August 2011 | Bigg Success

Monthly Archives: August 2011

Keep on Schedule Like Radio and TV Stars

Written on August 22, 2011 by George Krueger & Mary-Lynn Foster in Time Management

You hear radio and TV hosts say it all the time, “I’m up against the clock.” It’s a simple technique they use to cut the conversation short.

Isn’t it amazing how focused their guests get when they hear that magical phrase?

You don’t have to be a media star to use this technique in your life. You can keep yourself on schedule by keeping yourself up against the clock.

Keep your conversations up against the clock

Don’t be rude. But why not set a time parameter at the beginning of a conversation?

When you both know you have five to ten minutes (or however long you decide), you will keep the conversation from wandering.

There are times when you shouldn’t do this. For example, when you’re looking for a solution to a difficult problem, you don’t want to impair the creativity with an artificial deadline.

However, most conversations will be more productive by establishing an end time upfront.

Keep your meetings up against the clock

We won’t elaborate much on this one since it’s so obvious. Well, at least it should be.

Let every one on your team know the designated end time. When the conversation starts to stray, remind them.

It’s a great way to keep every on track without seeming like a tyrant.

Keep your projects up against the clock

Before you pull out a project to start working on it, determine how long you can work on it.

This works best for small projects. For example, we do this now when we write a blog post or prepare for a podcast. We find that we get them done much faster without sacrificing quality.

You’ll also do better carving up your bigger projects into sub-projects. Then you can treat them like a small project.

Keep your day up against the clock

Think of yourself as a show host. You have the whole day to do your show.

Now carve it up into segments. Work with different amounts to find one that works for you.

For example, we use 30 minutes. We pound it out for a half an hour. Then we take a five-minute break.

Get away from your desk. Stretch a little. Walk around. Breathe.

Three, two, one…you’re back at the desk. The show must go on!

We have to go now because we’re up against the clock.

How do you keep yourself up against the clock?

Image in this post from molpole

Tags: bigg success, conversation, george krueger, mary-lynn foster, podcast, productivity, radio and tv, show host

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Real Men Don’t Try for Work Life Balance

Written on August 19, 2011 by George Krueger & Mary-Lynn Foster in Balance

A new study on the work-life conflict
by the Families and Work Institute shows that 60% of men are feeling extreme stress from trying to balance their personal and professional lives.

In fact, more men now experience work-life conflict than women!

Isn’t that a startling revelation?

The blurry worry

They’re feeling what we call “the blurry worry.” Our roles and our worlds have both been blurred.

In ancient times, men hunted while women gathered. In more modern times, men provided; women cared.

Now, both sexes do all of the above. The roles have been blurred.

And our personal and professional worlds are blurry as well. Technology is making us accessible at all times to everyone on either side of our lives.

Real men

So what is a man to do?

BIGG success is life on your own terms. Real men today want BIGG success throughout their life – in their careers and as a breadwinner, husband, father, son, friend, etc.

But they are increasingly frustrated because society crams an old paradigm down their throats: work-life balance.

So real men view their life as a system. Sure, the system has its components, but they are all part of one life.

Real men don’t buy in to work-life balance. It doesn’t work in an age of dual income couples, raising kids while caring for parents, increasing demands at work and home, and technology that puts us in touch 24/7.

Instead, they seek life sync. Sync means harmony, “a pleasing combination of elements in a whole” according to The Free Dictionary. Real men create life sync through discovery, design, and development.

Discovery

Discovery starts with you. It begins internally before reaching out to other people. What do you want your life to look like? What’s your vision? What’s most important to you?

Once you determine what you want, it’s time for conversations. But not just conversations – conversations with a purpose.

Find what is expected of you at home and work. Go beyond expected to what is hoped for.

Share your vision and values with the people closest to you. Find common ground.
Design

Now you know what you want and what the most important people in your life want. It’s time for design.

You want to design the life that fits you perfectly. It meets the needs and wants of the people who matter at work and at home.

Once you think you have the right design, you’re ready for more conversations with a purpose. Get feedback from the people who will be affected by your design.
Development

You think you have the ideal design. The key term in that last sentence is “think”.

It’s time to build your life. This isn’t like building a building. It’s like building a business.

That’s the reason we don’t say you’re the architect of your life. We believe you’re the entrepreneur of your life; building a life is more like building a business.

So you start by testing. Test an idea. See if it brings you more harmony throughout your whole life.

If it does, keep doing it. If it doesn’t, try something else.

Keep testing to build the life that fits you perfectly. That’s BIGG success for real men (and women)!