance was to be kept up, and guard maintained against the unremitting attraction of ancient habits, and the force of perpetual temptations. This being acquir’d and establish’d, Silence would be more easy; and my desire being to gain knowledge at the same time that I improv’d in virtue, and considering that in conversation it was obtain’d rather by the use of the ears than of the tongue, and therefore wishing to break a habit I was getting into of prattling, punning, and joking, which only made me acceptable to trifling company, I gave Silence the second place. This and the next, Order, I expected would allow me more time for attending to my project and my studies. Resolution, once become habitual, would keep me firm in my endeavors to obtain all the subsequent virtues; Frugality and Industry freeing me from my remaining debt, and producing affluence and independence, would make more easy the practice of Sincerity and Justice, etc., etc. Conceiving then, that, agreeably to the advice of Pythagoras in his Golden Verses, daily examination would be necessary, I contrived the following method for conducting that examination.

I made a little book, in which I allotted a page for each of the virtues. I rul’d each page with red ink, so as to have seven columns, one for each day of the week, marking each column with a letter for the day. I cross’d these columns with thirteen red lines, marking the beginning of each line with the first letter of one of the virtues, on which line, and in its proper column, I might mark, by a little black spot, every fault I found upon examination to have been committed respecting that virtue upon that day.”

How do you celebrate the conclusion of a year?

Celebration memorializes your achievements and accomplishments by commemorating them. Celebration is a way to acknowledge your success. Celebration helps others become aware of your successes. Celebration is critical to motivate you to continued success.
Simple success celebrations:

•   Share it with someone else. Telling makes your success tangible. It’s especially meaningful if you share your success with someone who appreciates the effort required to achieve the success. Whether it’s reaching a weight loss goal, finishing a project or getting a promotion tell someone about it.
•   Take a break. Whether it’s a five minute stroll around the office, a few minutes to chat with a good friend, a half day away at the spa or a week-long vacation, taking a break is a wonderful way to celebrate.
•   Reward yourself. Get yourself an ice cream cone or a technology treat, sleep in, read a great book, watch an action movie or do something else that you really enjoy.
•   Document it. Write it down so that you have a record; make a video recording to capture the success and your positive feelings. You get what you focus on so celebrate your success and remember it to get more of it.

If you are not quite sure what you are celebrating in 2011 take some time to perform a Year in Review. See the Year in Review GUIDE for information on how to assess your success in 2011 and build on it for 2012.

Do you feeling like your life is perpetually on fast forward? Is your life overloaded; overloaded with activities, changes, commitments, competition, debts, decisions, expectations, information, media, people, problems, technology, traffic or work? You have run out of white space!

Which text block is easier to read? 

When you read a book (a real one, not an electronic one!) there are margins. This margin or white space enables easier comprehension of the words on the page.

Margin is also the space you leave in your live for the unexpected. Margin acts as a safety zone between you and disaster. If you live too close to the edge of overload you are bound to fall off once in a while! When you create margin there is a buffer that allows for ease of living.

Areas to create white space include:

• Finances – unexpected expenses piled on top of mounds of debt create stress and tension. Change your spending/saving habits and create white space to live life more freely.
• Health – whether it’s eating habits, exercise routines or sleeping patterns most of us know that there is something we should be doing that we are not. Change your health habits and create some white space; you’ll get extra energy, increased immunity and renewed resilience.
• Time – we’ve let Outlook dictate the length of meetings; people are perpetually late moving from one meeting to the next without white space to take a nature break, get some work done or grab a snack. Take back your calendar and give yourself some white space!

No White Space > Frustration > Stress > Exhaustion > Irritability > Burn Out…

What you can do:

Accept responsibility – take control and recognize the choices you make determine the amount of white space. If there is not enough white space then you must make different choices.

Make time– time in your schedule gives you room to breathe, freedom to think, space to heal, opportunities to be innovative and reconnect with what matters most to you.

Re-evaluate and prioritize – if you don’t decide what is important and make it a priority, others will do it for you. Look at your life and think about whether you are spending it on your top priorities.

Create boundaries – turn it off, shut it down, say goodbye. You can decide when you will respond or interact with your electronic gadgets. You can walk away from draining situations. You can remove people from your life. Boundaries are essential to white space.

There is a popular Christmas carol about wishing for a White Christmas. Our wish for you is more white space in your life.

“In 2009, it has been estimated, the average corporate worker will spend more than 40% of his or her day sending and receiving some 200 messages.” (Radicati Group study from 2008)

“Studies of office workers who use computers reveal that they constantly stop what they’re doing to read and respond to incoming e-mails. It’s not unusual for them to glance at their inbox 30-40 times an hour (though when asked how frequently they look, they’ll give a much lower figure).”

“In 2006, one study found that the average U.S. office worker was interrupted 11 times an hour. The cost of these interruptions, in which email plays a large role, runs close to $600 billion in the U.S. alone.” (Freeman, p. 140). [Note: I found another study that says this number is $650 billion for 2009].

These quotes came from Fast Company

Some resources that we’ve found useful include:

• - McGhee Productivity
• - The Hamster Revolution
• - Get Control
• - Cool Software Tools – Clear Context and Active Words
• - Discipline – this is the greatest tool of all! Do what you know you need to do!

Are you drowning in a deluge of data? Between social media, email and traditional media sources we are subjected to a barrage of information. See the Internet in 2010 In Numbers for some amazing statistics on this issue.

This amount of information we receive reaches the point of overload when we are unable to process it and make good decisions or we make mistakes or utilmately burn out. Awareness that you may be suffering from information overload is the first step to dealing with this challenge. Here are a few ideas on how you can manage the amount of information you deal with:

• Set Boundaries – make sure you are clear on what you need to know versus what is nice to know. Cut back on gathering information that is unessential to accomplishing your goals or not adding value to your life.
• Be Selective – on the sources of information you allow into your life. For example, what magazines are you getting delivered and do you really need to follow that many people on Twitter?
• Ask Precise Questions – if you are thoughtful, clear and direct in asking a question you have a better chance of getting a helpful answer which results in better information.

Be good to yourself and truly consider what information matters most to you; then receive only that information.  Then take some time and pick up the phone and call a friend, I promise you it will make them feel different that reading your text or tweet.

Are you living a rhythmic life of work and renewal? Research shows that a balanced approach to life provides the highest levels of energy, health and creativity. For years we prioritized our day and looked at “time management” as a means of organizing life and accomplishing our goals. Then we heard the revolutionary idea that you should not focus on managing your time but instead focus on managing your energy. You can have all the time in the world but if you have no energy to accomplish what needs done the time is irrelevant.

Improvements don’t just happen through new technology. Understand the sources of building and expending energy in order to improve your life and be at your best. Here are a few thoughts on energy management:

• If you spend more that you make then you will be at a deficit. This is true of money AND energy! What are you doing to replenish and renew your energy?
• Human beings oscillate biologically but often live in a linear manner. Schedule your day to balance stress and renewal in order to live rhythmically and maximize energy.
• The higher the demand for output, productivity or creativity – the greater and more frequent the need for renewal.

Are you fueling your life with rhythmic, positive habits or negative, destructive ones? Build energy through proper nutrition and movement (exercise.) Renew through sleep, meditation, naps and vacation. Do not work for longer than 90 minutes without taking an intentional break. Create a rhythm of life that leaves you energized, healthy and productive.

Have you ever been in a conversation where it goes in circles or a meeting where participants never reach a conclusion, solve the issue or agree on next steps? We’ve observed wasted hours of discussion when participants lack the proper frame to sort out the issue. There are three key framing components to avoid going in circles:

1.  Context - provide the necessary facts (not all the facts; just what is relevant) the context must be sufficient to support the discussion. Participants may have different perspectives, but they must begin with the same sets of facts.
2.  Clarity – make sure everyone knows what needs to be accomplished. Do you want input? Are you sharing information? Is there a decision to be made? You must be clear on the outcome and on how you want people to participate.
3.  Conclusion – once the context is provided, the participants are clear on the outcome and clear on the rules of conversation it’s time to talk. When the outcome is reached and there are more minutes allotted to the meeting do not continue the conversation for the sake of filling space. Conclude the conversation when it is finished.

 If you find yourself going in circles in a conversation, start by asking for context and clarity. Once that is established you can reach a conclusion. We have experienced times when it took an entire meeting to align all participants on context so it may take more than one conversation to achieve a conclusion!

Motion is the process of changing the position of something. We have all been guilty of spending endless amounts of time doing work that creates a lot of motion but does not move us any closer to a goal. We get so busy moving that we don’t stop to think about what must be accomplished.

Break this busy cycle through action. Action is the process of doing something in order to achieve a goal. The are 3 specific Action Steps to help you achieve rather than just move – Plan, Reset, Review: 
 

• Plan Weekly – update your appointment calendar, capture deadlines, and schedule tasks that result in achieving your desired results

• Reset Each Morning – review the day’s appointment schedule and your critical deadlines or tasks; decide on your three “must-do” actions for that day and do them

• Review Each Evening – Before you stop for the day; review what was accomplished, note what wasn’t done, forward unfinished tasks and give yourself credit

Just because you are moving does not mean you are accomplishing something. Define success or the results you want to accomplish, and then Plan > Reset > Review.