How to Work Less and Get More Done
How to Work Less and Get More Done
That’s why I when it comes to a manager’s productivity, email is the silent killer. To demonstrate the impact of this, consider the productively of a successful business advisor who minimizes his use email.
Farm boy wisdom
I’m referring to my father, Bill Mowatt. Dad is a little like Michael Corleone in The Godfather. He keeps trying to retire but they just keep calling him back. Born on a farm in Saskatchewan during the Depression, Dad quit school with a grade ten education. Eventually, he started an oil and gas service company that grew to employ over 400 employees with annual revenues of over $40 million. In the process he created a network of some 30 successful spin-off companies. By the time Dad officially retired as President and CEO of CEDA International, the Royal Bank of Canada had nominated him as being one of Calgary’s most successful entrepreneurs. Not bad for a Saskatchewan farm boy. One of the secrets to his success is the way he manages his time.
Since his ‘retirement’ executives in the oil patch have sought “Bill’s” advice when considering new business startups and acquisitions. Frequently, he’ll be acting as an advisor to several companies. Because he’s ‘retired’, Dad only agrees to work a maximum of five to ten days per month so that he can spend more time working with his horses. The days that he does work, it’s only for a few hours. After all, he doesn’t really need the money – he only does it because he enjoys it. In other words, he doesn’t want to work hard or long. In observing how he works though, I think one of the smartest decisions he’s made in his consulting practice is minimizing the correspondence he does with his clients by e-mail.
By rarely giving out his email address, Dad doesn’t feel obligated to respond to the myriad of messages that are being copied to him simply because it’s easy to send him a copy. If someone needs a fast response from Dad they pick up the phone. That way he’s not spreading a conversation over five emails – he’s doing it once. Most importantly, the time that Dad would have spent sorting through other people’s email messages is instead spent focusing on corporate strategy. That’s what his client’s are paying him for. In other words, he consciously minimizes e-mail so that he’s less ‘busy’ and more ‘productive.’
I’m not saying that e-mail is all-bad. I use it regularly and recognize that it has its benefits. I’m just sharing an example of how one manager is actually more effective by minimizing the ‘labour saving’ technology. Most of us can and will continue to use e-mail. But we need to recognize that e-mail can be one of several factors that are taking us off-track from the strategic project work that we should be working on. In other words, when it comes to labour-saving technology, managers need to ensure they are not sacrificing their effectiveness on the alter of efficiency.
How to Work Less and Get More Done - To learn more about this author, visit Jeff Mowatt's Website.
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In the days before email entered our lives (up till the mid 1990’s) the most pervasive interruption for the average manager was a ringing phone. Even then, more managers had secretaries who screened their calls. Then along comes email. Managers now receive dozens of messages from anyone – including spammers. The problem gets worse as employees who are sending email messages within a company can easily send copies, no matter how trivial, to everyone else – including to other managers. The end result is that with the advent of email it’s easy for a manager to spend an entire day reacting to other people’s priorities.
That’s why I when it comes to a manager’s productivity, email is the silent killer. To demonstrate the impact of this, consider the productively of a successful business advisor who minimizes his use email.
Farm boy wisdom
I’m referring to my father, Bill Mowatt. Dad is a little like Michael Corleone in The Godfather. He keeps trying to retire but they just keep calling him back. Born on a farm in Saskatchewan during the Depression, Dad quit school with a grade ten education. Eventually, he started an oil and gas service company that grew to employ over 400 employees with annual revenues of over $40 million. In the process he created a network of some 30 successful spin-off companies. By the time Dad officially retired as President and CEO of CEDA International, the Royal Bank of Canada had nominated him as being one of Calgary’s most successful entrepreneurs. Not bad for a Saskatchewan farm boy. One of the secrets to his success is the way he manages his time.
Since his ‘retirement’ executives in the oil patch have sought “Bill’s” advice when considering new business startups and acquisitions. Frequently, he’ll be acting as an advisor to several companies. Because he’s ‘retired’, Dad only agrees to work a maximum of five to ten days per month so that he can spend more time working with his horses. The days that he does work, it’s only for a few hours. After all, he doesn’t really need the money – he only does it because he enjoys it. In other words, he doesn’t want to work hard or long. In observing how he works though, I think one of the smartest decisions he’s made in his consulting practice is minimizing the correspondence he does with his clients by e-mail.
By rarely giving out his email address, Dad doesn’t feel obligated to respond to the myriad of messages that are being copied to him simply because it’s easy to send him a copy. If someone needs a fast response from Dad they pick up the phone. That way he’s not spreading a conversation over five emails – he’s doing it once. Most importantly, the time that Dad would have spent sorting through other people’s email messages is instead spent focusing on corporate strategy. That’s what his client’s are paying him for. In other words, he consciously minimizes e-mail so that he’s less ‘busy’ and more ‘productive.’
I’m not saying that e-mail is all-bad. I use it regularly and recognize that it has its benefits. I’m just sharing an example of how one manager is actually more effective by minimizing the ‘labour saving’ technology. Most of us can and will continue to use e-mail. But we need to recognize that e-mail can be one of several factors that are taking us off-track from the strategic project work that we should be working on. In other words, when it comes to labour-saving technology, managers need to ensure they are not sacrificing their effectiveness on the alter of efficiency.
How to Work Less and Get More Done - To learn more about this author, visit Jeff Mowatt's Website.
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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