Being ready, part 2
Earlier in this blog, I wrote about being ready for anything, in life and in Boston. Imagine my surprise not long after that at coming across a small gem of a book titled Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work & Life. It’s by David Allen, a guy Fast Company magazine in 2000 called “one of the world’s most influential thinkers on personal productivity.” He’s also #49 on Business 2.0’s July 2006 "50 Who Matter Now” list. Serendipity, I thought! Sure, there are lots of books on productivity…and this one isn’t even new…but how could I ignore one titled so appropriately for me right now?
Turns out Allen takes a different approach to productivity, one that better suits my more right-brained way of looking at the world than do most of the “getting organized” tomes that focus on categorizing priorities or having the perfect filing system. He offers ideas to “clear your head for creativity, focus your attention, create structures that work, and take action to get things moving.” What’s not to like? And after each principle he offers “By the way…” – two or three questions that create opportunity for personal reflection, a cornerstone of effective adult learning.
A couple of his principles relate directly to being ready for anything in Boston.
Some of Allen’s principles relate directly to helping ensure you have the best possible learning and networking experiences in Boston. I’m a big advocate of setting learning goals and figuring out ahead of time what you want to gain by participating in any learning opportunity! Here are a couple of Allen’s principles and some related suggestions that might help you do a little pre-Boston planning.
Principle #1: Cleaning up creates new directions.
Allen’s premise with this one is that to have the energy for an unexpected creative opportunity, you need to get everything out of your head and into a “capture tool,” whatever that is for you. How many of us carry around our biggest “to do” list in our heads? His idea makes perfect sense to me; a story I often tell in workshops I lead makes the point that when your mind is full, there’s no room for new ideas. You certainly want to have space for new ideas at the annual meeting!
Actions you can take:
* Spend some time just before you head to Boston and write down everything you need to do, personally or professionally. Clean the closet of your mind, and air out the space so new ideas will feel welcome.
* Carry a small notebook throughout the convention (even – and especially – during social events!) in which you can jot whatever idea or action or thought comes to you during the convention. Then you can let go of those things until you get back to the office, leaving your mind open and unfettered by details.
Principle #18: The clearer your purpose, the more ways to fulfill it.
Boy, do I love this one! In this short essay, Allen focuses on considering why we do things. The more we know about why we do a given thing, he says, the more we’re free to explore new and different ways to accomplish the objective. How many times do we keep a program or project going simply because we always have? How many times do we sign up for a convention, and then don’t give it a second thought until we pick up our onsite program? Imagine how alert we’d be to possibilities if we knew exactly what we wanted to accomplish at each convention we attend!
Action you can take:
Spend some time reflecting on why you’re going to Boston, followed by a little planning...
…Is it to get new ideas? Why? What’s your purpose in wanting new ideas? New ideas about what?
…Is it to meet new people? Why? Which people do you want to meet? Where, during the meeting, might you find those other CEOs or fellow membership marketers or professional development colleagues or whomever it is?
…Is it to learn something new? What do you need or want to learn? Why? During which sessions might you learn it?
…Maybe you’re going to Boston in part because you’d like to see where some of America’s pivotal history took place. Which historical sites might you want to be sure to visit?
David Allen has 50 other great principles in this book, and I'm looking forward to exploring all of them for use in my world. Meanwhile, I encourage you to think about these two. By focusing your thinking on what you want to accomplish at the annual meeting – before you get there – you’ll have a much greater chance of heading back to your office with exactly what you need to be more effective.