What is your warm up routine? (at work)

What gets you going in the morning once you have started your work-day? How do you set the tone to have a positive attitude and positive day?

What is the routine you utilize to get you going each morning? How do you plan your day, so you know specifically what you want to get done that day? How do you plan NOT TO get interrupted?

What renews you?

Working with a team all day? What can the "team" do to warm up?

Surprise people with bagels? Have each person on your team share a joke each morning? (no joke I met an audit team that did that one busy season) Hold a 5 minute beginning of the morning team update? Get creative ... whatever gets peoples' blood pumping.

What is your warm up routine? (at the gym)

So we are told about the importance of warming up before exercising....something to get your blood pumping and your muscles loose.

Some ideas, many of which you may already be doing:

Getting on the treadmill or an elliptical or a stationary bike for a few minutes. Walk or jog 1/4 of a mile (equivalent to one time around a track).

Walking up and down some stairs.

Shooting some baskets on the basketball court.

Jumping rope.

Make your "warm-up" automatic, make it a routine, and make it fun!


As always, consult a doctor before you start or significantly increase your physical activity.

Ahhh... New Year "Resolutions"

Some items to consider if you are currently pondering New Year resolutions:

· If you are "resolving" to do something in 2009, first review prior "resolutions" ---

Did you fall short? Learn from the lack of results. Why did you not obtain them? What will be different this time? Was there one resolution that you did stick to or a goal that you did hit? If so, why? Reflect on it. What was different about that one? How were YOU different? Learn from your past accomplishments and non-accomplishments.

· Ask yourself what fulfilling your new year resolution really means to you.

Is it something you feel you "should" do, or is it something you can fully engage in because you CHOOSE, WANT, and COMMIT to doing it? Think about the "end" if there is one ... fulfilling your goal. What does that do for you? How will you feel? How does it help you fulfill other goals in your life?

· Do you choose to "resolve" or "commit"?

The word "resolution" has been earning a negative "vibe" over the years. You can probably think of prior resolutions you or others around you have made that lasted .... well .... not very long. A common example is exercise. Maybe you received some new work-out clothes over the holidays. Ooohhh they are all bright and shiny and the gym is undoubtedly most crowded in January when new enrollments peak. I audited Gold's Gym one year and the rise in enrollments early in the year were pretty predictable, as were the attendance peaks that always teetered out a month or two later.

So, consider a small word-change -- instead of calling it your new year resolution, how about your new year commitment, or the lifestyle change you want and are beginning on Jan. 1? Just a play on words? Maybe not. When you make a commitment, you are making a formal promise to yourself, not a half-hearted resolution.

OK, so time to craft your "resolution" / "commitment" -- Consider asking yourself the following questions:

· Is my "resolution" specific?

Exercising more is vague. Reading more is vague. Spending more time with my family is vague. Losing my tummy fat is vague. Spend some real time being VERY specific about not only what you want, but how you will meticulously accomplish it.

· How and when will I measure milestones and results?

· How will I hold myself accountable? Do I need help from others? Should I tell others?

· What are the roadblocks I will encounter and what is your plan to drive through them?

· How will I CELEBRATE hitting my goals or the continuation of the positive lifestyle change I am starting? When? Who will be involved?

Yes Man - the Movie

The Jim Carrey movie comes out this week called Yes Man. It's an issue I hear raised a lot with accountants ... "I have a problem saying no."

OK, so while sometimes there are other issues wrapped up into that perceived weakness, let's just look at that for a second...

How do you get better at saying no? That is a great question and there are lots of tips out there but the most important thing you need to do to get better at it.....

PRACTICE.

It is not a science and it is a choice. If you want to get better at this start attempting it. You will learn and you will get better if you are dedicated.

PRACTICE.

Looking for some new workout exercises? Abs!

Here are a few workout exercises that are atypical and only require an exercise ball:

The "alligator"
http://www.mensfitnessmagazine.co.uk/exercise/sports/912/429/gym_ball_alligator_walk.html

The "jack-knife"
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/exercises.asp?exercise=14


I have "tried" each of these and let me tell you, in each case I realized over the next few days there were certain abdominal muscles I was not using (at least that is how I felt based on being sore!)

As always, consult a doctor before you start or significantly increasing your physical activity.

Busy Season - Energy Renewal Activities?

So for many accountants, "busy season" is upcoming and its during that time that our time management techniques are tested the most.

So, with that being said, how do you "renew your energy", especially during the busiest times, so that your capacity to get things done increases? We can always try and find more time, but what allows us to do more with the time we have? Energy capacity.

First let's start with your physical energy levels for this post. So, what helps you increase your energy levels?

Great sleep?

Breaks?

Exercise?

Walks?

Walks, in particular, are SO UNDERRATED. Take a time out next time you are stressed out or your brain feels over excerpted and simply take a walk. Get crazy and take a walk outside in the cold for five minutes. Clear your head.

Oh my gosh all those examples TAKE TIME! Isn't that counterproductive when we are real busy? Yes if one feels like they are already working at maximum efficiency, but for the other 99.99% of us who realize we aren't and that the body is incapable of being at maximum efficiency for very long during a day ... these energy renewal activities potentially make us MORE productive during the busiest days.

Yep - Eat that Frog in the Morning

Here is a link to the concept in movie form ... and its summarized in a much better way than I could ever do it.

http://www.eatthatfrogmovie.com/

Touching Things ONCE

So we can probably agree that our inability to touch certain inputs (emails, voicemails, memos, etc.) once can be a productivity limiter.

That email in your inbox, the oldest one in there ... how many times have you opened it? Glanced at it? Thought about it?

Some of the causes of "multiple touching":

1.) Indecision - something needs to be done but you are not sure or you are not ready to make the decision. You need more time or you are just unsure in general.

2.) Procrastination - this is not always the same as indecision. We might know what needs to happen, we just don't want to do it!

3.) Lack of confidence in your system - You have an email or a voicemail but you cannot delete it because it being there is what will remind you about what needs to get done. You do not trust your system to (1) create clearly defined actions and (2) to remind you about when to do them. So that old email stays in your inbox because that is your (informal and maybe frustrating) system.

So ... Are you tired of continually touching the inputs in your life because they limit the time you spend on the most important things? If the answer is yes, Do you intentionally try and touch things once, process them, and extract the ACTIONS that need to happen into a personal system you have tailored to your own needs, one you trust?!