may2022 - 33

MANAGEMENT
ÜTry to execute some of the things you've
listed or at least add them to your calendar.
ÜMake a list to free up processing capacity.
ÜWrite down annoying, intrusive thoughts
about an objective that is incomplete. These
often invade your cranium and keep you
from finishing tasks. This is known as the
Zeigarnik effect.
Women's leadership and mindfulness expert
Vanessa Loder recommends a similar strategy.
She proposes doing a mind dump. Take
no more than five minutes and write down
everything you can think of that you need to
do the following week, whether it be personal,
professional, or both. Then put the list away.
This list is not your to-do list; this list is a data
dump-a psychic release.
The reality is that all too often, you are not
in control of your time. When you are not in
control of most of your time, it is essential to
control what little time is left.
Tips to manage your
mental checklist
We all have a lot on our minds,
but with a few mental exercises
you can learn to manage the load.
I once read that ordinary people could keep
track of seven things in their heads. That's a
lot of mental balls to juggle and seems more
of an extraordinary feat to this ordinary guy,
at least. But as a thought experiment, humor
me and do a quick inventory of the items
you have to remember right now. Include
your appointments, critical action items you
promised, family plans, chores, " round tuits "
(those tasks you'll do when you get around to
it), and everything else. It's not easy.
To remember more than seven things, and
keep them from getting lost in some dark corner
of the hippocampus, we may repeat them to
ourselves. The problem with this method is that
it requires a lot of cerebral processing power.
That brainpower is not available for anything
else and diminishes overall efficiency.
Tying up your brain by trying to remember
things is also draining and might overwhelm
you at times. And these thoughts can intrude
at times when you need your brain at full
capacity. Well, guess what? Here's a simple
exercise that can help you regain processing
power and manage your " worry list " :
ÜSit quietly for five full minutes and allow
your thoughts and
worries to surface.
By Joel Levitt
PRESIDENT, SPRINGFIELD RESOURCES
Joel Levitt is the president of Springfield Resources, a
management consulting firm that services a variety of
clients on a wide range of maintenance issues. Levitt
has trained more than 17,000 maintenance leaders from
more than 3,000 organizations in 38 countries. He is also
the creator of Laser-Focused Training, a flexible training
program that provides specific, targeted training on your
schedule, online to one to 250 people.
ÜWrite down each
thought, concern, or
worry. The worries that
pop up are the things
you are trying not to
forget. They are also
consuming some of
your processing power.
A dozen ideas to deal with time
Here are a dozen more ways to deal with time
and help you juggle all those balls (adapted
from my book, 10 Minutes a Week to Great Time
Management [Reliabilityweb.com, 2019]:
ÜLearn when to say NO!
ÜDo the task you're least looking forward to first.
ÜSet aside specific times for checking email
and social media accounts. Avoid checking
emails except during these times.
ÜDistractions are all around you, some as near
as your phone, laptop, tablet, and desktop.
The best way to deal with distractions is
to schedule the interruptions so you get a
" reward " after a few hours of work.
ÜConsider blocking distractions when doing
important work and following up later once
your job is complete.
ÜPut up a " Do Not Disturb " sign when you
must get work done.
ÜPlace an item on the chair next to your desk
when you are working on something and don't
want to be disturbed. When people come in
to chat, they don't sit down or stay long. A
master professional engineer suggested this
simple technique to minimize interruptions.
ÜSilence the phone. Sometimes, silence is
critical. Turn off alerts and the cell phone
ringer-this is what voice mail is for.
ÜUse headphones to help tune out any
distractions.
ÜTake a break and walk around.
ÜTrain yourself to always complete
what you start. Going back to email,
for example, will always cost you
time.
ÜCarry a journal or use your smartphone
to record all your thoughts.
They are golden nuggets for your
life.
May 2022 | FleetMaintenance.com
33
Image: 199728798 | Irfan Ullah Alvi | Dreamstime
http://www.Reliabilityweb.com http://www.FleetMaintenance.com
may2022

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