20 Ways To Deal with Pressure

Today is President's Day here in the U.S.  My family and I are sharing "Presidential Trivia" questions during the day via my 8 year old's favorite medium for communication- her whiteboard.  

Turns out that Harry Truman used to get up at 5am each day to play the piano for two hours.  Who knew? 

If anyone faces pressure on a given day, I would think that the President of the United States ranks at the top of that list.  How do you deal with pressure on a daily basis?  How do I deal with it? 

Here are some very simple strategies for taming the pressure dragon- you'll notice that many have a similar theme: automation.  To the degree that you can automate daily living, you'll cut down on pressure and that feeling of heavy overwhelm.  

 -get up at the same time every workday

-maintain a simple wardrobe

-keep a simple, short to-do list

-put things away in whichever space you work

-get enough sleep

-workout on a regular basis

-make contact with your friends at least monthly

-worship God in public at least once a week

-stick with a simple diet  

-keep your car maintained and clean

-do something that you like every day  

-surround yourself with tools and gadgets that help you work efficiently

-enjoy art

-listen to music

-stretch

-practice solitude

-get outdoors

-spend time with your pet (or even someone else's!) 

-prepare a meal for someone you love

-do something of service for someone else

None of these are rocket science.  You can do probably 2-3 today without even trying.  Whether your pressure is from work or from a commitment that is difficult to manage, you can fight back (gently) by practicing several of the strategies above. 

Action follow up: what is the primary source of your pressure?  How will you push back on it this week? 

An Introvert's Guide to Decreasing Stress (Part I)

If you're an introvert like me (i.e. you get your energy primarily from being by yourself or in low-stimulation environments), you live with the daily blessing of a continual pursuit of quiet space.

The one little complication though is that you and I live in the world.

And that means traffic, meetings, Church, parties, etc.  In other words- life!  A friend of mine said, after reflecting on a particularly busy week, "I think I might do better as a monk!"

But let's say that becoming a monk isn't possible for you, what do you do?  As I see it, you have two options: a) hide from the world (not recommended) or b) learn to navigate it through the lens of your introversion. 

In the next few blog posts, I'll be unpacking introversion and its subtleties.  For now, here's a quick secret that I've employed that really helps: arrive early. 

By arriving early for your next event (church, a meeting, a commitment, etc.), you can scope out the environment, get better parking, get better seating and "take the edge off" a situation that will be stressful.   

Try it.  

For introverts, arriving early works like a charm.  For extroverts who can sometimes fly by the seat of their pants, it's useful as well. 

Arrive early. 

5 Counterintuitive Ways to Stand Out at Work

A young man approached me about 9 months ago and wanted some career advice. His first job out of college was surprisingly hard and the people he worked with were surprisingly ... um, imperfect.

He was surprised that work wasn't easy.

So it goes for many young people entering the workforce today.  A 2010 American Management Association survey found that 42% of new workers lacked the basic skills needed to excel in today's workplace: critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity.  Sometimes, these are called the "4 C's" of the new workworld. 

As I manage both new and seasoned workers every day, I find that there are actually some counterintuitive ways that a person can stand out and really be recognized in the right way.   

Here they are:

1. They volunteer for difficult tasks.   Yes, they actually don't mind doing something difficult for the sake of the organization.  No tough task is permanent and great workers realize this.  

2. They admit when they make a mistake.   We all make mistakes.  I had to call my boss recently because I had miscommunicated on something, big time.  The only thing to do was admit it, fall on my sword and move on.  I actually see it as a sign of pride when someone never makes a mistake- no one is that good.

3. They take feedback and don't get defensive.   There's nothing worse, nothing, than an employee who gets defensive and combative when you try to provide feedback.  Why?  Because defensiveness reveals a lack of self awareness and that leads to someone losing thier job.

4. Their email inbox gets emptied regularly.  You'd be surprised how few people actually get to zero on a regular basis.  (see what the experts say about email here)

5. They work extra hours without complaint.   Bosses don't want to hesitate when something difficult (a project, event, etc.) requires more time than usual.  The team member who doesn't mind putting in a little extra time is a gift to any boss.  

You'll note that I didn't mention anything about passion and nothing about amazingly great ideas.  Nothing about having the latest gadget to make you more productive.  Those are important too but these five steps represent a foundation.  Like your house, a foundation isn't that sexy but without it, you're in trouble.  

 These are just five steps and there are probably many more.  Which counterintuitive things would you add to the list for workplace success?

Photo courtesy of fdp

Get Rid of Digital Clutter Once and for All (new eBook)

"I wasn't sure who that text message was from..." said my friend Jeanne.  It turns out that I had messaged her about a social engagement only to find that she didn't know who it was from.  As a result, the message was ignored.

Because my iMessage settings were cued up to send messages via an old email address that I never use, she was confused.  Our "conversation" via iMessage broke down as a result.  My bad.

Such is the case when you have too much digital clutter on your computer and in your head.  Digital clutter is much more common than we realize.  By "clutter", we mean any of the following:

• Too many email addresses (or emails for that matter... can you relate?)
• More apps that you can possibly use for your smartphone
• A laptop or desktop computer that's slowing down because there isn't enough memory left 

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Tweet This: Digital clutter is much more common than we realize. #speakdigital

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And so it goes.  I'm not passing judgment on my friend Jeanne or anyone else wrestling with digital clutter.  Heck, I struggle with it daily.  Actually, that's why I'm sharing something special with you today.

If you watched my YouTube video on six tips for simplifying your digital life, you got a sense of six practical ways that you can streamline and clean out the clutter of everyday life.

So here it is, free for you for a limited time.  "6 Tips for a Simpler, Smarter Digital Life" is roughly 10 pages long and elaborates on my six points from the video.  You can download it here.

In "6 Tips", I share both personal experiences and also research pertinent to the following:

1. How impactful digital clutter can be to your everyday life.
2. What you can do about it TODAY.

"6 Tips" isn't gospel.  If you have six tips of your own, I'd love to hear them. My tips are simply that- my experiences that have made a huge difference in how I live and work.  People have told me that they make a difference in their life too so that's why I felt compelled to compile them in an eBook. 

If you like the book, let me know via email: mike@speakdigital.org or via Twitter.  

If you enjoyed this post, why not join the Speak Digital Network?  This is my free mailing list which gives you a backstage pass to my thoughts on digital life from a simple point of view.  We don't share your information with anyone, ever.

New Podcast with Mike Vardy

Why do kids seem so lazy?

Why don't students stick to deadlines?

What if schools could teach productivity to its pupils?

These questions and more were part of our conversation with Mike Vardy of Productivityist.  Nancy and I talk about work, time management and what advice Mike has for schools. The answers might surprise you.  The conversation won't disappoint.  

Enjoy the cast!

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For more information on Mike Vardy, visit his website, take his Creative Live course or watch his TEDx talk about "task over time".  Thanks Mike for being such a great guest on Techspiration!

The Case for Offsite Meetings

We sat around the table and reflected on five years of offsite meetings.  "How many has it been?  Ten?  Twelve?"  Amazingly, we had been doing offsite meetings for five years and meeting offsite at least twice a year.  The people have changed but the process was in tact.

I learned this from Fr. Michael Martin, OFM Conv. who took his team years ago to local colleges, country clubs and meeting locations. He was, and I'm sure still is, a genius of executive team building.   

 Why go offsite?  Simply put, getting your team out of the office (or off campus) decreases distractions and promotes higher level thinking.  You'll also build community within your thought leaders and you'll be able to solve big problems. (or at least take a bite out of them)

Our team does it one way but there's no magic bullet here- what works for us might not work for your team.  Still, give this a try: 

1. Find an attractive meeting place.  We've met at retreat centers, business offices and restaurants.  Places that can provide food are best and you won't want to take your team too far away... a 45 minute drive is probably the most folks will want to travel.  People feel special when they can meet in a cool location.

2. Request one page reports prior to the meeting.  Folks should share what "wins" they've experienced and what bothers them.  This promotes vulnerability which builds teamwork.  

3. Practice constructivist leadership as you build the agenda.  Ask for input as you build the items that folks want to talk about.  You'll have some topics that you can "seed" the meeting with but there's no harm in letting the team build it with you. 

4. Use breaks often.  Take a break every 1.5 hours and let people know that there's light at the end of the meeting tunnel. 

5. Establish the Red Card process.  If something should not be in the minutes (and you'll want a meeting minutes taker), tell the note taker something like this, "Susan, this is a red card-" and then talk about whatever. 

6. Promote positive speak.  Remind people that the purpose of the meeting is not to speak negatively about anyone.  The meeting is not served well by speaking badly about anyone.   

7. Use the Parking Lot.  Not the pavement outside of the building, but a large piece of newsprint that you can use to "park" ideas that are worthy of discussion at a later time.  This gives people permission to surface issues without sidetracking the agenda.   

8. Wrap it up.  At the conclusion of the day, ask folks for their (brief) reflections on the day.  Again, this is a constructivist technique for sharing leadership with the group. 

These eight points work for us.  How about for your team as you seek to equip them as digital change agents?