WORK IN PROGRESS
THE Personal Effectiveness E-zine Vol. VI, Issue 20, December 1, 2002

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In this issue:
--- To be more effective!
--- Recommended reading

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TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE!

Some readers might have noticed last month that the sub-head to Work in Progress' title has changed. It used to be "Life, Me, You, This Newsletter". Now it is "THE Personal Effectiveness e-zine". Why?

I have not abandoned the thought that we are all works in progress. However, as a statement it is simply an acceptance of a fact - the fact that all things change. On the other hand, I doubt that you read Work in Progress to learn about that. You know that change is. We may at times need help coping with change but... how do we want to cope with it? My guess is that we want to cope with it as effectively as we can. My guess is that the reason we read self-improvement e-zines and spend time in other self-growth activities is that we are looking for ways to become more effective.

The word effectiveness has become something of a buzz-word in business. However, when seeking books on the topic on Amazon.com, apart from the various permutations of Stephen Covey's excellent "Seven Habits of Effective People" books I passed by 71 titles relating solely to business or education before finding one that addressed effectiveness in individuals as people - and that one appeared to focus solely on interpersonal communication. Certainly interpersonal communication is a very important area of effectiveness, and most of us would do well to work at that, but the constellation of our abilities, of the areas in which we may or may not be effective, is far more diverse than that.

Whatever we do, we want to be effective at it, because to be effective means, according to my dictionary, that we are capable of producing a desired result. (This is similar to the use of the word "power" in G. Ross Lawford's book "The Quest for Authentic Power". However, I believe that the word power has too many different - and sometimes undesirable - connotations so I do not choose to use it in this context.) We want to be effective parents so as to raise happy and competent offspring. We want to be effective partners in order to maintain harmonious and supportive relationships. We want to be effective at whatever work we do because that will make the work more rewarding, either intrinsically or extrinsically. In my days as a graduate student one of the papers that most excited me was a 1959 paper by psychologist R. W. White that proposed that the need for a feeling of competence was very basic to human nature. Of course! We all want to be competent, which is to say, we all want to be effective. It IS basic that we want it - but sometimes we have difficulty being it.

I have realized that this is what Work in Progress has been about all along, and so I decided to acknowledge that fact with the new sub-title. I have also adopted the tag line "Personal Effectiveness Coach" and have obtained a domain name for a new web site, www.Be-More-Effective.com. (Don't rush - so far there is only a brief home page directing visitors to www.ChoiceCoach.com.) ChoiceCoach.com will continue to exist, but over the coming months will become more focused on spirituality and on inner development. I continue to believe that this inner work is the most effective way to become more effective in our outer lives. However, I also understand that some people are searching for a more immediate guide toward effectiveness. I believe that the search for both can continue in parallel, and will attempt to work with both on the two web sites.

So... how do you want to become more effective? Where do you have strengths that can be leveraged to produce more powerful results? How can you minimize the flip side and avoid being undermined by those aspects of yourself that you might not describe as strengths?

Suggestion - suppose you take a moment to consider where you are most effective, and where you are not. In what areas of your life are you eager to become more effective? (Note the word "eager." I am not talking "shoulds" here, but about parts of yourself that you yearn to develop more than you have done so far. What are your "someday, maybe dreams." What would help you to move forward with them? What are the dreams from the past that still will not entirely let you forget them?

Write down you thoughts about this. Write what you would like to do differently. Make a decision to do ONE thing this coming week that will move you towards that change.

I would like to hear from you about particular areas of your life where increased effectiveness is an issue for you. Perhaps you will see your concerns (made anonymous, of course) addressed in further issues of Work in Progress.

Here are some of the areas that are the most obvious.

Use of time:
Are you behind all the time? Late for appointments? On time but always stressed?

Communication:
Do you say/write what you mean so that your listeners can understand it as you intend?
Do you mean what you say and follow through on it?
Do you listen well and truly hear what is intended to be communicated?

Energy focus:
Do your priorities reflect your intentions?
Do you spend the most time and energy on the things that are most important to you?
Do you obsess over perfection to the point of paralysis?

A quick look at your answers will help you to know where you might want to start working on your personal effectiveness.

More later...

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RECOMMENDED READING

The two books that I believe contribute the most to personal effectiveness:
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
by David Allen
To learn more and/or order, click on
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D0670899240/personalandcareeA/002-8534146-380480

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
by Stephen R. Covey
To learn more and/or order, click on
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D0671708635/personalandcareeA/002-8534146-380480

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TELL A FRIEND

I hope that you enjoy Work in Progress, and that it is useful to you. To pass its benefits on to a friend or colleague, please click the link: http://lists.webvalence.com/broadcaster.sender.fcgi?request=form&news=WorkInProgress&ed=D20021202

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Any re-use of this material MUST include the words "Copyright Diana Robinson 2002. For more information visit Diana's web site www.ChoiceCoach.com or contact her at Diana@ChoiceCoach.com."

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To offer feedback e-mail Diana at Diana@ChoiceCoach.com or visit her web site at www.ChoiceCoach.com

Copyright 2002 Diana Robinson, PhD., PCC. Work in
Progress may be reproduced in its entirety only,
including this copyright line. Disclaimer -The contents herein are solely the opinions of Work in Progress owner, and should not be considered as a form of therapy nor advice. There is no guarantee of validity or accuracy. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, services of a competent professional should be sought.
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Copyright 2002 Diana Robinson, PhD., PCC.
To send a copy of this newsletter to a friend, please click this link: http://lists.webvalence.com/broadcaster.sender.fcgi?request=form&news=WorkInProgress&ed=D20021202
Work in Progress may be reproduced in its entirety only,
including this copyright line. Disclaimer -The contents herein are
solely the opinions of Work in Progress owner, and should not be
considered as a form of therapy nor advice. There is no guarantee of
validity or accuracy. If expert assistance or counseling is needed,
services of a competent professional should be sought.
TO SUBSCRIBE to Work in Progress send a blank e-mail to
workinprogress-On@lists.webvalence.com.
TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send a blank e-mail to
workinprogress-Off@lists.webvalence.com
To offer feedback e-mail Diana at Diana@ChoiceCoach.com or visit her
web site at www.ChoiceCoach.com