Do You Have the Time?

"Since time is the one immaterial object which we cannot influence--
neither speed up nor slow down, add to nor diminish--
it is an imponderably valuable gift."
-Maya Angelou

Do you constantly feel like you are on overload? Do you tell yourself that you'll spend more time doing something that's important but not urgent "when things slow down a little" or "after we finish this next big project"?

Being technically proficient in your business or profession will only get you so far … especially if you feel like you're on a runaway treadmill. To gain some control and sanity, you may need to organize your time differently.

Dan Sullivan (The Strategic Coach) teaches us about three types of days:

• Focus day:  A day when 65-85 percent of your time is spent during your work day doing activities that generate income.
• Buffer day:  This is a day where the majority of your time is spent handling the "behind the scenes" or administrative functions necessary to support your income-generating activities.
• Free day:  This is a full 24-hour period during which you do NO work or work-related activities, including checking voice mail or email.

What you do with one dimension of time affects the others. Have you ever noticed how taking a Free Day  to rest and rejuvenate enables you to come back to your work with a fresh perspective -- one that enables you to be much more creative and productive?

I will be completely transparent with you.  I have not always followed this model because I had convinced myself that my business couldn’t live without me doing certain buffer activities frequently.  What that has done is reduced my effectiveness in focusing on my most important core activities, like writing my book or creating curriculum for a new training course I plan to offer.  I am now planning my days using this model.  It does several things for me:

1. In order to plan an activity, I consciously think about WHY I am doing it.
Here are some questions that I ask myself:

• Is this activity moving me towards or away from my core goals for the year?
• Will this activity generate income?
• Is this activity a necessary part of supporting my core activities?
• If this is a support activity, is it something I can delegate to someone else so I can have more free or focus time?

2.  I am taking more Free Days to rejuvenate.
Although I have always supported my clients in creating time for rejuvenation, I was out of integrity with this area of my life.  In other words, I paid lip service to its importance, but when it came to my own life, I was doing some work-related activities seven days a week.  On the weekends, I’d take time off to attend church, do things as a family, or engage in a hobby, but not a day went by when I did not go into my home office and at least check email.  Here are some changes I have made which enable me to take time off:

• I have hired virtual assistants to handle some of my support work that I used to handle.
• I have created a list of things I enjoy doing in my free time, so I know what to do with myself when I have free time.  (For recovering workaholics, a list may be necessary for a while, so as not to fill the void with work.)
• I have shared with my accountability partner when my FREE days are scheduled for, and I have committed to sending him $500 if I don’t honor my commitment to myself to have a Free Day.  (A Free Day is a 24 hour period where NO work-related things are done.)

3.  I am building balance into my life.
This year I am working with Jim Bunch, an incredible Life Success Coach.  I am enrolled in a year-long program with him called “The Ultimate Game.”  Participants are asked to plan at least one daily activity or intention in each of three areas:

• Happy Goals:  These goals are related to relationships, hobbies, or areas of life that bring greater happiness and fulfillment.  Focus is both on what we’re DOING and on who we’re BEING in the process.
• Healthy Goals:  These goals are related to diet, exercise, hydration, rest and rejuvenation, mental and spiritual health, and stress reduction.
• Wealthy Goals:  These goals are related to activities that generate income, charitable giving, investments, and overall relationship with money.

It's your choice!
I hear clients say, "I just don't have enough time!" The reality is that we all get 168 hours a week. Time challenges arise - not because we don't have enough time – but because we have not carefully clarified and honored our priorities.

The bottom line is this: when something is really important to you - when you feel motivated by your inner desires - you will make the time for it! It's difficult to sustain such things as a promise of getting home earlier if the reward for doing so does not outweigh the motivation for staying later at the office to work.

In January, I began working with a personal trainer three times a week.  My sessions with him are during my workday.  I’ve chosen to make health a priority, so working out during the day is in alignment with my Happy-Healthy-Wealthy goals.  I’ve found that making shifts in one area (in this case, my Healthy area) affects the Happy and Wealthy areas of my life.  I’ve lost 16 pounds so far. I feel happier, more alert and energetic, and I continue to increase my income while working less hours.

As you know from last month’s newsletter article, Deep in the Bush of Tanzania, I recently returned from being away from my office for 12 days of volunteer work, back for a week, then away for six days of vacation in Cancun. After being away from the office for 18 days within the same month, it's easy to fall into the trap of working longer hours to get caught up. But if the truth be told, I'll never be caught up. There will always be something else that I could do, no matter how many hours I work.

I've found that when I schedule time for my top priorities, I am much more productive. Sure, some things don't get done, but when I plan ahead, the things that do get done are the things that really matter. By being more productive during the day, I work less “overtime” hours. When I neglect to do my planning, productivity goes way down, stress goes up, and so do my work hours!

May is Revise Your Work Schedule Month...
...a great time to assess how you spend your time, based on your goals, talents, and passions!

There's no magic formula as to how many days each of us should spend in Focus, Free, or Buffer days.  That being said, the more Free Days one takes, the more money they tend to make because they are working smarter, not harder.  When you take time off to rejuvenate, you’ll generate new ideas and will see things differently than if you work yourself to the bone and are constantly in “survival” mode.  One way I have been able to take more Free Days is by delegating more of my activities I used to do in my Buffer Days.

Experiment with this and see what works best for you.  Remember to keep a balance between your Happy, Healthy and Wealthy activities as you go. 

Answer these questions (in writing!) to determine if you are on the path you choose.

• Do your daily actions reflect what you want for your life? Write down activities that make your heart sing when you do them.

• What do you choose to delegate or say no to so you can spend most of your time doing what you're best at and enjoy the most? (Click here for tips on delegation.)  Create a list of “Things I’m No Longer Allowed to Do.”

• It is now one year from today and you are mentally reviewing the past year.  How did you spend the year when you organized your time differently?  What is your life like right now?  How do you feel?  Project yourself into the future and describe it in writing. 

• As you review the three types of days (Focus, Free, Buffer days), where do you choose to spend more time or less time?  Write down what you choose for each area.

       EXAMPLE:

• Free Time - 1 day a week (24 hours), plus two week-long vacations over the next three month.
• Focus Time – 3 days a week. 
  • Create / write
  • Coach / mentor
  • Train / speak / sing
• Buffer Time – 2.5 days a week.  Delegate some support activities at home and at work so I can have more Free time. Refine processes and systems so I can be most efficient with the tasks I will manage for myself.

  Things I’m No Longer Allowed to Do:

  • format / design / edit
  • marketing: development of websites, autoresponders, shopping cart 
  • fulfillment of orders placed on my website
  • research
  • creating Powerpoints, handouts, workbooks for my teleclasses
  • cooking & grocery shopping (except for pleasure) 
  • housecleaning & yard work
  • time spent in unhealthy relationships or with negative people 
  • worry (visualizing a negative future) 
  • hesitation / delay / procrastination

Now that you are clear about how you choose to shift the way you spend time, what is the next step you will take to put this into action? What will support you in making this happen?  Who will be your accountability partner?

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Productivity Tools & Resources

Having the right tools is half the battle!  The other half is forming new habits to use the new tools!  Here are five productivity tools I use daily.  For more information, click on the hyperlinked titles:

Buried in Paper?

Do you have a system to manage the things that come into your life?

• What do you do with something that requires action but that you don’t need to act on right now? 
• Where do you put tickets to a game, concert, or civic event so you’ll be able to quickly find them when the date rolls around? 
• Where do you put your e-ticket, hotel and car reservation confirmation, and other travel documents so you can find them when you’re travel date arrives?
• Where do you put notes or support documents you want to take to an important meeting?
• Where do you put the claim stub for your dry cleaning or something being repaired?
• How do you remember important follow up at the right time?
• Can you find anything you've filed away in just a few seconds?

If you don’t have a good system to manage all of these things, I suggest you participate in my free webinars,  Buried in Paper and Find Anything in Five Seconds or Less.

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RoboForm

RoboForm saves me so much time.  I have used this productivity tool for years.  It is the top-rated Password Manager and Web Form Filler that completely automates password entering and form filling. RoboForm was named PC Magazine Editor's Choice, and CNET Download.com's Software of the Year.

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Get More Clients

It is so important to stay in touch with your clients, prospects and referral partners. Most people don't because it is inconvenient and expensive. I have found a tool that has changed that for me. It has effortlessly increased my referrals and client retention by building long-term relationships.  

If people don’t REMEMBER you, it doesn’t matter how much they know, like and trust you. Staying in touch is core to sustaining and building your business.  So why don’t more people stay in touch?  Three primary reasons:

1. It’s time-consuming.
2. It can be expensive.
3. We forget!

Now you can send REAL greeting card (not an e-card) in your own handwriting and signature in less than 60 seconds without ever leaving your office.  You select or create your card from the comfort of your desk, type your message, add a gift or gift card if you like, and click SEND, and someone else does the rest for you.  They print, stuff, lick, address, stamp (with a real stamp) and take it to the post office for you on whatever date you want the card to go out.

Click on the Try it for FREE button at http://www.bethoughtfulnow.com/ to request a free gift account.  No obligation … just an opportunity to send a couple cards to someone you care about, and I’ll even pay for the cards and the postage!

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My Mind Makeover

Harness the power of affirmations! Your best productivity tool is what's between your ears!  What you think about affects how you feel, and how you feel affects the choices you make and the actions you'll take. Discover how you can create the life you desire with the help of personalized affirmations recorded in your own voice.  I am using this program and I love it! 

Words produce Thoughts.
   Thoughts produce Feelings.
     Feelings produce Decisions.
       Decisions produce Actions.
         Actions produce Habits.
           Habits produce Character.
             Character produces your Destiny.

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Create Your Own Vision Board

Visualization is one of the most powerful “secrets” used by World-Class Goal Achievers. In fact, John Goddard, the number one goal achiever in the world, speaks frequently of how visualization has helped him achieve over 550 major goals. Vision Board™ is a great piece of technology for helping you visualize your goals and dreams. It keeps your dream in front of you all day long, making it a valuable “accountability tool.” What you “see” is what you get. Vision Board™ will help you get everything you can “see.”

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