How You Work Simply & Live Fully: An Interview with Joe Zeoli

Carson Tate: What is the driving force behind your personal commitment towards productivity and efficiency?

Joe Zeoli: My family is the main driver for me. It’s important for me to dedicate my time in the evenings and on the weekends to my family, so I know that I need to accomplish a lot during my working hours. Additionally, being more productive and efficient over time improves my earning power. That has a direct effect on the well-being of my family. I want them to have every advantage in the world. I keep a picture of my daughter on my desk to remind me to power through when I'm feeling down.

CT: Describe your go-to organizational tools and strategies.

JZ: I work with a few different organizational tools. I use Microsoft OneNote to keep notes, and I create a page for each meeting so I can take minutes. Taking minutes is a choice I made a year or so ago to re-train myself to pay attention and not to multi-task on a call. When I’m managing a project, I use Microsoft Project for the high-level milestones. My email is color coded and the colors have been renamed to reflect the topics the emails cover. I use folders to categorize emails that no longer need to be in my inbox. The inbox for me is to hold emails that are outstanding. The folder structure is consistent on my computer, as well.

CT: What has changed for you personally and professionally as a result of implementing these tools and strategies?

JZ: Since I implemented these tools and strategies, I find that I’m never having to search my computer or sift through my email to find something; I know where it is and I’m able to find it quickly. Professionally, I’m able to follow up on tasks and hold colleagues accountable.

CT: You mentioned that you know that you need eight hours of sleep, specific types of food and movement throughout your work day. How did you discover that each of these impacted your productivity?

JZ: You know when you are having a really good day, and you have that moment where you think you can accomplish anything and you’re super on top of everything? I have those days when I’m eating well, exercising and sleeping. Sleep has been a key factor for me for as long as I can remember, so it was very easy to identify sleep as a productivity tool or strategy for me personally. Before I started eating more mindfully, I ate a lot of large meals that filled me up, but left me feeling tired and unproductive. A couple years ago, I discovered that eating six or seven smaller meals a day helped me circumvent that lethargic, unproductive feeling. Moving around during the day actually came as a result of a back injury. I needed to keep moving to alleviate back pain, so I would take walks as breaks in the mornings. The silver lining was that I found that I was able either to think more creatively or to solve a problem when I got back to my desk. Walking sometimes gives me that aha! moment. So anytime I feel I’m stuck on a problem and can’t figure it out, I’ll go take a walk.

CT: Do you have any daily rituals or habits?

JZ: I have three distinct rituals. First thing in the morning, upon arriving to work, I setup a to-do list to prioritize my day. I do this to make sure I’m meeting deadlines. My second daily ritual is I will always go on a 20-minute walk outside, usually in the morning. I do this to clear my head, get some exercise and think through complex problems. The third ritual is during lunch, I read the paper, a book or do something that has nothing to do with work. I do this to disconnect from work briefly, so I can revisit whatever I was working on with a fresh mind.

CT: Describe how you structure your work day.

JZ: First thing in the morning, I take time to write out a to-do list. I prioritize it, and then I determine how much time a certain task will take. I block out time on my calendar to ensure that the time I’ve reserved is dedicated to the task without interruptions. To manage my attention, I turn off notifications on my email, I rarely check my personal phone, and, during meetings, I take meeting minutes, so that I stay engaged in the conversation. I do my best to put my most challenging work at the front part of my day where I know I will be at my best. Additionally, when I schedule meetings I try to keep them to 30 minutes and try to avoid late meetings because I’ve noticed that with longer meetings, participants aren’t fully engaged for the entire time, and after about 4pm the majority of people have their eye on the exits and aren’t going to give their full attention.

CT: How do you stay true to your unique work flow strategies when you work for a culture that lauds face time, long hours and constant connectivity?

JZ: I don’t give in to the work culture because I’ve found it doesn’t make me more productive. The quality of my work has improved as a result of my strategies, and I’ve never had a complaint about how I go about my day. If I was consistently turning in poor work or was missing deadlines, I think reading the paper at my desk would probably cause a problem for me.

CT: I imagine that your colleagues often come to you for organizational advice. What is the first thing that you tell them to do improve their productivity?

JZ: I always encourage my colleagues to use technology when they can. It’s easy and fast to leverage Outlook for the categorize feature, logical folder structure, task creation, and request follow-up. It’s impossible to remember everything that you have to do and writing a reminder on a piece of paper only works if you’re reading that piece of paper every day. I rely on Outlook to tell me what I have coming up and what still needs to be completed. I’ve found it to be highly effective, and it enables me to have a little bit more capacity in my day.

CT: In your opinion, what is the number one derailer of productivity?

JZ: Distractions. I work on a trading floor which means, at any time, someone can come up to me and tap me on the shoulder and start a conversation. While it is really difficult to do, you have to set boundaries with your co-workers.

One productivity suggestion to your readers is to get rid of distractions as much as possible. While you are working on a task or project, it’s okay not to answer your email right away. And, if someone needs you that urgently, he or she can call you. Or, instead of having a conversation at your desk while you have your eye on your email and instant messenger, schedule a coffee break away from the desk.

CT: How do you work simply and live fully?

JZ: While a lot of my story focuses on my personal productivity style as it helps me to work more simply and professionally, the same concepts apply in my personal life. A good and relevant example as to how these concepts apply personally - -how many times have you had a conversation with a friend and you are checking your social media sites or sending out a text at the same time? It’s important to disconnect yourself to focus on the present and live fully. Your relationships will be better as a result.

Joe, his wife, Frances Zeoli, and their one-year-old daughter.

Two quick tips for Joe:

1. Include one more break in the late afternoon. Maybe it is just a 5 minute walk around the office floor or up a flight of stairs. This will give him the push and energy he needs to finish his day strong. He knows the benefits this provides and has set the precedent in his office that he takes walking breaks, so this should be easy to incorporate into his day.

2. Since Joe is already taking notes in OneNote, he has the ability to create tasks in Outlook along with taking notes. OneNote will automatically send a task to Outlook in order to more effectively and efficiently manage them. This would not only save Joe time, it would also enable him to leverage one of his strengths planning. Here’s how to automatically send a task to Outlook task manager.

a. Launch OneNote, open the desired note sheet.

b. Select the text you want to convert into a task

c. Navigate to the HOME tab, and from OUTLOOK TASKS drop-down options, select the desired date.

d. It will now be automatically added to tasks in Outlook.

Did Joe's point about distractions hit home? For my advice on how to manage distractions, read my recent blog post, "What Everyone Needs To Know About Managing Distractions" located here: https://wrk.guru/managedistractions

For more information about me, my work, and my debut book coming out via Penguin in January 2015, please visit www.carsontate.com or visit me on Twitter at @thecarsontate.