Results Count ... everything else is conversation.: Power Hour – Making time to invest in your development

We never seem to have enough time, but everyone has all there is

Image: CoolDesign; Freedigitalphotos.net

This blog was originally started as a means of sharing ideas with colleagues and graduates from our IMS Retail University classes. Times have certainly changed since the first Results Count blogs some 6+ years ago. By syndicating our blogs through RCE and social media, we are not quite sure who is out there reading our posts today. However, we did have an opportunity to meet Glenda this past week. She shared that she had read a recent blog on her "power hour". Glenda's email got us thinking … in today's time starved world, we need to make the time to invest in ourselves by adopting Glenda's "Power Hour"!

Yep … Social media works and brings unexpected benefits

Syndicating our blog posts through RetailCustomerExperience.com (RCE) has been a great opportunity to make connections with some great retail contacts, and great professionals. I can't wait for opportunity to network with the RCE community when I speak at the RCE Executive Summit this August. That is the formal and positive side of networking through blogging.

Just as powerful and important is the benefit of meeting formerly unknown readers like Glenda. Glenda made the time to write an email explaining that she had discovered us through our recent post in RCE during her "power hour". Ok, I must have missed that seminar. What's a "power hour"? It struck me that Glenda is definitely on to a technique and topic worth sharing with all of our time starved readers suffering from "death by meetings".

Power Hour – Scheduling time to focus and invest

Image: Salvatore Vuono; Freedigitalphotos.net

I hadn't heard the term "power hour" before. So, naturally I searched the web only to discover that the most frequent references to "power hour" were in relation to a drinking game. Fortunately, I am apparently too old to have experienced the challenge of trying to drink so many shots per hour. And, I'm quite sure that is NOT what Glenda was referring to.

I do hope that Glenda becomes a loyal reader of Results Counts, and ultimately contributes her concepts and formula for her "power hour". As I perceived it, a "power hour" is a scheduled time to focus on something other than routine work. For me, a "power hour" would mean time away from meetings and interruptions to read and think. What I really like about the concept and name is:

"Power" implies empower … investing in yourself development and growth
"Hour" – no one has a free hour … you have to make the time and schedule it

There is the old time management adage that applies so well: Everyone complains that they don't have enough time, but everyone has the same amount each day. The key is how you choose to invest your time … and a power hour sounds like a very worthy investment!

Making the time for your "power hour" starts with deciding it's important

I can hear you now … almost screaming:

"Who has time to shut out the world for an entire hour?"
"You have no idea of how much email is in my inbox!"
"I'm booked, and double booked in back to back meetings …"
"Don't you people have real jobs?"

And the list goes on … and on. Calendars literally expand to fill the day to the point that it is impossible to "find an hour" to invest in yourself.

Without turning this blog into a treatise on time management, the keys to a "power hour" seem to be a) making it a priority, and b) actually scheduling it on your calendar so that the time doesn't get booked. Ok, I'm a realist. I don't always have time for a power hour every week. But, I can certainly make the time for a power hour a couple of times a month. I don't know how Glenda manages her "power hour", but for me it starts with making it a priority AND getting it on my calendar.

Ok … if you schedule your power hour, how and where will you invest?

Just like beauty, "power" lies in the eyes of the individual. For some, power might be becoming more proficient in their skills. For others, it might mean to become more widely read in their career. And for some, "power" may have nothing to do with career at all … it may mean investing in yourself and well-being. The key here is investing in YOU.

As I travel around the world working in retail, one general observation is that professionals simply don't read enough. More importantly, professionals don't read widely enough to see what is happening in their field in other countries. United States based professionals are especially guilty of being myopic. So, my personal discovery is that I need to invest my power hour in reading more broadly, on more topics, across more countries.

Smart Briefs – Highly recommended for your Power Hour Investment

Like Glenda, we certainly hope that you will include IMSResultsCount.com in your power hour reading list. You don't have to wait for our e-newsletter. You can go to our blog site directly any time. There's also a Resource Library that is being developed. As mentioned, many of our blogs are also published in RetailCustomerExperience.com. RCE is a highly recommended source on both retail and consumer experience related topics.

One of the curses and blessings of being a blogger is finding topics to write about every week! Some people might watch Twitter trending topics. Personally, I find the "SmartBriefs" to be a godsend. Essentially smart briefs are "curated content" in topical areas. Many are published daily, some weekly. Almost all are free. The best part is that you can quickly scan the headlines and if you find nothing interesting you can quickly delete them from you overflowing inbox. But in terms of investing in yourself and staying current, I've found nothing better than scanning selected smart briefs and blog sites. Best part, it doesn't take a whole power hour, so you still have some time left to think about it!

There are smart briefs and curated content for almost every field. Below are some of the top smart briefs we scan every week in retail. Glenda, we now know that you are out there! Hopefully you will find something interesting from the following list. And, we hope that you can make the time to comment on this blog or send us another intriguing email!

IMS highly recommends the following retail sources for review in your Power Hour: