Good Better or Best

I like the concept of "Good, Better or Best." The idea is that each day we have a lot of "good"choices or acts that we can perform. However, even though something is "good" we sometimes need to forgo those acts for something that is "better" or "best." As I look at how I spend my time I realize that I am busy doing good things but I can do a better job and raise the bar by trying to focus on better or best activities. A few examples:

Several years ago my young family went to Disney World. It was an expensive endeavor not to mention that the weather was hot and the lines were long. At the end of the trip we asked our kids what their favorite part of the trip was and they all agreed that it was the time that we all were together playing in the hotel swimming pool. It was good to be on a trip to Disney World, it was better to be together as a family and it was best when we were simply playing and interacting collectively. Sometimes simple can be best.

I love my cell phone. It is good that I can call someone almost anytime that I want and that I can be reached if I am needed. But sometime it is better if I don't have my cell phone on so that I am not interrupted when I am trying to focus on an important project or best if I don't derail family time with calls about work after hours that 9 out of 10 times could wait until tomorrow.

One more thought. Entertainment is a good thing. I enjoy going to movies, read, play an occasional video game, watch TV and surf the web. But sometime entertainment can get in the way of the better things in life and isn't worth the precious time that we give it-especially when taken to excess. It is important to me to evaluate what I do in my spare time. I am not saying that we should be robots continually working on a task list of meaningful purpose driven acts. What I am saying is that when we select entertainment we should make the best choices and apply some limitations so that we don't spend too much of our time doing things that don't contribute to what ultimately matters most to us.

Speeding Isn't the Answer

I had to laugh. The article got my attention when it said, "Running behind the clock?" The main point in the article was that driving faster to get somewhere quicker was relatively futile. The statistic given by the National Traffic Safety Institute was that if you drive 10 miles at 7o mph versus 55 mph, you only save 55 seconds-less than a minute!

One solution I have found that works is to call the person expecting me for the meeting if I know I am going to be late. When telling my anticipated arrival time (after apologizing for being tardy), I normally add a 10-15 minute cushion. Two benefits are created. One is that if there are any other traffic tie ups or delays, I'll still be on time. The second benefit is that if I don't encounter any more delays, I'll actually arrive "earlier" than anticipated and they will be pleased.

Juggling Elephants At An Early Age

While the focus in the book, Juggling Elephants, is for adults, I was reminded this past week that there is a younger audience that needs the message as well. One of my daughters is preparing for three school-related competitions-all within the next two weeks. She is an awesome young lady, but in the past couple of months she has simply allowed other "good acts" to take away time she should have been using to get ready for the competitions. As a parent I should have been gently reminding her that she would have time for some of these acts AFTER the competitions were over. Now, just days before the competitions, she finds herself stressed and worried that she won't be ready.

Going "All Digital" - Not Yet!

We recently had a customer of "Juggling Elephants" write to us about tips for going "all digital" with a system that would be small and compact. Here was my reply:

When it comes to calendaring I struggle like you do. I love electronics and technology. But I haven't found an electronic calendaring solution that I totally like - especially when I am away from my desk a lot. I am a visual person and like to see a layout of what is going on in my life and small PDA screens just don't do that for me. A few tips that work for me:

• I carry a paper based system with me - mainly for my calendar and for taking notes (I can't take notes fast enough on a PDA especially when I am on the phone). I use Franklin Covey's compact planner with the 2 page calendar spread - it fits in a brief case (or purse) and is easy to carry


• It is critical to have just one MASTER calendar (for me it is my planner). Everything goes in the Master calendar and then I update other calendars as necessary (the family calendar, my schedule in Outlook at work, etc.)


• In my planner I carry a quad-pen that has red, blue and black ink along with a pencil. On my paper based calendar I track the 3 rings of my circus with a different color of ink (red-relationships, blue-self, and black-work). I use the pencil for stuff that is tentative and hasn't confirmed


• I still use technology. I update my schedule in Outlook so that people that I work with know my schedule. I also like that my mobile phone will sync with my Outlook automatically and will "beep" to remind me of appointments (my planner doesn't beep). This function also mutes my mobile phone during meetings so that I don't get interrupted by an incoming call.

These ideas seem to work for me but I travel and am away from my desk a lot. If I were at my desk most of the time I think that I could go 100% digital due to the bigger screen of my computer. The key is to take planning of your circus seriously and to find a solution that works for you. A custom solution that fits your needs is probably the best answer. I have also found that talking with others and finding out what works for them has given me new ideas and increased my productivity.

Trading a Good Act for a Better One

Many times managing our busy schedule is not a matter of getting rid of the "bad acts" from our circus – it is having too many good acts going on and piling up. One key strategy is to figure out what it would cost to delegate certain acts to someone else (outsourcing) and compare that with what we could gain by doing something other than that act.

For example, paying a neighborhood youth to mow the lawn. What would that cost and what could I gain by doing something else (time to work on that novel or more time in my relationship ring?)? A good friend of mine figured out that he could make more money by working and hiring someone to do a remodeling project than by taking time off and doing the project himself. He actually made money by hiring someone. Now, the key here is to make sure that by outsourcing you are taking advantage of that saved time and doing something more productive.

I also realize that doing activities like mowing the lawn and remodeling can be therapeutic as well – an intermission. Just remember that being able to let go of some acts will help you to schedule in the most important acts and reduce your stress level.