You’re only as organized as your least organized colleague (or family member)

It’s time we take a step back from our projects and take a hard look at whether we are busy or productive. They are very different.

I’ve been tweaking and adjusting my routines at work for most of my career, never quite getting it to where I want it to be.

This last weekend, I brought that issue to one of my mentors and he flipped the question on it‘s head for me. He said to me that I could only be as organized as the least organized person on my team.

This was his point.

Sure, we can optimize our to-do lists, workflows, sleep schedules, and even our morning routines to capture more productive minutes from our days, but when have you ever stopped to assess: What is the root cause of the disruptions that I hate so much?

Often it’s someone else’s chaos that causes the disruption.

Now, let’s be clear because I’m not one to blame my problems on others. It’s the disruptions that I allow to occur that are disrupting my productivity the most. It’s how I set the rules of engagement with me.

Here are some of the changes that I am considering to address this issue in my daily workflow and rules.

1. I need to create the rules of engagement with me - What that means is that I need to define how I want to be interacted with. If I only want to review something on a project, then I need to explain what that looks like and create the standard associated with it.
2. Timeblocking won’t work if I don’t respect it - No one can distract me that I do not allow to distract me. One of the beauties of working from home is that I have complete control of connection to me.
3. Family focus needs to be consistent - If I’m going to insistent on my family not coming in to distract me when I am working, then I must also be 100% present when it’s their time. This is always a huge challenge, especially if you enjoy your work.
4. Work to get your teams organized - If you are only as organized as your least organized team members, then as a leader, you must work to keep your teams organized. You must put in systems and processes (and set expectations) that your team is organized.