Your Passport Out Of 2015

As this week kicks off, many people are undoubtedly finding their schedule off kilter.

Perhaps you are finishing up your work so that you can enjoy a few days off. Maybe your personal to-do list is top-heavy with gifts to buy, treats to bake, homes to decorate.

Whatever the case with 10 days left in the year, we are taking advantage of Kevin Eikenberry's Five Ways To Make Your December More Productive to make the last ten days of 2015 the best ten days of 2015.

Just like your passport gets stamped every time you go somewhere new, consider each of these five steps a stamp toward destination productivity 2016.

Here are a few highlights from our Lead Change community to rack up those productivity stamps:

Move While Others Rest

Why not gift yourself some 12-minute segments of focus between now and December 31? Read Why Focusing In 12-Minute Bursts Can Improve Your Productivity by Weaving Influence Founder Becky Robinson for ways to structure those segments. In twelve minutes you could make a dent in an email backlog, draft your next blog post, or touch base with that contractor to make sure that question they asked last week was answered. You could buy yourself a little bit of peace of mind and a lot of satisfaction.

Learn From The People You Are With

With this concept, we are reminded to move beyond small talk in order to explore the ideas of others. Many in our Lead Change community are in businesses which aspire to provide excellent customer service. For Leading Voice Cheryl Bachelder, CEO of Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen, the Why Question is as important for adults as it is for toddlers.

She says, "Knowing why you are working on something elevates the importance of the work and your engagement in the work. If the why energizes you, then the work is energizing."

Take a moment to dig deeply into the why of one of your work tasks or work relationships. If you are a leader, take time to nurture an interest in the why among your staff.

Capture The Energy Of The Season

Noting the heightened energy of this time of year, we are encouraged to soak up the positivity and goodwill around us. Leading Voice Susan Mazza has a captivating and motivational take on energy in 7 Steps To Break The Cycle Of Inaction.

She shares, "once you are in action, with each action you take toward your goals, you gain momentum."

Has a particular cause or initiative captured your imagination this year? Why not surprise yourself by taking the first step to get involved?

Reflect On The Past 11 Months

Doesn't January 2015 seem like an extremely long time ago? If you want to take a quick tour through the year and test your recall, take the New York Times Farewell 2015 Quiz.

One suggestion from a Lead Change Instigator which can inform your approach to 2016 comes from Sean Glaze, in Why Maps Are Cheap & Great Tour Guides Are Invaluable.

Sean talks about why it can be worth it sometimes to invest in the "tour guide who knows that they are talking about" rather than trying to be frugal and settling for a pre-printed map.

Which did you do in 2015? Consider investing in the kind of professional support for 2016 that can help you be the best you possible.

Use The Golden Week

How will you spend the week between Christmas and New  Year's? Kevin suggests taking advantage of the fact that fewer people around you are working. Fewer interruptions may mean more productivity. We can't think of anyone better to spur us on to use time effectively than Instigator, Hyrum W. Smith, co-creator of the Franklin Planner.

There you have it. Five constructive tips amplified by five expanded thoughts from our dynamic Lead Change Community.

In closing, thank you to Kevin Eikenberry for the use of this infographic. Lastly, thank you to Instigator Chery Gegelman for a sentiment she shared in a blog chronicling the opportunity she had to fulfill her lifelong dream of interacting with a lion when she visited Africa earlier this year.

Your perspective will become your prison or your passport.

~ Steven Furtick

Here's to a world of possibilities in 2016!