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 The Business Realist

   A dose of reality for a saner workplace

Summary

 While we stress over the big things, often it's the little things that can ruin our lives. Keeping the little things under control, like email, can remove a great deal of stress from our lives.

Sanity Savers

Posted  on 9/09/09

Man hidden behind stacks of papersOften, it's the little things that can make or break our work day

Although we worry about the big issues, like meeting a project deadline or getting a software upgrade right, more often it's the little things that wear us down, like being overloaded with email, endless meetings that serve no purpose, conference calls that never reach a conclusion, dysfunctional project teams.....do I need to say more?

We spend most of our work day on these small items and getting these right can add up to a lot of time and effort saved for the more important things. Sanity savers is a collection of tips for how to get these things right and save yourself a great deal of hassle and headaches.

Let's start with the two biggest headaches - email overload  and ineffective meetings.

 


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Man sitting happily astride a computer

Email Overload

Because it is so easy, people tend to overuse and abuse email. Think about the ways you abuse it and contribute to your own email overload. Remember the golden rule of email, the fewer emails you send, the fewer emails you will receive.      

 

Communicating through cans on a string

Communicating

Using the U-It-I model for written communications will eliminate all those pissy emails that send co-workers into a tizzy. It starts from the position of empathy with your audience. 

People meeting in a conference room

Effective Meetings

Most of our days are spent in meetings, but these meetings are usually ineffective, with only a small portion dedicated to real work. The problem is no one prepares for meetings because they are in meetings all day long. This series of articles discusses how make your meetings more productive.      

 

 
See, hear, say no evil

Reality Checks

Steeped in processes, procedures, and methodologies, people often don't see how they can get the same results without all the work. It's like not seeing the forest for the trees.

Training seminar

Training

Much of our behavior is not governed by our logical mind. We persist in bad habits and unproductive behaviors despite knowing that they are harmful.  It's not our logical mind at the controls; it's our subconscious mind calling the shots.  Yet, the majority of our training is directed at our logical mind.

Coaching in locker room

Coaching

True to my purpose of finding the easy way to change behavior, I use NLP (neurolinguistic programming) techniques to help you reach your goals. I don't use notebooks, logs, or require much in the way of self-discipline

 

Got Ideas?

Pile of light bulbsIf you have some ideas for articles, please drop me a note or leave a comment. If you have an article you'd like to contribute or link to,  I will be happy to publish your link and ensure that you get attributed.

Featured Neologisms

Undue diligence   –
the endless process of collecting more information in order to avoid making a decision
Team vynamics   -
Group behavior wherein individuals at a meeting vie for dominance