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Five Half-Day Evaluation Questions That Could Turn Your Day Around

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Five Half-Day Evaluation Questions That Could Turn Your Day Around

 

How many times have you just plowed through your day and never look back? The only thing that is important is the next thing. And then the next thing even if the last thing wasn’t completed. And on and on and on…

 

Few people plan their day and I mean really plan their day. Not scratch down a few “to dos” for the day ahead, but strategically create an organized plan in how best to maximize the coming day.

But even fewer people come up for air and check their progress before getting to the end of the day or even the next morning to evaluate what exactly happened throughout the day.

I went through the following progression:

  • No plan and react my way through the day
  • To Do List plan for the day
  • Plan for the day that was usually ignored (but had great excuses!)
  • Plan for the day that was implemented most of the time

But I found that often times I didn’t realize until the end of the day I had misused my time and it was too late to go back and make a mid-course correction.

This led me to the Half-Day Evaluation Process.

Usually after lunch, I will take just five minutes and do a pulse check on my day. This is an opportunity to review and adjust. I review my morning (looking back) and adjust my afternoon (looking forward) on the review.

 

Here are the five questions I ask during the five-minute half-day evaluation process:

 

1. Have I Completed My Most Important Task of the Day Yet?

Your response to this question is PRIORITY.

I start my day whenever possible working on my most important task of my day. This means no matter how my day goes, I’ve at least accomplished the most important task that moves the needle in my world.

So, if the most important task is complete, I move on. If it’s not complete, then it becomes my sole focus to begin my afternoon.

 

2. What Has Been ADDED This Morning That Needs My FOCUS This Afternoon?

Your response to this question is FLEXIBILITY.

Life happens that didn’t make it on our morning plan or calendar. Imagine that. As a result, asking this question will allow me to re-adjust my afternoon and re-prioritize where I need to spend my time.

This means for me I need to change the afternoon plan to make room for this addition. And it may mean moving something planned for today to tomorrow or another day.

 

3. What Do I Need to FINISH That I Started That Is STILL Important?

Your response to this question is PROGRESS.

Often we start a task or project and for some reason do not complete it. But it may be important for a win for the day. This question allows me to review what is worth going back to complete and move forward today.

It may also be a simple task (email or phone call) that needs a response today. Or I may decide to reschedule another time to work on the task or project. The point is making progress on an incomplete task.

 

4. What Can I MOVE Off Today’s List That Can and Should Be Done Another Day?

Your response to this question is MARGIN.

Once you get into your day, priorities shift sometimes and others are added. I try and create margin within my day to focus on what really needs to get done. And moving things around gives me more space to focus on what is really important today.

Sometimes a task needs to wait on a response from someone else or simply drops in priority. Halfway through the day I can tell if that time is still committed or needs to be rescheduled to another day. And if so, it frees up time today to work on the next most important task. And margin is a breath of fresh air in the second half of the day.

 

5. What Is REALISTIC for Me to Complete or Move Forward to Make Today a Success?

Your response to this question is PERSPECTIVE.

If you’re like me, I’m rarely short on ideas to fill the time but also rarely allow enough time to complete everything! (It’s the gift that keeps on giving)

Perspective is to look at your afternoon and determine what is realistic to complete in that period of time.

You want to leave the day feeling like it was a success, not feeling like you left so many things incomplete and feeling overwhelmed the next morning.

 

Here are some suggested Planning Posts:

4 Simple and Productive Steps to Begin Planning Your Day

How Planning Can Bring the Future Into the Present

Why the Strategy of Time Blocks Will Dramatically Change Your Productivity

Six Steps to Guaranteeing Your Biggest Win of the Day

 

Closing Challenge…

Half-Day Evaluations allow you to REVIEW and ADJUST to finish your day strong.

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The five minute investment of time into the five questions can provide exponential results if applied. You may choose to take 10 or 15 minutes.

I had to choose to take the FIRST five minutes after lunch to implement my Half-Day Evaluation. If I didn’t do it right after lunch, I rarely circled back to the exercise.

You may choose to use my five questions or some of them. The point is to take five minutes to review the morning and adjust the afternoon.

After half of the day is in the books, I have a fresh perspective on my afternoon win and what I need to accomplish to finish strong.

I challenge you to try it for just one week and see the results. You may be amazed at just how much return you get on this small yet powerful five minutes.

 

Closing Question…

When and how will you implement the Half-Day Evaluation?

Why Batching Tasks May Be Your Next Productivity Secret Weapon

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Why Batching Tasks May Be Your Next Productivity Secret Weapon

 

Rich approaches his day without an approach. He has a ton to do every single day and wonders why he doesn’t get more accomplished.

He’s busy all day and very busy compared to most around him. But busy simply doesn’t mean productive.

Rich’s approach is no different than a majority of people in the corporate world.

They’re skilled reactors.

Here is the process of a reactor: working on a project or important task then…

  • An email alert comes on to the screen and you choose to respond and you begin checking other emails
  • Then the phone rings and you answer it and the call takes longer than you planned
  • You choose, just for a minute, to look on LinkedIn that leads to clicking on links and 20 minutes later…

And this is just the first hour of your day!

Is there another way?

The concept of Batching Tasks is choosing and concentrating on a cluster of similar tasks for a set period of time. But why? 

Why Batch Similar Tasks:

1. Efficiency

Nothing wrecks havoc on your day like inefficiency. Bouncing around stops any type of momentum.

You need to be efficient in how you approach work and randomness is literally the complete opposite of efficiency.

When you batch similar tasks together you dramatically increase your efficiency immediately.

2. Energy

Randomness takes energy. You’re constantly moving from activity to activity. The result is most tasks are not getting completed and often done poorly if completed.

We struggle enough with energy without sabotaging it ourselves with randomness. This is a choice. Conserve your personal energy.

3. Focus

What do you lose when you’re random? Focus.

When you concentrate on one task, you have the ability to focus and are no longer concerned or affected with interruptions. This does an amazing thing for your productivity which means results.

And isn’t results the point at the end of the day?

 

How to Batch Similar Tasks

1. Determine What Can Be Batched

Your day has a ton of repeated activities. We just don’t realize it sometimes. These are immediate candidates for batching.

Three easy tasks to batch:

  • Email – if there is ONLY one batch you ever choose, or the one to start with, choose email. You may need a few within your day but limit your emails to only this batch
  • Phone calls – get into the make or return call rhythm by putting all your calls together during a certain period of time
  • Meetings – schedule on the same day, same time of day, back to back if possible

I’ve personally added organizing / filing / processing to a task that can be batched and reserve a certain time each day to do this important yet batchable task.

You must decide what task you can batch within your day and be confident if you do this activity, you can make forward progress.

 

2. Decide When You Can Batch

You know your schedule better than anyone. You do have time within your day when you can batch tasks especially when you know what tasks you can cluster together.

Consider using this criteria:

When you have availability – your job may have a certain rhythm within any given day. With some thought you can determine when within your day are prime batch times

When you have energy – some activities are simply brainless activity and can be done at any time and use very little mental capacity. (email and organizing / processing / filing can fall under this category)

When you have downtime –certain parts of your day lend to downtime. It may be right after lunch or a few minutes in between activities and these are perfect fillers, if planned ahead of time to maximize this window and see some results

 

3. How Often Can You Batch

Your job may require to lean heavier on a certain task such as emails or phone calls or meetings.

If this is the case, then you may need multiple Time Blocks of batching similar tasks. To read more on Time Blocks, click HERE.

For example, if your job relies heavily on email, you may need to start with a couple times in the morning and a couple of times in the afternoon.

Most use not being able to get everything done in a batch as an excuse. But often it’s simply a matter of adjusting how often you need to batch a certain group of tasks. This is a solvable problem.

 

Question – How Long Should I Batch?

The power comes in the focus on the batching not necessarily the length of your batch. You will get into a rhythm and will pound out those tasks due to the focus.

You will be surprised at how much less time it actually takes when you’re focused and batching then when you randomly answer emails or phone calls.

Over time, you will find your pace and rhythm to know if you need to increase the length and / or the frequency of the batching Time Block.

For example, when I started batching emails or phone calls, I under-estimated the needed time and adjusted from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. When I did this, I found that I didn’t need as many email batch Time Blocks.

I also found that I scheduled too much time for organizing / processing / filing. IF I left a paper trail and stayed focused during this Time Block. I actually needed less time.

 

Closing Challenge…

We desire to be productive but it’s those who choose to make the necessary changes within their day that will begin to see the results.

Randomness can take your productivity to new lows but batching similar tasks is the answer.

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We can pose as productive because we’re busy.

But you know.

I challenge you to determine what tasks can be batched, when you can batch your tasks within your day and how long you will need.

It’s a process. But your productivity will go up and your randomness will go down.

 

Closing Question…

What tasks can you batch within your day and when will you schedule that time?

 

Five Dangers of Desktop Dining That Will Eat Your Productivity for Lunch

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Five Dangers of Desktop Dining That Will Eat Your Productivity for Lunch

 

Hank used to get out and about for his lunch break. He looked forward to just “doing something different” during this coveted hour.

But not anymore.

Now Hank spends his time inhaling his lunch and “pushing through” to be more productive.

Or so he thinks.

What Hank doesn’t realize or wants to admit is that he slowly crashes half way through the afternoon and his overall production actually drops by the end of the day.

Somehow there’s this illusion that you’ll gain more time if you just work through lunch and gain this extra hour within your workday.

 

According to a USA Today article, “only a third of American workers say they take a lunch break, according to a Web survey conducted last year by Right Management, a human resources consulting firm. The survey also found that 65% of workers eat at their desks or don’t take a break at all.”

The Article goes on to say, “CareerBuilder, another employment consultant, found that less than one-fifth of executives surveyed ate lunch at a sit-down restaurant, about 40% take a brown-bag lunch and 17% eat fast food.”

Whoa. Holy Working Through Lunch Epidemic, Batman.

 

There are Five Dangers to Desktop Dining That Will Eat Your Productivity for Lunch

 

1. The Danger of a Lack of Nutrition

If we choose to eat at our desk, usually one of two things will happen:

We’ll eat a less nutritious lunch – we may get lazy and just get something from the vending machine or cafeteria that lacks quality nutrition

We’ll eat too fast – if the food is in the way and just something I need to get over with, I’m more likely to just inhale it and get back to work more quickly

Both are concerning and need to be addressed especially if you associate food with energy and increased focus for the remainder of the afternoon.

 

2. The Danger of a Lack of a Mental Break

We need to clear the mind especially if we’ve had a busy morning. Our minds have been focused and possibly hurried and are in a desperate need of a break.

When you choose to not turn your mind off and push on, you will pay the price in lack of productivity and quality of work in the second half of the day when you need it most. Your focus is fading and your willpower is drained.

Chances are you’re paid to be mentally sharp. So then work smarter. It’s okay to take a break to be more productive in the long run.

Read more on Why Taking a Break Actually Increases Your Productivity HERE.

 

3. The Danger of Not Changing Scenery

It’s amazing what just a different view or temperature or light can do for your productivity.

But if you continue to stay in the same environment the walls will feel like they’re closing in on you. This is not good for your state of mind and begins to wear on you over time.

Don’t let your desk become a cell. Change the scenery while you can. It may be as simple as just walking outside to enjoy the fresh air or at least staring out a window for a few moments. Something. Anything!

 

4. The Danger of Being Anti-Social

If we work in an office or a cube and have little to no interaction through our day, it affects us.

We’re social beings who need some type of interaction even if it’s just for a couple of minutes. And over lunch could be just what you need. Facebook and LinkedIn don’t count, social media fans.

I’m not saying you need to go out to lunch every day but bringing lunch in and eating with someone else or going for a walk with someone can recharge your mind and your spirit.

Calling a friend or just checking in with someone takes our mind off of us and puts it on someone else.

 

5. The Danger of a Lack of Movement

This is a big one. If we’ve been sitting in a chair all day and we finally have an opportunity to move around and we choose to by-pass movement for desktop dining, it will make us sluggish and lethargic.

And the longer we sit, the harder it is to get motivated to get up and move.

Then when you add the chances of a non-nutritious lunch and little to no movement, that is one heavy combination. Pun inserted at no additional charge.

Start combining these dangers and no wonder your productivity drops.

But the same could be true on combining the positives. Go for a walk outside and enjoy the scenery with a friend. This will also give you a mental break. Numerous wins not to mention a sense of feeling renewed for the afternoon and increased productivity.

 

Change of Focus

Our lunch break is a chance to refuel us physically and recharge us mentally. But does it really?

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If you have that mindset, you will choose to eat healthy to give you the energy you need to be highly productive in the afternoon.

And if you value a mental recharge, then you will choose everywhere BUT your desk to have lunch.

When I worked at daily desk job, I chose to take advantage of the corporate park benches for lunch and the path to walk. I would enjoy most of the seasons (living in Chicago) while eating then would listen to an audiobook while walking.

This did absolute wonders for my day. I was not only more productive in the afternoon, I couldn’t wait for this break in my day.

Yet sometimes eating at your desk is unavoidable.

In that case, be aware and make the most of it. Do the following:

  • Be aware of what you’re eating – Choose to eat healthy and slowly. Buy or bring food that will bring you energy for the afternoon.
  • Try and take a few minutes to yourself – Choose to read and go for a short walk to get your body moving and seeing some fresh scenery.

You would be surprised what a short 15 minute break can do for you. And you’ll easily make up the time.

And don’t forget to say hi to “dude” or “man” (since you still don’t know his name).

 

Closing Challenge…

Professionals sometimes care more about appearance of working hard then working smart which actually produces better results.

So I challenge you to the following:

  • Choose Nutrition over convenience in your lunch meal.
  • Step away from the desk and switch mental gears for a while – read something / watch something / listen to something. Just anything but work. For awhile…
  • Change your location and get a different view. You could use the sunlight or see anything but walls and florescent lights.
  • Find someone to talk to for a few minutes and engage in a quality conversation.
  • And at all costs, move! Go for a walk. Do something to get active for a few minutes.

You will be amazed at the increase of productivity and focus the rest of the afternoon. Don’t believe me? Just try it for a week and measure the results for yourself…

 

Closing Question…

How can you make the most of your lunch break to ultimately be more productive?

 

Three Daily Distractions That Can Take Your Productivity Down

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Three Daily Distractions That Can Take Your Productivity Down

 

Keith is a driven professional. Any given day he can be incredibly productive and will leave his office feeling a sense of accomplishment.

Then there are the other days. If there is one singe thing that derails Keith from being productive it’s distractions.

He claims to be a focused person but there are certain distractions that affect him and ultimately his productivity.

It’s easy with today’s technology to mean well in being productive. You’re focused on a project and begin doing some research and the next thing you know you’re checking your LinkedIn or Facebook profile and clicking on YouTube videos.

What just happen? You’ve lost 20 minutes of not only your life but your productivity.

Jermaine Riley once said, “Distractions destroy action. If it’s not moving you towards your purpose, leave it alone.”

I love that quote but it’s another thing to implement those wise words.

The reality is distractions can can simply and quickly take your productivity down.

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Here are Three Daily Distractions That Can Take Your Productivity Down:

 

1. Distracted By What You See

Many of us are visual. It’s almost too much for us to handle seeing certain temptations before our very eyes. It’s like putting a cookie out in front of a child and seeing what he’s going to do.

For example, I cannot have open tabs on the computer when I’m working on a major task. I just HAVE TO CLICK.

But if it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind. There are concentration apps such as Anti-Social, Focus Booster, or StayFocused. To learn more about these options, check out this LINK for 10 concentration apps suggestions.

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The goal is being present to the task or person at hand. If my phone or iPad is out when I’m with another person, I can be distracted and not give that person my full presence. This is dis-respectful to them and can be avoided.

 

2. Distracted By What You Hear

There are certain sounds that affect me depending upon what I’m doing.

For example, if I’m reading, I don’t do well hearing other people’s conversations. I need either quiet or instrumental music.

If I’m writing an email or brainstorming, I can have office noise or a crowd in Starbucks and I’m just fine.

What you hear will drastically affect your productivity especially if noise is a sensitive issue to you.

Some of us need noise, others it’s paralyzing. How are you distracted by what you hear around you when you’re trying to be productive?

 

3. Distracted By What You Think

I can control what I see and what I hear but what gets me more than any other distraction is what I think.

At any given moment, I can be focused on the task at hand and something pops into my mind. It could be very important or simply a random action item.

My problem is when I let the distraction take me off of the task at hand. I’m learning (still in process on this one) to instantly write it down on a Master List to get it out of my hand and IMMEDIATELY jump right back into what I was doing.

I tried to ignore it and only one of two things happened: it dominated my thoughts because my brain wanted to hold on to it or I would forget what the thought was later that I needed to remember.

Again, the goal is to become fully present to the task at hand and handle the distraction in an effective way.

 

Distraction Attack Plan:

Now that we understand the three daily distractions, we need an attack plan to loosen their grip.

Define – what is distracting you when you work? You probably already know. If not, you can start with social media. Call it out so you can do something about it. Now, I’m not saying you can’t look at it within your day. It’s a matter of if it’s distracting you from something else. We all know the difference.

Minimize – once you define the distraction, begin to minimize its effect on you. Some distractions you simply cannot get away from due to location, environment, etc. But seek to due whatever you can to minimize it now that you’re aware of its hold on you.

Remove – certain distractions can simply and easily be removed. We just need to let go of those guilty pleasures for the purpose of the greater good of productivity. This requires discipline and choosing delayed gratification to further the task at hand than instant gratification and sacrificing the task at hand.

The ultimate goal is FOCUS. Ruthlessly do whatever you can to minimize distractions so you can focus.

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Additional Reading:

10 Critical Tips to Prevent Distraction and Sharpen Your Focus

How to Minimize Distraction to Get Things Done

Top 10 Ways to Defeat Distractions and Get Your Work Done

How Can I Steer Clear of Distractions and FocusWhile I Work?

Closing Challenge…

Productive professionals must learn to define, minimize, and remove distractions to increase productivity. Otherwise we’re just busy and un-productive.

It’s starts with our awareness. Observe what you see, hear, and think that becomes a distraction and affects your productivity. Then ruthlessly seek to minimize and even remove it during your task at hand.

Lastly, seek to remove distractions so you can truly be present with people. For me, I simply need to focus on the person and honor them with my attention.

This is a challenging area for many of us and may you take the challenge for the sake of your productivity.

We want to accomplish BIG things yet it’s the small things that can be the biggest distraction.

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Closing Question…

What distractions on any given day affect you and how can you minimize or remove them for the greater productivity good?

Four Compelling Reasons Why Working Late is Damaging in the Long Run

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4 Compelling Reasons Why Working Late is Damaging in the Long Run

 

Michael is a hard worker. Yet he finds his co-workers measure success differently. They put in long hours but don’t really get anything done.

They make comments to him about what time he arrives but especially what time he leaves like that’s the true measure of working hard.

There are times your job requires long hours. Often, others work late and expect the same of you. Yet sometimes it’s a matter of boundaries.

I worked a job a few years ago that working late was a badge of honor. Yet upon close inspection, they wasted SO much time.

Any given day, it would take forever for them to actually begin to work. They socialized in each other’s office or cube, took many coffee breaks, and hung out in the kitchen. Of course THAT made them hungry and they just had to take an incredibly long lunch break.

But they worked late. They win. Or do they…?

 

Here are 4 Reasons Why Working Late is Damaging in the Long Run

 

1. If I Plan for a Long Day It Will Take Me THAT Long to Get My Work Done

If I have 8 hours of work, I will fit it into 8 hours. But if I have 10 hours, I will somehow manage to fit it into 10 hours. Imagine how that works.

Think about the time you had to leave early but still had to get your work done. Did you do it? You didn’t have more time but less and you still accomplished your work.

The difference? Focus.

 

2. Hours do NOT Equal Productive

Just because I’m at work doesn’t necessarily mean I’m actually getting work done.

If we’re honest, being in an office doesn’t automatically get work completed any more than being in a garage makes you a car.

It’s the corporate lie that hours = productive but I learned that day after day in the example of my former job.

And often, I’m losing time somewhere within my day. The goal is to find out where and become productive while you’re there. Read about how to where you’re losing time within your day HERE.

 

3. The Toll Working Late Takes on my Evening

I find the later I work in my day, the less I’m engaged at home and just want to be left alone and completely veg. (insert bad habits that follow here)

My family has been waiting for me to come home, finally. And when I do, I’m lifeless and uninvolved. Great deal for them. I’ve sacrificed my evening which is completely avoidable. Learn more by clicking HERE.

Working late also shortens my evening, which makes me justify staying up later and as a result, my next day often starts later and the crazy cycle begins all over again. This is solvable.

I also find my nutrition usually tanks when I work late. I make poor choices when I live by the four words, Make the Healthiest Choice. Read about it HERE. Again, solvable.

 

4. The Later I Work the More Unproductive I Become

There is a point of no return. Focus fades. Energy drops. And the quality of work simply decreases big time.

There are more errors and it simply takes me longer to get something accomplished compared to when I’m fresh.

Things are getting done but often the time it takes increases and the quality of work decreases.

 

Suggestions to Consider…

Plan Your Day – if you took the time to plan your day you could get a more accurate read on what work needs to be accomplished and how long it will take. I even take planning so far to review the plan for the day after lunch to see what needs to be changed or adjusted to make sure I get my work completed in a normal hour day.

Make a Commitment to Only Work Late X# of Nights – if this is becoming an issue, commit to someone (family) that you will only work late on a certain number of nights and honor it. Wean your way off this crazy cycle to only one night then to none if possible. The key is using your time wisely.

Track Your Day – often there is lost time within your day that you could recapture to get what needs to be done so you can get home. When I’ve had people track their day, they’re amazed and usually embarrassed how much time is wasted and how much they’ve defended what was actually lost time to work. And you know what they found? They could easily leave on time if not early. Imagine that.

Determine Your Most Important Priorities – If I had to stay late it was usually because I didn’t get my most important task completed yet. But if you took the time first thing in the morning to determine what are the 3-5 most important priorities for the day and truly focused on the 1st one until it’s accomplished, THAT is often the priority that keeps you having to work late. And completely avoidable with focus and priority.

 

Working late is usually avoidable if you work smarter not longer.

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Closing Challenge…

Motivated professionals are driven to do their best. And that may mean putting in long hours but are not always smart hours.

The reality is working late is subjective. I could start late and work late but am I actually working late?

The question on the table is do you HAVE to work late if it’s not the current season of the job due to a project, event, etc.?

Most of the time that’s not the case. It’s a matter of using time wisely and getting organized and focused so you can be productive with your day.

I challenge you to look at how often you work late or at least later than you know you could and should then do whatever necessary to make the changes to avoid the damage in the long run.

 

Closing Question…

Do I REALLY have to work late or could I get organized enough to maximize my time and work smarter not longer?