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Oya's Newsletter: "Roots & Wings"
January 2005: Volume 2, Issue 1.
Newsletter
Archive
Written &
Published by Philippa Kennealy, MD, MPH
Contents
Welcome Note
Oya News
Feature
Article: RIP
2004!
On Track
Book of the
Month
Welcome
Note
Resolutions,
goals, wishes, dreams …… it’s that time of
year!
For
the devastated victims of the Asian tsunami, a
wish or dream is likely to be steady access to
food and housing. How much we have to be
grateful for, that we are not mired in total
destruction and overwhelming loss.
So
what is it going to be for you?
Will
you make a stab at goal setting, will you just
hope that 2005 turns out well, or will you dig
deep to plan for the year you intend to
make happen?
I
want to remind you about successful goal
setting. You are most likely to accomplish your
goal if it is important
enough to you, and if you are both sufficiently ready
and somewhat confident
in your ability to succeed in your efforts
(“Roots and Wings” Volume 1, Issues 1,2
and 3).
If
you, or a colleague or friend, are feeling stuck
with goal-setting, are at a decision crossroads,
or are ready to step into a big 2005 and need
someone for motivation, clarity and
accountability, contact me
for a f*ree
introductory coaching session.
I
wish you a happy, healthy and abundant New Year!
Oya
News
This
month, I’ll be giving several presentations,
as well as offering a new 8-week telecourse for
Nursing and Healthcare Leadership on “Coaching
and the Healthcare Workplace – How to Release
Your Employee’s Potential With Coaching
Skills”. The weekly teleclass format offers
organizations considerable savings in travel and
“time-away” costs, and is used widely in
business for its convenience and effectiveness.
Contact
me for more about this interactive, stimulating
and experiential group coaching opportunity, if
your organization wants to engage and energize
your leadership.
Feature
Article: RIP 2004!
In
my own coaching, I have had fun laying 2004 to
rest. I revisited the year, both personally and
professionally, and decided into which
“file” I would place the various events,
projects and goals of my 2004.
I
offer you same process as a most enjoyable way
to review your year.
The
first file is the “Completed” one.
What have you completed to the point that it is
done, or done with, and that you can hold up as
an accomplishment? This applies to any domain of
your life: career, finances, personal growth,
friends and family, physical surroundings,
health, relationships with a significant other,
or fun and recreation. Once this file is full,
celebrate your achievements.
Next
is “Incomplete but Done”. This is the
file with all the unfinished business for which
you no longer have any use. There is no need to
carry it into 2005, for whatever reason! Here is
where the real soul-searching and potential
rewards lie. Using the same domains, do
inventories of each, and select those items from
2004 that belong here. Then create a small
ritual (burn the list?) to mark the end.
The
last file is “Incomplete and Not Yet
Done”. Here lie all the ongoing projects,
efforts, goals, and work-in-progress. This
provides the fodder for your goal-setting for
2005.
I
encourage you to write down all your findings.
Putting the words to paper and seeing them have
the effect of creating energy and momentum, as
well as demonstrating just how much you
accomplished or freed yourself from in 2004.
On
Track: Seven Tactics for Time-Taming.
Are
you desperate for a 26-hour day? Time is a most
precious resource, and I hear from almost all of
my clients about their struggles to manage it.
Here
are the Top Seven Tactics they have
discovered to be most helpful in taming their
personal time gobblers.
1.
Prioritize – What’s Important?
Scarcity
of hours forces you to choose, over and over,
how to use your time. So, how do
you choose? This
requires prioritization.
By
articulating what is truly important to you, you
will have an easier time selecting those
activities that leave you feeling productive and
rewarded. You may have to choose between two
competing values, (such as family time vs.
earning enough to support your kid’s
education, fulfilling a commitment vs. taking
care of your mounting stress), or do stuff that,
on the surface, doesn’t resonate with any of
your values. If you can’t detect an
activity’s importance, then drop it!
My
clients use the A,B,C tool for setting
priorities and creating task lists.
A
– “I must do it within the next 24 hours”.
Get to it, first thing in the morning.
B
– “I must do it within 72 hours”. You’ll
feel good when it’s off the list.
C
– “I would like to get to it sometime in the
near future”. Sadly, this is the list whose
length is impossible to reduce!
2.
Set Appointments With Yourself
You
don’t take phone calls, read e-mails or walk
to the refrigerator in the middle of a meeting
with someone important, do you? At least, I hope
not!
Well, set uninterruptible
appointments ahead of time
with yourself for those activities that are
likely to fall by the wayside. That 45-minute
block of time for exercise, those two hours
behind closed doors to clear your desk, that
evening to finish your writing project or have
dinner with your spouse. No
cheating.
3.
Use a Kitchen Timer
This
little device is a godsend for procrastinators
and those who are easily distracted. I request
that my clients set the timer for a manageable
length of time (45 minutes to 1 and a half
hours), during which they may not take
calls, check new e-mails or allow other
interruptions. Then they set a “mini break”
time of 10 to 15 minutes, during which they may
do anything they choose. Including a brief neck
and shoulder stretch. They repeat this process
until they have accomplished the task before
them.
4.
Use Scheduling Tools that Support You
PDAs,
computer scheduling tools, a big or little black
book – Use the tool that works for you and
ignore the pressure to update to the latest and
greatest gizmo! The only mistake
I see my clients make is when they rely on the
tool in their heads – their memories. Unless
you have an uncanny knack of recall for your
to-do list, I urge you to write it down,
somewhere.
5.
Know How You Function Best
Are
you a morning person? A night owl? When is your
best time of day for exercise?
You
will accomplish more if you match your
activities to your biorhythms.
6.
Avoid Multitasking
Recent
research shows that you accomplish less
overall if you perform several tasks at the same
time than if you do the same number of tasks
sequentially. You are able to maintain a more
focused concentration for each task alone.
7.
Handle it no more than twice.
I’d
love to say handle it once,
but
reality forces me to acknowledge that most
papers or items need to be handled twice, given
our prioritization needs. So handle stuff no
more than twice; once to receive it, and the
second time to take care of it, when its turn
arrives on your list.
Positive
thinking and the Positive Psychology or
Authentic Happiness movements are getting a lot
of press these days. We seem to be tired of
focusing on fixing problems and analyzing
dysfunctions.
Now Discover Your
Strengths, by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton,
expresses a philosophy emphasizing
recognizing and building on one’s innate
strengths or talents, rather than eliminating
one’s weaknesses. Backed by research, the authors have created a StrengthsFinder Profile
that you can access after purchasing the book,
to identify your “signature themes” as a
leader or team member. Not only do you learn
more about yourself, but you also discover how
to interact with or manage/lead people with
strengths that differ from yours.
I found myself
nodding in agreement with what appears to be
well-laid out common sense, rather than shouting
“Aha!” in my head at a bunch of new
revelations. I guess I, too, am tired of
concentrating only on what is broken!
Please
forward this newsletter to a client, friend,
relative or acquaintance that might enjoy
reading it.
Philippa Kennealy MD MPH
The Vision Realization Process
President, Oya Consulting
Dr. Philippa Kennealy is an Executive and
Personal Coach, dedicated to your professional
and personal success and fulfillment. To
schedule an initial FR*EE consultation, to learn
more, or to inquire about having her speak to
your group or organization, contact her at:
pkennealy@oyaconsulting.com or
click here.
SHARE THE WEALTH
If you enjoy this newsletter and want others to
benefit, please forward this copy to family,
friends or colleagues. I truly appreciate your
loyalty and interest.
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