With two storms - a bit of ice and snow and a lot of freezing rain, the winter wonderland outside my front door is a total hazard. In an effort to ensure that the postman or anyone else walking on my walkway doesn't fall, I had to get out there and clean it up. It's interesting - I could have gotten out the shovel yesterday, but just really didn't feel like it. I was hoping that the sun would come out and melt the ice away. Alas it was a balmy 25 degrees today and so all of the ice was stil there.
It took me most of the day (I guess really almost two) to get up the energy to get out there, but I finally put my boots on and headed out to conquer the ice. After I got outside, it really wasn't bad. While it was a little chilly, the sun was shining, I was actually getting a little exercise for my poor flabby arms and in no time, I had cleared a neat path for the mailman and for me to get to/from the house.
I go through this whole story because it is exactly what we need to do before going into the New Year. We need to break out the shovel. Most people start the New Year with resolutions about what they are going to do differently - eat right, lose weight, work less, call friends more often. But there is little thought to what needs to be cleared away first to make that change. What barriers stand in your way of accomplishing your goals?
So you want to work less in 2008 - you've got two more weeks to prepare for that transition. Just like that ice on my stoop is not going to magically go away so I can get my mail, your work responsibilities aren't just going to diminish. So what do you have to do in the next 14 days to enable you to begin 2008 on the path toward realizing your goal. Do you need to take an inventory of your projects and figure out what the priorities are, what can be delegated and what can be postponed? Do you need to look at how you are spending your time to determine if there is another more efficient way to allocate it?
Setting a goal is relatively easy, but setting yourself up to acheive that goal will send you out of 2007 on a very high note. Actively shovel the walkway so that you can head down a cleared path and begin the New Year with a real commitment to achieving your resolutions.
Just Say Thanks?
Do you have colleagues that send e-mails with demands masked as requests. "I need you to do this by the end of the day". Or my favorite...the e-mails flagged as high importance. As if their emergency has anything to do with me - you waited until the last minute and now you want me to disrupt my schedule to accommodate you. Oh and you think it's ok, because you put the "THANKS!" or even better "thx" at the end of the message.
Can you tell it's a pet peeve of mine? I would love it if I could change the way that those folks communicate and make requests, but generally I can't. I can only control my communications and not be THAT person who makes ill-mannered requests.
So...how not to be that person...
1. Consider calling the person first or walking to their office. In person requests can be a little bit more personal. E-mail can leave too much to interpretation. Also when you call or speak directly with someone, you can gauge what else he/she has on their plate and where your request falls on the priority list.
2. Use some of your momma's home training (if you didn't get it, Ms. Frances has enough for the both of us). Iff you really need to make a last minute request (even if it's not your fault that it's late), ask, don't tell. While it may be of no real consequence to you, asking versus demanding really does make the other person feel better.
3. Finally, try to limit last minute requests. You don;t want to get the reputation that you are always late; or better still you don't want folks to stop accommodating your requests. You may find that folks have ready made excuses when they see you coming...
So what to do when you get another *&^% last minute request (particularly through e-mail):
1. Close the e-mail, close your eyes, breathe in and out, then open the e-mail again. You have to make sure that the negative energy and frustration doesn't overtake you. Try to consider how you would react if your best friend made the request. Please believe - this is the toughest one for me!
2. Try to set boundaries about your schedule and timeline. You may have to suck it up this time, but consider how you can let others know how best to make requests and your ideal timeline for completion.
3. Clarify expectations. When you get the request, don't just go off to the races to get the project or task done. Make sure you clearly understand what is being asked of you, because if it's a last minute request, you probably have no time to waste. Last thing you need is to rush through something with muddied expectations, only to find that you've done it incorrectly and you are held responsible for poor outcomes.
Maybe how someone asks for something shouldn't matter...but for me it does; so I know I've got to manage how I react and also ensure that I don't fall into the same traps when I have a tight deadline.
Can you tell it's a pet peeve of mine? I would love it if I could change the way that those folks communicate and make requests, but generally I can't. I can only control my communications and not be THAT person who makes ill-mannered requests.
So...how not to be that person...
1. Consider calling the person first or walking to their office. In person requests can be a little bit more personal. E-mail can leave too much to interpretation. Also when you call or speak directly with someone, you can gauge what else he/she has on their plate and where your request falls on the priority list.
2. Use some of your momma's home training (if you didn't get it, Ms. Frances has enough for the both of us). Iff you really need to make a last minute request (even if it's not your fault that it's late), ask, don't tell. While it may be of no real consequence to you, asking versus demanding really does make the other person feel better.
3. Finally, try to limit last minute requests. You don;t want to get the reputation that you are always late; or better still you don't want folks to stop accommodating your requests. You may find that folks have ready made excuses when they see you coming...
So what to do when you get another *&^% last minute request (particularly through e-mail):
1. Close the e-mail, close your eyes, breathe in and out, then open the e-mail again. You have to make sure that the negative energy and frustration doesn't overtake you. Try to consider how you would react if your best friend made the request. Please believe - this is the toughest one for me!
2. Try to set boundaries about your schedule and timeline. You may have to suck it up this time, but consider how you can let others know how best to make requests and your ideal timeline for completion.
3. Clarify expectations. When you get the request, don't just go off to the races to get the project or task done. Make sure you clearly understand what is being asked of you, because if it's a last minute request, you probably have no time to waste. Last thing you need is to rush through something with muddied expectations, only to find that you've done it incorrectly and you are held responsible for poor outcomes.
Maybe how someone asks for something shouldn't matter...but for me it does; so I know I've got to manage how I react and also ensure that I don't fall into the same traps when I have a tight deadline.
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