Your Time…Your Expectations “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” Aristotle
Productivity Partners, Inc.
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I sit on the national board of an organization and at the last meeting found myself speaking with another board member. She is also a business owner and our conversation was about managing expectations…ours and our clients. She said something that is very true—‘It’s about using our knowledge and expertise to foresee and side-step roadblocks, revise unrealistic timelines and debunk myths.’ How do you manage your own set of expectations when it comes to improving your organizing and time management skills? Here are some suggestions: • Foresee and side-step roadblocks If you have tried to improve your skills in the past, but haven’t been successful over the short or long term, step back and think about the types of roadblocks that interfere with your success. Was time committed to your calendar? Did you lack information? Did you lack support? Wrong tools? Or maybe it was perfectionism that got in the way. Identifying past roadblock will help you become more aware of them so you may better prepare yourself for overcoming them. • Revise unrealistic timelines Your organizing and time management challenges didn’t occur overnight and they won’t be solved overnight. So give yourself some leeway when determining timelines. Put them on your calendar and revise if necessary. Let’s say you want to have and maintain an organized office by the end of the calendar year. Create smaller activities, realistically spaced apart between now and the end of the year and see if you hit those milestones. • Debunk myths Maybe there are some myths floating around in your head. Things like ‘touch a piece of paper only once’ or ‘I don’t have time to get organized’. This is old and ineffective internal chatter. Replace it with thoughts that move you forward. For example, ‘I’ll be able to find paper, time and peace of mind if I begin NOW.’ Managing your expectations helps manage your success. But it’s all done one stepat-a-time.
© 2005 Cynthia Kyriazis
Productivity Partners, Inc.
913-649-0878
888-482-2688
Productivity Partners, Inc. specializes in helping employees overcome the 24/7 time management and organizing challenges they face in order to improve performance, increase productivity and reduce stress. PPI assists individuals, teams, and entire companies in gaining confidence and control when it comes to paper, information, time, space and choice management. Offerings include: Onsite workshops Online workshops or webinars Assessments Coaching Consulting Presentations Products
Cynthia Kyriazis started her business in 1992 after 25 years experience in multi-unit operations management. She is an organizing and time management coach, consultant, trainer, speaker and author. Cynthia is past Secretary of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), 2008 President of the International Society for Performance Improvement-Kansas City chapter (KCISPI), a national speaker, and consultant to the American Coaching Association. Cynthia can be reached at Cynthia@ProPartnersInc.com www.ProPartnersInc.com www.Moveyourmindset.wordpress.com
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913-649-0878
888-482-2688