We use digital technology for its convenience; its speed; its accessibility. Too often, however, our technology becomes a repository of randomly organized information that hinders rather than enhances productivity. In this workshop you will see how to build a digital productivity strategy capable of keeping you on time and on track, with access to information you need, when you need it.
8. Digital Transformation
Processes = Data
Personal
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Neighbor-in-need
Pet care
Professional
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Client 1
Client 2
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Client 4
Client 5
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Workshops /
Presentations
Tech Tool 1
Tech Tool 2
Tech Tool 3
Admin
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Yard work
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Phone calls
Outings
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Brainstorm
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Organize
Start the presentation by reminding everyone to turn off their phones.
Demonstrate the use of voice search on my phone:
Say, Turn off the ringer on my phone.
How many times have you done this and then forgotten to turn it back on. Boy that could throw you off track in a pretty big way.
Hit voice search and say, Set an alarm to turn on my phone. Noon.
This is just one way we can digitally enhance our productivity. Productivity is characterized by staying on track and on time, which is made easier if you have the information you need when you need it.
Notes as of 10/6/18
My motivations
Ive learned that a stress reliever for me is to be able to look at what Ive accomplished and know that I have been productive. Your motivation to be productive may be defined differently, but Id be willing to bet that stress reduction is a still an outcome.
Workshop:
Why do you want to be more productive?
How will higher productivity off-set a less desirable state?
How will higher productivity enhance your life?
Mention FLOW the psychology of optimal experience; happiness; often experienced when we are totally involved in what we are doing.
Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi studied and wrote extensively about this concept; artists reported feelings of optimal experience when they became immersed in their work to the point of losing track of time altogether. Now, this is an extreme situation, because losing track of time is not what were after here. However there is a lot to be learned about how total concentration on a limited field, combined with a good balance between skill and the level of challenge involved in the task are elements that consistently contribute to the optimal experience.
Total concentration i.e., Focus; being present
Limited field i.e., well-defined tasks
Skill that comes from practice and training
Appropriate level of challenge Discipline that prevents you from giving up too easily
Then, elaborate on this later.
There are three See slide #______________
Whatever your motivation, the fact that youre here means that you value productivity, AND you acknowledge that todays trend toward digital transformation can play a role. So staying with those two themes, lets use this time to discover how your productivity can be digitally enhanced.
Interesting and possibly useful language from an article Lydia posted in the Digital Transformation Group (LinkedIn): https://www.csoonline.com/article/3292927/security/how-digital-transformation-has-impacted-security-and-how-to-minimize-risk.html
While digital transformation is having a significant impact on technology from data-driven decision-making to cloud adoption, mobility, and the explosion in Internet-of-Things (IoT) it goes beyond just deploying new solutions. Organizations must also re-examine established business models and processes to drive innovation and better business outcomes. Its the combined application of digital technologies and data processes to re-imagine the business for new growth that is key.
Ultimately, digital transformation comes down to using technology and data to drive innovation and better business outcomes.
In this workshop you will see how to build a digital productivity strategy capable of keeping you on time and on track, with access to information you need when you need it.
With a focus on Productivity (separate from profitability, effectiveness, and other business drivers): we will focus on two fundamental tools 1) A clock, and 2) a calendar
Your clock helps you manage hours and minutes
Heres Paul Minors podcast on How to track your time: https://soundcloud.com/paulminors/pmp-94-how-to-track-your-time
Your calendar helps you manage meetings and milestones
In any event, most will agree that Time is money
Make a list of each. Examples.
Time management, Task management, Project management (To fill out the worksheet, take a look at your phone and see what apps you keep at your fingertips. If you use a digital tool for time management thats not on your phone, consider adding it and making it even more convenient and accessible.
and Information management
When it comes to systems (tools), I say Use the tools you know how to use. Learning curves are unpredictable when it comes to time and cost. Avoid them right now.
What do you do? (Processes)
What do you do it with? (Systems) Well focus on Clocks and Calendars. More advanced digital systems such as CRMs and project management tools rely heavily on clocks and calendars, but also involve the collection and distribution (i.e., sharing) of information.
Who do your systems and processes touch? (Audiences. Customers. Constituents.) Good time to mention interactivity, engagement, collaboration; all are benefits of digital technology.
Who do you rely upon to make them work? (Internal
With a focus on Productivity (separate from profitability, effectiveness, and other business drivers): we will focus on two fundamental tools 1) A clock, and 2) a calendar
Your clock helps you manage hours and minutes
Your calendar helps you manage meetings and milestones
In any event, most will agree that Time is money
In this workshop you will see how to build a digital productivity strategy capable of keeping you on time and on track, with access to information you need when you need it.
Systems
Processes
If you want to get it done, write it down. Check lists.
Write it down once. A place for everything; everything in its place
Good time to mention the Pipedrive referral program. I will send out an email to people about Pipedrive CRM. If youre interested, just sign up from the email I send I will get credit through their referral program
Old school tools a clock and a calendar
Digital tools workflow automation
Digital storage of information - if you want to get it done, write it down. But dont forget where you wrote it down.
When talking about this slide, direct attention to Digital Strategy Worksheet_04.xlsx; Digital Apps (with my information filled in)
Then, have them flip that over and fill out their own list of Systems
Be sure to correlate the Time Management with the Information Storage.
We talked about the importance of writing stuff down. If you want to get it done, write it down.
You must: Have a system that you can consistently keep organized so that you dont waste time looking for stuff!
How do I know which tool to use? Use the tools you have, and already know how to use. (Learning curves on productivity tools can be steep and ironically, they can suck up a lot of time.)
Free vs. premium.
Choose a CRM get help from Mike and Lidi.
Here is an article from CRM Coach (written in Jan. 2017) that lists a variety of reasons for and benefits of using a CRM:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-ways-crm-helps-small-business-owners-lidiane-mocko/
Helps you remember people. Replaces that stack of business cards, and gives you a place to write down relevant information about how and when you met and why you want to remember them. (This is what changed my perception of networking events.)
Different Buckets Unlike contacts in Outlook, lets you organize leads, vendors, resources.
Sales Stages emphasizes the importance of having a process that is consistent and reliable. You can also measure your sales cycle and improve upon it (you cant manage what you dont measure).
Task reminders like a clock and a calendar combined and on steroids.
Community Service your notes can help someone pick up where you left off, and vice versa. Great for training, too.
Centralized database
Segmentation by sales stage, buyers journey, location, line of business. Really helpful when automating communications, yet keeping them relevant and personal.
In this workshop you will see how to build a digital productivity strategy capable of keeping you on time and on track, with access to information you need when you need it.
tools 1) A clock, and 2) a calendar
When it comes to systems (tools), I say Use the tools you know how to use. Learning curves are unpredictable when it comes to time and cost. Avoid them right now.
What do you do? (Processes)
Blue is structured time
Green is spontaneous time
This is when youre going to want to notice what tasks are repetitive. Were going to talk about workflow automation and a concept that I refer to as task-stacking, and by outlining the demands on your time like this, you will be better able to automate and stack, using technology, with the objective of digitally enhancing your productivity to stay on time and on track.
If youve been tracking your time (e.g., in Paymo), look at your time journal and see where you spend your time. If you dont track your time, you might find it valuable to do that for about 30 days. Find a tool . . . Paymo has a free version and Ill be sending a link out for that following this workshop.
Next, well talk about multi-tasking, serial tasking and task-stacking.
Why multi-tasking doesnt work
Its a myth the human nervous system is capable of processing 110 bits of information per second; to hear and understand simultaneously, that needs to be reduced to 60 bits of information per second. Thats why you cant understand more than two people talking to you at the same time. Similarly, its why we discourage texting while driving. How many find the lower-thirds on the television news channel to be distracting, particularly when its scrolling at the same time the reporter is talking about an unrelated story? The deluge of information clogs up the input channels. So when someone tells me theyre a multi-tasker, I see red flags. A better description would be a task switcher.
Multi-tasking is possible only when two conditions are met:
At least one task is so well learned as to be automatic, meaning no focus or thought is necessary to engage in the task (e.g., walking or eating) and
They involve different types of brain processing. E.g., you can read while listening to classical music, because reading comprehension and processing instrumental music engage different parts of the brain. However, your ability to retain information while reading and listening to music with lyrics declines significantly because both tasks activate the language center of the brain.
This is analogous to stepping on the gas then hitting the brakes, over and over. In the long-run, its going to take you more time to get from point A to point B than if you just kept your foot on the gas.
Why Task Switching (aka Serial Tasking) isnt optimal
You get a lot of things started, but get few finished
As in multi-tasking, you cant build momentum
Lost time due to the switch cycle shut down, orient, start up, shut down, re-orient, start again reduces overall productivity. Studies show that task switching takes up to 40 percent more time than single tasking, especially for complex tasks.
Makes you feel busy, but keeps you from being productive.
Characterized by a lack of a real plan, or lack of any discipline. Tends to conceal your skills.
Constant reaction mode as opposed to response mode. Anxiety and agitation, if not completely obvious, are generally lurking just beneath the surface.
You are at the mercy of the multitasking mentality you dont have any real control
Interruptions and distractions exacerbate the multitasking mentality.
Studies show that you can only process 110 bits of information per second. Hearing and simultaneously understanding requires the input to be reduced to 60 bits of information per second.
You cant be totally involved in what you are doing because what your are doing is constantly starting and stopping, never getting your full attention, and never allowing you to feel the satisfaction of gaining momentum or FLOW.
You rarely get to experience the jubilation of checking it off the list!
Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-prime/201103/technology-myth-multitasking
Task Stacking
Takes planning and a process, but you get Sh!t done!
Once you know your processes and have your systems in place, you are able to automate certain workflows.
This is analogous to stepping on the gas then hitting the brakes, over and over. In the long-run, its going to take you more time to get from point A to point B than if you just kept your foot on the gas.
Why Task Switching (aka Serial Tasking) isnt optimal
You get a lot of things started, but get few finished
As in multi-tasking, you cant build momentum
Lost time due to the switch cycle shut down, orient, start up, shut down, re-orient, start again reduces overall productivity. Studies show that task switching takes up to 40 percent more time than single tasking, especially for complex tasks.
Makes you feel busy, but keeps you from being productive.
Characterized by a lack of a real plan, or lack of any discipline. Tends to conceal your skills.
Constant reaction mode as opposed to response mode. Anxiety and agitation, if not completely obvious, are generally lurking just beneath the surface.
You are at the mercy of the multitasking mentality you dont have any real control
Interruptions and distractions exacerbate the multitasking mentality.
Studies show that you can only process 110 bits of information per second. Hearing and simultaneously understanding requires the input to be reduced to 60 bits of information per second.
You cant be totally involved in what you are doing because what your are doing is constantly starting and stopping, never getting your full attention, and never allowing you to feel the satisfaction of gaining momentum or FLOW.
You rarely get to experience the jubilation of checking it off the list!
Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-prime/201103/technology-myth-multitasking
Task Stacking
Takes planning and a process, but you get Sh!t done!
Once you know your processes and have your systems in place, you are able to automate certain workflows.
One thing at a time, but interrupted.
A look at the task list first thing in the morning and then regularly throughout the day could help to minimize the bouncing. It creates commitment to the end-goal and clarifies the priorities.
Task Stacking
Takes planning and a process, but you get Sh!t done!
Once you know your processes and have your systems in place, you are able to automate certain workflows.
What I presented to you today is a passion. I will go back to Flow, the psychology of optimal experience.
Productivity practices provide me with a means for the basic prerequisites to achieving Flow.
4. The feeling of control. Not be be confused with compulsive domination, but rather to be understood as a state of security and relaxation with the complete absence of worry.
Productivity practices make it possible for me to experience outcomes.
My favorite it 7 Complete involvement creates a state in which there is no room for worry, fear, distraction or self-conscious rumination.