Risk & Business Magazine JGS Insurance Magazine Fall 2019 | Page 4

RULES OF THE GAME
Set The Rules Of The Game
So You Can Win
W
hen it comes to playing any
sport or game, there are
rules. Often it’s those who
know the rules best who
come out on top. A clear
understanding of what specifically needs to
be done at what particular time is pivotal to
finding the winning points, yards, or position
for victory. There are boundaries, penalties,
and—most importantly—other players that
we have to contend with, the latter being the
most important to understand. So how’s this
any different from home or work? I propose
that it isn’t at all.
At home, we are a blended family and are
blessed with five kids ranging from 12 to
17 years old. The sports we are involved in
are lacrosse, wrestling, motorcycle racing,
basketball, and dance. (Let me put an
emphasis on dance for any of you dance
parents!) Oh, and jobs, they are all starting to
get jobs, which is great and all if they could
drive themselves.
BY: RYAN FLEMING
DIRECTOR - HABITATIONAL GROUP
JGS INSURANCE
Ryan Fleming offers an understanding
and a refreshing change of perspective.
His 14 years of experience in the
insurance industry has allowed him
to understand business from many
different angles and in turn, provide
solutions to improve productivity.
Ryan has been speaking for almost
10 years on various topics, focusing
mainly on improving, staff mindsets,
industry
understanding
and
controlling loss.
4
Our kids, just like any others, aren’t the
best at planning or informing us of the plan,
for that matter. We often find ourselves
scrambling to get someone somewhere across
town at the last minute while also figuring
out how to feed them on the go. It wasn’t
until we took the time and devoted the
attention to setting rules and boundaries in
our home that we finally started to win the
game.
For example, we utilize a cloud-based family
calendar encompassing all activities. If it’s
not on the calendar, it isn’t happening. We
also have a weekly menu that is created every
Sunday that allows us to shop for groceries
online and have them delivered Monday
morning for the week. Another thing that
has helped us win this game is the Amazon
Dash buttons. Inside almost every cabinet in
the house is a dash button that, when pressed,
orders whatever is needed in that cabinet for
delivery the next day. Talk about a time-saver.
No more wandering around Target buying
more than you need and waiting in lines
to pay. Setting the rules of our household
has allowed us to win and win big. We are
basically on autopilot with very few surprises.
Work is tough. Things get thrown on
your desk unexpectedly with deadlines
you struggle to meet. People barge in with
agendas that need addressing even though
they aren’t yours. Our days often get away
from us before we even get started. We wake
up with a plan, but somehow that plan flies
out the window the second we open our
email. Working just for the sake of working
isn’t productive, yet, that’s how our days are
filled. We leave the day with a tired mind and
sometimes tired body, but we are unclear of
what was actually accomplished.
It’s time to set the rules of the game in order
to win each day. You have the ability to set
those rules:
• Take time for yourself in the morning
to get into your best state. If that means
a workout, cold plunge, or simply coffee
and reflection, make sure you never
waver with this part of your day.
• Set up times during your day for email
responses or returning phone calls. They
will always keep coming and everyone
will always expect a response in their
timeframe unless you set a different
expectation. Without setting parameters,
the constant influx of emails and calls
will surely exhaust you.
•
Meetings need agendas and hard stops.
More will get accomplished if the agenda
is clear to all parties and the timer starts
counting down.
Ultimately, life will come at you from all
directions at all times. It’s easy for things to
overwhelm us, but we absolutely can win. We
just need to clearly define the rules. To be
effective employees, managers, fathers, and
mothers, we need to design how we intend to
play the game of life. Get clear on what you
want and how you want to get there and start
designing. It may seem like an arduous task,
but separating your life into different areas
will allow you to tackle each section. Good
luck! Go TEAM!