Have you ever wondered what the inside of a removal man's house looks like?

Have you ever wondered what the inside of a removal man's house would look like? I'm guessing it would be pretty sparse with nothing more than a few photos on the wall, some paper plates, a milk crate and a giant fridge full of VB long-necks. (You'd need some cool refreshments after a full day of heavy lifting)

If you spent your days moving other people’s possessions around, how would it make you feel about your own belongings? I think that much like the chef who never cooks at home, the career removalist would be a classic minimalist.

This year, 2016 - The Chinese year of the monkey, I am making a conscious effort to think more like a removal man and less like a monkey.

I want less stuff in my life, fewer thoughts in my head and less mess on my desk. By carrying less around with me physically and mentally each day, I believe it will enable me to think clearer and to make better decisions. Better decisions for my family, my health and my business. In the past, I've been guilty of carrying too many boxes around in my head at the same time. This has led to a lack of clarity with my decision making. It's hard to think clearly when your mind is full of clutter.

All the best leaders that I work with excel in their decision making ability. It’s the one thing that seems to separate them from their team. It’s their ability to make good decisions under pressure.

In 2016 the information war shows no signs of letting up. We are all bombarded with endless LinkedIn posts, tweets, emails, you tube clips, requests to sponsor people and Facebook updates. It's almost impossible to find any time to get the heavy lifting done.

It's the real work, the grunt work and the problem solving that separates you from your colleagues.    

Let’s think about the removal man again for a moment. He must think it's crazy that he carts box after box from one location to the next. Often on arrival, and I've been guilty of this, the box that has been moved from the previous location just stays where it has been placed in it's new location for months or even years, taking up space in a spare room or a garage. Wouldn't it have been better to have disposed of the box before moving? Less is often more.

10 ways to find more time each week to get the real work done?

Everyone I work with has a different system for planning their work. Here are a few suggestions based on how I think a great removal man would think.  These are ideas I have learnt over the past 16 years as a corporate trainer. I have picked these up from the best leaders that I've been fortunate enough to work with and from observing some removal men. There is one thing I would say all of them have in common. They don't get distracted.

Everyone is different. Use your experience and knowledge of yourself to assess if some of them would be applicable to you. 

1. Have a written working plan for each week
2. Stick with the weekly plan you have developed for yourself
3. Do most of your heavy lifting (thinking, grunt work, problem solving) in the morning
4. Be good at saying No. A lot of requests will be unreasonable and distract you from your plan / goals
5. Batch your work into rooms or time blocks as opposed to flicking from task to task
6. Always end your day with a clear plan on your 5 main priorities for the next day
7. Work on your 5 main priorities each day as determined by the previous night’s list
8. Have a health and fitness plan and stick to it
9. Take regular breaks during the day. Stay off technology in these breaks
10. Remove anything from your work environment that could distract you from getting the job done

Next time you see a removalist at work, pause for a moment and think about all of those boxes that are being moved around from A to B.

Is that like the inside of your head? Wouldn't life be easier, with less stress and clutter if you got rid of a lot of those boxes.  

Posted in Leadership; Tagged Goals, Leadership, Habits; Posted 18 February 2016 by Steve Herzberg