OK. I've been AWOL for a while and haven't written on my blog for a couple of months.

But I have been busy. A colleague (Treion Muller) and I are just completing a book entitled, The Learning Explosion. It's a take on how so much knowledge can be found in the strangest places. But the bulk of the book talks about how organizations can take their corporate training online through the use of virtual classrooms.

400 galley copies are being printed and delivered tomorrow. The final draft will be available sometime in January if all goes well.

You can follow our tweets here: http://twitter.com/learningexplosn.

Moving the classroom online

For a couple of years my team and I have been working on finding an effective way to move training classrooms online. We've always known there's more to online events than just free, promotional, webcasts. We knew there had to be a way to effectively teach people live online

I believe the main reason we succeeded at this project was because we didn't know any better. Had we known then what we know today we probably would not have tried. And trust me, there were times I really wanted to quit. It was really hard to blaze this trail.

But, in the end, it's interesting to see how many of our competitors have tried to follow (and copy) exactly what we've done. It's flattering actually. Some have copied our pricing. Some have tried to copy our technology. But the one thing they can't copy is our content. This is OUR intellectual property.

What content do you have that others can't copy? Put your stamp on it and put it online.

Was it something you did, or didn't do?

I'm convinced that most stresses are caused internally... you do it to yourself. They're caused by lack of preparation and planning. Stephen Covey calls this proactivity.

Think about it. When was the last time you were speeding to the airport, stressed that you weren't going to make it through security in time. Why were you stressed? Was it because of something the airline did? Probably not. Was it because of something your boss did? Maybe, but probably not.

I'll bet it was because of something you did, or didn't do. It was because of lack of preparation and planning. Were you late because you were surfing the web, or doing some other thing to waste time? Were you working on lesser important things rather than the things that really matter?

Like I said, I think most stresses are caused by this -- lack of preparation and planning. Of course there will always be stress caused by emergencies or accidents or the unforeseen problem that will surface tomorrow on your desk at about 9:00. But most stress is caused because you are not planning your time well -- or at all.

If you would have left for the airport just 15 or 20 minutes earlier wouldn't that have relieved a lot of the pressure and stress? As a result you'll be transferring your stress to others through poor driving. Speeding. Recklessness. Tailgating. Talking on your cell phone.

Getting out of bed 15 minutes earlier won't kill you. But the drive to the airport just might.

Plan your time so you know what's important and then do it.

The Davis Principle

I played in rock band for the better part of High School and College. Lots of ska, a bunch of covers and a few great originals. It was a great way to earn money for pizza.

After each performance we would inevitably have a box full of cords and cables that were all tangled up in a knot.

Matt Davis was one of our lead singers. He had a theory that if you took this knot and shook it, it would unravel -- it would de-knot itself. So he would shake, and shake, and shake and, in many cases the ball of cables would eventually unravel or get close enough that you could easily finish untangling them. Whereas the rest of us would be fiddling with them and usually end up tying them tighter than they were before and it would take twice as long to undo them.

Now, this didn't happen all of the time. It worked when the bundle wasn't too messy. When it was a big messy knot it required someone to tackle it and trace back the ends of the cord like a crazy three dimensional maze until the cords were untangled.

You know where I'm going with this story, don't you?

This is a lot like the problems today. In some cases when you have problems that cause you stress and pressure you don't always need to sit and worry over them as much as you think you do. Some knots will unravel themselves with just a little effort, just a little shaking. However, there are some knots that are so tangled that you do need to take time and manage them until they're resolved. These are typically the knots that have been in the bottom of the box the longest and haven't had regular shaking. But for the most part, many of the knots in our life just require a little bit of coaxing and they'll resolve themselves.

• Go and talk with the person that is causing your stress.
• Spend a couple of additional hours working on that high-pressure project.

Some days I wish I had a roadie to shake out all of my knots at work. Wouldn't that be nice!

Five Tips to Reduce Your Stress: Tip #3

If you’re like most people, including me, your task might require its own Dewey Decimal system. Do you get a dozen new tasks every day, on top of the dozen you were handed the day before? Although it may seem impossible, there is a way to get the most important things done.

Tip #3: Plan or Perish

If you’re like me, you have multiple projects. Each with dozens of sub-tasks that need to be done “right now.” Right? To get through this jumble of projects you must do one simple thing: plan. It’s as easy as that. It’s no secret. It’s pure and simple common sense. Try out this process and you’ll see for yourself.

1. This coming Sunday night, before your work week begins, review your list of tasks.
2. Prioritize the ones that are most critical to your team’s goals.
3. Identify those tasks that you can easily delegate to others (see my previous post).
4. Identify what meetings you have during the week and find tasks that can be accomplished during those time periods.
5. Then, every morning, before anyone else comes into the office, take five minutes and review your list. Check off things you’ve done, review the day’s appointments, and adjust your tasks as necessary.

If you’re a user of Microsoft® Outlook® or IBM® Lotus® Notes® you might consider checking out some quick and simple Time Management webinars offered by FranklinCovey. They’re only about 1 ½ hours long and will provide some amazing techniques to help teach you how to use these tools while you plan your days.

In my next post, I’ll cover tip #4: “No” is not a four-letter word.

Five Tips to Reduce Your Stress: Tip #2

Have some of your colleagues been laid off recently? Are you being asked to pull up the slack and do more with less?

You’re not alone.

I mean, there are still other people in your organization, right?

Tip#2: Embrace Others

Odds are, when you’re working fast and furious, there is probably someone, somewhere in your organization that may have some downtime, or they’re worried about not being aligned with strategic projects. Find them. Grab them. Capitalize on their skills. And have them chip in. People are generally happier when they’re engaged and contributing. Sure, quality might slip a bit and it might take longer for you to get that project done. But there is a huge feeling of relief when you delegate a task to someone and you go back to your office and are able to tackle something else. And there is an even better feeling when they come back to you and the project is finished and better than if you did it yourself.

In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey outlines the principle of abundance. What this means is that there is always enough work for me and you, and the person in the office down the hall. Don’t be afraid to relinquish a bit of control over your projects. It will only benefit you and the people you bring into your circle. Your projects will get done better than before and you’ll be helping other people become engaged.

In my next post I’ll cover Tip #3: Plan or Perish.

Five Tips to Reduce Your Stress: Tip #1

Some of you may have read portions of this blog before. However, I've expanded it and will now republish it in five sections. I'd love to hear any comments. You can leave them here or e-mail me directly at matthewmurdoch@yahoo.com.

Why is it that when layoffs occur, and the workforce retracts, the work seems to expand? The remaining employees are, quite often, left with additional responsibilities and fewer resources. Sound familiar? I’m going to share with you my five keys to remaining sane when your job requirements try to drive you mad.

Tip #1: Eliminate Chaos
When everything around you is moving fast it’s hard to get organized. Does this sound like your typical day? You return from one meeting only to go to another and yet another throughout the day; you don’t have time to focus strategically on one project because your time is spread so thin over a dozen; you have three people at your door waiting for a decisions on three different projects.

Unless you gain control over the madness of your days, it will control you. You need to do whatever it takes to prepare yourself for these tornadic days - because they’re not going to stop. You need time management. You need to get organized.

Come in 30 minutes early and straighten your desk and reply to urgent e-mails: It’s amazing how much quality work you can do when nobody else is in the office.

Organize your files so you know where everything is: It’s a great feeling to be called into a last minute meeting and be able to grab the appropriate file.

Block out chunks of your days to ensure you have time to get your work done: I find that I’m most productive on Monday-my brain is fresh and I’m still thinking clearly. After my morning meetings I’ve blocked out a few hours in the afternoon to actually work.

Take time to help others: You’ll find that when you’re organized, you’ll be better able to help others and help them with things they need.

I’ve learned that when my life is chaotic, I work minute-by-minute. I can’t see the horizon and I start to feel overwhelmed and stressed. So, take some time and eliminate the chaos by getting organized.

In my next post I’ll talk about Tip #2: Embrace Others