I recently read a post on Associations Now about the concept of the “soft project” hour. In the article, Tim Ebner, discusses the end of day productivity slump. Picture this: 4 pm rolls around and you’ve had multiple meetings, several long phone calls and have checked off big to-dos on company projects. Mental fatigue is setting in and you’re lacking focus. Though this kind of fatigue is normal, Ebner suggests that rather than forcing yourself to complete complex tasks at this time of day, use this hour to finish to-dos that take minimal brain power and exertion – aka “soft projects”. So what are these “soft projects”? Ebner sat down with membership managers and consultants to discuss these simple to-dos.
Organize the member database
Your member database is the core of your association. It holds so much important information and helps you track member engagement, communication and transactions. “Even if you’re an association with the latest and greatest AMS, there’s a good chance your database could use some scrubbing,” says Ebner. If you have a large database, this task can seem a little daunting. Instead of trying to manage everything at once, section off your database by categories and try to tackle one each week. By breaking up this project into small pieces, it’s easier to digest and you’re less likely to make mistakes.
Visualize the member experience
More often than not, association managers spend so much time developing programs, recruiting members and updating their website, that they plan without fully considering the member’s experience. Consider something as simple as the membership application; visualize exactly what a member experiences as they go through this process – how long it takes, how many fields they need to fill out and how its initial appearance can make make them feel. If your member application isn’t broken up into sections but exists as a long list on one page, it could be very overwhelming. Maybe you ask for too much personal information, causing poor rapport. Or, worst of all a prospective individual can’t find the membership application on your page.
Take time to go through these experiences exactly as a member would. Make sure their experiences are nothing less than optimal! If you’d like to learn more about building a simple yet effective member application, see our recent post here.
Team brainstorm
I know what you’re thinking – strategizing with the team does not sound like an easy, end-of-day task. But, opposed to a traditional structured, goal-driven meeting, this can be a time to have informal conversations and brainstorm new ideas. Don’t feel pressured to set specific actions or plans (unless it naturally ends that way), but rather enjoy the open communication with colleagues. Ebner suggests providing some sort of incentive to come to these sessions too – “free food and beverages” never hurt.
Reflection Time
How often do we sit back and reflect on our day or week? Especially our workday and workweek? Probably not enough. By thinking back on our time, what we’ve accomplished and what we’d still like to do, we can better prepare ourselves for the future. Maybe it’s reflecting on your performance at your last monthly meeting and how that performance affected the outcome of the meeting. Or maybe it’s taking time to round up with the team and discuss numbers, set new goals, or just go over the successes and failures of a project.
Instead of forcing immense productivity every hour of the workday, segment your daily tasks based on your energy/focus levels at the given time. Wanna see more productivity hacks and apps? Check out this recent post on the ArcStone blog.