Productivity expert advises people to eliminate choices, make life simpler
Even though everyone knows there are only 24 hours in a day, there are many people who wish there were more.
According to Lisa Phillips, a representative with Simple Work and Mary Kay, it’s because people have forgotten to set boundaries and they’re working most of those hours a day. So as she addressed the South Shelby Chamber of Commerce Feb. 5, she explained where this trend comes from and how people can minimize that number.
“Technology was invented to speed the completion of a task,” Phillips said. “It was not to change the behavior of humans, and what has happened? It’s changed how we think, how we relate, how we talk and how we converse. It’s changed everything in our lives.”
Looking back about five years ago, she said the trend was finding out how to balance work and life, but smart phones have caused a shift. Now she’s found that people feel like they do a lot and they don’t see the result they want. This constant ability to check email after 10 p.m. is the cause, according to Phillips.
She said a person’s phone can be their enemy, and just because you can have email on your phone, doesn’t mean you should.
“We know that we live in a society of instant gratification, and that we need things right now,” she said. “It’s a microwave society.”
Phillips said that people spend 23 percent of their day trying to connect with someone, and that there are more that 22 ways to reach out to someone including Facebook, voicemail, twitter, email and text messages. So how do you minimize your inbox?
Phillips said telling people the very best way to reach you, whether it be email or a phone call, is how you can help save yourself and other people time.
“Help people be more productive with their time and yours with just that simple thing,” she said. “It’s different for everyone, too.”
She also said that people should find ways to eliminate options. If you don’t check your Facebook or listen to your voicemail, let people know or don’t give them the option. Technology is one of the four ways to distract yourself along with other people and your environment.
Phillips stressed that in the 24 hours you have a day, you are in charge of what you do with it. It’s also up to you to communicate that.
“That’s what I love is that every one of us in this room, we’re so different,” she said. “We’re either on this edge of the spectrum or we are over here. What works for one, doesn’t work for the other, so it really has to be personalized for you.”