8 Things Really Efficient People Do

8 Things Really Efficient People Do

Everyone wants more time. Efficiency is one way of adding minutes or hours to your day. Here are eight tips effectively used by the most efficient.

Most everyone would like to be more efficient. Just think, you would spend less time doing the things that you don't enjoy and more on the things that bring satisfaction, happiness and profit. Some people are actually very adept at efficiency.  They manage every manageable moment so they have more time for themselves to do the things they love. Here are eight techniques efficient people use to gain that freedom.

1. Stop Multitasking

Many people fool themselves into thinking they are good at multitasking. But actually very few can solidly focus on more than 1 or two tasks, particularly if they require focus and depth.  They fool themselves into believing they are getting more done when in reality they are accomplishing less and the quality of the work is poor. Really efficient people know that concentrated effort with few distractions leads to better work product in faster times. Otherwise the work may not be up to par, which means wasting even more time and energy going back to fix the mistakes.

2. Delegate

So much productivity is lost when people take on more than they can accomplish. Don't be inspired by CEOs and leaders who overload their schedules and burn the midnight oil. Really efficient people are extremely good at delegating tasks to others who will perform them better. When you know how to break down a task and empower others to contribute effort, you can choose the tasks most suited for you and crank through them in record time without distraction.

3. Use Appropriate Communication

Poor communication is a huge time-waster. A fast email transmitting bad instructions or an offensive attitude can end up adding many unnecessary hours to a project. The masters of efficiency take a little extra time to think through their communication in the beginning. They consider their objectives when deciding to get on the phone. They craft their emails with purpose using the exact language necessary to get the desired effect.  It takes a little more time at the beginning but can actually shave days from a project.

4. Apply Structure to the Schedule

With all the available scheduling and productivity tools you would think more people would feel they have a handle on their schedule. And yet often people feel their schedule drives them instead of the other way around. Efficiency fanatics create standard routines in their schedule so they can achieve a disciplined approach and be ready for the important events. The more you control the calendar, the easier it is to make room for the unexpected.

5. Give Everything a Proper Place

A lot of time is wasted chasing down lost items. Keys, pens and clothing hunts can cause distraction and frustration, especially when you have something important to do or somewhere important to be. People get really efficient from being organized. Establish a home for all the items you have.  Factories that practice LEAN create common homes for necessary tools of the trade. You can do the same. Organize clothes, papers and electronics in a way that you can easily find what you are looking for.  It may take you a few extra minutes to put things away but you'll save a ton of time and irritation from having to search for what's important.

6. Time Activities

Do you really know how much time you spend productively versus how much time you waste? I often know that I am talking on the phone with someone who takes efficiency seriously because they tell me when the call is almost over. Efficient people set a time for each of their tasks and work to keep the schedule. Try logging your time on conversations and activities for a week.  Then spend the next week setting specific times for similar activities and work to reduce the times with similar output.  You'll be pleasantly surprised at the gains.

7. Commit to Downtime

Tired and overworked people don't perform well. People pleasers will sacrifice their own downtime thinking they are benefitting others, but in truth they detract from productivity. Really efficient people make sure they get rest and recuperation so they can perform at their peak. Since one amazing employee can do the work of three average employees, best to let the team rest up and be top performers.

8. Plan Projects

Effort is often wasted when people don't have a clear path to success. Impatience is the direct enemy of efficiency. Really efficient people know they must take the time to research and break down a project into basic steps in order to achieve success consistently. Yes, planning takes a little time. But considering the challenges, process and responsibilities in advance will make for clear direction with the team. With good communication everyone can move confidently and efficiently to achieve all the objectives in record time.

By Kevin Daum

Source: Inc.

Great Promotions

Lakeview Consultants is pleased to announce and welcome Allison Young as its new Director of Human Resources. Allison has been with Lakeview Consultants since the beginning of June 2012 as a Corporate Trainer. Allison has trained, mentored, and developed over a dozen employees in her short time with the company.
Lakeview Consultants is even more pleased to announce Jamie Vega as its new Director of Recruiting. Jamie also began as a Corporate Trainer in May 2013, switching to Lakeview's Administrator that October and has helped the company quadruple in size as well as open two new locations.

We welcome and congratulate Allison and Jamie and look forward to a prosperous future with them both.

5 Secrets of Public Speaking From the Best TED Presenters

5 Secrets of Public Speaking From the Best TED Presenters

Ask just about anyone these days for great examples of public speaking and you’ll hear a variation on a single thing -- "Did you see that TED talk by so and so?" Powerful enough to change your life in 18-short minutes and garnering millions upon millions of views, the best TED talks are a well deserved cultural phenomena.

Could you borrow a bit of their magic?

That’s the premise of TEDx organizer Jeremey Donovan’s book “How to Deliver a TED Talk: Secrets of the World’s Most Inspiring Presentations.” Combing through the most viewed talks, Donovan tried to boil down what exactly makes them so gripping so he can bottle that special sauce for his readers. What did he come up with? A 33voices podcast featuring Donovan gives you a taster, including these tips:

One Big Idea

"If you had to say there was one magical element to the best TED talks, it’s that those speakers picked one really, really big idea," Donovan say, noting that the challenge is often that we have too much content rather than too little.

So how can you determine what your own single idea or message should be. Ask yourself: what is the best story I have to tell? Donovan suggests. Start with that story and what it taught you and then edit ruthlessly. He suggests asking yourself: "Is what I’m saying now a digression, or is what I’m saying now in support of that core theme?" Visualize the theme as a spine and ensure everything you say hangs nicely off that.

It’s Not About You

The biggest thing that people have to unlearn, Donovan says, is the notion that speaking is about your performance. It’s not. It’s about the audience. "I think the biggest transformation in speaking quality happens when you realize that this song is not about you," he says.

When speaking, your objective should be to give the audience a gift of something that you learned. If you conceptualize your talk that way you can come closer to being as relaxed and comfortable as the greatest TED speakers -- many of whom are not professionals, but simply passionate about communicating their message. Speak conversationally like you would to someone you care about. 

Nail Your Opener

How do you start your talk? Donovan offers three ways. The first and best, if you can manage it, is to jump straight into a story. And don’t skimp on the emotion. "Don’t retell your story. Relive your story with the audience," Donovan advises.

The most common opener is second best, according to Donovan, and involves starting with an an open-ended, thought provoking question. The answer must be your core theme. "You gotta be careful," Donovan cautions. "If you ask a series of questions, every single answer to each of those questions has to be exactly the same."  The final way is to start is with a shocking statistic, something unexpected that gets people disrupted.

The Catchphrase Is King

"The best talks have a repeated catchphrase," Donovan says, noting that this catchphrase isn’t mercilessly repeated but sprinkled through the talk at beginning, middle and end. So what makes for a great, memorable catchphrase?

"Catchphrases tend to work best when they’re three words up to twelve," he says. It’s also important to keep it  action centric: "You want people to make it personally relevant. Something they can do to change their lives." A rhyming or sing song catchphrase is more 'sticky' --  just think of ‘If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit’ which you no doubt remember (if you’re old enough) from the O.J. Simpson case all the way back in 1995.

Channel Your Inner Screenwriter

"We’re hardwired from our earliest childhood on how to tell stories," says Donovan, who insists that we’re all natural storytellers. Still, you can buff up your inherent storytelling skills by keeping classical, three-act story structure in mind.

"You open in act one with the ordinary world of your protagonist,” Donovan says, explaining that you should start with what your life was life before something incredible happened. Then comes some inciting incident, "something that happens to you that throws you onto a journey" whether it’s physical and mental. That’s act one.

"Act two takes you from the inciting incident through a series of escalating conflicts that are increasingly difficult," Donovan explains (try to throw in some comic relief). The climax of your story is the end of act two. "It needs to have high stakes and a critical decision that you need to make," he says. Finally, "act three takes you from the end of the climax into the new world, so what is your life like now that you have gone through this journey? How has your day to day changed and how has your mindset changed?"

Want more of Donovan’s insights? Check out a this presentation summing up his takeaways, or listen to the entire 30-minute interview.

What’s your favorite TED talk of all time and why?

by Jessica Stillman

Source: Inc

Where to Start: 5 Tips to Tackling a Big Project

Where to Start: 5 Tips to Tackling a Big Project 

For many people wishing to tackle an important project, starting is the hardest part.  If a project is big or complicated it can seem overwhelming or intimidating.  Some people get stuck in analysis paralysis while trying to figure everything out before starting. Others start without ever thinking anything through and hope things just work out along the way.

Setting up a project for success is actually fairly easy with a little forethought and structure. Below are five tips to help you get a quick and sustainable jump off the starting blocks.

1. Do some homework. I remember as a kid excitedly trying to build model airplanes without reading the instructions. Ultimately I learned that approach leads to a hollow, mediocre result. Blind ambition can drive you to smash right into a brick wall. Most worthy projects have complexity and require process. You don't have to hire grad students or spend countless nights on the web, but a little advance research can go a long way in identifying obstacles before appear. When you are ready to tackle a big opportunity, budget a few hours or even days of research with a clear deadline to begin so you don't get lost in the exploration. Then you can approach the project with confidence and the security of knowing your time and efforts will be well spent.

2. Set up a basic plan. If you don't know where you're going then any road will get you there (paraphrased from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) is a great approach if you are crawling through rabbit holes and running from crazy queens. But for those of you with specific purpose, you'll want to set out a clear road map to success. A good plan has action steps, with milestones tied to specific dates to check progress. Don't make it too complicated or rigid as people need to understand it and remain flexible for surprises along the way. The plan is best used as structure from which you can deviate when necessary, as you are bound to become smarter and more adept along the journey.

3. Recruit great people. Sometimes projects get started with just the people in the room. So often would-be leaders try to be inclusive for the sake of being nice, knowing full well the wrong people are on the team. Setting up a project for failure with mediocre performers helps no one. Give an important project every opportunity for success by finding and engaging the most amazing people you can afford. Recruit the best and you'll never regret the performance of true talent. Then you can share the rewards of success with both those who did the work and those who stood aside selflessly.

4. Establish clear expectations. Great talent can deliver spectacular results, but lack of clarity can send even the best people into utter chaos. Make sure everyone knows their role and the deliverables for which they are accountable. Don't leave any aspect of the project neglected. Schedule specific discussions with the team where each member can clearly present their approach and expected deliverables. Talk about obstacles and share methodology for overcoming them. If everyone starts on the same page, it will be easy to tell when something or someone goes astray so you can quickly course correct.

5. Create communication protocol. In this day and age of smartphones and social media, there are too many ways of getting a message across to assume that everyone will communicate in the same manner and timeframe. That's why you need to get everyone on the same page from the start. Establish guidelines for the use of email or texting, and collaboration tools such as Dropbox or Evernote should be chosen. Required meetings with clear agendas should be scheduled so everyone knows when and where they will report.  No communication process should be left unaddressed. You should even consider how to give people a healthy way to express their emotion and relieve frustrations so they won't damage the team focus and morale. A little discussion at the beginning will create great efficiency until the end.

By: Kevin Daum

Source: Inc.

Grit: It Contributes to Success More Than You Think

Grit: It Contributes to Success More Than You Think

When you're trying to change an industry in a big way, it's the only thing that will keep you going.

If you spend much time with entrepreneurs who are radically changing anything--an industry, a technology, or a paradigm--you cannot help but be swept away by the possibility of it all.

I love being with them and all their optimism because I start thinking about what's possible for me. And isn't that what we all want? To have relationships that bring out the best in us and challenge us to imagine our lives a little bigger and better?

I want to tell you about two such people because their stories show precisely what you can achieve when you have determination.

Grit Trumps Everything Else

Bobby Huffaker had an idea. He realized he couldn't execute on it alone, so he talked to David Yoder. Together, these guys set out not just to disrupt an industry, but also to be a part of starting one that didn't yet exist.

In September of 2010, Bobby and David started American Exchange--a certified health exchange brokerage. They took a huge, huge bet that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would make its way through Congress, among the many other number of public opinion hoops it had to pass through, and find its way to the American consumer.

What I love most about Bobby and David is their grit. They not only saw opportunity and adventure, they seized it long before it was even a possibility. They raised a lot of money and stayed with the execution, even when some people insisted "this will never happen."

Like most start-ups, theirs was never a sure bet. Unlike most start-ups, however, people were actively working against them to snuff out their ability to exist. Their drive to keep going is what grit is all about.

Psychologist Angela Duckworth defines psychological grit as "perseverance and passion for long term goals."

Grit has emerged as a significant indicator for success--even more than IQ, talent, and social intelligence. It's the part of you that simply will not give up on your ideal future and works like hell to figure out a path to get there.

Your Future Is Yours to Create

Many people, even entrepreneurs, lack this grit because they see life as a series of circumstances that happen to them rather than an ideal future that they can create.

Actor Will Smith talks a little differently about grit.

"The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I'm not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be outworked, period. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, you might be all of those things--you got it on me in nine categories. But if we get on the treadmill together, there's two things: You're getting off first, or I'm going to die. It's really that simple."

That's what great entrepreneurs do. They have a vision that leads them on an adventure--a hero's journey if you will--and they are simply unwilling to stop until they change whatever is inefficient, status quo, unjust, or evil.

Regardless of your position on the ACA, you can't help but admire these guys. They epitomize the spirit of entrepreneurship unlike anyone I've ever seen.

They built something from nothing with a far-ranging vision. And instead of a potential upside, they were met with blank stares and Congressional backlash--and absolutely no promise of a financial return.

They jumped off the cliff with no parachute, no promise of a parachute, and, oh yeah, we might rip your parachute off you at some point.

But that's what entrepreneurs do. That's what Bobby and David did. And that's why I love these guys. They inspire me to think about my cliff, my parachute, and my fear.

Their hero's journey has inspired me to be alive to my own journey and to follow my own path--no matter what.

By: Shelly Prevost 

Source: Inc.

The Secret to My Company's Fast-Growth: Cognitive Diversity

The Secret to My Company's Fast-Growth: Cognitive Diversity 

A brain researcher explains the team-building approach that has helped land her firm on the Inc. 5000 list three years in a row.

This marks the third straight year that my organizational development company, Emergenetics International, has landed on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in America. And it's the fifth year in a row I've added a new office location. How did my company go from a desk in my basement and one phone line to this?

I can tell you about evolving products or smart investments or strategic risks that paid off. But really I believe it comes down to people. I have incredibly-smart, driven people who work at Emergenetics. But it's more than that. After all, many defunct companies were filled with plenty of brilliant people. The real distinction is that my people think differently.

When I say differently I don't mean creatively. I literally mean that I have different kinds of thinkers on my staff. I often tell people that cognitive diversity fuels an organization and I can point to my own company as proof. I see it just by taking a look at the diverse thinking and behavioral profiles that make up the people in my offices.

But it's the employment of that diversity of thought that takes Emergenetics to new levels of growth. You need to value that cognitive diversity, empower people to use it, and create an atmosphere that stokes collaboration. 

Here's how I've learned to do just that:

Communicate Openly About Cognitive Diversity

At Emergenetics, my employees proudly display their (multicolored, naturally) profiles on the walls. This helps create an atmosphere of openness. Each person can understand how conversations are likely to go with other staffers--and who to tap for a different way of thinking or action. Even without this visual anchor, you can create an open, hyper-aware atmosphere at your own company by pushing your people to be open and communicative about their unique perspectives and approaches.

Deliberately Hire All Thinking and Behavior Types

It's no accident that my management team exhibits all of the Emergenetics Profile types. In fact, the aggregate profile of all the people in all our offices, both domestically and internationally, is almost perfectly balanced between analytical, conceptual, social, and structural thinking preferences. This is in spite of the fact that many people on the team possess dominant preferences in one or two areas and mere slivers in the others.

The overall company profile also pegs the team smack in the middle of the behavior spectrums of expressiveness, assertiveness, and flexibility. This is all by design. I know that the more diverse the employees are as individuals, the more cohesive we are as a team. Fill your own team with diverse thinkers and behavior types, and let them live according to their natural preferences. If you've got a lot of one type of thinking or behavior, seek out dissenting voices.

Put Your Diversity to Work

This is what is truly fueling Emergenetics' growth. I could have an impressively diverse management team, but if I weren't taking advantage of it, it wouldn't make a difference.

If you think about the typical CFO, you might envision an analytical and conceptual, driving person, but I try to think about the bigger picture, too. My CFO is an analytical thinker, but she also exhibits a large structural preference, and behaves in a quiet, deliberate, and focused manner. She knows what projects she's best-suited for and who she can work with to get other things done best. I know how she might fit with a cross-functional team, and whether or not she prefers to host a business lunch, or be crunching data at her desk.

And that approach is pervasive. Here's what I mean:

• The gregarious members of the management team are cultivating relationships and leading workshops
• The "structural" office manager is also the social client services manager
• The vice president of education has a personal profile that is nearly the same as the overall team profile, meaning she can relate to almost anyone and adapt to any situation in order to convey important messages
• I don't have people working on strategic visioning who would be more productive and happy putting a project plan together
• My international satellite offices employ the same approach, which means that the "conceptual" and "social" vice president of marketing in the U.S. knows he'll get different kinds of insights from his "analytical," "structural," and "conceptual" counterpart in Singapore.

Make Cognitive Diversity a Core Part of Your Culture

My team is comprised of visionaries, task-oriented folks, and individuals who possess multiple thinking preferences. Their behaviors span the gamut, too. As a group, we bring a wealth of perspectives, and each one is valuable. Everyone is empowered and, in fact, expected to contribute their uniquely valuable perspectives. Make your culture one of both valuing diversity and expecting that it will make a difference.

The truth is I strive to always have the right people doing the right work, which has allowed us to grow seamlessly as an organization and better serve clients.

By: Geil Browning

Source: Inc.

Achieve More: Replace Deadlines With Schedules

Achieve More: Replace Deadlines With Schedules

As anyone who has ever pulled an all nighter in college or basically lived at the office to get a product launched can tell you, for most of us deadlines are quite motivating. Having that big red circle on your calendar coming closer and closer is the only way to get yourself towards meeting the goals you've set for yourself, right?

Not really, suggests a thought-provoking recent post from entrepreneur James Clear. While time pressure may have a place in driving you to overcome that final hurdle to an important achievement, Clear argues that if you really want to accomplish more, you need to swap schedules for deadlines.

What he’s advocating isn’t meandering around aimlessly with no specific end date in mind, of course. Instead, Clear advises we focus less on that endpoint and more on the process to structure our time. If we fixate on where we want to get to and "don’t magically hit the arbitrary timeline that we set in the beginning,” he warns, “then we feel like a failure -; even if we are better off than we were at the start. The end result, sadly, is that we often give up if we don’t reach our goal by the initial deadline." So what does he suggest instead?

In my experience, a better way to approach your goals is to set a schedule to operate by rather than a deadline to perform by. Instead of giving yourself a deadline to accomplish a particular goal and then feeling like a failure if you don’t achieve it, you should choose a goal that is important to you and then set a schedule to work towards it consistently. That might not sound like a big shift, but it is.

The complete post walks you through what this looks like day-to-day, using diverse goals from exercise to writing. It doesn't matter what you’re trying to accomplish, the same principle applies, he writes:

Productive and successful people practice the things that are important to them on a consistent basis. The best weightlifters are in the gym at the same time every week. The best writers are sitting down at the keyboard every day. And this same principle applies to the best leaders, parents, managers, musicians, and doctors.

The strange thing is that for top performers, it’s not about the performance, it’s about the continual practice. The focus is on doing the action, not on achieving X goal by a certain date.

If Clear has convinced you that you need to spend less energy setting goals and more setting practice schedules, then the next logical question is how to get the most out of all that practice. It’s a question for which psychologists have answers, including being deliberate in how you approach practice and making sure you get plenty of rest.

By: Jessica Stillman

Source: Inc.