"Cadence" In Tandem Coaching's Newsletter

 Web:  http://www.InTandemCoaching.com
 Email: mailto:JoanneH@intandemcoaching.com
 Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/intandem

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 Note from Joanne

 Hello!

 I had a great visit with my family in
 Maryland/Virginia! Lots of good food, fun and
 laughter. While I had been dreading the hot humid
 weather that normally comes with a Maryland summer, I
 was pleasantly surprised. We had beautiful, balmy
 weather for the majority of my stay.

 While away, I experimented with my new netbook, so in
 the future I will be able to conduct business while
 away from home. All I need is an Internet connection
 and a phone! In the past I’ve been limited to my
 desktop PC, which doesn’t travel very well. The
 netbook is great; light, compact and does what I need
 it to do.

 I had so much fun while away, I neglected to work on
 my newsletter. So this issue features an article that
 I will admit I did not write in its entirety. Still, I
 believe it has some good info so I’m passing it on to
 you. I did add some of my own thoughts as well.  As
 always, I welcome your feedback; let me know how
 useful (or not) the article is, in your eyes.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Feature Article

 Getting Things Done -- On Time!

 There is a well-known axiom in business that “failure
 to plan is planning to fail.” It is planning, in its
 many guises, that ultimately has the greatest impact
 on whether you finish a task or project on time. Here,
 introverts have a natural advantage, as we prefer to
 think before speaking or acting, i.e. plan.

 Unfortunately, introverts are often challenged by the
 lack of opportunity to plan. Given the many last-
 minute tasks thrown our way at work, planning seems to
 be an unthinkable luxury. Assaulted by emails,
 barraged by phone calls, sliced and diced by meetings
 and interruptions, the idea of planning a day, let
 alone a longer-term project, is almost laughable. And
 for those of us self-employed (where someone else
 isn’t imposing unrealistic deadlines on us), we’ll
 often commit to them ourselves, agreeing to be
 somewhere or accomplish something within impossible
 time frames.

 While a lot of this comes with the territory of modern
 life, there are some things you can do to help
 increase the odds of getting your projects done on
 time.

 Protect your calendar

 Your calendar isn’t your to-do list. Loading up your
 planner with the 19 things you want to accomplish each
 day just creates frustration, not productivity.
 Instead, separate the functions of your calendar and
 your to-do list, and use the calendar only for events
 that are time-specific. That said, if there is
 something on your to-do list that you wish to make a
 non-negotiable (such as the introvert’s must-have
 alone time), then make it a time-specific task. You’ve
 probably heard this advice before. Schedule your alone
 time on your calendar. Treat it like you would any
 appointment.

 “But the Nibblers ate my day”

  Julie Morgenstern, author of Never Check E-Mail in
  the Morning, calls them the “nibblers”—interruptions,
  procrastination, perfectionism and meetings—because
  they will definitely consume your workday. Meetings
  and interruptions can be managed with a variety of
  tactics, starting with controlling your email habit,
  as the title of her book suggests. Procrastination
  and perfectionism are best fought, she says, with the
  ultimate weapon for expanding your day, planning.

 [Note from Joanne – I recently wrote about my
 strategies for dealing with perfectionism. I will be
 writing about procrastination in a future newsletter;
 stay tuned. I believe both need strategies that go
 beyond “planning.”]

 Always identify the next action

 Trying to finish tasks on time can often fall victim
 to the “urgency vs. importance” dichotomy that
 stresses working on the important over the merely
 urgent. But in addition, to finish a project, every
 step is critical, even the “unimportant” ones. If you
 are building a boat, caulking the hull so it doesn’t
 leak may seem more important than buying the anchor.
 But both tasks have to be done if you are going to put
 to sea.

 According to productivity guru David Allen, what’s
 really critical is to determine the next action, the
 next physical thing you have to do to move your
 project forward. “Finish Phase II” isn’t an action.
 “Email Bill in accounting to release the funds for
 Phase II” is an action. By always keeping track of the
 next task for each of your open projects, you can
 always be productive without wasting time figuring out
 what to do next, which will help keep your project on
 track.

 Author’s content used under license, © 2008 Claire
 Communications

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Joanne Recommends

 Do you have a task or related set of tasks that stay
 on your to-do list FOREVER? Do you want to FINALLY
 stop procrastinating, get them done, and off your
 list? Check out my newly offered Hammer Time Get ‘er
 Done Focus Day service! It’s excellent for helping you
 focus and provides plenty of accountability. Click
 here for more details
 http://www.intandemcoaching.com/Services.html

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Success Made Simple (SMS) Tip

 Persist! [Yep, that’s it; no explanation necessary]

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Ask the Coach

 Do you have a burning question I can help you with?

 Click here to Ask the Coach
 mailto:JoanneH@intandemcoaching.com

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Joanne's Hype-Free Zone

 Disclosure: Many of my recommendations use an
 affiliate link, which means I get a small (often
 miniscule) commission if you purchase using the link I
 provide. I never recommend products or services that I
 would not be willing to purchase myself (if I don’t
 already own it).

 One reason many of us have trouble getting things done
 in a timely manner is due to simple disorganization.
 Tracey Lawton (who keeps MY newsletter published on
 time, among other things) offers a no-charge audio
 with effective Office Organization tips. I highly
 recommend Tracey, both her products and her services.
 She is extremely organized and efficient, and delivers
 content without the fluff. Perfect for introverts who
 like people to “just get to the point, already.”
 http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=3159220

 ~~~
 Cadence grows by "word of email" so please feel free
 to forward this newsletter onto anyone who you think
 might enjoy it.
 http://www.yourtellafriend.com/page/1457/tellafriend

 Thanks so much!