Annual Personal Review

I was at the gym exercising and talking with the person next to me on the elliptical machine. She was talking about her 65 hour work week and how stressful her life is right now. As I was wrapping up my workout I wished her a nice day and said that I hoped that she would be able to have a "normal" eight hour day at work. She smiled and said that she was just about finished with her annual employee reviews. She only had two reviews left and thought that she would be about to "cut out early." Two thoughts struck me from this conversation.

Isn't it interesting that we consider ourselves "cutting out early" if we just put in the required number of hours for our job? I find myself regularly putting in 10+ hours each day right now and sometimes do work on the weekends. What is the cost? What are the benefits? The answer is different for everyone. My point in today's blog is to ask you those two questions. What cost are you paying for working overtime? What are the benefits that you are receiving for putting in the extra hours? How are the other two rings (self and relationships) being impacted? If the costs outweigh the benefits, maybe you need to make some adjustments. If you are reaping big benefits from the extra work, make sure you are regularly asking yourself (and others) the benefit/cost questions. The answers can change very quickly and when they do, don't wait very long to make the adjustment.

The second thought I had was about annual employee reviews. Employee reviews, when done correctly, can be a very effective tool. It is a time to review progress, look at strengths, consider weaknesses, show appreciation, and make goals for the next year. What about doing an Annual Personal Review of yourself, by yourself? Cut out a block of time specifically for your personal review. Evaluate your progress. Look at your strengths-list them. Consider your weaknesses and how you can improve-make a specific plan. Show yourself some appreciation-indulge yourself in some kind of celebration. Then make some goals for next year. Just like employee reviews, you should do this at a minimum of once a year-formally! Even better are quarterly reviews with less formal monthly evaluations. Don’t make me call Human Resources!!

Service In Your Lineup

Dr. Martin Luther King said, Everyone has the power of greatness; not for fame, but greatness. Because greatness is determined by service. Is it time to add a little service in your circus lineup? In your organization's lineup? It is easy to focus solely on making ends meet and dealing with the urgent. What about the greater good? Today, look for a simple way to be of service to someone-a small step towards greatness.

Annoying Phrases Used By A Ringmaster

A few months ago in our monthly newsletter we highlighted the annoying phrases used by a ringmaster. On Friday, October 23, USA Today had a "Snapshot" survey in which they asked, Which of these is most annoying in conversation? The phrases (and the percentage responding "yes"to the phrase) were:

• "Whatever" (47%)


• "You Know" (25%)


• "It is what it is" (11%)


• "Anyway" (7%)


• "At the end of the day" (2%)

How many of these have you already used today?

Deep Thinking

Technology is great. I love that we can listen to music, check email, surf the Internet, check stocks/weather and can call anyone we want with a little portable device that goes everywhere with us. Anytime we have down time or are waiting for the next act in our circus we can be productive or enjoy a little entertainment.

But the flip side to this is that we can fill our time and our minds just about every moment in our day with something. When do we have time to think, ponder or contemplate? Do we take the time anymore to just listen to the thoughts going on in our brain or do we fill the time with music, email, social media, entertainment or the Internet? Down time is very important and we do need to take mental intermissions. But there is a balance where we need to sometimes hit the mute button and just think thoughts. It is important to turn off the distractions for some amount of time for "productive deep thinking" away from the mode of "doing stuff." What "ahas" have you found in your moments of solitude and reflection?

Remove as best as you can any interruptions (unplug the phones, log off the computer, close the door, tell everyone that you have an appointment with yourself for the next 30 minutes and can't be bothered unless the building is on fire). Have a list of items that you want to "think about." It could be a project you are working on, your family, your goals and dreams, strategy, a marketing plan, your next book, your career plan, who am I in the universe... and so on. Focus on one item at a time. Break the topic apart in your mind. Take notes. Listen for inspiration. Brainstorm. Stay focused. Maybe you only get through one item on your list. Allocate time each day to think.

If your day is so intense that you can't take the time to find a quiet place without distractions, be creative. What about during the commute? Turn the radio off and think while you drive. Put away the book, put in ear phones without turning on the MP3 player, close your eyes and think while riding the bus or subway. What about the time just before bed or when you are just waking up?

You don't have to think alone. Bring in your significant other or your work team on occasion. Pick a topic and brainstorm. There doesn't need to be an agenda. Think outside the box. Discuss vision. Are we on the right course? What should we be doing differently? What are we doing right? Write thoughts on the board. Be creative.

It is easy to fill our minds and our days with information, stuff that we need to do, stimulus and distractions. The goal is to carve out some time for focused...deep...thinking. You will be amazed at the "thoughts you will think."

Determining The Need For An Intermission

I came across this quote the other day:

When the well's dry, we know the worth of water.

-Benjamin Franklin

I thought about the need for an intermission. When I sense something is missing (or amiss), it reminds me of the need to step back, replenish and then move forward more effectively. I started playing with the quote and came up with:

When ____________________, I know the worth of an intermission.

I entered phrases like:

• When my eyes have trouble focusing on the words on a computer screen
• When I get a "short fuse" with people around me (work and/or personal)
• When I don't have a creative thought left within me
• When I start thinking that no one is giving me a standing ovation
• When my lineup keeps getting longer and longer-and I haven't even gotten the first task completed
• When I have given away so much of myself to others that I have nothing left for myself

What are some of the indicators in your work or life that tell you it's time for an intermission?