{"id":1530,"date":"2020-08-09T19:26:41","date_gmt":"2020-08-09T19:26:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sitrakaratsimba.com\/?p=1530"},"modified":"2023-09-04T15:46:28","modified_gmt":"2023-09-04T15:46:28","slug":"master-your-workday-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sitrakaratsimba.com\/fr\/master-your-workday-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Master your workday now"},"content":{"rendered":"

MASTER YOUR WORKDAY NOW<\/h1>\n

INTRODUCTION<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Most of us are bogged down at work. We run an urgent race that we often lose.<\/p>\n

Emails keep flooding in, coworkers make repeated requests, and meetings rob your valuable time. It\u2019s as if you are making little or no progress at all on your work and on your goals.<\/p>\n

We definitely need a new approach.<\/p>\n

The solution is a concept Michael Linenberger<\/a> calls \u201cMaster your workday now\u201d. It\u2019s about attaining workday mastery.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorkday Mastery is that feeling and knowledge that work is flowing smoothly, that workday chaos is a thing of the past, that your goals are clear and attainable, and that your career is developing just the way you want.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe book Master your workday now will show you how to manage your workday\u2014right now; it will show you how to get control of your workday and increase your productivity quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe workday now solution\u201d comes from more than thirty creative years in the business world. It also comes from insights found in books, seminars and speeches. As of 2010, over 25,000 people were using elements of Michael\u2019s solution with great success.<\/p>\n

When you master your workday now, you\u2019ll feel that work is progressing smoothly. Your workday chaos will be under control and overall, you\u2019ll feel that your goals are being reached.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"master<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

PART I- Controlling Your Workday Now<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In Master your workday now, Part I delivers different methods for you to control tasks. It also helps get ahead of everything that the workday throws at you. It\u2019s about getting things done and achieving peace of mind.<\/p>\n

In this part, Michael Linenberger presents a control-layer system that helps you regulate and lessen the load of tasks you focus on. You\u2019ll also be given control-layer tools that help you get clear about what is on your plate at any given time. Once you get clarity, you\u2019ll be more motivated and that feeling greatly improves your ability to enjoy work.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s possible to control your workday rather than it controlling you.<\/p>\n

MASTER YOUR WORKDAY NOW CHAPTER 1- Control Your Work Before Work Controls You<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Most of us have an overclocked pace because of the workload. We make commitments that we are unlikely to honor. And we are stressed out because there are too many things to do and so little time. We start to freak out as we miss different opportunities, obligations and desired outcomes. In the end, our lack of productivity makes us feel guilty.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s true that the majority of people just try to keep their heads above water. But is it possible to get your workday under control?\u00a0 The answer is a resounding yes.<\/p>\n

In the first part of this book, we\u2019ll learn how to eliminate the blur and how to regulate our work. It\u2019s crucial to know exactly what work is on our set.<\/p>\n

MASTER YOUR WORKDAY NOW CHAPTER 2- A Quick Start for Gaining Control<\/strong><\/h3>\n

You can use different formats to apply the principles taught here (software, application\u2026). But Michael recommends using a simple pen or pencil and at least two sheets of paper.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a control-layer solution that the author calls \u201cWorkday mastery-to-do list\u201d. The goal is to get your workday under control within a few minutes. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n

Master your workday now: Try this now on paper<\/strong><\/h4>\n
    \n
  1. Take out a piece of paper, either lined or blank (or open your word processor or spreadsheet program), and at the very top, centered on the page, place the label \u201cNow Tasks List.\u201d<\/li>\n
  2. Just below that, flush left, write the label \u201cCritical Now (must do today).\u201d<\/li>\n
  3. Then about one-third of the way down the page, write the label (also flush left) \u201cOpportunity Now (start this week or next, review list daily)\u201d. That\u2019s it for the first page.<\/li>\n
  4. Then take another piece of paper, and at the top of that page, write the title \u201cOver the Horizon (Review Weekly).\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    You\u2019ve now got the basic Workday Mastery To-Do List in hand, all on only two pages.<\/p>\n

    Populate the List<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Take all the to-do lists you might have, even in your head. Enter at the top of the first sheet all the tasks you know you need to complete today.\u00a0 Don’t forget to look in your email inbox to make sure there isn’t an action waiting for you.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWrite into the next section (the one titled Opportunity Now), those tasks that aren\u2019t due today but that you would like to start as soon as possible. Write down any tasks you would like to work on if you had the opportunity to fit them in today or soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \u201cAnd then, on the next page, the one labeled \u201c Over the Horizon,\u201d enter any tasks that are fairly low-priority and you know you don\u2019t need to get to for a few weeks or more. That could be a big list. \u201c<\/p>\n

    \u201cThat\u2019s it; you have now started using the Workday Mastery To-Do List.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \"Master<\/p>\n

    How to Use This List<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    You\u2019ll have everything in one place, that\u2019s the main advantage when you use this system.<\/p>\n

    Critical now (First paper)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    As you work with the critical now tasks, don\u2019t overfill this section. It\u2019s what you must do today and only today. Ask yourself: \u201cWould I stay up late after work if I really have to do it?\u201d If the answer is no, don\u2019t put it there.<\/p>\n

    Opportunity now (First paper)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    In the opportunity now section are listed tasks you can start working on if you have the \u201copportunity\u201d. If you have time, then fine; but do not put more than 20 items on this section. If you have more, try to identify the low priority tasks and move them to the next sheet of paper, into the \u201cover the horizon\u201d section.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIf an Opportunity Now task has a specific deadline, enter the date of that deadline right at the start of the task description.\u201d For example: DUE November 13, finished summary of the book \u201cGetting things done by David Allen\u201d.<\/p>\n

    Over the horizon (Second paper)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    In the\u201d over the horizon\u201d page, write down all the tasks that are beyond your concern right now. These are the tasks with low priority. You still want to manage the tasks and not forget them. There\u2019s no real limit to the \u201cover horizon section\u201d. The goal is to empty your mind and list out everything. A weekly review is recommended for this list.<\/p>\n

    That\u2019s the Workday Mastery to-do list described in Master your workday now. The first time I knew about this method, I applied it and I can guarantee that it delivered its promises (and I\u2019m not paid to review the book btw).<\/p>\n

    MASTER YOUR WORKDAY NOW CHAPTER 3- Why Are We Out of Control?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    To find a cure to a problem, we must identify its root. Ask yourself: \u201cWhy do I feel overwhelmed (or possibly even fearful) about the amount of work on my plate?\u201d Chances are high that you have much to do.<\/p>\n

    Michael Linenberger agrees that some people are overloaded. The inefficient approach to their work might be the problem for many as he says. For example, you waste your day answering unimportant emails instead of optimizing your time.<\/p>\n

    The first part of the book focuses on that basic question: \u201cHow do I control my workday so I do not suffer the angst of getting behind, of feeling overwhelmed, of not meeting expectations\u2014both others\u2019 and my own?\u201d<\/p>\n

    If most people avoid tension in the workplace, Michael maintains that a little tension can help get people moving.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWhether you put tension on yourself or others impose it on you, that emotion can be useful to motivate you to get things done and stay ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

    In most cases, we resist change, even good change because it creates a certain tension. But creative tension can be good. It is a sure sign that we are changing for the better. In the book Mastery by George Leonard<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0we talked about Homeostasis, a natural tendency to get back to our old state and avoid change.<\/p>\n

    Urgency Is a Fact of Work Life<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    At the busy workplace, urgency creates both tension and stress. We are talking about the feeling that you have when you are pushed to move too fast on something. Maybe you created that sense of urgency yourself, or maybe other people induced it to you.<\/p>\n

    But as the author explains, urgency is normal and needed. It can be a management tool, even a self-management tool.\u00a0 Urgency motivates and stimulates the student who finishes his homework at the very last minutes.<\/p>\n

    Urgency Taken Too Far<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    \u201cSo, no, we should not try to eliminate urgency from the workplace. But urgency, if taken too far, also wears us down. Clearly, we need timeouts from urgency. Even a good action movie has slow parts where you catch your breath, where the tension is resolved. And you do not want the urgent episodes to last too long or become too intense.\u201d<\/p>\n

    What then is the difference between a sense of urgency that creates positive tension and one that creates stress?\u00a0 Think about a time when too many urgent things pile on top of one another, all at once. It becomes overwhelming and no longer stimulating. All zest for work is lost as this continues hour after hour and then day after day.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWhen too many urgent items pile on top of us, day after day, and we feel we cannot come up for air. We feel like we have lost control.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \u201cWhat typically leads us to this? Well, certainly, it is a high volume of things to do in proportion to the time we have. If we try to do them all at once, it feels overwhelming.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Working Low Priority First Is the Biggest Issue<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    At the end of the day, the never-ending pile of urgent tasks creates lots of stress. In addition, it also leads to a lack of clarity about your to-do-list. Subsequently, we are unable to measure the true priority of things and we often work on low-priority items at the expense of high-priority ones just because they are in front of us.<\/p>\n

    \u201cE-mail is the largest low-priority culprit these days.\u201d\u00a0 More and more people are spending hours a day managing their email, and they wonder why they can’t get their job done.<\/p>\n

    Is Prioritization the Answer?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    \u201cKnowing what tasks are important to do will help solve the lack-of clarity problem I just outlined. However, once work reaches a certain volume, a simple \u201cdo the important tasks first\u201d approach will stop working.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Prioritization works only with a low volume of tasks. As soon as the list reaches 40 to 140 tasks, you\u2019ll encounter stress and lack of clarity because everything seems important.<\/p>\n

    The real problem lies in how we measure importance. Sometimes, an important task is only important for those who gave it to us, maybe our Boss or our direct collaborators. Similarly, importance is very subjective. We might find something important when we get emotional but overtime, we no longer consider it as important and skip to another task.<\/p>\n

    \u201cAll of these issues can lead to an excessive abundance of \u201cimportant\u201d tasks, and an unusable system.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Is Getting Organized the Solution?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    \u201cMaybe there is a way to organize our work such that the correct priority of tasks becomes more evident\u201d<\/p>\n

    \u201cIf our work were more organized, the feeling of being overwhelmed would diminish, and that could have a positive effect on our work\u201d<\/p>\n

    \u201cGetting organized can make you more efficient at finding things. And prioritization is a form of organizing that helps you focus on the highest-priority items first.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Chapter 3 summary<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    We feel overwhelmed at work because there are too many urgent items arriving at once. We fail to categorize which task is most urgent and that\u2019s the main problem. Once we solve it, we gain efficiency.<\/p>\n

    We also saw that prioritization could be the solution even if prioritization requires first identifying the most important task. But separating the most and least important is often complicated and it remains a big barrier to our productivity (subjectivity, a big list of tasks on our to-do-list).<\/p>\n

    In the end, organizing our work might be the solution. Michael Linenberger proposes in the next section how to use a sense of urgency and include it into a proven system to get more organized.<\/p>\n

    To the author, \u201crecognizing urgency ends up being the key to the solution.\u201d The next section explains how to do that.<\/p>\n

    MASTER YOUR WORKDAY NOW CHAPTER 4- What Is Your Workday Now?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Michael Linenberger presents a system that will help you identify what\u2019s most urgent and what isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

    This system will give you ways to shorten your list down to a reasonable level, without anything critical neglected.<\/p>\n

    The results will be tangible as you\u2019ll feel more organized. It adds order, it\u2019s lightweight, you\u2019ll save plenty of time and you will be able to \u201cfocus on the most critical tasks first so that you do not waste time on low-value work\u201d.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe solution is based on the Workday Now concept in this book. It removes that feeling of being overwhelmed and shows what needs to be done, now.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Mental models<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    \u201cThe concept behind the Workday Now solution is as much psychological as logical.\u201d<\/p>\n

    To help you understand why we get anxious at work, why we worry and why we put off some important tasks, we need to model reality with mental models.<\/p>\n

    Mental models are mental representations of reality. It\u2019s composed of \u201cmental image or assumptions about how things in the world outside of us exist.\u201d \u201cBy this definition our model is usually incomplete or inaccurate when compared to the actual thing we are modeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s similar to a map that represents reality. As described in the book the 7 habits of highly effective people<\/strong><\/a> by Stephen Covey\u00a0<\/u><\/strong>a map is not the territory, it\u2019s not reality, just the representation of reality.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    The Workday Now Mental Model<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Let’s look at that mental model.\u00a0 In a typical out-of-control workday there are two harsh realities:<\/p>\n

    #1: As a busy professional you can’t reasonably do everything.\u00a0 You will think about and be given many more tasks, meetings and emails than you could decently handle.<\/p>\n

    #2: While you know that your most important goals and outcomes should guide your activities each day, it is often the urgency that determines what you will do each day.<\/p>\n

    On a busy work day, we tend to focus first on emergencies, then on urgent things that need to be completed quickly, then on things that are a little less urgent, etc.\u00a0 In the middle of these tasks there are meetings, interruptions and diversions.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIn general, though, our focus is based on time and urgency, and there is one aspect of this mental model that stands out the most: something that the author calls your Workday Now Horizon.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Identifying Your Workday Now Horizon<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    To understand why our focus is based on time and urgency, let\u2019s take an example:<\/p>\n

    \u201cIf someone (not your boss or an important client) tried to insert a half-day project into your currently very busy schedule, giving you no permission to drop other items, and then asked you to complete it tomorrow, I am pretty sure you would say, \u201cNo, I am too busy right now.\u201d However, even with the same workload, if that request were due, say, two months from now (and you had some interest in it), you would probably say \u201cfine.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \u201cSomewhere in the range between tomorrow and two months is the date after which you stop feeling too busy, as you mentally gaze from now on into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \u201cSo somewhere between one and two weeks is this threshold of work concern. It is the Workday Now Horizon or Now Horizon for short\u201d<\/p>\n

    The Now Horizon delineates what commitments you consider when you think about what is in your to-do list now.\u00a0 Most busy people feel anxious and stressed when they think about their workload within the boundaries of the horizon.<\/p>\n

    When they think about things beyond that horizon, however, they relax, even if there is no expected change in their workload.<\/p>\n

    Now, unless your work is seasonal, you don’t actually have to be less busy: you just imagine that you will be.\u00a0 This is a classic mental model where the mental image does not match reality.<\/p>\n

    For most of the people Michael Linenberger talked to, The Current Horizon usually ends at 1.5 weeks.<\/p>\n

    Think about what Horizon means.\u00a0 If you imagine yourself on the beach, looking out over the ocean, the horizon is the line beyond which you cannot see further because of the curvature of the earth.<\/p>\n

    \"horizon<\/p>\n

    \u201cSimilarly, your Now Horizon is that time edge of work beyond which you do not mentally see your future work clearly, and so it seems less troubling.\u201d<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \"horizon<\/p>\n

    The Conveyor Belt and Treadmill<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Let’s convert this mental model into another one that many people have when they work: that of a line work on a conveyor belt.\u00a0 Employees in a factory typically work near a conveyor belt on which physical objects are brought to them.\u00a0 Their working speed is controlled by the speed of the conveyor belt.<\/p>\n

    Office knowledge workers do not have a physical treadmill. But they often describe their work and themselves as being on such a treadmill: they run around and manage incoming tasks and requests as best they can.<\/p>\n

    \u201cCombining all the above, here is a useful model. Imagine a man or woman walking in place on the left end of a moving treadmill-like conveyor belt that stretches a far distance to the right; for simplicity of discussion we\u2019ll assume it is a man for now. He is facing and walking toward the right end at a speed that just keeps him in place above the left end of the moving belt (see Figure 4.3).\u201d<\/p>\n

    \"treadmill<\/p>\n

    The things that are right in front of him are the tasks that need to be accomplished immediately. As he accomplishes them, he progressively piles them into a mental “task accomplished” stack and moves on to the next item in front of him.<\/p>\n

    Workday Now Defined<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    \u201cThe time period between the immediate now and the Now Horizon is what I call your Workday Now\u201d<\/p>\n

    \u201cIt is the time period you are thinking about now at work. It is a very important period of time because it is the period we put nearly all our energy and attention on.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \"the<\/p>\n

    The Rate of Work Is What Matters<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    In this model, becoming too busy is related to the pace of work.\u00a0 If your tasks arrive at the same frequency as the ones you execute, you feel good.\u00a0 If the pace nonetheless is too high without you being able to increase your rate of task completion, you will feel stressed. They will pile up, and some of them will fall on the other side of the treadmill.<\/p>\n

    You would not be able to process all of them and start to miss opportunities and deadlines, creating lots of regrets and anxiety about work.<\/p>\n

    Chapter summary<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    This chapter is entitled: \u201cWhat is your workday now?\u201d<\/p>\n

    We\u2019ve seen the mental models that mention the existence of a 1, 5 week period in which most of our focus goes in. That period is like a conveyor belt or treadmill with continuous tasks coming in. The faster the pace, the more stressed and overwhelmed we become.<\/p>\n

    Managing your work starts with understanding this zone. You\u2019ll be more productive and feel less stressed.<\/p>\n

    MASTER YOUR WORKDAY NOW CHAPTER 5 – The Power of Urgency Zones<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    The \u201cworkday now model\u201d that we\u2019ve just seen in Chapter 4 helps us define \u201curgency zones\u201d. It\u2019s important to use these urgency zones intelligently so that we better manage our work. In this chapter, we\u2019ll delve deeply into these urgency zones.<\/p>\n

    Crazy Busy<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    If you mismanage your concentration at work, you\u2019ll soon end up with an \u201ceverything is a fire\u201d mentality.<\/p>\n

    Maybe it already happened to you: you are very busy the whole day and you did this \u201cinto a froth, trying to get it all done in a superhuman way. Your pace is so fast and imbalanced that everything you see seems like an emergency; even minor e-mail requests hitting your in-box throw you into action mode.\u201d<\/p>\n

    In fact, although you may think that your superhuman velocity is necessary and effective, it is usually not. Working in these conditions will cause lack of focus, attention deficit disorder (ADD) and even degraded brain functionality.<\/p>\n

    Michael Linenberger recommends the \u201cMaster your workday now\u201d or manage your workday now method which clearly distinguishes different urgency zones.<\/p>\n

    \u201cManaging tasks using urgency zones as taught here can balance these imbalances in our chaotic day. It does this simply by bringing to the surface underlying distinctions in task urgency, and placing them right in plain view. That way we clearly identify what truly requires our intense focus, and use such focus only on those items; we can relax appropriately on the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

    The three urgency zones explained in Master your workday now<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    We saw in chapter 2 of Master your workday now the paper based version of Michael\u2019s system.<\/p>\n

    Managing your tasks starts with using the three areas of urgency taught in this book – Criticism Now, Opportunities Now, and Beyond the Horizon. It can help balance the imbalances of a chaotic day.<\/p>\n

    The three urgency zones are:<\/p>\n

    – Critical Now Tasks<\/strong> (the tasks that get most of your attention and urgency)<\/p>\n

    – Opportunity Now Tasks<\/strong> (these are non-critical tasks, the tasks inside your workday now, other than the ones you must absolutely do today)<\/p>\n

    – Over-the-Horizon Tasks<\/strong> (the tasks beyond your current consideration)<\/p>\n

    \"urgency<\/p>\n

    The Two Most Important System Rules<\/strong><\/h4>\n