Reclaim Time - Reclaim Life

From ChangeThis 30.03 -- Stuart R. Levine has 11 of his 100 rules for changing your life and making more of your work/life balance. Here are the first three - which I found very practical.

::: #1 - I got it.

As soon as you understand exactly what someone is explaining, tell them in one way or another, "I got it." Doing so frees them to move on and cover more ground. Similarly, if someone else says "I got it" to you when you’re explaining a point, stop.

::: #2 - You're killing me.

What do you do if you’ve said "I got it" to the person addressing you and they keep right on talking? You feel trapped. You know the clock is ticking. This is the third time you’ve heard the story. Everyone in the room is already in what I call "violent agreement." Instead of getting angry or giving up, look at the other person, laugh, and say, "You’re killing me. I’ve got the point. Let's move on."

::: #3 - Close the loop.

Have you ever had a test at your physician's office, and the nurse said, "We'll call you if there's a problem"? Two weeks later—and still no call. You begin to wonder, "What if they lost the blood sample? How can I be sure everything's okay?" When people don't close the loop, they leave the other person hanging. Not only is it distracting, it can subtly erode the relationship. Anyone can follow up. It's a simple matter of being conscientious and disciplined.
- Respond to invitations and meeting requests promptly. It's a lot easier for others to plan an event when they know who's coming.
- When you receive details or specifics, acknowledge them. When you receive a question by phone or e-mail, answer it or forward it to the person who can. Acknowledge your action with the person who raised the question. A simple e-mail reply saying, "Got your message, see you there" will eliminate any confusion or uncertainty over whether you received the e-mail and were able to attend the event.

Never let yourself be known as someone who leaves other people hanging. Once that label gets applied, it's hard to shake. On the other hand, when you consistently close the loop, you build a reputation as a dependable professional.

I'm going to try to concentrate on these three, especially #3. So if you get in touch with me and I don't respond, that would be bad.

ChangeThis has some great stuff in regards to leadership, media, innovation, creativity and thinking.