Sharpen the saw!

Stephen Covey is a wonderful person and a great author. I like his habits book but like most books the materials only work when we apply them to our lives.
Last week I did the sharpen the saw exercise by taking a short cruise to think, reflect, and relax before the very difficult spring that I have ahead of me at work. I was actually expecting that I would not be able to relax and put work behind me - but was very pleasantly surprised how easily that did in fact happen.
Another great discovery - my ability to think clearly has improved dramatically. No I'm not now among the great thinkers of our times, but I do find that the issues that were un-resolved before I took the time away were now able to be thought about and viewed much differently. In fact, I've mentally resolved most of them to my satisfaction.
Now I'm not suggesting that this method will work for everybody on absolutely everything that you have on your mind, but at least in my case it has worked beautifully.
You may want to consider trying the process. It doesn't have to be a cruise or even a week long vacation - it could simply be one or two extra days off around a weekend that you completely unplug and disconnect from the rest of the world so your mind can relax and recharge.
Try it - you may like it. I know I did and I plan to take a day or two off on a regular basis during 2012 to keep the sharpening project going for me.

These are my thoughts, what are yours?
Steve

Motivation/Follow-Through with Check Lists

Life is like an untraveled trail with some very complex twists and turns. Many activities are detours that lead back to that pit of quicksand and mire. My mind easily turns to muddled thinking and disorganization. Just as an example, take the New Years Resolutions.
Are you trying to keep your New Years Resolutions and finding that some are already slipping? I doubt motivation is your issue - most likely, (at least for me) it tends to be my follow through, or lack of the same. My intentions are great, but somehow between getting out of bed and back into bed again, traveling that complex train, I just seem to "forget" the great list of resolutions and the priorities I wanted to accomplish them.

In walks the most humble of all Quality Control devices - the dreaded Check List!

Now as a pilot I know and use my checklist to fly the airplane without fail - it's not that I don't know or remember how to fly or what order to accomplish things in - its just that when my mind is working on keeping the aircraft flying sometimes I miss or forget something that should be routine and simple. Turning off the fuel pump after take-off is a prime example. It doesn't "hurt" anything, it just gets overlooked sometimes while I look for traffic. The same thing happens in my daily life which is why I find I must use a check list for most of the things I routinely do, even on a daily basis, or else small, simple things just don't get accomplished. In aviation the small things generally lead to major failures somewhere down the line.

I see the checklist used not only in aviation, but also medicine, design and construction projects, investing.......... There are even books written to convince us to use a checklist:

18 Minutes to Find your Focus, Master Distraction, and get the Right Things done by Peter Bregman. And of course, the best one: The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande - a doctor who proves to you beyond a shadow of a doubt why it is absolutely mandatory to use a checklist.

But you reply - I'm in the tile and flooring business! Why would I need a checklist? Trust me, after nearly 40 years in that industry I find it absolutely mandatory in that business too. Here is an example of a checklist that maybe would make sense when putting your installers out the door in the morning:

• What do you understand this job priorities to be?


• What concerns or ideas do you have that we haven't discussed already?


• What are your key next steps and what is your timetable for accomplishment?


• What else do you need from me to make this job a success?


• Are there any contingencies we need to think about or plan for now?


• When will you check in on your progress and issues?


• Who else needs to know our game plan? How do we communicate that to them? When?

Does it take time to go through the checklist? Sure - maybe 5 minutes. But compare that to the hours saved in frustration and stress when the job is screwed up!

So a checklist not only reduces mistakes, saves stress, and frustration (on all sides) it also will absolutely save time.

Try using your own version of a checklist for just ONE WEEK - see if I'm wrong here.

Steve

Where are you headed in 2012?

There's a story about a man riding a horse, galloping quickly. It appears he's headed somewhere very important. A man standing on the side of the road shouts, "Where are you headed?" The rider replies, "I don't know, ask the horse!"
Is this your story? Are you riding the "horse" of your habits with no idea where you are headed? Maybe it's time right now to take control of the reins, and start moving your life in the direction YOU want to go. I mean, REALLY WANT to go!
The choice is YOURS. You control your thoughts, which should control your actions. If you have no clue or idea where you are heading in 2012 then now is the time to stop, THINK about it, and decide.
You are able to do whatever YOU decide you want to do. It is truly up to YOU.
If you truly don't believe you know HOW to do this, either call me or email me and I will point you in the correct path so you can learn.
No judgement from me, just help if you request it.
Steve