May 11, 2006

May not be reprinted without the consent of Sue Miller

Contact: Sue@suemillerpresentations.com

WORKPLACE WISDOM NEWSLETTER

Business or Busy-Ness?

We all have business to do.

It takes the form of personal business or professional business.

But do we understand busy-ness?

Cell phones are almost a necessity today. Why?

So we can be accessible to everyone at all times for everything.

Laptops and PDAs are commonly carried on all business and personal

trips? Why?

So we can send and receive information instantly to everyone at

anytime all over the world.

Yes, I understand. We DO live in the “Information Age” and knowledge is

what most of us sell. So it does make perfect sense to be on the cutting edge

of information. I am part of this current busy rush, just like you.

But I would like to remind you that we all can become ADDICTED TO crisis

management. Here’s what an addiction to the idea of “It must be done

NOW!” or “I’ll take action on that right NOW!”; or “I must be available to

everyone at all times!” creates in us:

?? Excitement

?? An adrenalin rush

?? A sense of being at the center of something

?? A “stop-and-look-at-me” syndrome

?? Wow! The "gun went off and the races have begun" feeling

Over a period of time, others “wise up” to our rush-to-crisis mentality.

We’ve all heard the story of “The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf”.

He, eventually, lost his credibility because he was habitually creating a crisis

(when there was really no crisis). One day, the little boy had a true crisis (a

wolf really did appear). Well, you know the rest…..none of the town’s people

came to help him because they’d heard him yelling about his false crises for

months and months. Sad ending!

Does this story apply to us today? Yes, I believe it does!

May 11, 2006

May not be reprinted without the consent of Sue Miller

Contact: Sue@suemillerpresentations.com

We are in the habit of telling our friends and co-workers of our busy-ness!

Sometimes, I believe it makes us feel important. We say things like:

?? I’m booked solid!

?? I have no time!

?? I can’t work in another meeting on my calendar!

?? I fly east on Wednesday…come back….and west on Thursday!

It’s exciting. It’s a self-designed “high”.

It is a lifestyle of choice.

In the end, it may be simply a bad habit.

When we live in a crisis mode, we are not in complete control of our lives.

We are putting out fires every day. Our rush to “the urgent” proves how

important we are and how much we are needed. Really? Maybe there is

another side to this "crisis-living".

Stephen Covey researched how highly effective people manage their time.

His findings are revealed in his famous book The Seven Habits of Highly

Effective People.

Here are his findings: People can get addicted to the rush they receive when

moving quickly from crisis to crisis. Is the "constant rush" effective? Covey

says, “No.” He teaches that the highest level of effectiveness, related to

managing our time, is to spend more of our time in the stages of:

?? Planning

?? Prevention

?? Preparation

?? Relationship Building

?? True Re-Creation of our energy (recreation)

?? Empowerment

?? Teaching

All of these activities, ultimately, reduce crises in our lives, as well as reduce

the need for us to be available and “on call” all the time. Many of these

activities are centered around enabling others to accept responsibility that we

don’t need to assume in the first place!

Personally, I like to do something very well the first time

-- spending more time on the product or outcome --

so that I can use that model again and again in the future.

I pay a price up front....to gain control over my time in the long run.

May 11, 2006

May not be reprinted without the consent of Sue Miller

Contact: Sue@suemillerpresentations.com

We all have TRUE CRISES and EMERGENCIES that require

immediate attention,

but ...

true crises and emergencies ARE comparatively fewer for

highly effective people.

Addictions are a challenge. If you think you're addicted to "AN OVERLY BUSY

LIFESTYLE", it will require FOCUS to change your habit. Stopping an

addiction requires: (1) your attention and awareness of just how scheduled

and busy you have become, (2) your willingness to do something about it,

and (3) your perseverance to rethink and to make the steady changes

necessary to relieve your busy-ness.

Your health will improve as stress levels go down. Your relationships will

improve as others perceive you as having time for them. Your life will take on

a new balance as you become comfortable with the fact that "spare time" is

okay!

Insanity is not a laughing matter.

Yet, your schedule can cause you to act a little insane? Control it!

Remember, you can "wear a little thin" when you appear proud of

your over-booked lifestyle.

So, my suggestion today is...

Let’s all work a little harder focusing on what is really "IMPORTANT"

…and try to recognize BUSY-NESS when it raises its ugly head.

Business is good.

Busy-ness is time that simply needs to be evaluated.

Stephen Covey's quote on busy-ness is classic...

"Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things

that matter least."