After reading an article on a study done about "Sleep Essential for Creativity," I thought this would be a good time to introduce "sleep" as part of your arsenal of tools for time management in 2004. The German study suggested the results to be "the first hard evidence supporting the common sense notion that creativity and problem-solving appear to be directly linked to adequate sleep. Some researchers said the study provides a valuable reminder for overtired workers and students that sleep is often the best medicine."

Some 70 million Americans are believed to be sleep- deprived which contributes to accidents, death (going to sleep at the wheel), health problems, and lower than average test scores. The study suggested that it was a warning sign to schools, employers and government agencies that getting enough sleep makes a huge difference in mental performance.

"A single study never settles an issue once and for all, but I would say this study does advance the field significantly," said Dr. Carl E. Hunt, Director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research at the National Institutes of Health. "It's going to have potentially important results for children for school performance and for adults for work performance."

Our minds continue to work on the day's events, even when we're trying to go to sleep and also while we are sleeping. Though some people try to let go of the events at the end of the day, they are unsuccessful most of the time because they don't know how to let go at the end of the day. One method to get to sleep or go back to sleep if you wake up, is to keep a notepad and a pen/pencil by your bedside and write down what you're thinking about and then lay back down and go back to sleep. This simple technique can help you get a restful night so you can wake up refocused and refreshed in the morning, with energy that will carry you throughout the day. In the morning, you can review your notes before your workday begins.

One misconception about showing what a valuable employee you are, is putting in a lot of hours. This can have a negative effect, not necessarily a positive effect. A study showed that when a person works more than 60 hours a week, productivity is reduced. Your body may be there, but where's your mind?-- probably thinking about getting some much needed rest.

If you have trouble sleeping, take a few minutes and circle the days on a monthly calendar when you were calm and productive as well as how much sleep you got that prior night in "blue" ink, and then circle the days with "red" ink for those times when you weren't in a good mood and you were less productive documenting the hours you slept. You might note what went on during those days to see if a pattern is emerging. Do this for 1-2 weeks. Then looking back at the calendar, you'll come to see what's causing your sleepless nights. You'll be able to see how productive you've been on the days when you got a sufficient amount of sleep.

You might ask, "What does sleep have to do with organizing and time management?" A lot. If you can't think clearly, how do you expect to make good decisions and get things done? Will you be working harder or smarter? Getting enough sleep will help you think more clearly, and you'll be able to make better defined goals.

Do yourself a favor, and make sleep a priority everyday--get at least 8 hours. You will be rewarded many times over because you'll be able to make better and faster decisions, and you will see the immediate results of managing your time more effectively and efficiently.
 

Always meeting deadlines?
"Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday." --Anonymous

Evelyn Gray, CSL
Organizing Consultant, Productivity Coach, Speaker & Author
email: evelyn@organizing-for-success.com Evelyn has recently published a booklet called "No More Junk Mail." This handy This 26-page high impact booklet is chock full of information to stop up to 90% of your paper junk mail you receive everyday in your home and office. You can use your PayPal account to order your booklet.

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Ovations offers a range of executive speechwriting and speech coaching services, including "Podium Power" workshops based on a series of innovative concepts and exercises - including "The Power of S.P.E.E.C.H.," "Whole-Brain Speaking," "The Immaculate Connection," and "The Wizard of Oz Formula." These coaching programs emphasize integrating Left Brain (content/preparation-based) and Right Brain (connection/presence-based) functions, enabling public speakers to become much more comfortable, confident and authentic in front of any audience.

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The former Chrysler Chairman, Lee Iacocca once remarked, "Your legacy should be that you made it better than it was when you got it". We all aspire to that, don't we? But have you ever known someone who had mastered a technical field or profession, and yet lacked the business savvy to really make things significantly better?

I know of an engineering firm like that. I'll call it XYZ Corporation to keep confidences. Never has there been a finer group of engineers to address the structural concerns of any contractor in the face of any project. But because this firm's executives had little knowledge of business management they suffered numerous company problems. Among other things, this group of engineers didn't know how to attend to control issues. This caused the company to constantly struggle to survive. Over and over, the next job's initial payment was essential for the completion of the previous project.

XYZ Corporation apparently lacked an adequate cost accounting system, if they had any cost accounting system at all. XYZ's executives would frequently outbid other engineering firms with the lowest bids for contracts. They regularly submitted bids for projects for which they had not specifically calculated how much time the project would actually take to complete. They didn't know how to conduct a specific cost analysis to make a good estimate of the actual personnel, materials, and overhead costs required to fulfill the contract. Apparently, the only matter of concern to these engineering executives was to quickly receive the next contract to boost their current revenue.

Because of XYZ Corporation's lack of controls, they increasingly had to delay promised deliveries. Time and again, these executives would encounter major cash flow problems because they had grossly underestimated the costs and time required to fulfill a contract. Then their solution would be to lay off some staff, abruptly cut the remaining employees' salaries, and demand that those employees work longer hours for reduced pay to finish a project. Then they hurriedly submitted bids for new contracts to obtain the capital necessary to complete past contracts. In time, living under such pressure took its toll on the creativity that brought their team of engineers to recognition in their profession. Because this was not just an isolated case but a repeated managerial pattern, employee morale was severely undermined.

Without an adequate internal control system to provide a more efficient operation, XYZ Corporation has been on the brink of bankruptcy several times. With little control, the company has no way to anticipate whether they will produce a profit from quarter to quarter. Now, the very existence of the firm depends on the firm's ability to keep landing new contracts before engineering staff has completed past contracts. This further encourages underbidding to land those contracts in a hurry to solve chronic cash flow problems. XYZ Corporation is like a house of cards that could collapse at any moment. Sadly, it acquired a reputation for delayed deliveries. And it risks getting so far behind that its engineers could never complete the accumulated unfinished projects. Tragically, the long- term viability of XYZ Corporation is now very much in doubt because it has neglected to control for profit.

Every diligent entrepreneur and executive should strive to manage their company to generate the healthiest profit for the owner or shareholders. About 30 centuries ago, an ancient book of wisdom endorsed the profit motive but also gave a necessary prerequisite. This book stated, "The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty."

This wisdom still holds true. A business like XYZ Corporation can falter or even fail if managerial decisions are made in haste without diligent plans for an adequate control system.

Managers today realize that they must perform in an environment of rapid change. Clearly, it's not enough to merely check on the condition of your business from time to time. Too many managers who take this passive approach have eventually discovered that it is too late to rescue their business.

Successful managers don't limit themselves to mere gut feelings about the condition of their business. Instead, the executives who implement systems for achieving organizational control are the ones who can and do maximize profits. These systems provide the real time data and warning signs that executives need to make ongoing corrective actions to respond effectively to market changes.

Scott Slawinski, the founder and CEO of EngineCore Inc., admitted, "I once thought that just because I was making a profit that I was doing things right. The financial figures looked great, until you compared them to the industry averages." Slawinski made this discovery by sending out teams to find out how the industry was doing as a whole, and to research and analyze what their competitors were doing. When asked about how his business is doing now, Slawinski jokingly replied, "We are tearing up the competition!" With over $75 million in sales growth in the past 5 years, he has moved his company from the dangers of surviving on annual financial statements alone, to one with formal control systems designed to continuously measure more meaningful progress toward planned performance.

Planned performance involves setting performance standards. Standards are performance targets for a given goal. Standards should be set for all the company's important activities, whether they are financial, legal, operations, charity, etc. Performance standards are typically set with regard to four factors:

You need to set performance standards:

- for quality (such as stringent limits on defects)
- for quantity (such as dollars, or volume of output)
- for cost (such as expenditure for materials and labor)
and
- for time used (such as on-time delivery of finished, and product).

Scott Slawinski has led his company all the way to the top level of organizational controls. In addition to real- time formal control system information, Scott's company achieves much control through the trust and shared values of company employees. At this highest level, Scott relies not only on real-time formal control systems, but he has empowered his employees to make sound judgments in decision-making because they share the core values, goals, and expectation of the organization. Scott built strong relationships of trust and respect with his employees and he has encouraged them to take responsibility for their own actions. He has communicated so thoroughly with his employees and knows them so well that he fully trusts that they are keeping the organization's best interests at heart. Scott's company, EngineCore Inc., has created an environment where both the executives and the employees are in a "win-win situation." This executive developed both formal and informal controls to maximize his company's profits.

These true stories about XYZ Corporation and EngineCore illustrate the crucial business dynamic we call "Control to Profit." XYZ Corporation functions at the Endangered Survivor Level, while EngineCore implementing even more effective control systems the company moved up even through the Struggling Survivor and Enduring Survivor Levels. Then moving up higher through the Bronze Medal Level, Silver Medal Level, all the way to the top Gold Medal Level on this crucial dynamic of "Control to Profit."

Through years of identifying the best practices of leading companies, we have identified 33 essential dynamics for managerial excellence. These dynamics are grouped under 6 major goals which address such realities as leadership, creating loyal employees, and achieving market dominance, just to name a few.

The staff of 33 Dynamics Consulting is interested in helping people in their given profession to become leaders in commerce by implementing sound business principles in these 33 areas of management.

There's no need to live from job to job or pay check to pay check. There are ways to get from survival mode to success, and the 33 Dynamics team can help you get there! Whether your company is struggling or solidly performing, the first step to moving up to even higher levels is to rate your own company in these 33 areas of business dynamics. This practical rating tool is included in our book, "There's Room at the Top."

John Hammond, a sales executive was quoted once saying, "From where I stand, the elevator to the top is, has been, and always will be "out of order". In order to get to the top, you'll have to take the stairs - and you'll have to take them one at a time."

Now is the time to consider the steps that will take you to the top of your game!

With a full range of offerings from management training seminars to executive consultation to round table executive sessions, the 33 Dynamics staff will tailor the method to your particular needs with regard to your company.

The 33 Dynamics team consists of people who have a broad range of experience in the business arena to include the healthcare profession, the retail sector, the educational world, as well as the private sector. Along with a wide array of executive experience, our staff members have their Master of Business Administration degrees, as well as some with earned Doctorates in business and psychology. This lineup is uniquely qualified to take you to a higher level in your ongoing pursuit of business excellence.

Give us a call at 803-748-1244, allow us to sit down with you and discuss a customized plan of action for you and your staff. Or visit our website at www.33dynamics.com.

Remember, the definition of "insanity" is to keep doing the same things you have always done while expecting different results. You will produce a strong legacy as an organization's leader if you apply the action steps taken by the top companies. "Your legacy should be that you made it better than it was when you got it."

33 Dynamics, LLC 1100 Wheat Street, Suite 311 PO Box 346 Columbia, SC 29202
info@33dynamics.com
www.33dynamics.com

Here is what Dr. Rekers says about ASLA:

In the ASLA seminar I attended, during a brainstorming session, someone in the group of participants suggested "THERE'S ROOM AT THE TOP" as a book title--and that is the title we used! So the idea for this book was born at that ASLA seminar I attended."

If you need more information about any of these programs call us at 800-801-1886