Personal Drop Zones (PDZs)

By: Ronnie Nijmeh - [other]
It's frustrating to misplace a precious item. Whether it be keys, glasses, pens or an important document, when we want something, we want to be able to find it instantly. However, it doesn't always work that way. We have a special tip for you to help minimize wasted time and maximize productivity.

When a business gets a delivery, where is the shipment received? Does it go to the outgoing shipping department? Or how about the marketing department? Not a chance! There's too much room for error as the possibility for loss increases along the way. Instead, deliveries get dropped off in a central location: the receiving department -- surprise, surprise! (I can hear your shocked gasp from here!).

What's the difference between you and a business? Both should be time-conscious, productivity-driven, and want to get things done with the least stress as possible. It sounds as if both an individual and a business have similar needs doesn't it? So in a sense the two are similar, the difference is simply the scale and size.

Create a Personal Drop Zone (PDZ)

In order for you to get your work done you need the appropriate resources readily available. If you can't find your key to open your desk drawer, how can you pull out that document you need? If you can't find your reading glasses then how are you supposed to get your reading done?

We need a solution to solve this problem plaguing humanity for centuries. Well, sorry, I'm not going to be the savior of all of the world's problems, but I can offer you a fairly straightforward suggestion:

Think of yourself as a mini business.

Just like a business, create a specialized area for all of your needs. We call it a PDZ -- a personal drop zone. What's this "PDZ" I'm clamoring on about? Well, it's your own "receiving department," kind of like having your own deliveries area for a business.

Here's how it works:

Are your glasses bothering your eyes? Put them down! But where? Not just anywhere. Put it in your "glasses-only" PDZ. The personal drop zone is anywhere you'd like it to be! You're thinking, "Huh? What's the big deal, Charlie Brown?" Well, here's the constraint: your personal drop zone cannot change. Put your glasses in your predefined glasses-only PDZ, not just any flat surface you see!

This is better outlined through an example. Let's say that you keep losing your glasses "somewhere" in your house (if you always knew where this "somewhere" was, this article would bore the heck of you by now!). Well, if you had a glasses-specific PDZ (perhaps beside your computer keyboard), you'd know exactly where to look! It won't be in the drawer. It won't be in the kitchen. And it won't be in the bathroom. It'll be in your PDZ, sitting nice and comfortably beside your computer keyboard crying out for your attention.

Multiple Personal Drop Zones (mPDZs) We can't possibly put our glasses, keys or pens in the same place all the time. So you need to create mPDZs: Multiple Personal Drop Zones. At work? Drop your keys inside the drawer (or keep them in your pocket, for example). At home? Those same keys could be on your dresser counter top. Simple. Done and done.

For more flexibility, you may want more than one PDZ for each location. For example, at home, your briefcase can either be in your home office or beside the door. Period. Try keeping it to a max of two or three PDZs within each location. Any more and you'll find that you'll be searching more than finding!

Training and Discipline

Train yourself to return your belongings to your PDZ as often as you can and remember what goes where. Most importantly, be disciplined. It's a critical success factor for you to be consistent, otherwise nothing will work out!

Give PDZs a try. You might just find yourself saving your time and your sanity. If you can minimize wasted unproductive time, you'll end up with more quality time to spend wisely on anything that suits your fancy.

Just remember the motto: "You can put your important items absolutely anywhere you like, just as long as it's in the same place."

=A9 Copyright 2003, Ronnie Nijmeh, ACQYR.com. The ACQYR team provides the masses with witty yet strategic ideas leading to self- improvement and growth. For more information and exciting, fresh motivational articles, visit: http://www.acqyr.com . Live. Learn. ACQYR.




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