I have three, high-end Day-Timer binders on my shelf at home. I own three PDA’s, two Palms and a BlackBerry. I have printed templates from D*I*Y Planner, Hipster PDA Edition, and many others. I can’t begin to count the number of time-management/PIM software titles I own. I even have a patient wife who gently reminds me, and yet, I still procrastinate.

Procrastination is not a problem of time management or of planning. Procrastinators are not different in their ability to estimate time, although they are more optimistic than others. “Telling someone who procrastinates to buy a weekly planner is like telling someone with chronic depression to just cheer up.” —Psychology Today

I think, in some ways, time-management tools and systems create problems for procrastinators. Tools and systems are classic distractions. (I’ll look at distractions in a later post.) You can spend hours building, filling and tweaking your system without ever getting anything done.

This month it’s GTD. I run a mind sweep. I dump it into my in-box. I clean out my Lotus Notes and set up contexts. I sync it with my PDA. Then the phone rings with a crisis and I forget all about it. Next month it’s Franklin Covey and six weeks after that it’s Day-Timers. The system is not the answer.

That being said, procrastinators need systems more than anyone else. Time-management systems are to a procrastinator what AA is to an alcoholic. You fall off the wagon, back into old habits. One day you realize that you’ve let things get out of control. The program —system— is there to help you get things back on track.

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You will find it difficult to accomplish your required taks if you’re always dragging around tired. Most people need between six to eight hours of sleep. Determine how many hours of sleep you need, and get that sleep each night.

Here are four R’s to a better night’s sleep:

Regular

Have regular sleep habits. Go to bed at the same time every night. Sleep for the same number of hours, getting up at the same time each morning. Avoid napping, unless you do it regularly. Find the right amount of sleep for you and stick to it.

Ritual

Keep your sleeping environment consistent: quiet, cool, dark and relaxing. Wind-down at the end of your day.

Relax

Find ways to control stress and reduce tension. Practice relaxation techniques.

Resist

Eliminate behaviours that interfere with sleep. Avoid alcohol, tobaco and caffeine. Don’t exercise within three hours of bedtime. Avoid heavy meals prior to bed.

There are studies that claim sleep is the single most important factor in predicting longevity; more so than diet, exercise or hereditary. If nothing else, healthy sleep is critical to effective productivity.

Are you getting enough?

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It’s not trivial, although as a culture we don’t take it seriously as a problem. It represents a profound problem of self-regulation. And there may be more of it in the U.S. than in other countries because we are so nice; we don’t call people on their excuses (“my grandmother died last week”) even when we don’t believe them.

Years ago, not long out of school, I was laid off from a job. At first, this seemed like an opportunity for a short vacation. However, the late nights out and sleeping in until noon became comfortable. Looking for a new job got put off, as I was sure it would only take an interview or two and I’d be working again.

The bit of money I had in savings disappeared quickly. Now I was unemployed and broke.

You know what kind of motivation that gave me to get out and find a job? None! I started borrowing and mooching off friends and family. I pawned odds and ends to get more money and still didn’t look for work.

This went on for some time until I had to store my belongings with friends and impose on the hospitality of others. In the end I got a job, not because I had gone looking, but because someone who was hiring knew I needed work and offered me a job.

The cost of this behaviour was huge. I lost the respect of friends and family. In a couple of cases, I lost friends altogether. I was in debt and my credit rating was shot to pieces.

People tend –or pretend– to see procrastination as some humourous personal quirk (see my kid brother’s comment on the intro post) or merely as a time-management shortcoming that can be fixed in 6 easy steps. For most people, procrastination is merely putting off the odd onerous task: eat the frog and the rest comes easy.

For the chronic procrastinator, it’s not necessarily the size or complexity of the job that is the problem. It’s the emotional and psychological issues that drive procrastination. In my story, the real reasons behind my reluctance to find a job had to do with being afraid of the rejection in the job hunt and well as avoiding the changes that would come with a new job.

More to come.

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Records management doesn’t have to be a time or cost-intensive activity. I does need to be a regular part of business operations. If you don’t have a structured records-management policy or plan in place, there will be some cost is getting one established. Eventually, you will see a payoff from eliminating unnecessary files.

Your records management program will be unique to your business. Every organization has different records-management need. However, there are some common elements to every document-management process. Here are eight steps to create an effective records management program:

1. Determine what records you need to have. Every organization needs certain records to function. However, according to Advanced Information Technologies, the volume of paper records doubles every 3.3 years. You need to determine what records you have to keep and what records can be tossed.
2. Take inventory to see what records you are keeping. An effective records-management program begins with an audit of every piece of paper and electronic file in your organization. You should know what records you currently maintain before developing your records-management policy.
3. Create a document retention schedule based on legal requirements and business needs. The foundation of a records-management program is the retention schedule. You need to list every type of document you generate along with its life span. This process should be completed with appropriate legal, financial and business consultation.
4. Figure out the best way to store each type of record. In this day and age of technological options, there are a variety of ways of permanently storing records: paper, computer disks, ROM, microfilm, tape, etc. Choose your storage solutions based on these considerations: space, cost, flexibility, safety and integrity.
5. Create a location for records storage. Just as there are various media for records storage, there are many locations for storing records: in work areas, a records department, a centralized internal location, or in an external location. Choosing a storage location will depend on how often and how quickly you need to access the records.
6. Develop appropriate security to protect records from damage, loss or unauthorized access. There is no getting away from the security and integrity in records management. This is another area often regulated by law.
7. Develop a procedure for archiving inactive records. Records management should be a routine part of your business operations. Records should be regularly evaluated for transfer to archive and long-term storage solutions. The transfer process should include a system to track the location of stored records.
8. Create a policy and procedure for destroying expired records. Few records need to be or should be kept permanently. They can be destroyed after a predefined period.

A sound records-management process should be a priority in any organization. Any old approach will not do. It’s time to get your records under control and experience the benefit of good records management.

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The first point in the article by Hara Estroff Marano gives this statistic:

Twenty percent of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. For them procrastination is a lifestyle, albeit a maladaptive one. And it cuts across all domains of their life. They don’t pay bills on time. They miss opportunities for buying tickets to concerts. They don’t cash gift certificates or checks. They file income tax returns late. They leave their Christmas shopping until Christmas eve.

The article does not define a chronic procrastinator, but I would have assumed that the percentage of people who procrastinate, would be in the 80 plus range. Practically everyone I know procrastinates at some time over some unpleasant task. That doesn’t mean all of them are chronic.

I also wonder, if twenty percent identify themselves as chronic procrastinators, is there another twenty or greater percentage lying to themselves or others?

The Wikibook, Overcoming Procrastination, says this about chronic procrastination:

When procrastination grows so prevalent that it becomes a personality trait, its severity is said to be chronic. In this form of procrastination, the problem has become a generalized habitual self-destructive pattern. Putting things off has become a core habit. The chronic procrastinator cannot get anything accomplished on time, resulting in serious career struggles, persistent financial problems, and a diminished quality of life.

Procrastinators Anonymous —yes, they have meetings— list ten signs of compulsive procrastination.

1. Disappointment is a way of life. We constantly disappoint other people and ourselves by not keeping our promises.
2. We have enormous difficulty getting started on new projects, or transitioning from one project to another.
3. We have a very poor sense of time, chronically underestimating or overestimating how long a task will take us to complete.
4. We have difficulty organizing projects by breaking them down into steps; we don’t know where to start, even when we’re willing to start.
5. We are surrounded by clutter and disorganization in our homes and work spaces.
6. We are regularly late for appointments.
7. We are acutely aware of what we should be doing, or think we should be doing, and oddly out of touch with what we actually want and need.
8. We feel uncomfortable saying “no” to requests from others, and instead express our resentment through the passive resistance of procrastination.
9. We suffer from Demand Resistance, causing us to do anything and everything except the one thing we most need to do.
10. We are short-term thinkers, focusing on short-term pleasure while ignoring long-term well-being.

You may not have all these signs, but if you exhibit a number of these behaviours, you could have a problem with procrastination. As I review the list, most of those behaviours have been mine at one time or another. That’s why I consider myself to be a serious or chronic procrastinator.

Next post: I’ll take a look at common perceptions.

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The Problem

E-mail takes too long to respond to, resulting in continuous in box overflow for those who receive a lot of it.

The Solution

Treat all email responses like SMS text messages, using a set number of letters per response. Since it’s too hard to count letters, we count sentences instead.

five.sentenc.es is a personal policy that all email responses regardless of recipient or subject will be five sentences or less. It’s that simple.

I use this “solution” for my e-mail almost all the time. The only exceptions are: when I’m sending an instruction or explanation sheet; and personal correspondence with family and friends. (Sometimes, even they get the five-sentence rule. )

There are three keys I use to optimize the “five-sentence” business email:

1. A clear and complete subject line – Make sure the subject line has enough information to get the reader’s attention. Replace subject lines like “Status report” with “Data I need from you to complete this month’s status report.”
2. Don’t waste sentences on pleasantries – Please, thank you and other politeness is important. However, you don’t have to ask about the ball game, talk about the weather, or engage in any other social chit-chat. Stick to the subject at hand.
3. Customize your signature – Whatever email client or service you use, set up a automated signature. Give readers the fullest range of options to contact you. Also, include corporate data: company name, job title, etc. That way, e-mail recipients outside your circle will be able to make some basic judgements about the sender.

Sentenc.es – A Disciplined Way To Deal With Email

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About three years ago, I wrote a series of posts on procrastination from the viewpoint of a chronic procrastintor. I had linked to an article on procrastination and had been thinking through the mental processes of a procrastinator (me). The article listed ten things to know about procrastination. As I read through the list, there were things I could identify with easily, but others did not fit my experience.

I decided to write a series of posts, addressing one of the points in each; ten posts in all. And there was irony in a chronic procrastinator committing to a blog series on procrastination.

Surprisingly, the series was written!

In each post I tried to give insight from my experience, recognizing I might not represent the norm. I looked at how each of the points have played out in my life. I also looked at things I have done to overcome related weaknesses and systems I have found helpful.

I am going to go back through each of these posts, three years on to see if and how things have changed for me. Come along for the ride and see if you find something helpful for you experience. Add to the conversation. Tell us how procrastination has had an effect on your life, either through your own behaviour or through the behaviour of others.

Post 1: Are you a procrastinator?

Post 2: Procrastination is not a joke

Post 3: Procrastination is not a time management problem

Post 4: Procrastinators are made not born

Post 5: Procrastinators are liars

Post 6: Overcome procrastination through self-regulation

Post 7: Fight procrastination by eliminating distractions

Post 8: What kind of procrastinator are you?

Post 9: Procrastination carries big cost

Post 10: How to stop procrastinating

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Waiting can use up a portion of your time. Good time management puts waiting time to use.

Whether at the office, out and about, or at home, here are seven ways to make use of waiting time:

• Review your lists: Check your to-do lists, your shopping lists or other reminders; add, subtract or rearrange, as necessary.
• Review your calendar: If you’re waiting and can contact people, set-up, confirm or reschedule items on your calendar.
• Sort mail: E-mail, paper mail —whether at work or at home— can be organized while on the phone or watching T.V.
• Personal/professional development: Read an industry journal or a school assignment. Carry a media player and listen to speakers, trainers or podcasts.
• Use the phone: If you have access to a phone, use the time to make or return calls.
• Work on hobbies: Carry needlework with you. If you draw, carry a sketch book. Carry a digital camera and snap off a few pictures.
• Structured relaxing: It doesn’t have to be all about efficiency; read a book, solve a crossword puzzle, or play a game on your PDA.

We do a lot of waiting. We can’t get those minutes or hours back, but we can use the time to be productive. Make it a practice to carry your “tools” with you and you’ll find you never have to sit twiddling your thumbs while you wait.

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We really didn’t need the manual. We will never troubleshoot the system; we will never program the system; and we will never maintain the system. The next time we will be concerned with the HVAC in this building is when it stops working and needs to be replaced.

Despite improvements in document handling technology, despite the convenience of PDF files, we still produce a lot of paper. Keeping your desk and files clutter–free in a paper–filled environment isn’t easy, but a little planning and a little technology can help.

Start with the 4 D’s of Effective Paper Management:

• DO IT. Perform the necessary items on this piece of paper today. Once you’ve completed these items, the paper should be filed, re-routed to someone else or discarded.
• DELAY IT. If further action needs to be taken on this paper, file it in a Reminder file or in your file cabinet. If necessary, write a date and time on your calendar when you’ll retrieve this paper for further action.
• DELEGATE IT. Immediately give this paper to someone else, whether this person is someone in your company, a client, vendor or someone else you outsource to.
• DUMP IT. This is the greatest one of them all. It’s probably safe to say that a huge percentage of the paper that enters your office can be discarded right away.

Manage your “to read” pile

The paper littering desks and files is mostly mail or things colleagues send, stuff that you mean to read, but never get to. Have a plan to eliminating the paper as soon as you get it. That doesn’t mean throwing it in the recycle bin as soon as you receive it, but you need to know where things will end up after they hit your desk.

Put non–urgent “to read” items in file folder; use multiple folders if you have different to-read categories. As you receive new items, place them in the front of the folder. If the folder gets too full, toss the old stuff without looking at it. That way you always have current stuff that might go back a month or two. Don’t worry you’ll throw away something vital, if it’s vital, it shouldn’t be in a general reading file.

Think before you print

We also create a lot of the paper piles, without giving it much thought. It can be tempting to print every interesting thing we find on the web or print a 400 page PDF “just in case.” It adds up. Stop and think before hitting the print button. Is there a better way to store the material.

Here’s a place where technology can be put to good use. The cost of storage media keeps getting less and less. I just bought a 1 terabyte (that’s 1,000 gigabytes) hard drive for $120.00. I can print any web page to pdf and store it on the drive. Combine that with a good filing system and a search tool like Google Desktop and I can quickly find previously saved material.

Create a record retention policy

Despite technological advances, there are certain files, such as personnel records and corporate documents, that you’ll need to keep for extended periods of time. To manage this process, you’ll need a record retention plan. How this policy reads will vary depending on local laws. However, these are the kinds of documents controlled by such policies:

• Annual financial statements, corporate documents (including corporate charter, deeds and easements, stock, minutes of board of directors’ meetings, labor contracts, trademark and registration applications), and income tax paperwork and payment checks.
• Bank statements, voided checks, purchase records (purchase orders, payment vouchers, vendor invoices), and sales records (invoices, monthly statements, shipping papers and customers’ purchase orders).
• Personnel and payroll records.
• Monthly financial statements.

Archive off site

Use off–site storage for those files that you don’t use everyday, but can’t discard immediately. This allows you to keep your office space free of the files, but the information is still available if you need. Assign a destroy date to each box that you store. This forces you to make a decision about a set of documents that you might not do if the files are on–site.

Before sending your files away, cull them and discard duplicates, non–essential files, or those past retention dates according to your policy. You’re paying by the box, you don’t want to send unnecessary bulk.

Invest in equipment and software

Technology lets you toss more than ever before. New information is constantly accessible to via the Internet, there’s less need to maintain all types of files.

• If you have documents that you need to keep, but you don’t use everyday or don’t have the room to store, use a scanner to create an electronic copy.
• If discarding confidential documents makes you resistant to purging files, shred sensitive documents before recycling.
• Business cards can be filed in a book, or scanned to keep electronic copies of the cards, which can later be searched by name or keyword.
• To file effectively and quickly, you need to have the essentials: plenty of file folders, file labels, cardboard boxes and bins, plastic crates and carts, and file cabinets.
• And don’t forget wastebaskets and recycling bins for the items that you choose not to file.

Organize your office heart

You may have business documents items which have more of a sentimental or morale value: photos, letters from clients, awards, etc. Have a memento box or album when and collect those gems — pictures of the first office party, thank you letters from their first few clients. Keep the box or album in a designated area in your office.

Keep it clean

Once your office is organized, keep it that way! A major part of maintaining order is your approach to the task. To prevent future accumulation, treat paper in your office as if it’s perishable. Don’t pile it up, telling yourself that you’ll deal with it when you have time. Make decisions on the paper immediately. Keep a recycle bin and a wastebasket next to your desk and use them frequently.

Continue filtering, filing and tossing and you’ll maintain a clutter–free environment.

[Updated and reposted from last year]

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Now, look at the paper sitting on your desk, dressers, tables, shelves, filing cabinets, etc.

The ideal of a paperless office has been around for at least three decades. While individuals, such as Eric Mack, experiment with paperless solutions, or online services offer paperless solutions, paper usage has increased significantly.

In 2003, Canadians used a whopping 2, 867,442 tonnes of paper, compared with 1,198,100 tonnes two decades earlier. Source: CBC News

For whatever reason, you’re stuck working with paper. Here are some tips for managing your piles (paper, that is).

1. Keep only the work at hand visible. If you’re working on the month-end report, have it in front of you. Other pending work should be stored in some form of filing system, which makes it easy to retrieve, but keeps it out of sight.
2. Have a fixed time each day to process routine paperwork. There are regular systems that dump a daily amount of paper on our desks: mail, filing, circulating files, etc. Set aside a few minutes every day to make sure this paper dealt with and not left piling up on your desk.
3. Keep large wastebasket and/or shredder near your work area. Some percentage of the paper you process can go straight to recycling or garbage: used envelopes, advertising brochures, last week’s cafeteria menu. Toss it immediately.
4. Don’t use a bulletin board. It’s a burial ground. I have a bulletin board in my office, but I am ruthless about what gets pinned to it. If you can’t be consistently ruthless, don’t put one on the wall.
5. Organize your stationery. If you have to keep blank stationery on hand, get some type of storage system. Not only does lose stationery add to the cluttered look, it ends up dog-eared, frayed and unusable.
6. Get a notebook. Resist the urge to take notes on dozens of pieces of scrap paper, notepads and sticky notes. Find a notebook that works for you and keep it with you at all times. That way, not only will you have a single, neat source of all your notes, you’ll only have one place you have to look to find information.

It doesn’t look like paper is going away anytime soon. You will need to have systems to control your paper flow.

Further reading:

• The Four D’s of Effective Paper Management
• 10 Tips to Help Keep Your Desk Clean

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