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Tips to kick start your business after the summer break

Wondering where the summer has gone and why your business is sluggish?

Beating yourself up for spending more time with the children than with your customers?

Hey, stop it! The school holidays are a time of fun and pleasure. Family time to savour and enjoy. I’m sure you’ve been keeping the business ticking over. It’s fine. Let’s look forwards not back 🙂

Ready to kick start your business?

If you’re anything like me, your business has taken a bit of a back seat amongst the juggling of the summer holidays. Even though my boys are teenagers, (eldest starts college next week), and I don’t have to “look after” them, they are still a distraction whilst they’re at home.

Whilst you’ve been keeping customers happy and doing some marketing over the summer, I’m sure that now it’s come to back to school time, you’re wanting to really grab your business by it’s business plan and focus focus focus. Am I right?

Here’s some tips to get you started back on track with growing your business:

  • Be clear about what you want to achieve. I know, you hear this all the time. But it’s still true! If you don’t know what you want, how can you achieve it? Your plans may have altered, so write things down so you’re clear about your new focus.
  • Write down clear goals for the next 6 months to focus on. How many products do you want to sell? How many clients a week are you wanting to serve? How many events do you want to attend?
  • Know how much time you’ve got to spend on your business. After school clubs may change. School times may be different if your children are moving to a new school. When’s half term? Are you taking holiday? What activities are you already committed to at weekends?
  • Do you have time limited events already committed to e.g. Christmas stalls, training days Ensure they’re in your schedule. Work backwards from each fixed date to ensure you get all the work done you need to make the most of that particular activity.
  • Tell your family and friends what you want to achieve. If you don’t have the right support, you’ll feel guilty for working in your business. If they know they will support you. Is there anything they can do to help you?
  • Book time out for you & having fun. Whilst the summer holidays may be behind us, you need to ensure you continue to have regular downtime to recharge your batteries. If you’ve learnt nothing else from the summer, taking time for you gives you space to think about what’s important.

What tips would you add? Leave a comment below.

Join the Free Kick Start your Business Challenge

Business Kick Start Challenge

In the Business Cheerleading Club this summer we supported each other with a Stay on Track Challenge. It really helped business owners keep their businesses moving, even though they were often busy and juggling lots of other commitments as well. So, we thought we’d do a quick challenge to get your business kick started.

Starting Monday 3rd September, each day you’ll need to commit 20 minutes to do one task each day. That’s it. I’m confident that this little 20 minute focus will give you and your business the kick start you need this autumn.

It’s free to join, and you’ll get all the support you need in the free online group to do whatever it is you need to do, or get help with, to take those first steps in September. No catch. Just commit, show up, do the tasks and ask for help. For 5 days. Sound like a plan?

Join us here for the Kick Start your Business Challenge: 

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Being happy in business isn’t always easy

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” Dalai Lama

being happy in businessAre you feeling overwhelmed with all the juggling you’re trying to do right now with family and business? Or are you just taking each day as it comes and not worrying about what’s not getting done from your plans?

Whichever one it is, (or somewhere in between), I’d like you to stop giving yourself a hard time. You can only do what you can do. If you’ve put your family first this summer, that’s great. So don’t feel guilty that you’ve put your business to one side! You only have 24 hours a day, and it’s your choice what you do with that time. It’s your own actions which you need to take responsibility for – no-one else can do that for you.

Mmm, was that harsher than usual? Well, I’ve spent time this week with some women who were beating themselves up about all the things they weren’t good at, or hadn’t done. It concerned me. Here were some amazing ladies, with so many skills and talents, yet they were focusing on things they hadn’t done, and seemed to have forgotten about all the wonderful things they had achieved! Once they started to see that they could only do so much each day, week and month, and that they had choices, they started to smile. It was a delight to see.

Whilst their actions were creating happiness for others, they were being so focused on those other people, they forgot to enjoy what they were doing. They were thinking that this “thing” on their list was all for someone else. Yet, if they didn’t have the skill or knowledge, they couldn’t support that other person or make them happy. What a gift! To make others happy with your skills and talents! Wow!

Being happy in business is your business

Do you embrace your skills and talents? Do they make you happy? Whilst you’re creating and supporting others, are you feeling happiness?

I believe if you’re happy in what you’re doing, those around you will share your happiness. Your happiness will spread into your work and your family, and your customers will be happier as you’re happier with the results/products you’re getting for them. Would you disagree with this? I’d love to hear your views. What a great conversation starter – is your happiness infectious 🙂

If you’re feeling a bit out of sorts at the moment, stop, breathe, and review what you’re doing. Take a bit of time to just see what you’re doing with your time, what makes you happy, and what’s important to you.

If you’d like help checking things out, feel free to book a 20 minute free Explore Call, or join the Business Cheerleading Club and get the help of other business owners to explore with you.

Is being happy in business a priority for you?

If you’d like Monday Motivation, and our weekly business tips delivered direct to your inbox, you can sign up here:

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Keep on keeping on

“I can, therefore I am.” Simone Weil

keep on keeping onAre you seeing all your hard work and efforts starting to pay off this year? I am. Both personally, for my family and my business.

None more so than for my eldest son this weekend. It was his national championships for his sport. He’s 16 years old and after some wobbles at the end of last year when he was working out if he even liked the sport any more, (as he’s been doing it for about 8 years now), he’s been focused on doing as well as he could in these championships.

He’s worked hard, and has stuck to his goal, through injury and recovery. Through his school work, which he put time and effort into as well. And he’s always listened to the advice his coaches have given him. He’s learnt, he’s tweaked, he’s put time in to his personal and physical development. The mantra “Keep on keeping on” has been very much in my mind watching and supporting him this year, with all the ups and downs.

His performance this weekend is what some may talk about as “solid”. There was nothing spectacular. Yes, he got some personal bests in a few of his 10 events (he does Decathlon), and he was close to his others. He had his highlights and some disappointments over the weekend. But he kept going. He focused on his own game rather than that of those he was competing against. We didn’t know it, but at the end of the 9th event he’d jumped from 7th to 4th, heading into the final 1500m. He didn’t know it either. That was interesting to me. He was so focused on his own personal performance that he didn’t need to know where he was or what others were doing around him. He concentrated on running his own race (the best he’s ever run it, not in time, just in technique), and finished the end of the weekend 4th in the UK. Wow. Just saying that makes me have goose bumps! Yes, I’m blown away by his talent.

But more importantly, what it showed was that his steady weekly tasks and progress all add up to something very special in the end. Yes, the other 19 boys who completed the event are all amazing. They have to learn and commit to practising 10 different events, whilst they do their school work, and have friends and other interests. But they focus on the end goal. And stick to it. They don’t let a little wobble in one event affect them overall (OK, some do, but that’s where those who get to the top manage this much better).

Just like our businesses are made up of many different moving parts, so a decathlete needs to manage their training, nutrition, rest, recovery, mental strength to get the result they want. If one part isn’t quite right it affects the rest of our business. If you’re not happy, or committed to what you’re doing it affects the whole thing!

Keep on keeping on – what does that mean for you?

Do you have one part of your business which isn’t working for you right now? Something which doesn’t feel quite right? What is it? Just be honest and say, “OK, this isn’t working right now, what are my options?” Do you feel that you’ve been keeping on yet nothing is working for you? Are you being consistent with your work, or are you jumping around all over the place trying different things out, and you’re not ready to keep on keeping on just yet?

If you’d like help exploring your options, feel free to book a 20 minute free Explore Call, or join the Business Cheerleading Club and get the help of other business owners to explore with you.

I’d love to hear how you Keep on Keeping on and what results you’ve seen personally, or professionally. Leave a comment below.

If you’d like Monday Thoughts, and our weekly business tips delivered direct to your inbox, you can sign up here:

 

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Be clear what you want

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds” Albert Einstein

 

be clear what you wantWe’re in full swing of holiday season here in the UK with school holidays at least one week in now. But do we all feel in holiday mode? Are you taking time off this summer, or are you juggling business, family, friends and holidays? It can be frustrating having more things to juggle at this time of year can’t it?

Or, you can look on this time of year as a time of reflection, review, celebration and time out, before the next phase of the year starts. What are you choosing to do with your time this summer?

I’ve often felt frustrated in the summer months when I can’t “get on” with things as much as I’d like. It’s felt like my spirit has had to be tamed to suit those around me. However, now I’m a bit older and wiser, I know that I should never feel “tamed” in any part of my life. I can’t help who I am, or the vision I have, so why should I turn the volume down in the summer to suit others?

So, this year, I’ve been very clear with the family what I’m wanting to achieve & the hours I’m working each day. We’ve got a detailed family schedule for all of our work (eldest son has a part-time summer job), sports training, and social times. It’s not just for the purposes of menu planning or transport arrangements. It’s to make it clear that work time is work time, and if I’m called on to do other things, I won’t be able to achieve the work for my business, or my clients. My boys have started to equate my work “rewards” (income) with family treats, so they’ve got a better idea as to the impact their demands have on our overall family situation.

I know we have our own mind monkeys at work every day too. But what if you told them what your grand plan for these next few weeks is, and you harness their energy to get everything done you want to? Our monkeys are generally of “mediocre mind” as Einstein puts it aren’t they, and aren’t fully briefed on the bigger picture we’re working towards.

Be clear what you want

It’s not just distractions which prevent us from achieving what we want, or our own procrastination or mind monkeys. I believe it’s because we’re not clear enough what we want to achieve, and how we’re going to do it, in the time we have available to us. Oh yes, I always underestimate how long something’s going to take me, so I build in wriggle room now to my schedule! Do you?

Whether you have a team working with you in your business, or if you’re by yourself, this time of year can be crucial to meeting the targets you set yourself at the start of the year. Be clear with the time you have available for your business and make those around you aware of the importance of this time you’ve got and what it will mean to them if you’re able to complete the tasks you want.

Oh, and when it’s holiday time, please switch your technology off. That’s the benefit of a holiday. Total switch off. You’ll feel the benefit of it when you come back.

I’d love to hear how you’re managing the holiday season, particularly if you’ve got more people wanting your attention at this time of year. Maybe I could share your tips next week?

The Stay on Track programme has proved a popular support to business owners wanting support this summer. I’ve got just 3 places left now for 1-1 support for 6 weeks. You have 20 minutes a week for 6 weeks which keeps you focused and on track, putting things in place for when you’re back to full hours at the end of the school holidays. So if this would help you, please get in touch & book your place today, for just £132. [Those in the Business Cheerleading Club, are making the most of a group weekly programme]

If your not sure if this would help you, why not book a free Explore Call (20 minutes), and let’s work things through together.

If you’d like Monday Thoughts, and our weekly business tips delivered direct to your inbox, you can sign up here:

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How do you know if your achieving work life balance?

How do you know if you’re achieving work life balance? Is it happiness? Is it the amount of time you’re spending in your garden or with your children?

achieving work life balanceThis article in the Guardian this week explained how a New Zealand company trialled a 4 day working week for 5 days pay to test how this would affect workers work life balance. It’s interesting that this two week trial showed a 24 point increase in achieving work life balance.

In November last year just over half (54%) of staff felt they could effectively balance their work and home commitments, while after the trial this number jumped to 78%.

That’s powerful isn’t it? Would you like to increase your work life balance indicator by 24 points? I think many people would! Especially busy business owners.

Measures for achieving work life balance

What measures do you use for achieving work life balance? We all have different aspirations, so what may sound feasible for one may be totally alien to another.

Amount of time at home v work – Even if you work from home, the separation of home time and work time is often the biggest factor people mention when talking about achieving work life balance. Do you have the amount of time in mind that you want to achieve? Is it 10 hours work time? Or is it about being home by 4pm when the children arrive home from school?

Some people work the other way around – how much time do I have available to work if I need to take the children to school, do my home jobs, do the shopping for my neighbour and be able to pick the children up. OK, maybe that’s extreme, but remember, this is about what’s right for you.

Quality time with the family – What do you mean by quality? Is it a day out? Is it having a meal and chat together? Is it reading stories before bedtime? Is it being in the same place at the same time? Define what this is for you, if it’s important to you achieving work life balance.

Time spent doing hobbies – Do you work so you can play more? Would having more time doing your hobbies be an important measure of your work life balance?

Time doing exercise or sport – This may be about getting away from work at the right time to play the team sport you want to do. Or it might be devising your schedule so you can do everything you want to do in the week. If exercise or activity are important, (and I would suggest for a healthy lifestyle it is), then fitting it into your mix and balancing it into your week is crucial to your work life balance.

Time with friends – Is this something you’d like more time for? Is it nights out? Days walking? Holidays? Theatre? What does this mean to you, and how can you measure it?

Time to do home jobs or personal appointments – Just like the research in New Zealand, having time available to do your household tasks and get to the dentist on a day off, or take those things to the tip can be so beneficial to you feeling great. Right? So how can you get the balance right for you if this is important to achieving work life balance?

Quality & length of sleep – Yes, sleep is important 🙂 We talk about it a lot, and sleep is one major factor in reducing stress. But isn’t this what achieving work life balance is all about? Living a happier more fulfilled life?

How do you know if you’re achieving work life balance?

Personally I think balance changes over time. In my experience what was right for me when my children were small is very different now they’re teenagers. I don’t think my values have changed, but what I want to do with my 24 hours a day has a different focus.

In the Business Cheerleading Club we’ve been talking a lot about mindset recently, after our workshop with Lottie Moore. This shift in emphasis of mindset I think helps us look at what we want to achieve in life and not just in business.

I’ve got 5 spaces left on the Summer Programme if you’d like help with reviewing and achieving your work life balance. In just 20 minutes a week we’ll get that focus on your work and life, and set the actions for the next week. Simple steps of moving forward, with the support of an experienced listener and business owner may just be what you need to find your work life balance, this summer, and get ready for your autumn business growth.

Book now for only £132 for your summer support to keep you balanced and on track so you hit the ground running in September 🙂




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Practice and persevere

 “Follow your dreams, work hard, practice and persevere”. Sasha Cohen

practice and persevere tools for business owners We had another sporting weekend, but this time it was watching it. This quote from Olympic ice skater Sasha Cohen sums up what inspired and made the family exclaim “wow”, (amongst other things!), at the weekend.

Whether you follow sport or not, learning that someone has been at the top of their game, crashed and burned, then fought their way back to being at the top of their game again, 16 years later is truly remarkable. I’m talking Tiger Woods, (Golf), here. But then that’s quickly followed by those “amazing” (read bonkers in my book), cyclists who are currently riding for 5 or 6 hours each day across France. And some still have the energy to sprint for the last 5km!

How much practice and perseverence do these athletes put in to follow their dreams? They work hard, and simply practice practice practice. Every day. What would your business look like if you practiced more and persevered more? Mine would be bigger. I’d be helping more people to grow themselves and their business. So why haven’t I done it if I know all the theory?

Yes, probably the same reason as you. I haven”t always believed in myself. My talents, my abilities, and even if I’m on the right track! That feel familiar? Yes, you’re really not alone in wondering all these things.

How do you feel when you put in so much work and effort on something, and you get no clients, or sales from that piece of work or idea? I often feel silly.

But what if, that new idea or product was just so new to those around you that it took them time to understand what it was all about? What if, you persevered and kept talking about it, in different ways, or working out how your product or service could offer the solution your customer is looking for? What if the timing just wasn’t right before? What would happen if you persevered?

So, with this in mind, pick one thing that you’ve put to one side recently that you know is a good idea but hasn’t “worked” yet. What can you do to share with your audience again and keep talking about it, and persevere with it.

If you know it’s right to follow this particular dream, dust it off & bring it to life again. Your customers need it don’t they? They just don’t know you offer it 🙂

Practice and Persevere with support

Today I’ve started a Stay on Track programme in the Business Cheerleading Club, aimed at those who have less time to spend on their business in the summer with children being at home. This is a group programme offered as part of the monthly support. We’ve already had one business owner say, “ah ha!” and get some clarity on what their focus will be for the next 6 weeks. I’d be delighted if you wanted to join us for this.

Or, if you’d prefer 1-1 support, then I’ve still got 5 places left on the summer holiday programme.  6 x 20 minute focus sessions for £132. The idea being you have 20 minutes a week for 6 weeks which keeps you focused and on track, putting things in place for when you’re back to full hours at the end of the school holidays. So if this would help you, please get in touch & book your place today.

By asking for help, and saying things out loud, you can help yourself work things out. If you need someone to listen to you, please book a free Explore Call (20 minutes), and let’s work things out together.

If you’d like Monday Thoughts, and our weekly business tips delivered direct to your inbox, you can sign up here:

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Failure is learning

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
Samuel Beckett

failing is just part of learningI’ve failed lots over the years. In business, in friendships, in parenting. But then I’ve learnt so much by trying. What we often perceive as failure, is just us learning how not to do something isn’t it? It’s how we react to something and learn from it that is important.

With the World Cup football, and Wimbledon over, we’ve learnt lots about trying and failing, trying again and learning from the experience. So many of us look on as we watch elite athletes at the top of their sport when they’re heartbroken when they don’t succeed. We don’t see them as they train for hours and hours each day, but we learn about it from their interviews.

We’ve seen and heard about how much mindset is crucial to top athletes success. We saw it at an athletics championship this weekend too. Young people aspiring to be world class athletes who are learning from their mistakes, and tweaking their training and ideas. Eldest son had an amazing weekend, far outweighing his expectations. His biggest failure was in an event he expected to do well in, whilst others he hadn’t expected to do well in, he excelled. Yes, he’s learnt lots from his failures, and he knows he won’t let his mind get the better of him next time.

Speaking of mindset, I spent time with a client last week and helped her listen to herself as she let her mind monkeys speak her beliefs. It was fascinating. Watching her face as she spoke out loud where the beliefs came from and seeing that she knew that it was ridiculous to hold onto that belief now. We talked about all the ways she was actually doing this thing really well in many areas of her life, but when it came to her business, the mind monkeys took over. She sent me a photo on Friday of where she was succeeding in her life and could now recognise that she could do this “thing” which she was getting stuck on. She was smiling too, and knew that it was just in her head that she couldn’t do it 🙂

Asking for help isn’t failure – it’s taking control

By asking for help, and saying things out loud, you can help yourself work things through. Failure is learning. If you need someone to listen to you, please book an Explore Call (20 minutes), and let’s work things out together.

To help you over the summer holidays which I know can be a challenge, I’m offering 5 x 20 minute focus sessions for £132. The idea being you have 20 minutes a week for 5 weeks which keeps you focused and on track, putting things in place for when you’re back to full hours at the end of the school holidays. I’ve only got 9 places, and Business Cheerleading Club members have got first refusal on these, so if this would help you, please get in touch & book your place today.

Individual Focus sessions (20 minutes) can be booked, if time available in my diary for £33 a session (if you’ve had your free one already), which you can book here: Explore session)

If you’d like Monday Thoughts, and our weekly business tips delivered direct to your inbox, you can sign up here:

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Monday Musings – Be yourself

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

be yourselfSo whilst I’ve been working on improving my scheduling to fit everything in to my business and family life, you may think that all this work isn’t working for me, so how can it for you? If I’m a day late with one of my promises to you, surely I’m not the right person to help you get unstuck or move on with your particular situation.

We all have choices. Yesterday I chose to put my business schedule aside, even though I’d spent my usual 15 minutes in the morning preparing it and was confident when I wrote it that I’d achieve it. Why? No-one was even ill! Yet, to me, I chose to put my family first.

It was my eldest son’s high school prom last night. And he told me when I dropped him off at work at 9.30am that he needed new shoes to go with his suit. Really? In famous tennis player John McEnroe’s words, “You cannot be serious?” Yes, he was. Grrr. So I juggled things around, and whilst I did not shop all day on his behalf, it certainly messed up the time I had available for my own schedule.

We got him sorted, and whilst I’m disappointed that I didn’t get this to you yesterday, it’s just another tale to prove that we can run our businesses in the right way for us We choose what we do with our time. Has my business come to a grinding halt because I didn’t send this to you yesterday? No of course not. You may realise I’m no longer a person you want to hear from because I’ve let you down this time. I’m sorry for that. Or, you may realise that I can really help you get unstuck with that thing that’s really frustrating you at the moment in your life or business.

I’ve learnt, throughout my 14 years of business, that if I’m being myself, I actually offer better service to my clients and customers. It’s when I try and squeeze too much in, I do everything badly – including not being the caring Mum I want to be, or the caring business owner helping others achieve success.

Be yourself in business as in life

Are you always yourself in your business? Or are you trying to be something you think you should be? Or doing things you should be doing? I spend a lot of time with business owners exploring these shoulds and either getting rid of them totally, or working out what’s right for them and their business. We’re all unique, and so are our businesses, so following what others are doing won’t necessarily be right for you.

So I apologise that I’m a day late, but I also hope that this week you really think about what’s right for you and your business. If you’d like to explore what’s right for you, why not book a 20 minute Explore call. (or if you’ve had your free one already, you can book a paid for Explore session)

If you’d like Monday Thoughts, and our weekly business tips delivered direct to your inbox, you can sign up here:

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Give it a try

Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success. Dale Carnegie

give it a tryLast week saw some major “ah ha” moments for clients and family. I don’t know if something was in the air, but whatever it was, it was lovely to be part of the process of helping others realise that they could take a step forward.

For one client it was being helped to look at an issue through another’s eyes and look at a simple approach – one step at a time. She’d been looking at the long term goal, but forgetting that whilst we are looking ahead, we need to keep moving in small steps. She said, “it’s like I’d forgotten to use my common sense!” It’s easily done when we’re so focused on achieving and juggling things in our busy lives.

For another one the realisation that all she needed was to commit to half an hour a day on doing this one thing, and she’d see progress week on week in her business. Breaking things down for her was important so she could see what building blocks to put in place. And she felt she could commit to 30 minutes a day.

What could you achieve in 30 minutes a day on one thing in your business? I’d love to know . Message me, or email me.

And my family? Well. Eldest son had a remarkable day at his athletics competition on Saturday. His first one back from [his first] injury, and he simply relaxed, had fun and did his best. He ended the day with two personal best performances, and being top in his age group. He was amazed what he’d achieved simply by turning up and doing his best.

Youngest son, was asked by his coach to “give triathlon a go”. He’s done them before, but doesn’t enjoy pool swim training. Loves running and cycling, and open water swimming, but not the monotonous nature of up and down in a pool. I understand that. So, he was simply “giving it a go”, but as usual he put a lot of effort into it. I have to say it was a beautiful day, in gorgeous surroundings. He had fun, and was amazed at how well he did. And he loved it, and now wants to do more swim training so he can do more in the future!

What can you “try out” this week and “have fun” with and “give it a go” and simply “see what happens”? You never know. Thinking about it may well be worse than doing it 🙂 Share what you try with me, I’d love to hear what it’s like for you.

Give it a try

You can book a free 20 minute Explore Call with Tracey-Jane if you’d like help with your business planning.

If you’d like Monday Thoughts, and our weekly business tips delivered direct to your inbox, you can sign up here:

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Being more productive

I’m enjoying learning about being more productive and putting new systems and structures in place. For myself, my business and my family.

I’m trying new things out, not afraid to change those things if they don’t work for me. I’m also enjoying de-cluttering and getting rid of lots of excess paper in the office and on all those piles around the house. It’s actually quite good fun 🙂

Being more productive

I’ve been listening to How to Be a Productivity Ninja in the car these past couple of weeks, and have just ordered the book. There’s so many ideas in this book to help us in our work, home and business. The difficulty I’ve found with the audio book is that I had no way of writing down the notes and checklists! Hence the need, for me, to have a hard copy to refer to.

The biggest learning point for me has been about “The” To Do list. Graham Allcott made so much sense when he talked about a Master To Do list, which includes the weekly shopping, daily exercise, PLUS the Projects you’re working on.

What’s a Project?

A project is anything which has multiple “to dos” on it. It could be booking a holiday, or building a website, or a creating a marketing strategy.

This was a major “ah ha” moment for me! A project may be ongoing for a few months, yet it sits on the “to do” list and is often a frustration as it looks at you every day.

Often a project is something worked on by a few people. A website for a client will be at least a two-way process. People need time to think and reflect to get the right feel for them. But when you’ve allocated time in your diary to complete certain tasks, it can be frustrating when said client doesn’t get back to you when you’ve agreed they would!

So having a “Waiting” list where you’re waiting for someone else to do something is a perfect way of moving it off your immediate to do list, without it being lost and forgotten about.

Creating time for being more productive

being more productiveThat may sound contrary – needing time to be more productive! However, what I’m finding is that I need to create space to get things organised. Create new systems and structures. Try things out. And de-cluttering the office doesn’t happen without putting some time and effort in.

The Productivity Ninja book suggests we all need monthly, weekly and daily checklists. They’ll take time to set up and trial and review. You may need time to get your email to zero for the first time in a long time. I’ve made a start, but I’m not there yet. Although those last 200 emails from ages ago are probably not important. My guess is that they’re newsletters I signed up to that I didn’t have time to read when they first appeared in my inbox, and I haven’t added “reading time” to my weekly checklist before now. So, in theory they should be easy to clear when I have my “weekly productivity review” time this week.

So, I’m looking forward to testing out some of my new systems this week. I’ve started my lists and systems, but I have to use them – will I need something on my phone as well as my trusty notebook? Or will the spreadsheet I’ve set up work well for me?

It’s going to take time, and as Graham Allcott says at the end of his book, he doesn’t always get it right. He does however share a lot of productivity tools for being more productive. I highly recommend you review your systems and procedures regularly, even if you’re already a productivity ninja. Life and technology moves on. New “things” come into our lives which we need to do and keep on top of.

The Business Cheerleading Club members are constantly talking about their schedules and getting it right for them. It’s a work in progress for most of us. So if this is an area you’d like help with, join us. They’re all happy to share their tips.

I’d love to hear how you keep productive. Leave a comment below.

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