So, we’re twenty four days into 2011 already. Almost February. My Mother tells me time continues to speed up as you get older. Ug! It’s already going past at 600mph. So fast that it’s difficult to keep the really important stuff at the front of the mind. So easy to switch the neck-top computer off, do what we have always done and miss the chances to improve on last year, no matter how good last year was.

Well that would be a shame so here’s my Top 10 list of self-management essentials to ensure you use the free will you most certainly have, but can so easily neglect.

Let’s start at number 1…

Values

Straight in at number one, since about 500 B.C….values. What do you believe in? What matters to you? Values drive all effective action. Get this right. It’s the foundation.

Purpose

Number 2…the angelic offspring of values….purpose.  The essence of leadership – whether of oneself or of others. No purpose…no point. Start with values and from them…derive your purpose. Paying the mortgage is not a purpose. You were put on the earth for a wee bit more than that.

Plan

Number 3…values and purpose…now get a plan. You are part of a plan, whether you like it or not. The only question is who writes the plan. It’s either you or someone else. If you don’t wish to be the author there are many who will take your place, but they won’t write the plan with you in the starring role.

Goals

Number 4…goals. You have a purpose…very good.  Time to get a bit more real. A bit more tangible. So, how will I achieve my purpose? Goals. Goals. Goals. Think of goals as small steps on the route to achieving your ultimate purpose.

If you don’t have goals get some help. I really mean it. When a coach/manager/mentor says to you to set goals, it’s like your doctor saying “stop smoking.” It’s not fashion. It’s not the latest thing. Just do it.

Action

Number 5…take massive action. Data collection is over. Thinking time is over. Define and focus on your high-payoff activities (the things that if you do NOT do, you will fail to achieve your goals). Work on your time management and personal productivity until you feel like you are in charge of yourself. Then you probably are.  Develop a steely, cold, single-minded determination to do what you need to do to deliver your goals and ultimately your purpose. Consider throwing away your TV. Then throw it away.

Measure

Number 6…measure. If it matters to you, measure it. No measurement…no feedback. No feedback…no catalyst for improvement. You’ve got to get very lucky very early to be successful without measuring what’s important. So, do you feel lucky? Well, do ya?

Fear

Number 7…fear. If you have a high-payoff activity that you do not do as much as you should, deal with the fear that stops you doing it. The mistake you’re probably making is attributing more pain to doing the thing than not doing it. This is easy to do because the pain of doing the thing is now, palpable and tangible. Whereas the pain of not doing it is some time off and seems less urgent. Reattribute the pain to inaction, not action. In other words, focus on the pain of regret, not the pain of discipline, as the great, late Jim Rohn said. This works.

Educate

Number 8…educate yourself. Never stop. Deepen and widen what you know and how you use it. This is better than TV. You have the time.

Humans

Number 9…partner with others. We work better in teams. Get into one. Either a mentoring group, a mastermind group or a business partnership. Something involving others. We are social and work better in teams. But beware…here be dragons. Unless those you choose to work with are in the same place as you, mentally, and share similar ambitions, they will be very bad for you, despite not being bad people.

Stop running

Number 10…take time out. This life is a marathon, not a sprint. Smell the roses.

That’s it. Why not focus on one of these areas right now…today. No matter how good 2010 was, 2011 can be better. Good luck.

I was looking for a picture to describe management – all of it. A bit of a tall order I know. But I Googled around a bit and here’s something that caught my eye.

I really like this management skills pyramid. (Thanks to F John Reh over at http://management.about.com/)

It starts at Level 1 – basically getting through the day…

…by planning, organising, directing and controlling. Taking care of business. The ultimate definition of management – doing things right.

Moving onto Level 2 – developing your staff…

…motivation, training and coaching, fostering staff involvement. I prefer inspire over motivate. You cannot motivate anyone, but you can inspire them. However it’s all good stuff. Helping staff to grow so that they can allow you to step up to the next stage…

Then Level 3 – improving yourself…

…time management and self-management. Two favourites of mine. Because they are the facilitators of greatness. And so it seems in this model, because they facilitate…

Level 4 – Leadership…

…you are no longer a caterpillar…you are a butterfly. Doing the right things.

Here’s a pdf of the Pyramid

This week’s Pearl of Leadership Wisdom is on…
Planning
“Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
Fail to plan…
…and you plan to fail. End of story.
You wouldn’t pretend to run anything significant without a plan. Yet some people never plan anything…their lives…their time. They waste something much more important than money. They waste their time. And their time is the currency they exchange for the chance to realise their potential…to be what they want to be. A waste indeed.
If you have a job…
…it can be tempting to feel that because you have hired your time out to your employer, having your time wasted by yourself and others is not so bad. That only works if you don’t want much in return for hiring out the prime of your life to someone else. Don’t be cheap.
Planning’s not for me…
It may not suit you. You may be a smell-the-roses person, in the moment, not future-focused. Well, the future’s focused on you and it’s coming at you, one inexorable second at a time.
Bondage…
But a plan is not a straight jacket. Your plan is a roadmap to your desired goal. Your plan may not withstand first contact with reality, but it’s the planning that counts. When you have a plan, obstacles are smaller, setbacks more minor. You will find a detour. Your drive and motivation are higher. You are more win-able; more able to win.
Note to self…
…when was the last time I hit a barrier? If you cannot remember, a siren should be going off in your head. Maybe you have a do-nothing plan. Sometimes this is appropriate. Maybe in the short-term. Seldom in the medium and beyond-term.
Set goals in stone…
…and plans in the sand. You need to know what your goals are and what you need to do to make them happen – the high payoff activities I go on about incessantly. Then you need to fill your available time with these activities. This is where planning fits…it’s the bit between goal setting and achievement. It’s about a) defining your high payoff activities and b) making sure you have the space and resources to execute them. That’s it. Simple.
Stop the clock…
But you need to be crystal clear on your goals. Don’t skip this bit. Without this, you can only plan to get through all the stuff that’s already surrounding you. Your to-do list. Then, you are indulging in what is laughably called time management. As if you can manage time. This is like being busy on the Titanic.
Abandon ship…
But if you are clear on your goals, and then plan, plan, plan…then you’re not time-managing, you are self-managing.
And in first place we have…
The number one high payoff activity for everyone is planning. So plan to plan. Schedule time for it. Give it space. You will free up infinitely more time by planning than the planning process itself will consume. Spend time to save time. Planning is the turbo charger on your productivity. Do it yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily.
So – what to do?
Start small. Plan for tomorrow…today. Ten minutes with your notebook, diary, whatever you use. Write down the high payoff activities that will consume 60 to 70% of your day tomorrow. The things you will do that will deliver what you want, come hell or high water. The things you will do first.
Then, in the morning, pursue these activities with maximum prejudice.
Do you think this will make a difference to you?
In a month?
A year?
A decade?
This is self-management. Maybe it’s even self-leadership. After which, all is easy.
Mark