Upon meeting Cindi Pree of the Kulshan Group it was quickly apparent we shared similar views on working easy for life balance. Having started and operated a few businesses, she now shares her knowledge and expertise as a Virtual Business Partner. Visit Cindi at www.kulshangroup.com
Here’s her story.
Working Easy is huge for Cindi, but it hasn’t always been the case. A one-time home school mom, on top of all the usual routines, she, “spent many years running – berating myself for not getting enough done. That’s not working easy.”
After a divorce she decided to find a happier life, and came to understand there was a healthier way to work and live too. Her search led her to meditation and spirituality. Jill Bolte Taylor’s “My Stroke of Insight” showed her how being disconnected from her right brain was tied into working hard. She gave herself permission to play – meditate, paint, even do nothing.
Cindi realized it wasn’t necessary to be frantic to be productive and she wasn’t going to do it anymore.
Past work with realtors working east coast hours and weekends, made Mondays hell. We worked frantically for 3 days to catch up, she says. “Eventually I recognized a pattern though; we were always caught up by Wednesday and she developed a new mind set. “It’s going to be OK,” she would tell herself and her staff.
Studying the teachings of Abraham she learned that time is a perception, it’s a human construct. The way we divide up the day is made up. We have all kinds of time; it’s how we use it that counts. She alludes to Steven Covey’s Big Rock story. We need to decide what our big rocks are. “For me it used to be getting the work done. Now the priority is how I feel when I am working. I continuously check in, moment to moment, and ask how it feels?”
Now if she puts in a long day it’s because she has done her ‘gut check’ and she’s doing it because she wants to, not because someone says she should or has to.
When asked what supports her in working easy she says, “It’s really important to know your strengths and weaknesses – analyze your work style and make sure what you’re doing works for you. Because I’m a linear person I look at and incorporate tools, systems and procedures, and create short cuts.”
Drawing on Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen and 6 Sigma principles, she strives for efficiency. She asks Five Whys: ask yourself why you are doing something five times and you’ll get to the core of it. If your answer is ‘because this is the way I’ve always done it’, or ‘because someone told me to’ there is likely room for change.
She looks for ways to be productive, “If I am more productive here, then I have more time to play!”
She always asks, “Does it benefit me? Is there a better way? Is there a better tool? If I’m using a tool, am I using it the best way?” Fewer mouse clicks to complete a task shaves off time. Even if it’s a few hundredths of a second it adds up every time you repeat it
Are you sending the same kind of documents often? Create templates. Looking for the same website over and over again? Make shortcuts. If you are reaching across the desk to grab something many times a day, move it to where it is handy. Keep visual clues, and use color coding to track projects.
Cindi’s recommendation: “Get in the habit of finding something to change before you start each day. Once you start doing this and you see the increased ease you will find more and more ways to streamline. Even after all the years I’ve been doing this I still find myself asking why I’m doing things a particular way.”
She also recommends spending a little money to have someone show you how to use the tools you have efficiently. We get bombarded by new tools all the time, but we don’t need to run out and buy them all. Bottom-line: A mind set of looking for ease has to come first, otherwise implementing the time-saving real world stuff just leaves room to fill up with a longer ‘to do’ list.
I tried Cindi’s tip of starting my day with changing something. I really like this and plan to continue!
Lynne
