6 Items You're Missing to Transform Your Day-to-Day Life
Episode #585 with Jenni Poulos
Episode Resources:
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
The Myth of Multitasking by Dave Crenshaw: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-myth-of-multitasking-how-doing-it-all-gets-nothing-done-2nd-edition-project-management-and-time-management-skills-dave-crenshaw/14594823?ean=9781642505054
Quotes:
“Never in my years and years and years of coaching have I walked into an office and had a dentist or a team member tell me, ‘You know what? I have so much time available in my day. I always know exactly what I'm going to do, and when I'm going to do it. I start it and finish it without distractions,’ said no one, ever. Ever. Especially in this world. The dental practice is crazy. We’re always pulled in a million directions. That's the nature of the beast. So, without a plan for our days, we end up functioning, always, in reactive mode. And what we really need to do is move out of this reactive mode and into a proactive mode to create efficiency, have a more predictable day, and we become way more productive, and our days are happier.” (2:07—3:14)
“In the early 1900s, Charles Schwab, who at that time was a steel titan, the second biggest steel company in the country, he was looking for ways to increase his productivity. He wanted to beat out the competition and become number one. So, he had a consultant named Ivy Lee come in, and he said, ‘If you can give me 15 minutes, I will show you and your executives the way to get more done.’ Schwab, I can see him laughing through this, ‘Well, how much are those 15 minutes going to cost me?’ And he said, ‘Nothing. Unless it works, nothing. In three months, you can send me a check if it was worth it.’ So, three months later, Ivy Lee got a check for $25,000 from Schwab that said, ‘Thank you. You changed my life.’ Today, that's a check for $400,000 for 15 minutes of his time.” (4:54—5:54)
“So, this is the method. What [Ivy Lee] said is, at the end of your day, I want you to write down the six most important things that you need to accomplish tomorrow. Not more than six. Spend a few minutes. Think about it. What are the six most important things? Prioritize those items in order of their true importance. Not what I want to do, not what's easy to do — what's really important. Then, when you come in tomorrow, get to work. Concentrate on the first task. Work on that first task until it’s finished, and don't move on to the second until you've taken it to completion. Approach the rest of your list in the same manner. At the end of the day, anything that's not done moves to the list tomorrow, and you rinse and repeat.” (6:04—7:04)
“We talk about why [the Ivy Lee Method] works. Conceptually, this is so simple. What are the six things that I want to do? Why does it work? One of the main reasons that this really works is because of this myth of multitasking. It’s not a thing. Our brain can only focus, intentionally, on one thing at a time. What you're actually doing is called switch tasking. Your brain is jumping from one thing to another, and every time it does that, it has to refocus and the work that you're doing ends up not being as high quality and it takes you longer. So, you need to stay intentionally focused on one thing. Until it’s done, give it your full attention, and then move on to the next.” (8:50—9:40)
“I've presented [the idea of intentionally focusing on one task] to doctors and dental team members, and they're like, ‘This is ridiculous. Do you know what it’s like in the dental office?’ I'm like, ‘Yes. I've worked in a dental office for 20 years. I know exactly what it’s like.’ This doesn't mean I don't answer the phone. This doesn't mean that I don't deal with the patient in front of me. This doesn't mean, ‘I started doing payroll. So, sorry crown prep that's in seat two. I'll be there when I'm done.’ This means that the task that we’re working on, if we have to step away from it because of these other things, when we can come back, we get back into that. We give that our attention. It doesn't mean ignore everything that's going on around you. It means, what's the most important? Stick with it until it’s done. Then, next. Stick with it until it’s done.” (9:42—10:31)
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
2:01 Get out of the reactive mode.
4:35 The Ivy Lee Method, explained.
5:55 Item #1) Write the six most important things you need to accomplish for tomorrow.
7:06 Switch tasking, explained. Intentionally focus on one task at a time.
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Jenni Poulos Bio:
Jenni brings to dental teams a literal lifetime of experience in dentistry. As the daughter and sister of periodontists and a dental hygienist, she has been working in many facets of the dental world since she first held a summer job turning rooms and pouring models at the age of 12. Now, with over 10 years of experience in managing and leading a large periodontal practice, she has a firm grasp on what it takes to run a thriving business. Her passion for organizational health and culture has been a driving force behind her coaching career. She has witnessed firsthand how creating an aligned and engaged team will take a practice to levels of success that they never believed possible!