“We accomplish more by 9:00 than most people do all day.” This popular Army saying rings true and demonstrates the true productivity of our armed forces. So let’s look at 3 productivity tips. Military leaders manage very tight schedules to ensure they meet the demands of their mission. They must also maintain awareness of all the moving pieces of their projects. How do they do it?
1) 30/60/90 Day Planning
All training is planned well in advance. Every month leaders get together and assess their long-range planning. By looking at intervals from 30-120 days out, we can make sure that all equipment is mission ready and people are informed of their duties. We can see problems before they arise and adjust plans as necessary.
Use your weekly or monthly review to stay ahead of your tasks by planning ahead.
2) Red/Amber/Green
Any time I plan, I use colors to determine my readiness. Just like a traffic light signals the status of the road, color coding helps keep my projects in perspective.
- Red: Initial plan is created, but it has not been acted upon.
- Amber: Coordination begun and initial contacts made.
- Green: Everything is set, confirmed, and ready to go.
This is a fun one to use with your kids. Ask them the color of their current project. Picking up toys, yeah, that’s always Red.
[shareable cite=”Robby Miles”]No matter how perfect the plan, circumstances will change.[/shareable]
3) Flexibility
“No plan survives first contact.” No matter how perfect the plan, circumstances will change. As a leader, you must always be adjusting. By keeping the goal or mission in sight, you can constantly update the plan and appropriately react to changes.
Be willing to use alternate means to achieve the same ends. Flexibility requires creativity. With kids (and often with your wife) you have to creatively solve problems. Raising kids is impossible if you’re too rigid.
[reminder]Which of the three tips above do you think is most useful? Why?[/reminder]
