Productivity guru, Ari Meisel, is back! In a previous post I had shared his idea of The Hour of Power. Today I’ll share his concept of minimum and maximum limitations that comes from his awesome book The Art of Less Doing.
Let’s remember that Meisel found himself very sick and unable to work more than one hour a day for a while, so he became incredibly productive during the little time that he had to work. Nowadays, he’s made a point of continuing to set limits for his work: he gets everything done and still has plenty of time to devote to his family. “The fact of the matter,” Meisel says, “is that everyone functions better with constraints.”
We’re likely very familiar with setting time limits. We’ve talked about Parkinson’s Law before (here, here, and here). It’s the law that says: “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”. And if you only have a certain amount of time to do something, very likely you will get it done within that timeframe. Thus the importance of setting time limits to avoid open-ended projects that never get done. Deadlines are important.
And setting limits can apply to physical spaces too. Meisel explains, “If you’re a pack rat and have rooms filled with clutter, tell yourself you’re permitted one box of clutter per room and that’s it!”
To further understand the process of setting limits, Meisel goes into detail about the concepts of minimum versus maximum limitations. “Minimum limits are actually more challenging than maximum limits. It’s easier to be restrictive than to be expansive. For example, it’s much easier to say ‘I have to turn the TV off by ten o’clock at night’ (maximum limitation) than it is to say, ‘I will read ten pages of nonfiction every night’ (minimum limitation).”
Minimum limitations are very effective when it comes to creating habits. “Once you create a habit and couple it with another, your rate of potential success skyrockets.”
Let’s think of exercising with this concept. Find something that you love to do (Activity 1) and set a small goal. Then find something else you love to do (Activity 2) and tell yourself you cannot do the second activity until you’ve finished the first one. For instance, you cannot watch Netflix (Activity 2) until you’ve taken your yoga class (Activity 1). Meisel says this is even more effective if you can combine both, thus setting yourself up to win: “Tell yourself that you can only listen to podcasts [Activity 2] while you’re on the treadmill [Activity 1]. In that scenario, you’ve set up a restriction to help you succeed.”
Time, as we saw earlier, is an easy limitation to set. Money is another one. But you can work with setting constraints in any area of your life that you want to improve on. “This process of setting limitations can almost become a game, and you need to figure out how to work within your restrictions. […] Find a balance between challenging [yourself] and being realistic in terms of [your] lifestyle.”
Save the date! Ari Meisel will be at the Business Library in New York City on July 17, from 6-7:30 PM. It’s a free event. Registration and details here. I look forward to seeing you there!
ACTION
TODAY: What is a limit that you can put on yourself today for the benefit of your work, time or leisure? How about working with Parkinson’s Law and setting a time limit to finish your work at a certain time? That way you can go home to enjoy your family or to enjoy non-work-related activities.
FUTURE: Think of a habit you’d like to establish. What kind of minimum limitation can you think of to create the habit? Remember to find your Activity 1 and set a goal. Then do not indulge in Activity 2 until you have finished activity 1. Linking those activities will help you stick to them and create the habit you want. Let me know how it goes!
Do you know someone who would benefit from setting limits? Please share this post with that person via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
We’ve all heard that we should not compare ourselves to others, but it’s impossible not to do it, says, M. J. Ryan, leading expert on change and human fulfillment. “Part of what our prefrontal cortex exists to do is take in information and compare that to conclusions and judgments it has previously made.”
Comparison is a helpful skill that has helped mankind from time immemorial. The problem comes nowadays when we see our full picture, struggles and all, and compare ourselves to someone else’s highlight reel, be it on social media or somewhere else. It’s not a fair comparison: it’s not apples to apples.
“Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle, or your middle to someone else’s end. Don’t compare the start of your second quarter of life to someone else’s third quarter.” ― Tim Hiller (From: Strive: Life is Short, Pursue What Matters)
Ryan says, “We look around, rank ourselves on some invisible scale of achievement and usually find ourselves wanting. There’s always someone who’s done more, made more money, gotten more glory, no matter our age and stage.” It seems like a futile exercise that only creates anxiety and despair, since we will never be as far along as other people against whom we compare ourselves.
However, since our brains are wired to compare, “what we can do about this tendency of our brain… is to be sure we compare well.”
But what exactly does that mean?
According to Ryan, comparing well means, “reminding [yourself] to orient toward the success [you] truly want. […] It will ensure you’re comparing yourself by measurements you truly value.
Ryan recalls a story of one of her clients who was complaining about not being as successful as some of her peers. Ryan taught her to compare well by asking, “What does success look like to you?” To which the client answered immediately, “Being my own boss, having the freedom to do things when and how I want.” Then Ryan asked, “So, when you compare your situation to others given those criteria, what do you notice?” And her client replied, “I’ve already got what I want! I’ve been so busy comparing myself against a yardstick I’m not even interested in that I didn’t even notice the success I’ve created.”
Going forward, since you will compare—because now we know we all do—use Ryan’s insights to compare well. Ask yourself what success looks like to you and what you notice when you compare your situation to others given those criteria. This way, when you compare, there will be no more despair and anxiety. Instead, what you’ll get is an eye-opening experience: gratitude for what you’ve accomplished, self-compassion for what you haven’t done yet, and renewed willingness and motivation to take action on your goals.
ACTION
TODAY & FUTURE: If you are going to compare, compare well. Write down the two questions: “What does success look like to you?” and “So, when you compare your situation to others given those criteria, what do you notice?” Keep them handy and get in the habit of pulling them out when you find yourself making comparisons.
Know someone who would benefit from comparing well? Please share this post via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
One of the most wonderful compliments we can all receive is that of equating us with progress: “He/she stands for progress. He/she is the right person for the job.” I still haven’t met anybody who does not like to be seen as a forward-looking, progress-seeking leader.
Looking forward, thinking progress, believing in progress and pushing for progress are leadership qualities that we can all develop. David J. Schwartz in The Magic of Thinking Big says, “Leaders, real leaders, are in short supply. Status-quo-ers (the everything’s-all-right-let’s-don’t-upset-the-apple-cart folks) far outnumber the progressives (the there’s-lots-of-room-for-improvement-let’s-get-to-work-and-do-it-better people). Join the leadership elite. Develop a forward look.”
But how?
There are two things you can do to develop your progressive outlook: 1. Think improvement in everything you do. 2. Think high standards in everything you do.
Students, employees and people in general pattern their thoughts and actions after those of their leaders. That is why a new teacher, a new boss, a new president, or any kind of new leader can make such an enormous difference, for good or bad. Schwartz says, “Remember this: when you take over the leadership of a group, the persons in that group immediately begin to adjust themselves to the standards you set. […] Once they know, they act accordingly.”
Schwartz goes on to say something very profound and powerful: “Over a period of time, [people] tend to become carbon copies of their chief. The simplest way to get high-level performance is to make sure the master copy is worth duplicating.” (!)
So, how can we make make sure that, as master copies, we are worth duplicating??
Fortunately, Schwartz includes a checklist to make sure that we are thinking progressively in four areas: work, family, ourselves, and our community. Keep it handy!
Do I think progressively toward my work?
Do I appraise my work with the “how can we do it better?” attitude?
Do I praise my company, the people in it, and the products it sells at every possible opportunity?
Are my personal standards with reference to the quantity and quality of my output higher now than three or six months ago?
Am I setting an excellent example for my subordinates, associates and others I work with?
Do I think progressively toward my family?
Is my family happier today than it was three or six months ago?
Am I following a plan to improve my family’s standard of living?
Does my family have an ample variety of stimulating activities outside the home?
Do I set an example of “a progressive,” a supporter of progress, for my children?
Do I think progressively toward myself?
Can I honestly say that I am a more valuable person today than three or six months ago?
Am I following an organized self-improvement program to increase my value to others?
Do I have forward-looking goals for at least five years in the future?
Am I a booster in every organization or group to which I belong?
Do I think progressively toward my community?
Have I done anything in the past six months that I honestly feel has improved my community (neighborhood, churches, schools, etc.)?
Do I boost worthwhile community projects rather than object, criticize or complain?
Have I ever taken the lead in bringing about some worthwhile improvement in my community?
Do I speak well of my neighbors and fellow citizens?
Lastly, I’ll leave you with a quote from Benjamin Franklin that I love:
“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”
ACTION
TODAY: Take one of the areas described above (work, family, yourself or your community) and answer the questions on the checklist. Determine where you are and what you need to do to make progress in that area.
FUTURE: Take some time to answer all the questions in the checklist and determine where you stand in each area. If you are reading this it’s clear that you are indeed a forward-looking, progressive person. Decide in which area you’d like to make (more) progress first and move into that direction. Then tackle another area and so on. In following along the lines of yesterday’s post, take these questions as decision criteria to measure progress as a state of being.
Think progressively toward your circles and please share this post with them via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
What would you do with a gift of 90+ hours/year to spend however you see fit?
To explain this, let me share this scenario, and you tell me if it sounds familiar:
“You come into your office, and there on your desk sit three folders and two letters that you must respond to. You look at the first letter and read a few sentences. Dealing with it is clearly going to take more time than you have right now. You put it aside. In one of your folders is another task. You handle that task and your phone rings. You answer the phone and get pulled in a new direction for 10 to 15 minutes. Then you go back to the folder, but, just as you do, an email comes in. You stop to read the email, which contains a task that must be dealt with but requires more time than you have right now.”
Can you identify with this? If you spend “just 15 minutes every day to revisit, readdress, or reread documents or emails, you will waste 91 hours per year where no action is taken.” (!)
Chet Holmes, business guru and author of The Ultimate Sales Machine, had a simple, yet practical and very effective way of handling paperwork and email: deal with each thing just once.
“If you touch it, take action. […] Don’t open that email or letter until you are ready to deal with it.”
And dealing with it may take many forms, but at the very least, it means adding the action to your to-do list and saving the email to a particular folder. Holmes says, “the more files you have for work in progress and the more organized you can be in that process, the more productive you will be. So, for example, suppose I open my email from my PR firm that requires me to approve a press release. I have a PR folder. On my to-do list I write, ‘Approve press release. See PR folder.’ That’s how organized you need to be today.”
Short and simple, yet profound in changing the way we work and handle the demands for our time. Plus, the amount of time we’ll save from not having to revisit is astonishing! (For other time saving tips, read this post from Time Traps.)
ACTION
TODAY: Try this touch-it-once approach today and see how much time you save and how much more organized you get.
FUTURE: Make this touch-it-once philosophy a part of your productivity habits. As with every new habit, it will take time and tweaking to adapt to your specific needs, yet I strongly suggest giving it a shot since it will save you much time!
Know someone who’s wasting much time on revisiting things? Please share this post with that person via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
The stories that illustrate the points in the book are incredible lessons of courage, hope, and determination in the face of the worst possible adversity and difficulty—both physical and emotional—that anyone can muster. Whether you serve in uniform or not, the lessons apply to all of us, regardless of our path in life.
The first lesson is wonderful. It’s simply this: make your bed every morning. It’s the importance of starting the day with a task completed. Instead of telling you the story, I will let McRaven’s words tell it to you directly, as I’m quoting his speech verbatim.
Every morning in basic SEAL training, my instructors, who at the time were all Vietnam veterans, would show up in my barracks room and the first thing they would inspect was your bed. If you did it right, the corners would be square, the covers pulled tight, the pillow centered just under the headboard and the extra blanket folded neatly at the foot of the rack — that’s Navy talk for bed.
It was a simple task — mundane at best. But every morning we were required to make our bed to perfection. It seemed a little ridiculous at the time, particularly in light of the fact that were aspiring to be real warriors, tough battle-hardened SEALs, but the wisdom of this simple act has been proven to me many times over.
If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.
And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made — that you made — and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.
If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.
Here’s the video of the commencement speech. The bed-making story starts at the 4:37 minute mark, but it’s well worth watching the whole 20 min if you have the time. If you prefer to read the speech you can do so here.
ACTION
TODAY: Make your bed. Years ago I heard someone say, “How you do one thing is how you do everything,” and that has stayed with me throughout the years. It echoes what McRaven says: If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.
FUTURE: The habit and discipline of making your bed is illustrative of building a solid foundation. Only by starting with small things you get to the big things. Zig Ziglar said it well: “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” So start today by making your bed, and keep making it every day. And along that path, build the habits that will take you towards the greatness that you seek and the change you want to make in the world.
Know someone who needs to make their bed? Please share this post with that person: you can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
“The research on the consequences of noise on productivity is fairly straightforward: for the bulk of the tasks performed in the knowledge economy, quiet is always better than noise.” With this in mind, here are a few suggestions from Davis to stay focused.
Close the door. No office? “Reserve a conference room or set up camp somewhere that is largely free of noise and other potential distractions. A place with privacy that is away from noise distractions will be more favorable to productivity.”
Cancel noise. If your space is shared and you have to stay there, wear noise-cancelling headphones. Alternatively, “those little squishy orange earplugs can sometimes do the trick too, and you can take them anywhere. You may look weird, but you’ll be more productive.”
Turn it off. Don’t watch TV or listen to music or talk radio.
Creativity. “If you’re taking on a task that requires lots of creativity, enjoy background noise. You may actually consider heading for the company’s busy cafeteria or a local coffee shop, or putting on a little music.”
Carve quiet time. If you can, make some quiet time for you: get up early, stay up late or work in a quiet and uninterrupted environment.
Light
Light, just as noise, is another stimulus we can often control. “Both blue light and bright white light seem to enhance a number of the mental faculties that can help us be highly effective. […] That kind of light influences things like alertness and concentration, and it can help us recharge after mental fatigue.”
Further, our eyes were not just made for vision. There are cells in them that “connect to a part of the brain responsible for maintaining circadian rhythms… [thus guiding] sleep, wake, eating and energy cycles throughout the day.”
Davis recommends:
More lights. “A brightly lit room is better for being at your mental best than a darker one, especially if it’s a cloudy day or the middle of the winter. If you have to, bring your own lamp to the office.”
Natural light. “If you can, be somewhere with ambient natural light on a day with clear blue skies, and set yourself up to work there.”
Lightbulbs. “Consider replacing the current lightbulbs in your workspace with white lights that include more of the blue spectrum, even if it’s just at your desk lamp.”
Creativity. “Dim your lights a bit or find a spot that’s a little darker than usual when you want to work on a project that requires creativity.”
Immediate workspace
According to Davis’ research, our immediate workspace is the part of the work environment that we can influence in some important ways with some relatively minor tweaks.
Clutter. “Perhaps clutter works for a very few people. But for the vast majority of us, clutter is a hindrance to our mental performance. […] Clear the clutter. […] If you don’t have the time to clear it, simply move it somewhere that is out of sight.”
Expansive movement. “Place your phone, your glass of water, your pen and any other work tools at the far corners of your desk, where you will need to reach for them expansively. If you feel tense, sit back for a minute, expand your chest and spread your arms out.” Adopt some power poses to shift your mental state.
Sitting. “Don’t sit at your desk for too long. We tend to become engrossed in working, so it will probably not be too much if you get up every time you think of doing so. If you can choose your workspace, choose one where getting up and moving around is easy to do.” Find a place where you can sit and work, and another where you can stand and work, and alternate between them.
Personalization. Regardless of noise, light, no clutter and movement, you will eventually get fatigued. Add your personal touch to your workspace in some way with objects and visuals to recharge your mental energy. “Specifically, consider adding some plants or images of water. When you personalize your space, though, don’t do it by adding clutter to your desk.” If you have a beautiful view, don’t forget to look outside.
The strategies described here today and throughout this miniseries are effective because their implementation is simple and easy, and also because they work with your biology, not against it. Davis believes that the biggest challenge resulting from our work culture is being overwhelmed. He says, “By becoming students of how human beings can work most effectively, we all can increase our self-compassion, master our work, and gain control over our lives.” It is my sincere hope that this miniseries will help you accomplish all that and become your most effective and productive. Let me know how you liked the miniseries!
ACTION
TODAY & FUTURE: Take a look around at your workspace: how can you set it up to help you achieve maximum productivity?
Know someone who could benefit from reading this? Please share the miniseries with that person! You can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
TODAY’S IDEA: Minimum and maximum limitations
