Your New Year Agenda December 15, 2009

As you start to plan for your new year, think about what you’ve accomplished this year and celebrate those accomplishments.  As you look forward to next year’s agenda, remember the things that you are letting go of.  What needs to be left behind?  Create a list over the course of a few days or until you feel it’s complete then acknowledge that those things are going out with the old year so that you can ring in the new.  Start to think about the things that you want to do during the course of the upcoming year.  Choose things that are fresh and new; that excite and inspire you.  Choose things that will force you to expand yourself and step into uncharted territory in both your personal and business life.  Once you have that list of fresh, new and inspiring things, plan your work, and then work your plan.

Once you work through these things, you’ll have a blank canvas and be ready to create what you want for your new year and step into it.  Create your list and then turn each item into SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and tangible), values-based goals with a specific plan.  You might even want to create a vision board with images and phrases of things that remind you of what you’re creating.  Seeing your vision board every day truly provides support and motivation for you, especially if you are a visual person.  Pick up your brush and put it to your canvas.

Out With The Old In With The New December 13, 2009

Here we are on the brink of a new year.  People are scrambling to get things done for the holidays and starting to look forward to the New Year, thinking about what they want to accomplish in 2010.

Before you begin to think about what you want to create for the year, think about the things that you want to let go of and leave behind with the old year.  Before you can look forward, you have to look at where you are right now, so start by asking yourself “What’s working?”; What’s not working?” and then ask what do you have to do in order to make what’s not working work?

Some times we have to let go of things; bad habits, toxic environments and, yes, people; all of the things that keep us from moving forward.  Once you look at what’s not working, you can begin to see the things that you need to leave behind with the old year and make preparations to let it all go to give you the room to create all that you want in the New Year.  It creates the space for the new, positive things you want to enter your life.

If you’re curious about the process for creating your new year, join us for a special free call.  Get details here.

Multitasking Makes You Stupid November 24, 2009

A while back I added a post on how we are not wired to multitask.  Recently one of my articles on multitasking was published in the online magazine The New Face of Leadership.  You can access it by clicking here.

I would love to hear your thoughts, so remember to come back and post your comments.

Time Management Mistake # 10 October 16, 2009

Last, but certainly not  least on my list of the Top 10 time Management Mistakes is Doing Efficiently That Which Need Not Be Done.  Many people have been here before.  You have plenty to do, but your focus is not there.

Instead of focusing on what really needs to be done, you end up doing things that don’t necessarily need to be done.  This takes us back to having a prioritized list.  It’s a good thing to know your priorities and the level of priority for each, bit it does you no good if you don’t stick to it.  Spend time updating your task list and planning what gets done when.  Commit to your list and get it done!

Time Management Mistake # 6 October 14, 2009

Do you know what your priorities are?  If not, it’s probably decreasing your productivity.  Mistake # 6 on my list is Not Spending Enough Time on Top Priorities.   The Pareto Principle says that 20% of your activities account for 80% of the value of your activities.  Looking at that principle, one can see how important it would be, then, to know and focus on top priorities.

Set your priorities; the things that are important to you and then rank them.  What things are top or “A” priorities for you?  What’s a “B” or “C” priority.  Setting those priorities and knowing how they rank will help you spend the time necessary working on them.  Know what your priorities are and place them in your schedule accordingly.

#1 Time Management Mistake October 12, 2009

Everyone makes mistakes when it comes to managing their time and there’s a long list of them.  I have what I consider to be the Top 10 Time Management Mistakes and thought that I’d share a few of them here with you.

The top mistake on my list is Checking email First Thing in the Morning.  This mistake is at the top of my list because it seems it’s the one thing I’m constantly recommending people not do.  We all know how much time can be spent reading and responding to email, and also how, if we’re not careful, we can easily segue into other things depending upon the content in the email we read.

This is not a good way to begin your day for those very reasons.  It’s time consuming and can lead to you doing things other than answering the email.  You know how it is…you open an email that asks you to do something that takes you way off track.  Then, 15 minutes later, you realize that you’ve gotten off track.

Start your day with one of your top priority tasks, not by checking your email.  This gets your day started with an important task and empowers your day.  Check your email 1.5-2 hours into your day.  Set specific times during the day to check email.  I recommend checking your email twice a day and that you turn your email notification off so that you’re not distracted by it and can focus on the task at hand.

Clutter Paves the Way September 2, 2009

Believe it or not, clutter doesn’t just impact your physical environment.  One thing that it impacts is your physical body.  Think about how you’ve felt before when you’ve walked into a cluttered space.  It’s confining, it seems to suck all of your energy and makes it hard to focus on what you’re doing.  In cluttered office spaces you may have had the feeling of something coming over you when you walk into the space.  Have you ever had one of these experiences when you walk into a cluttered space?

When we clear the clutter and address the underlying reason for it being present, it paves the way for us to release other things.  For example, once you let go of the clutter, it paves the way for you to release excess weight.  And likewise, when you loose weight, you feel the need to get rid of the clutter that’s in your environment.  The two are directly connected.  One is a reflection of the other.  To deal with either one of them you have to change your perspective and look at what lies beneath to get rid of your clutter once and for all.

All Cluttered Out August 31, 2009

One of the things that I find people struggle most with is clutter.  It starts small and then it builds into something that you just can’t seem to get rid of.  It can get to the point of  you having one room or an entire house full of clutter.  The challenge is getting to the point of being able to clear it up and then to keep it from coming back.

The truth of the matter is that clutter has physical,  emotional and mental connections that we aren’t aware of.  When you aren’t aware of those connections and what they are, you can clear the clutter, but it’s guaranteed to come back because the root of the problem hasn’t been addressed.

I have found that people dealing with clutter have had something happen that starts the process of things accumulating and when they get to the point of being serious about getting rid of it, they are ready to get to the physical, emotional and mental things that are present and cluttering their lives.  When the internal connections are addressed in the process of getting rid of the clutter, it’s possible to get rid of the clutter and keep it away for good.

Do you have clutter that you just can’t get rid of or have you gotten rid of it before only to have it return?  Are you all cluttered out?  Post your thoughts or experiences in a reply.

Learn more during our F-R-E-E September  TeleClinic recording, Clutter: Your Environment, Body & Mind.  Click here for info.

Procrastination August 26, 2009

We all procrastinate on one thing or another, and to different degrees.  The degree to which you procrastinate determines the degree to which your level of productivity is lessened.

Procrastination can have you rushing to put out fires to get things done on time, and it can also hinder enitre work teams.  Are you a procrastinator?  How much do you procrastinate?  Do you know why?  If you don’t know the answer to these questions, check out this FREE report that will tell you why you procrastinate and give you the keys to beign eliminating it.

Surviving The Madness August 24, 2009

We teach our children so many things-from how to play games and rid a bike to family traditions and culture, but we’re not teaching them how to roganize and manage themselves.  Effective organizing can lead to succ4ss in school and keep you from losing it when it comes to getting ready for and getting through the school year.  Missing assignments, losing supplies and forgotten homework are all results of poor organizing habits.  Replace them with healthier habits and you set your child up for success in school and beyond.

To do so, get things organized and instill good time and and self management skills in your young person, set up space and systems for your child and yourself in your home, and give them the physical tools to support them.  Here are a few tips on surviving the back to school madness.  Continue reading…