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Welcome back and welcome to week two of the new year.  I’ve been mentioning goals and planning for the last 4 or 5 weeks.  I hope all of y’all are doing better with yours than I’ve been.  I wrote everything down and I have the best of intentions!  Like I’ve said though.  Sometimes life and business gets in our way, and that is perfectly fine.  We have to stay fluid, duck and dodge as needed!  Last week I spent a few days in Nevada and this week I needed to go out to Georgia to do some hiring & onboarding. The fun part was that I was able to help out with several PIT classes for those hires. Of course, you all know how much I like meeting new people and getting to do a little training!

So, and we’ll probably be a little brief today as we’re on the road and all, and apologizes if you hear a lot of construction in the background.  They appear to be fixing a pipe or something here in the atrium of the hotel.

Anyway, I was thinking about how as a supervisor or manager, well, just how fluid our planning needs to be.  As an example.  This Tuesday I had a virtual presentation with about 32 supervisors and leads across the nation scheduled.  But last Friday I learned I would need to be in Georgia Monday morning!  I had 3 Supervisor interviews scheduled in the office Monday and Tuesday too.  I of course had to cancel the in office interviews but with the Tuesday meeting with all the frontline management teams being virtual I could just plan on taking 30 minutes out of my recruiting and give the presentation.  It’s operations, we just make it work right!

So, I had put together a few thoughts on planning for another project, a few affirmations we could all use from time to time and I wanted to hit some of the highlights!

These will be available on the website by next week it you’d like to download too.

So, the first one states:

I am productive because I commit to planning.

There are times when our workload seems overwhelming, but I avoid letting it get the better of me. Our tasks can be accomplished with ease when we stick to the allotted time for working on them.

Working on multiple projects simultaneously is exciting. I like having the variety, so I schedule the tasks in an interesting way to keep my days interesting.

We can’t always do that though due to deadlines, getting the doors open or closed, or working with associates, things like training.

Allotting set timeslots is an efficient way to ensure we stay on top of our responsibilities though.  I do it whenever possible.

When I focus on achieving goals and keeping caught up on everything, it is easy to commit to a schedule. I feel accomplished when I meet my deadlines and achieve targets.

 Having a day filled with achievements makes it easy to look forward to the next day with excitement. I avoid falling behind by setting realistic goals for myself each day. 

Like this week, I’ve set aside times for interviewing, on-boarding and then PIT Training.  I’ve enjoyed all three days so far!

Although I enjoy working, going without the occasional break leads to disinterest in my assigned projects. I avoid burnout and stress by committing to my personal life with as much passion that I give to my work life.  And I change scenery every 2 hours.  In our industry, even when I’m in the office I can get up and go look at or do something else for a minute!

I make time for my family and friends. I include this time in my planner just as I do my work commitments. Balancing work with my personal life is important for my peace of mind.  Take the podcast I’m doing right now or all the information and thoughts we have up on our website at warehouseandoperationsasacareer.com

 This week, what I am able to produce is a result of my commitment to a predefined schedule. I spend the time today planning for tomorrow, so I am able to feel successful and satisfied at the end of the day.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. What tools do I need to plan my days? It’s as simple as a $1 legal pad
2. How do unforeseen changes impact my ability to remain productive? Like my week this week. It had to be done, we just move what we have to and rearraigned what we can to make it all work!  It’s Operations, right?
3. What time management techniques do I use to help me stay on schedule? Here we need to be realistic and remember to plan short breaks.  One of my most used tools is my smartphone.  I set reminders throughout the day and use my outlook and google calendars, with alerts turned on, to keep me moving from assignment, to meetings and yes, even my scheduled breaks and lunchs!

One other affirmation reflection I wanted to go over real quick is called

I free myself from fear by planning ahead.

I don’t generally have fears of the day because I have a plan for my day.  A thorough plan is my antidote to worry and frustration.  Knowing where I am headed helps me travel there with confidence. Of course like I’m always saying, things will change, expect it.  By knowing and accepting that it can happen we’re kind of planning on it right!  So no fear.

I am calm when I know the direction in which my life is going. When I have a plan, I can enjoy peace because I know that I am prepared to face the day. I can enjoy calm because I have thought about things in advance.

I take pleasure in thinking about the future with intense anticipation, yet I plan ahead to keep myself at an advantage over uncertainty. Planning ahead helps me cultivate great ideas that may not come to me when I am placed in the spotlight.

Plans are the roadmaps to my life’s adventures. My plan is not binding; rather it is a helpful guide that helps to direct me. Points me in the right direction.

When I review my plans, I am able to identify areas that need improvement and I work on those areas before they become a problem. I am a better manager because I take the time to prepare myself in advance.

I know that my plans and goals may not always work out, but they set me on a clear path toward bigger and better ideas. My plans are simply well thought out ideas of the direction I’d like to go.

Today, I choose to be free from fear by creating a realistic plan for tomorrow.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. What plans do I have for today? I look at my calendars every morning after coffee.
2. How can I better prepare myself for tomorrow? Each night, like an hour before bedtime I check out my calendars. You’ll be surprised how affective this quick review can be.  When I know how my day is starting, I sleep better.  There are not going to be any unknowns, at least to start off with!
3. How can I adjust my plans for the future in order to feel more confident? If I messed something up, I will have sideboards in place, so I don’t do it again.  I build a lot of sideboards every day!

Well, there’s a couple of thoughts for the week.  My apologizes for the short episode today but, hey, life and business had needs too.

Until next week, plan your time, be confident in all that you do and Be Safe at work and home!