Jacquelyn Smith of Forbes Magazine wrote two articles which contain a number of great suggestions. Remember–to be successful, it’s best if you try to establish one or two new habits at a time.
16 Things You Should Do At The Start Of Every Work Day
16 Things You Should Do At The End Of Every Work Day
Is your life too chaotic most of the time?
If so, take a break! Grab your favourite beverage and sit down with a notepad. Make a list of ALL of the activities in which you, your partner (if applicable) and your children participate.
You’ll likely be surprised by how much the family is actually doing.
Once your list is compiled, ask yourself if it’s realistic. Are you trying to cram in too many activities? Do you need to make some adjustments? Remember that you don’t need to do something just because everyone else is doing it. Try your best not to overschedule. You will thank yourself later, and your life should run more smoothly. Or when the unexpected happens, you’ll be better able to handle whatever comes your way.
“You have a right to say no. Most of us have very weak and flaccid ‘no’ muscles. We feel guilty for saying no. We get ostracized and challenged for saying no, so we forget it’s our choice. Your ‘no’ muscle has to be built up to get to a place where you can say, ‘I don’t care if that’s what you want. I don’t want that. No.’
– Iyanla Vanzant, American Author
CHOICES FOR USING THE TIME IN YOUR LIFE
by Harold Taylor
There are only so many ways that you can use time. Here are the common ones. You will be more effective the further down the list you go.
1. WASTING TIME is giving up some of your time and getting nothing substantial in return.
2. LOSING TIME is being unaware of the passage of time by engaging in activity while the mind is absent.
3. SPENDING TIME is acquiring a completed task or activity in exchange for an equivalent amount of time.
4. BUYING TIME is paying someone else to do things that you would otherwise have to do yourself.
5. INVESTING TIME is gaining more in terms of enjoyment, productivity or purpose than you give up in terms of time.”
Harold Taylor is the leading Canadian time management expert.
“You can do so much in 10 minutes time. Ten minutes, once gone, are gone for good. Divide your life into 10-minute units and sacrifice as few of them as possible in meaningless activity.”
-Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA Founder
Have you been as productive as you hoped in January? In case you missed our last issue, claim your copy of Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog. Jumpstart your productivity now!
“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”
– Jim Rohn, American Businessman (1930-2009)
How do you define SUCCESS?
Check out The Success Indicator Poster by MaryEllen Tribby.
Is there some small change you can make to become even more successful in 2013?
If filing your 2012 Income Tax return is on your mind, check out this list of important 2013 TAX DEADLINES that you can’t afford to miss.
Paying attention to these key dates could save you a lot of money!
Have you heard the expression “Eat That Frog” before? It’s the phrase that Brian Tracy uses “as a metaphor for tackling the most challenging task of your day.”
Many of us procrastinate when it comes getting started on tasks we don’t really want to do.
I’d like to share some information from EAT THAT FROG! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time (ISBN 978-1-57675-422-1)–one of my favourite productivity books.
In our September issue, I shared the first seven ways on Brian’s list. Here are the next seven!
8. “The Law of Three: Identify the three things you do in your work that account for 90 percent of your contribution, and focus on getting them done before anything else. You will then have more time for your family and personal life.
9. Prepare thoroughly before you begin: Have everything you need at hand before you start. Assemble all the papers, information, tools, work materials, and numbers you might require so that you can get started and keep going.
10. Take it one oil [drum] at a time: You can accomplish the biggest and most complicated project if you just complete it one step at a time.
11. Upgrade your key skills: The more knowledgeable and skilled you become at your key tasks, the faster you start them and the sooner you get them done.
12. Leverage your [particular] talents: Determine exactly what it is that you are very good at doing, or could be very good at, and throw your whole heart into doing those specific things very, very well.
13. Identify your key constraints: Determine the bottlenecks or [obstacles], internal or external, that set the speed at which you achieve your most important goals, and focus on alleviating them.
14. Put the pressure on yourself: Imagine that you have to leave town for a month, and work as if you had to get all your major tasks completed before you left.”
Stay tuned to the next edition for the last seven ways to stop procrastinating and get more things done faster!
Take action and EAT THAT FROG!
FREEDOM BY PROCESS
Stuck in a rut? Can’t seem to focus or get productive? Or do you have so much to do you don’t know where to start – so you don’t start. Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?
Let’s get back to basics: Process. Checklists, plans and templates are what you build when you want to organize your thoughts and your time to be sure you focus your attention on your high value actions. I focus on these tools because many people have no structure to the way they work; they live and work daily in a state of chaos; in reaction mode. This causes everyone to work longer and at more stressful levels than necessary. Tools such as plans, templates and processes allow you the freedom to logically get work done and to have time to look ahead and enjoy the ride.
Here’s an easy way to build a process to form some structure to your time:
1. You must have at least an idea as to what you need to accomplish. Write it down in as few words as possible.
2. Start brainstorming all the things you need to do to accomplish your objective.
3. Put the tasks in a logical order making sure each action is truly necessary.
4. If the tasks are complex you may want to take an extra step and make note of the things you have to do to accomplish each task.
That’s it! Building a process really is that easy. The results happen when you build a process into your schedule: does this process have to be repeated daily, weekly, or monthly? Make time for it. Remember, even though you’ve built a process, it can – and likely will – change. That’s okay. New information comes to light and obstacles are put in the way. Don’t let speed bumps sabotage your whole structure. Being sure of what needs to be done 70% of the time is better than feeling like you’re always fighting fires.
Even the most creative people need structure and direction to accomplish their objectives; it doesn’t have to be complicated.
At FireHorse Consulting, we pride ourselves on providing accessible (and affordable!) business consulting to small businesses and professionals. To do this, we offer personal coaching, workshops, and e-Coaching. This way – you can choose what works best for you and start working to better yourself and your business . . . fast!
Be it developing or editing your business plan, creating a strategic marketing plan or helping you to establish small business management skills to create life-work-balance; we will help you decide what you need, and support you every step of the way.
Carol Glover
Cathy Mendler
Phone: 519-669-1377
Email: info@anewleaforganizers.ca
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