Copyright 2005 Kathy PaauwIn my previous article, The Art of Possibility, http://www.orgcoach.net/newsletter/june2005.html I suggested that you project yourself into
future by writing yourself a letter dated for a year from now. And I promised you some tips to help you set your insights into motion. This month I encourage you to take some time to create a list of daily or weekly rituals that will support you in attaining
milestones you want to accomplish over
next twelve months. Sometimes it's
little things that make a big difference in
long run. (Read my article: The Ripple Effect: Small Steps Lead to Big Results at http://www.orgcoach.net/newsletter/march2005.html .) What actions do you choose to take that will lead to better health, success, and greater meaning and fulfillment in your life? Write down some specific intentions so you can review them frequently. For example: * Take
dog for a brisk morning walk for 30 minutes right after getting out of bed. During
walk, visualize how I want my day to be.
* When I enter my office, take 10 minutes to review my tickler file and clarify
three most important areas of focus for
day. Then spend
next 96 minutes* (8:30-10:06 AM) focusing on those three areas. Do this before checking email. Do not answer
phone during this focus time. * Leave
office by 6 PM. Do not bring work home. * Have dinner as a family at least three weeknights each week. * Be in bed by 10 PM so I get 8 hours of sleep each night.
* Do my weekly planning on Fridays for
coming week. Schedule all of
things mentioned above into my calendar so I have a plan for making them happen.
*Why
odd number of 96 minutes above? Because of
Pareto Principle -
80/20 rule (see below). Twenty percent of an eight-hour workday is 96 minutes! This is really powerful stuff, so I hope you'll keep reading...
In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula to describe
unequal distribution of wealth in his country, observing that 80 percent of
land in Italy was owned by 20 percent of
population. After Pareto made his observation and created his formula, many others observed similar phenomena in their own areas of expertise.
In
1940s, Quality Management pioneer, Dr. Joseph Juran, recognized a universal principle which he called
"vital few and trivial many." A lack of precision on Juran's part made it appear that he was applying Pareto's observations about economics to his own observations. As a result, Juran's observation of
"vital few and trivial many" became known as Pareto's Principle - commonly known today as
80/20 rule.