Be the Duck

Happy Thursday!

Labor Day weekend is upon us in the United States.  In years past, United States schools would begin the day after Labor Day.  It was an informal signal that summer was over, and Fall was upon us. 

Labor Day is important as it honors workers as the foundation of a country's success.  In the United States, the holiday was established in 1894 and named “Labor Day”.   Now, in the United States, Labor Day is celebrated with parades, barbeques, getaways, and many store clearance sales (a great time to buy a new car, if you are in the market).  If you are celebrating the three-day weekend, stay safe and take a moment to celebrate the workers around the world who contribute every day. 

Be the Duck

Years ago,  I was asked by a peer how I manage conflicting priorities, aggressive deadlines and daily fire drills and remain successful.  

It was after a very stressful work week when I received her first IM that asked me how I managed it all.

I started laughing because I thought how can anyone watching think that I actually have it all together?  But, when I realized her question was genuine, I simply typed, "Be the duck." 

There it is.  Quick.  Concise.  Visual.  Well, not really, so let me explain.

For those of you who have not heard me talk about my mom, let me introduce you to her right now.  er name is Sandy Rea and she is known for her “Sandyism” (aren’t all moms?).

For years, my mom would tell my brother, sister and me to "be the duck".  It became humorous as our friends would ask, "Why be a duck?" or "What’s up with your mom and the duck?"  At one point, she even cut out a cartoon and put it on our refrigerator.  Not quite like the attached, but same message.

I remember the day, at a local pond, when she pointed out the cool composure of the duck.  Just gliding across the water.  From the surface, the duck is calm and collected.  But underneath the water, the duck's feet are paddling, working with the water to move in the intended direction.  She extended this to people and those who always appear to have their stuff together compared to those who appear to always be in a state of chaos. 

My siblings and I knew that when Mom said, "Be the duck" it meant to demonstrate composure and grace through steady control over emotion.  

To help me "be the duck" I have implemented three simple productivity tools into my daily routines:   

1) Personal Kanban - I use a Personal Kanban to organize my work.  Kanban is so simple to implement.  It allows me to prioritize my work and ensure my work in progress stays in balance.  

2) Pomodoro Technique - I use the Pomodoro Technique as a simple way to focus.  It allows me to exclusively focus on one task/project for a set amount of time (traditionally 25 minutes) then take a break (traditionally 5 minutes) and then go back in for another 25 minutes.  I use this in the mornings and at lunch for email.  Basically, I turn off distractions (IM, text, and others), set my cell phone timer for 25 minutes open up email, and hyper-focus.  When the timer goes off, I stop, save what I was working on to draft, and take a break.  After the break, I repeat.  It is amazing how many emails I can respond to without distractions and with a time limit.  

3) Set Intentions - I am a firm believer in setting intentions with agendas for meetings.  When asked to attend a meeting, I will ask for the intention and the agenda.  This helps me ensure I am ready for the meeting or in some cases address the need without having a meeting. 

With yesterday’s - all day - MIM event on Message Gateway, I realized I have not mastered time management.  There are times I am not ducklike, at all.  However, I am thankful for routines that make planning and prioritization especially important when dealing with aggressive deadlines, conflicting priorities, and daily fire drills.   I think the tools help to stay organized and might also help to be more ducklike.  😊

Enough about ducks.  Enjoy your weekend!

-srt