April 2007’s theme: Changing the language can change the outcome
Changing the “language” can change the outcome. I am not referring to the language we use to talk to others, but primarily the language we use to talk to ourselves, which in turn determines the language we use to talk to others, and the actions we take. Continuing with the spirit of “achieving more with less” which was our theme last month, below are some language changes that might help accomplishing more with a lot less, followed by some tips from our less-is-more blog, and information about upcoming events.
In this issue:
1. “I don’t have time…”
2. “I cannot stand it when…”
3. Tips from our trips jar
4. Upcoming events
1.” I don’t have time”--changing the language might change the outcome
You may remember Jack Nicholson, as the Joker in one of the first Batman movies, laughing and saying: “There are so many things to do, and so little time to do them”. And you may have heard yourself and your colleagues saying “I don’t have time and therefore I cannot do the things that I would like to do” whether talking about some projects or tasks at work, or that leisure pursuit that you would like to take on.
How about changing this language of “I don’t have time…” to “I am choosing to do something else with my time, and therefore choosing not to give this project or activity a priority”. If I acknowledge that I am “choosing” to do something else with my time, this means that I can alternatively choose to do “this” project or activity instead of something else. In other words, this new language helps me realize, or remind myself, that I have choice in this matter. Obviously, there are natural consequences to what we choose, and we need to take these consequence into account as we make these choices.
Can you think of a project, task, or leisure pursuit that you have been putting off because “you don’t have time”? If so, reflect on it and decide if this is something that you want to give priority to, and if you do so, what would the consequences be. In other words, what are the trade-offs, and what does the cost/benefit analysis look like? Costs and benefits do not only include the concrete costs and benefits, but just as importantly the “soft” ones --such as the cost of feeling stressed or overwhelmed and the benefit of feeling fulfilled and energized. Then all things considered, choose to either give this project, task, or leisure pursuit a priority and do it, or not. If you are not ready to make a decision, you may want to schedule some time to try out a few small steps first. Then as you collect real data and get a feel for things, a decision is likely to surface.
2. “I cannot stand it when…”, changing the language might change the outcome
“I cannot stand it when Joan does not submit her timesheet on time” I might say. However in reality, even though it may be frustrating, or even very frustrating, when Joan does not submit her timesheet on time, I can still stand it, and it is not by any means a threat to my well being. But most of us continue to hold on to many of these “I cannot stand it” beliefs and feelings as we go through our daily work lives, and get stressed and overwhelmed as a result. Not only our productivity suffers as a result, but we end up accomplishing a lot less, and potentially jeopardizing our working relationships and our ability to formulate and negotiate workable solutions to important business issues.
If I hold on to the thought and the feeling that “I cannot stand it when she does not submit her timesheet on time”, what is likely to happen? I am likely to be ineffective in discussing the situation with her and potentially make things worse. How about changing the language from “I cannot stand it when Joan does not submit her time sheet on time” to “it is frustrating when Joan does not submit her time sheet on time, and maybe very inconvenient, but I can stand it, and it is not by any means the end of the world”. With this new mindset, I am likely to have a constructive conversation with Joan and create a better outcome.
This change in language may seem to be insignificant or maybe even superficial at first. In reality however, the underlying “rational” and “irrational” beliefs, are very powerful and can significantly affect the outcome. Albert Ellis, Ph.D., who pioneered the Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET), provides in-depth insights about this topic in his book “How to stubbornly refuse to make yourself miserable about anything, yes anything”.
Can you think of a situation that you “cannot stand”, and then see what you’re telling yourself about it. See if you can find the underlying thoughts and language you use with yourself, or according to Ellis the “irrational” beliefs, and if you can replace them by a softer and more realistic language. The solution to the situation may just be around the corner.
3. And some selected productivity tips from the tips jar
These tips have been selected from our Less-Is-More blog which is about getting more accomplished in less time, with less effort, and less stress. It includes tips and techniques for getting organized, managing priorities, managing to-do lists, managing e-mail, using office applications more effectively, and more. Enjoy!
"How do I enable voting buttons to allow other to vote on an issue using Microsoft Outlook?" asked Paz
http://less-is-more.typepad.com/less_is_more/2007/03/how_do_i_enable.html
How you can manually group your Microsoft Excel PivotTable entries to answer real business questions
http://less-is-more.typepad.com/less_is_more/2007/03/how_you_can_man.html
The 81-day-experiment continues with the BlackBerry 8800
http://81dayexperiment.typepad.com/the_81day_experiment/2007/04/the_81dayexperi_8.html
5. Upcoming event overview
Our complimentary lunch & learn webinars every Thursday at noon:
http://people-onthego.com/lunchandlearn-ontheair.html
Our online live workshops (new dates)
http://www.people-onthego.com/public_workshops.html
Our “Accomplishing more in less time, less effort, and less stress” one-day workshop coming to San Francisco on June 5, Mountain View on June 19, and San Francisco again on June 27:
http://www.people-onthego.com/
If you have questions, want to bring the training onsite or online to your organization, or to get more information about the Productivity Nano-Conference, please e-mail training@people-onthego.com
Best wishes for a productive April 2007
The People-OnTheGo Team
www.people-onthego.com
