What does a productive day look like to you? In one of my training sessions when I asked that same question the answers varied greatly. A few examples include:

• I would work on what is important rather than just urgent.

• I could work without the interruptions of others.

• I made time for my own growth and development.

• I would have the chance for deeper discussions with members of my team.

Strong leaders must set healthy boundaries when it comes to their team. Sure your team needs you, but they need a strategic leader that is able to give their best each day even more.

I once read an insightful article that gave examples of how bosses waste their employees’ time. Sure, no one intentionally does this, but it happens more than you may think. Leaders can inadvertently limit their employees’ opportunity to get their most significant work done. There were a number of excellent points in the article but one that really resonated with me was the idea of cookie licking.

Today, it’s fairly common for people to work extra hours outside the typical work week. While none of us just aspire to work nonstop, there are occasions where additional time is required on a particular project or looming deadline. The sad truth about working after hours is that people don’t typically work as efficiently as planned.

Let’s face it, we all want to start better habits and often have good intentions to do so. While we are well-meaning in this goal, it seems like we are just too busy to implement something new. I get it and know the feeling. What if I told you that there was a simple, effective way to build new habits into your daily schedule?

Between conferences, events, and one-on-one coaching sessions, I’m honored with the opportunity to walk alongside and assist those dealing with stress overload and burnout. I am truly grateful for the chance to encourage others with resources and techniques to conquer those challenging times in life.

I like my dentist. He is professional yet personable, thorough, and even has a sense of humor. The only thing I can "fault" him for is graduating from an institution that is a rival to my beloved NC State University. A past visit now brings me to add "person of wisdom" to his attributes.

Two key components of successful teams are for individuals to "own" their responsibilities and deliver their work outcomes in a timely and effective way. And it's the job of the leader or manager to make sure these things happen. With heavy workloads, frequent distractions, and sometimes unclear organizational goals, however, leaders can neglect this important role. They naively hope that their team members will simply "do the right thing."

I chuckled to myself as I watched the individuals buying plants last weekend. With 3-4 days of temperatures above 65 degrees around the end of March, it seemed everyone was now ready to break out of the winter doldrums and get started with their vegetable gardens and brightening their flower beds with fresh annuals. The reason I was laughing (to myself) was that I knew they would be buying them again very soon.

Sure enough…

Guest Post: Capri Fiello works to empower the online community through strategic outreach, advocating for people to take charge of their personal wellness in order to achieve their personal and professional goals. I’m pleased to have her share her thoughts about the value of self-care as a leader.

I love it when I hear or read something that challenges my current perspective. A few weeks ago I was truly shaken when James Clear, in his powerful book, Atomic Habits, wrote:

"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."

Guest Post: Allison Hail has some fantastic thoughts about utilizing technology to help with all you have on your plate. Grateful that she was willing to share her thoughts on my blog.

Guest Post: I’m always looking out for individuals who share my passion in helping others take care of all areas of their life so they can be at their best. Gabriel Patel is a cofounder of healthwellwise.com. He created the website with a group of friends who share is desire to help people live happy, healthy lives. 

One of the words I am certain you have already used multiple times in 2019 is busy. It’s become the default phrase for explaining many of the mistakes we make in our day. In fact, we use the word as a blanket statement to describe life in general (i.e. “Everyone is just so busy these days!”).

I am going on record today to suggest that we are using the wrong word.

The question seemed like such a simple one. I asked a group of senior leaders in an organization how they would invest 100 hours of their time over the next two weeks if all of their day-to-day responsibilities were removed from them. They could only focus on activities that would move the organization forward. I additionally asked them to break down the 100 hours by project or goal. Easy, right?

Last week was going to be different. Maybe you made the decision to start exercising, or to more effectively plan your day. You really wanted things to be different. You're tired of the constant pressure of trying to get everything done or feeling like there's something more important you should be doing with your time. Your new activities lasted about a week... and then you slipped quietly back into old habits and old ways of thinking.

One of the parts of speaking at a conference I find so interesting is interacting with the group before I speak. Whether it’s a networking event on the previous evening or just talking with participants who arrive early, I love to watch the reaction when I tell people what I do. When they ask me about what I “speak” on and I respond with “I help with the struggle of too much to do,” there’s almost always a conflicted response.

How many times in the past week have you said, “I only have ___________ minutes right now?”

Judging from my conversations with coaching clients and program participants, we are all saying it a lot more often. Not that it's a bad thing to be cognizant of how much time you have available. It's just that saying the phrase usually leads to choosing an easy-to-complete task (like checking email, social media, or some mindless activity) that really doesn't move your work or life forward in the most meaningful way.

Yes, I meant to type "inciteful" and not "insightful." A recent blog by Seth Godin has completely changed my attitude about how I look at what I might read. One of the questions I now ask about a "good book" someone mentions to me is, "How did you change behavior as a result of reading the book?"

How often do you spend some time in deep reflection about who you are and where you want to go? A time of sacred idleness when you let those deeper thoughts that have been suppressed by a crazy busy schedule bubble to the surface. Moments when you pay attention to your feelings, questions, frustrations, hopes, and dreams.

If you're like many people, your answer is "rarely."