Plan it out on one...

I want to first off apologize for the erratic blog posts. Two weeks ago I traveled 4 days to Washington DC on a school field trip with my daughter, then last week my wife and I drove to NY, then this past week we were in St. Louis attending a business and marketing seminar, and finally this coming week I host my Athletic Speed Formula Seminar in New York until Sunday- I will be back on track with my normal blog schedule next week.

Personal Tip

Probably one of the greatest assets we can all have is the ability to focus on a job and accomplish it. When you are inundated with multiple distractions you accomplish very little- because your focus is not there.

I am a big fan of having more than one project in the fire at a time, but that doesn't mean work on them all at the same time. When you are working on a task you should have full 100% focus on that task and nothing else. That means checking phones, emails, texts, and what ever else can pop up (unless emergency).

The key to being ultra productive is setting deadlines and how much time you are going to work on one project. In other words, set blocks of time so you can focus and work. The blocks of time are up to you but some research suggests anywhere from 45 minute blocks to 90 minute blocks. After this your brain becomes unfocused and needs a break. When a break is needed- TAKE IT. Don't try to stuff coffee (Yuk!) down your throat, or soda (Yuk!) because you are only masking the fatigue and not fixing it. When it is time for a break you simple need to go for a walk, take a nap, or just go do something different for about 15-20 minutes or so. Then you can get back to work.

I have always liked this model but after hearing a gentleman by the name of Eban Pagan (hope spelling is correct) talk on this it reinforced my belief in it.

Plan it out on one sheet of paper!

As I mentioned, I attended a business and marketing conference this past weekend. The days were long with many sessions. Great stuff....but during the breaks I would routinely spend time on things I needed to get done for my own work. I even worked on a practice schedule for the intramural program at my duaghter's school.

When I need to write a plan down on paper I mind-mapping. I draw a short line in the middle of the paper and label it with the project at hand. For example, the label could be speed training, basketball, or product launch. From their the magic begins for me. I start drawing lines or legs as I like to call them, off from the center label. Each leg represents a part of the project I have to have in place. It is amazing how the ideas start flowing. Next I place a bullet point under the label of the leg and away I go. You would be amazed at the size of the mind-map I wrote on a 15 minute break during the seminar. I also literally outlined an entire business plan of a new business idea I have.

The key is to keep it all on one page in front of me. If I did this same project in line format where you write it on several pages of paper it would not be as clear for me. I would be flipping back and forth trying to remember what I wrote on one leg versus another.

Mind-mapping has been responsible for me getting an entire season practice plans completed in only 15-30 minutes. All my branches of the Sports Speed, Etc business are mind-mapped.

I can take one leg/section and bring it to a new sheet of paper if I want to expand with mind-mapping that individual section.

When you get a chance give it try and you will be amazed on how you will get more ideas on paper and in action faster.

Yours in Speed,

Lee

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