| I'd like to provide some helpful tips to help you | | | | movie "City Slickers" defined it, "know what's |
| work smarter. If you asked most people, they'd | | | | number 1?" - and I would add to it, "know what's |
| tell you that they already work smart. But what | | | | number 1, and how you plan to get closer to it |
| exactly does it mean to work smart? Let me | | | | today." |
| begin with a definition: | | | | Your job is probably not to be the "library of |
| Working smart is a style of working based on the | | | | congress." To have everything neatly in its place, |
| decisions you make and how you manage | | | | or to please everyone. It is, for the purpose of |
| information in the process. | | | | this blog, to work smart, to live smart, and when |
| This article is going to be short and to the point, | | | | that comes to managing information, it means |
| but conceptual - and I'm aiming it at those of you | | | | narrowing the focus based upon your priorities |
| who want to get more done with less. This article | | | | and desired outcomes. That's where you want to |
| is for not those who reframe working smart as | | | | spend your time, that's where it's most important |
| making money without working... there's plenty | | | | to track and manage information. |
| written about that already. | | | | I don't need to get everything done, just the |
| Sometimes you just need some practical tips. | | | | priority one items. And on important priority one |
| There are some great blogs and web pages out | | | | items, I need a system that allows everyone who |
| there that cover practical tips that I don't want to | | | | touches that to work in a coordinated, |
| duplicate. | | | | collaborative, up-to-date manner, anything short of |
| Let's begin. From my vantage point, working | | | | that isn't working smart. |
| smart and managing information converge on | | | | 3. Get green with information - recycle it! People |
| three basic practices I use. Strengthen any one | | | | that work smart recycle critical information. What |
| and you work smarter. But why just do one, | | | | do I mean by that? Think of working smart as |
| when you can do all three. | | | | documenting and tracking that high priority |
| 1. Use information (and time) with intentionality. | | | | information in a way that is useful over and over |
| Start your day with intentionality, and do it all day | | | | - by numerous people. One input, multiple outputs. |
| long. Using time and information requires you to | | | | It's capturing and storing information in a way that |
| think about your desired outcome and manage | | | | makes it available at your finger tips, but also |
| the information that will help you get there. Don't | | | | capturing it in a way that it helps you and others |
| worry about the rest. This is essentially a take-off | | | | plan, track, adjust priorities, allocate resources, |
| on the idea of think before you act, but it has | | | | review results... and the list goes on. |
| huge implications when it comes to managing | | | | Not getting green with information, looks |
| information, since most of us are already | | | | consistently like storing information in a means |
| overloaded with information. | | | | that is easiest at the moment - but unavailable |
| Here's what this doesn't look like - going through | | | | without a lot of work to anyone else who might |
| the paces, whether that is working as usual, | | | | need it. Not being green means managing |
| putting your time in, dutifully reading through your | | | | information in a way that requires little effort on |
| email. Be intentional with how you manage life and | | | | your part, but is unavailable to anyone else who |
| information. But then that requires that you to | | | | needs to collaborate or coordinate with you. Not |
| think "What's most important to accomplish today | | | | being green means managing critical information in |
| in terms of outcomes?" This doesn't apply only to | | | | places like your personal todo list, your brain, in a |
| work, which leads to the next key. | | | | spoken conversation, on a piece of paper. I can't |
| 2. Prioritize your focus. There's never enough time | | | | read it from over here, neither will the other |
| to do everything. You don't have time to put | | | | people on your team, nor can I pull it up in a |
| everything neatly away, there's not enough time | | | | couple of clicks. |
| to stay up on all the topics of interest, not | | | | This is why we put such an emphasis upon using |
| enough time to read all the email and blogs | | | | an information management and work smart |
| coming in. Manage information based upon what's | | | | capable tool. Because most of us need to take |
| important - which is defined by the first step. | | | | advantage of technology tools to work smarter - |
| Identify and live with intentionality. That helps to | | | | the payoffs are far greater. |
| narrow the focus to what's important, or as the | | | | |