Idea Lab Session: Management

Transcription

1 Idea Lab Session: Management Thursday, February 28, 2013, 2:45 p.m. Randall Dean, MBA Author and Trainer Randall Dean Consulting and Training, LLC East Lansing, Mich. Randall Dean, the "totally obsessed" time management/pda guy and sanity expert and author of the recent Amazon bestseller, Taming the Beast: 45 Key Strategies for Managing Your Overload, is a preferred source for speaking and training programs on advanced time management-using technology, managing the mess of and information overload, and related topics including managing great meetings and ending office clutter. Randy has more than 20 years of experience using and teaching advanced principles of time management, project management, and personal organization. His popular keynote/breakout programs, "Finding an Extra Hour Every Day" and "Taming the Beast: Managing the Mess of and Info Overload" are great sessions for conference and association meetings. These programs combine humor with extraordinarily relevant and useful content and provide strategyrich information on finding and saving time and taming the beast at home and work. Session Description: This session will provide useful tips, tools and strategies to keep your inbox under control. Bring your laptop or ipad to this session for a hands-on learning experience.

2 Top Three Session Ideas Tools or tips you learned from this session and can apply back at the office

3 Idea Lab Session: Management Session Outline Overview The Issue Assessing your Inbox Key Strategy 1: Multiple Accounts Multiple Accounts Rationale Key Strategy 2: The Clutter Buster Three-Minute, One-Touch Rule A Great Outlook Tip for Tasking your s Key Strategy 3: Don t be a Blinger Check at Set Points During Day Customer/Client Service Key Strategy 4: Build a Sensible File Structure Example Key Strategy 5: Only Active s in your Inbox Goal: Empty Inbox Daily Taming Decision Tree Key Strategy 6: Manage CC s, Forwards, Replies Tips for Forwards Don t Overuse CC Train Others Basics of a Good Project/Purpose Deeper Purpose Defined Deliverables Do You Need to Send? Common SPAM Identifiers Bonus Tip 7: Shift_Delete Final Strategy: Once Under Control, Don t Lose Control! Final Thoughts Resources Questions & Answers

4 Taming the Beast: Key Strategies for Managing Your Overload Presented by Randall Dean, MBA Copyright The Harsh REALITY HOURS! How Big is Your Beast? 50? 100? 250? 500? 1000? 2500? More than just what s there now How many you receive each day The types of s you receive (work, personal, junk/spam) How much time it takes from your day 2013 NAMIC Commercial Lines Seminar - Dean Page 1 of 12

5 Key Strategy #1: Multiple Accounts Multiple accounts 1-2 Professional accounts Your personal account Your Internet account Rationale: Focus your work time on WORK Limit exposure to SPAM Key Strategy #2: THE CLUTTER BUSTER!!! The Three-Minute, One-Touch Rule Every piece of information (paper, fax, , v- mail, etc.) you get you should touch one time. If you can take care of this task (accomplish, reply, file, read, forward, delete, toss, etc.) in three minutes or less, DO IT RIGHT NOW!!! If not, print or task for prioritization Then, file appropriately to be accomplished in order of priority or urgency (you decide) A Great Outlook Tip for Tasking Your s Use Drag and Drop to create a new task Works also for: New Calendar Entries Creating a New Contact Creating a New Memo/Note Can also drag and drop from these other functions to and each other 2013 NAMIC Commercial Lines Seminar - Dean Page 2 of 12

6 Key Strategy #3: Don t Be a Blinger My typical recommendation: Resist temptation to constantly monitor Turn off sound Turn off ghost Instead, check at set points throughout day To balance productivity with responsiveness Realize many of you are being forced to bling Ask for a habit change What if you are customer / client service? May need to check more often Realize project management and client management often compete Make sure management understands your true situation Beware Boss Ignorance Is this the best way to use your talents/skills? Key Strategy #4: Build a Sensible File Structure 2013 NAMIC Commercial Lines Seminar - Dean Page 3 of 12

7 Key Strategy #5: Only Active s in Your Inbox Goal is to get your inbox empty every day Do it, Task it, or Delete it! Any items remaining require an action Outlook users drag and drop to Tasks Or Print and File Three minute rule really helps! Everything else appropriately archived Taming Decision Tree Receive New 3-minutes or less? DO IT!! Longer than 3-minutes? TASK IT!! Going Paperless? Print to PDF? Once DONE or TASKED, FILE or DELETE!! If no file folder? CREATE IT!! Every received can be handled this way! Key Strategy #6: Manage CC s, Forwards, Replies When forwarding, point out specific info/actions Consider deleting old text Change subject line when subject changes Be considerate of others don t overuse CC CC as a CYA Handling the Firebomb Don t forget the old standby a conversation! Train others to use same system 2013 NAMIC Commercial Lines Seminar - Dean Page 4 of 12

8 Basics of a Good Project/Purpose in title (EOM? NRN?) Deeper purpose in initial text Defined deliverables for all recipients: By Project By Person With expected due dates Expected success criteria If no deliverable, do you really need to send? Let s Talk SPAM Common SPAM Identifiers: Generic greetings Fake sender/sender s address False urgency Fake URL links s with web page graphics and fields to enter data Deceptive URLs Misspellings and poor grammar Unsafe, unsecured sites Pop-up Boxes Dangerous Attachments Source: PayPal.com Bonus Tip #7: Shift_Delete For suspicious, SPAM, & junk Works on PC s most programs (but not on internet-enabled programs like Yahoo!) Sorry Mac Users! 2013 NAMIC Commercial Lines Seminar - Dean Page 5 of 12

9 Final Strategy: Once Under Control, DON T LOSE CONTROL! Why go through all the effort if just let it loose again? Personal rule: 20 messages MAX Softer with my personal account Don t care about my Internet account KEEP YOUR DISCIPLINE! Final Thoughts: Your next few days will be challenging!! Enjoy them! Block some time on your calendar to: Clean out and reorganize your inbox and overall e- mail account Add new file folders Use the 3-minute rule Set up your new personal/internet accounts (if needed) Do a weekly gut check review of your workspace, , and your organization system to make sure it is running smoothly Revisit these training materials occasionally Share these strategies! Where to Get More Info: Randy Dean s new book Taming the Beast: 45 Key Strategies for Managing the Mess of Overload -- learn more at Amazon.com then search Taming David Allen s Getting Things Done Follow me on Facebook: Facebook.com/Taming Beast Link to me on LinkedIn: NAMIC Commercial Lines Seminar - Dean Page 6 of 12

10 Other Randall Dean Programs: Keynote/Breakout Session: Finding An Extra Hour Every Day: Time Management Tips and Tricks for Busy Professionals (From 1 Hour to a 1/2 Day) Optimizing Your Outlook: Time Management Strategies for Busy Outlook Users Ending the Office Clutter: Key Strategies for Managing Your Information Overload, Stacks & Piles (RE)Awakening the Passion and Energy in Your Work (and Life) The PDA Power Program: Advanced Time Management Principles for PDA Users Managing & Leading Great Staff & Team Meetings (1-3 Hours) Be the change you wish to see in the world. Gandhi We re Done!!! Randy Dean, The Totally Obsessed Time Management/ Guy, is represented by: Midwest Speakers Bureau Phone: Fax: Angela@speakernow.com 2013 NAMIC Commercial Lines Seminar - Dean Page 7 of 12

11 Randy Dean's Top Ten Timesavers/Productivity Enhancers As a time management, productivity, and efficiency expert, I'm always looking for ways to find a few seconds here and there in things I'm already doing anyway, and is something I'm doing every day! There are a number of handy strategies when it comes to managing your , and using these tips can make a massive difference in your productivity AND your sanity. Here are some of the very best from my recent Amazon.com best seller, Taming the Beast: 45 Key Strategies for Better Managing Your Overload: 1. Handle Quick Little s Right Now. For nearly 20 years, I've been following a principle I originally learned from time management guru David Allen to handle quick little things when they come up the very first time I look at them. This keeps you from reviewing them multiple times before taking action, as well as getting buried under these items too. I've been following this rule with my inbox, and I hit zero nearly every day! My personal rule if I think acting on that will take 3-minutes or less, I just get it done right now! Then, I file or delete that and get it out of my inbox. 2. Task s Taking Longer. In my opinion, most s are basically a task or a bundle of tasks you need to get done. You need to review. You need to reply. You need to forward. You need to take an action. You need to schedule an appointment, or create a new contact. Some of these things are quick get those done right now! But for those s that will take longer than 3-minutes, I figure out what the embedded task(s) is, and then I add it to my task list. Then, when I get open block time, I can prioritize the most important and/or urgent tasks and act on those as appropriate. You can task your s on a paper To Do list, or use a software program like Outlook. But whatever you do, once you identify the task in the , once again, either delete that for file it in an appropriate folder for later reference. 3. Don't Use Your Inbox as a De Facto Task List! Now, if you read tips #1 & #2 above, you realize I don't like people leaving s that have been read in their inbox. Here's the simple reason why if you are like most people, when you leave an in your inbox, it is because there is an action you still intend to take on that e- mail. But typically, that action is not clearly defined in your 's subject line, so when you come back to it three or four days later, you have to go through the entire review process again to figure out what you want/need to do. Better to define the task one time, and act on it when it reaches the top of your task list! Some people are also using their inbox as their one and only file folder, but then you'll start mixing active s with archive s, meaning you'll be re-reading messages that you are already done with also not the best use of your time! 4. Make Folders and Use Them! I think it is fine to keep your s if you need them for retention and reference. Just don't keep them in your inbox. Instead, build a personal file infrastructure for your s, with folders that naturally make sense to you, so you can quickly and easily file your done s, as well as quickly and easily find them when you need them. (And, if you get a new you want to keep, but you don't have a good folder for it, MAKE ONE!) Some programs, like MS Outlook, 2013 NAMIC Commercial Lines Seminar - Dean Page 8 of 12

12 even allow you to make folders inside of folders that gives you even more flexibility in your file structure just be careful to not make such a complex folder structure that you then start having a hard time filing and finding the old adage K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid!) is perfectly apropos here. 5. But, Don't Keep Attachments You Don't Need! Perhaps the single biggest complaint I receive from people is that they are busting out the size limits of their mailbox. They perceive it to be because they have too many s, but I always tell them: What's more important than the number of s you have is the size of the e- mails you have. If you get an that has attachments you no longer need or that you've already saved to a different location, delete the attachments! And go check your Sent folder too if that is full of large s with large attachments, once again, delete those attachments (in MS Outlook and many other popular software programs, you can open an with attachments and then delete the unneeded attachments.) If your software doesn't easily allow for you to delete attachments, consider forwarding the back to yourself, but remove the attachment before forwarding. Then, delete the original . This will solve many if not all of your file size problems. 6. Make Your Sent s Task Oriented. Perhaps the second biggest complaint that I get by people in my programs or on my blog are when they receive s with no action or where the action is unclear. I try to coach my clients to follow a strategy that for every sent, every recipient has a clear, defined task with a clear due date. This helps mitigate the overuse of those pesky FYI/Just thought you'd want to know s that clog up far too many inboxes. Tell each recipient 1) why they got the , 2) what they need to know in the , 3) what they need to do in the e- mail (the task that needs to be done), and 4) when they need to get it done by. Can you imagine if every you sent or received was this clear on defined actions? The result would be much less confusion, much more confidence, and higher team productivity. 7. NEVER Send an With a Single Open Task to a Large Group! This is one of my biggest pet peeves the person that likes to send out a single task in an e- mail to a large group of recipients, with a top line that says, Somebody needs to take care of this. Human nature indicates NOBODY will, because no one truly owns the task. Better practice: make it VERY clear who owns an individual task in an if the is sent to a larger group, with VERY clear deadlines. No more passing the buck! 8. Use Your Signatures Tool as an Auto- er. Most people are clever enough to figure out how to create an auto-signature for their outgoing s. This is a capability that lets you put an auto-message at the bottom of your typically your contact information. But many of these programs allow you to save multiple different versions of your signature. If that is the case, you have the capability to then use that signature tool as a way to quickly send repeat messages. Have you ever written an that you know you'll need to send again to another person again in the future (usually related to a question, topic, or action that comes up now and then)? You could take that text and make it an auto-signature option in your software. Then, when that issue/option/topic comes up again, in just a couple seconds, you can drop that signature into a new , personalize it with the recipient's name, and send as if it were an original composition. That is WAY faster than retyping from scratch, and even faster than searching your Sent items folder for an to reuse again in all or part. (If your doesn't allow for multiple 2013 NAMIC Commercial Lines Seminar - Dean Page 9 of 12

13 signatures, another option is to save the desired text in your Drafts folder in your e- mail account.) 9. Use SHIFT-DELETE for Junk and/or Spam Messages. Even if you've got a good spam filter, invariably, a junk or spam message will run the gauntlet and still make it to your inbox. What to do? Well, if you are a PC-based user of MS Outlook, Lotus Notes, or GroupWise, you can simply single-left-click on that message (don't double click it that opens it!), hold down the SHIFT key, and hit Delete. When you do this, the you've selected bypasses your Deleted Items folder and is immediately permanently deleted no more double deleting from your inbox and then your Deleted Items folder! (I bet I use this little gem of a tip times a day in my MS Outlook!) 10. Whatever You Do, Don't Bling! No, this has nothing to do with modern, contemporary hip-hop culture. Bling instead stands for that pesky little sound your e- mail program makes to inform you that a new message has just been received. And far too many professionals I coach hear that sound, drop whatever they are doing, and jump over to check their . It is truly almost like an addiction! And, it completely derails you from being able to keep your focus and momentum, and actually get your work done. If you are ever having a day where you are having a very hard time concentrating and feel all over the place, ask yourself how many times you've checked your /voice mail/text messages that day. I'm betting this might be the source of your addle-brained confusion! Instead, develop and follow a regimen that allows you to check your often enough to be appropriately responsive, but yet not so much that you can't keep your focus and get your work done. Typically, for most professionals, that means 4-7 times per work day. It will make a MASSIVE difference in your productivity and work sanity. If your has been driving you crazy, I strongly encourage you to incorporate several of the tips above into your daily habits. I know you will find extra minutes of productivity daily, which will add up to hours per week/month/year. If you like these tips, and want even more, I strongly encourage you to find out more about my book, Taming the Beast, as well as my related speaking/training programs on effective management, by reviewing the information below. And please feel free to share! ***** Randall "Randy" Dean, MBA, is known as the "Totally Obsessed" Time Management/Technology Guy and Sanity Expert. Randy is an expert speaker and trainer on the topics of time management, & office clutter management, related usage of MS Outlook and PDA/SmartPhone devices, and effectively managing internal staff & team meetings. He is the author of the 2009 national productivity sensation, and recent Amazon.com #1 Bestseller, Taming the Beast: 45 Key Strategies for Better Managing Your Overload go to and search Taming for more information. Randy is represented by Midwest Speakers Bureau, Inc. -- contact them toll free at ; phone: ; fax: or visit their Website: Blog: NAMIC Commercial Lines Seminar - Dean Page 10 of 12

14 Smarter Subject Lines By Randy Dean, MBA The Totally Obsessed Time Management Technology Guy (As featured in his September 2012 Timely Tips E-Newsletter see information on how to subscribe below.) One of the most common frustrations many of my readers and program attendees mention are poor subject lines. The most mentioned "pet peeves" are subjects that are too vague and/or give you a false sense of timeliness (for example -- you have no idea there is something urgent burning inside of the due to the casual subject line.) Here are a couple best practices that I recommend that may help your s be read more quickly, acted on appropriately and timely, and appreciated more by the recipients: 1. If time sensitive, make that clear right at the start. I'm a HUGE fan of putting time requirements at the very beginning of time-sensitive s. For example, if you need someone to reply by a certain date/time, make that the first text of the subject line: "NEED RESPONSE BY 3:00 P.M. TODAY -- Your Reply to Project A." (And yes, I did purposefully put that in all caps -- I'm not shouting -- I'm just making the necessary time reply completely obvious.) Less urgent: "Please Reply by Tuesday -- Your Update on Project A." Getting the urgency of the message right up front is always helpful -- appropriate identifiers can help "BY, DUE, NEED, URGENT, ASAP, PRIORITY, etc." Of course, you have to use these appropriately and not overuse them also -- if you mark everything "URGENT" or "PRIORITY" every time you send, then is anything truly urgent or priority? 2. If project/client/person specific, get those listed early in the subject line too. "Reply by Tuesday -- STEVE, Need Project A update." This subject line does three things: 1) it gives a clear "need by" date, 2) it shows that Steve is the person responsible (useful if this same message has been CC'd to others), and 3) it makes clear what project/client/activity the message is related to, thus helping with post-action message filing (once done or tasked, get it OUT of your inbox!). 3. Try to get the required action in the subject line (even if not completely). I love subject lines that are "task-oriented." That means they at least give you a hint of the task that needs to be done. Thus, words like Reply, Complete, Respond, Submit, Create, Schedule, Call, Send, etc. are very helpful with making clear what action needs to be taken. Of course, the body copy helps "complete the story", giving the necessary additional information of 1) why the recipient(s) received the message; 2) what they need to know; 3) what they need to do; and 4) when they need to have it done by. I teach in my classes that this information above should be the first few sentences of any new message as well as any message that is forwarded or replied to with an expectation of a new task completion. 4. STOP using FYI. FYI drives me nuts. I think it actually stands for two things: 1) Figure it out on Your Own (I know, that doesn't really match FYI, but it is still a bit funny); or 2) For Your Ignorement. The vast amount of evidence suggests that many e- mail users, especially those receiving and using heavy amounts of , only give 2013 NAMIC Commercial Lines Seminar - Dean Page 11 of 12

15 cursory attention to and/or completely ignore FYIs. They are just too busy. Instead, how about this: "By 9/30 -- Project A -- Information You Need to Understand and Retain". This is a TASK that needs to be completed by 9/30 related to Project A -- they need to know this new information, and then find an appropriate place to keep it for later retention. 5. Use EOM and NRN! Have you ever been so clever that you fit the entire message in the subject line? Just put EOM at the end of that subject line that stands for End of Message and will tell people they don't even need to open the message. Everything is right there! (You may want to put End of Message in parenthesis the first time you use this that way they'll know what it stands for!) And if you ever are replying to a message just to confirm receipt of a document, file, etc., try this: File received thanks! NRN NRN stands for No Reply Necessary. (And trust me on this once your co-workers see EOM and NRN, they'll start using them too!) I know this is just a brief starter on effective subject lines get the date required up front, list the projects/people/clients etc. next, and get at least part of the needed action all into the subject, while ending the FYI Insanity. I'm sure that many of you are also doing some other things with your subject lines -- please share with me some of your subject line best practices at timelyman@gmail.com, and I'll post the best ideas in a future issue of Timely Tips. ***** Randy Dean, MBA, The "Totally Obsessed" Time Management Technology Guy has been one of the most popular expert speakers for Midwest Speakers on the conference, corporate, and university training and speaking circuit for several years. The author of the recent Amazon bestseller, Taming the Beast, Randy is a very popular and engaging time, , and technology management speaker and trainer. He brings 22 years of speaking and training experience to his programs, and has been very popular with programs including Taming the Beast, Finding an Extra Hour Every Day, Optimizing Your Outlook, Time Management in "The Cloud" Using Google and Other Online Apps, and, of course, Smart Phone Success & Terrific Tablets. Learn more at or send questions to Angela Cox-Weston of Midwest Speakers at angela@speakernow.com. You have permission to reuse, reprint, and/or edit this article for space if you include the paragraph above. NOTE: You can subscribe to Randy's monthly Timely Tips e-newsletter where he features one time-saving tip and one smart phone/tablet featured app each month by simply sending him an at randy@randalldean.com and putting Timely Tips please in the subject line. You may also want to check out or even subscribe to Randy's YouTube Channel at where he often posts some of his favorite technology tips, snippets from program sessions, info about popular programs, and more. You can join Randy on LinkedIn at You can follow Randy on Twitter at Like Randy's Taming Facebook page at NAMIC Commercial Lines Seminar - Dean Page 12 of 12