Tag Archives | strategy
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Questions Have Power

By on March 28, 2011 in Personal Growth, Success
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Do you regularly ask yourself questions? No? Then how do you ever have any answers?

Try starting every week off with some questions. Try a few of these or come up with your own!

What project or task do I really need/want to complete this week?

What new “thing” can I try this week? Activity, food, book, attitude….

What can I learn this week?

What can I do differently this week?

Who do I want to spend time with or meet this week?

How can I help someone this week?

Have fun with this. What other questions might you ask? Please share…

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What Can you Leverage?

By on March 21, 2011 in Success

What can you leverage or outsource? Are there chores or tasks that you could get someone else to do that would free some of your time or alleviate a portion of your daily or weekly burden? “Wait,” I hear you say, “but I don’t have money for an assistant or a maid!” I get that, and coincidentally neither do I. Let’s think outside the box for a minute. What about your kids (or a neighbor’s,) your spouse or bartering with a friend. Have you stopped to calculate what you could earn by using the extra time saved to generate more income? Maybe it’s not such a frivolous expenditure after-all.

In a blinding, but unfortunately rare light bulb flash of insight, I had the idea to “hire” my 11 year old to do my shredding. For some reason I never get around to shredding documents, probably because the task annoys me, but he loves it. So I offered him a penny per page, with a 25 cent minimum to check my office and shred daily. He gets candy money and I get a clear office floor. What a bargain! This week he may learn to copy and file! I have started paying my teens to bathe and groom the dogs and asked my husband to take responsibility for our son’s soccer practice and games. Yes, I still have to do drum lessons, band, tennis and horseback, but at least this one activity is off my plate. I use the lesson time to tackle a nagging project each week and it is wonderful!

Do you have to do it all? Just think for one minute. Is there even one thing you could outsource? The caveat to that is that you must relinquish a little control…

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Are You a Right Brain or Left Brain?

By on March 15, 2011 in Success
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I find the concept of right-brain/left-brain is fascinating. Does how our brains are wired really affect how we live, what we do, our personalities and the type of success we achieve? There’s a really good article on About.com about the basic differences between right and left brain people and a really fun quiz at Similarminds.com.

This is such a fun topic. Play around with this and figure out what type of brain you are! In the interest of full disclosure – I am almost totally left-brained, which is why I am super-organized and balance my checkbook every week; and also why I am hard pressed to draw a recognizable stick figure.

But the good news is;

  1. We can encourage the other side of our brain bu engaging in different types of activities.
  2. No matter what type of “brain” you have, you can learn to be more productive, organized, successful and fulfilled. It just looks differently.

Keep this in mind when developing strategies, choosing methods and such. Do not try to follow a very rigid and detailed plan if your mind values flexibility and fluidity. Take bits and pieces and find what works for you, not the guy down the hall.

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Are You Interested in Guest Posting?

By on March 7, 2011 in Success

I am occasionally asked about guest posting. For the writer it is a wonderful way to build your reputation, cross promote and share information. From my perspective it allows my readers access to different points of view and keeps things interesting. A win-win situation for all.

If you are interested in guest posting please submit your post via the contact form on this website.

Also please adhere to the following Guest Post Guidelines:

- Post content must be high-quality, relevant and useful to site readers.

- Post length should be approximately 300 – 1000 words.

- Post must be original and never been published before on the Internet.

- Any photos must be credited with an appropriate source, and must be legal to use.

- Links appearing in the body of your post must be valid, modest, and relevant and not affiliate links.

- Include a short byline or bio (50 words or less) at the end of your post. Feel free to include a link to your site.

- You are encouraged to promote and share your guest post, link to your guest post on your blog or on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Stumbleupon, FriendFeed, etc.

- I reserve the right to edit or reject the post if necessary for brevity, grammar or readability. Not all guest posts submitted will be published, but I do try and publish as many as possible.

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Task Management: Simplified

By on March 2, 2011 in Success

Our theme this year is “Keep it simple.”  Don’t make it more complicated than it has to be!

Successful time management = Knowing

Knowing what you have to do each day

Knowing when you have to do it

Knowing what level of importance it has

Knowing you didn’t forget anything

That’s it. It doesn’t matter what system you use. It just needs to satisfy those four key requirements. If it doesn’t, then it’s not working, no matter how good it looks from the outside.

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What is Important About Today?

By on February 23, 2011 in Success

It is way too easy to get sidetracked by urgent, but ultimately insignificant activities. Every day – preferably first thing in the morning – answer that question. Then ask, “What must I get done today to accomplish that goal?” Write those things down on your list.

Then, maybe even more importantly ask, “What is important in my future?” Then write down, what you must do today to eventually reach that long-term target.  If a task doesn’t make either one of those lists, then it is most likely a waste of your time…

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How to Stay Positive in the Office

By on February 16, 2011 in Success

*Please note – This is a guest post from James Adams

Every weekday morning you get up, you drive to your job, you sit at your desk or in your cubicle, and then you go home and do it all over again. The process can become monotonous, boring, and a real drag. Since you likely spend nearly a third of your life at work, you want to learn to be happier there. In order to achieve that happiness, it is important to project a positive attitude. In fact, according to livestrong.com, employees with a positive attitude can boost customer satisfaction, have more energy, and even feel a greater sense of purpose. Consider these ten tips about how to stay positive in the office as a way to a happier and healthier life.

  1. Appreciate to be appreciated: It is often said that you reap what you sow. It is easier to have a positive attitude when you are appreciated by those around you. Show that appreciation to others and you will soon see it returned by them.
  2. Avoid brewing negativity: The break room, the smoking circle outside, or anyplace that people may sit around and talk about all the negative aspects of the job are bad for your positive attitude. A big part of staying positive is simply avoiding negativity. Likewise, it is important to keep your own negative talk in check. Don’t be a complainer; complainers don’t have positive attitudes.
  3. Create small, tangible, attainable goals: when you reach a reasonable goal, you create a situation to feel good about. String together a series of successes and your attitude will undoubtedly be a positive one. Even the smallest successes can help, so be generous with yourself and make a lot of goals that can be reached. Make sure your goals are tangible or at least measurable – it is easier to be positive when you know you reached the goal and can see it in front of you.
  4. Find ways to have fun: whether it is a harmless little work prank, a quip that brings a smile to a colleague’s face or friendly competition in the sales room, having fun can help to create a positive environment for everyone involved. Finding fun in the work place is a great way to stay positive at work, but also a good way to spread that positive attitude.
  5. Improve yourself as a professional: seek out professional development. Whether it is through classes, a seminar, or attending a conference. Developing yourself as a professional will give you the confidence necessary for success at your job. As you feel more confident and competent in your job, you will feel more positive.
  6. Be a spin-doctor: One great way to maintain a positive attitude at work is to always look for the positive. When something doesn’t go your way at work, look for the silver lining. Be the one who spins the tough break in a positive way. Your attitude will improve and others will notice.
  7. Learn: when something bad happens, learn from it. When someone else in the office has a success, ask them how they did it. As you learn how to be a better employee, your attitude will be more positive. Confidence breeds positive attitudes.
  8. Show perseverance: You know what they say – if at first you don’t succeed… But it really is a great way to create a positive attitude. By trying and trying again until you overcome the tough obstacle can do wonders for your attitude. Nothing can ruin your attitude more than giving up, but there are few things that will give you the boost that overcoming adversity can.
  9. Get organized: By knowing where things are, what has to be done, and when you have to be where, you feel like there is purpose in your work. Start with to-do lists, cleaning out that messy file drawer in your desk, or simply getting rid of the coffee rings on your desk. By creating some level of order around you, you will just feel better. Feeling good is the root of a positive attitude.
  10. Be inclusive with success: when you have a success or when your team achieves an important goal, be generous with your praise of others. By creating more positive attitudes, you are developing fertile soil in which to grow your own positive attitude.

Work can take a toll on anyone. However, finding a positive attitude in your office is a great way to relieve the stress and, at the same time, improve your productivity. By implementing some of these ideas into your work day, you can improve your focus and cultivate that important positive attitude.

This is a guest post from James Adams, one of a team of writers at CartridgeSave where he reviews the latest ink cartridges for printers.

If you’d like to contribute a guest post, please contact me via the website contact form.

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Underpromise and Overdeliver – Fundamental Rule

By on February 7, 2011 in Life Balance, Success

Under-promise and Over-deliver.

This is one of the fundamental rules for business success, but it’s also a valuable guideline in life. Whether you are an employee, business owner, parent or volunteering your time; this strategy is almost always a good one to keep in mind. When you commit yourself to a deadline, try to figure in time for the unexpected and give yourself a cushion.

First, don’t over commit.

Second, be realistic, conservative even in time estimations.

Third, give something of extra value if you can.

Your managers, clients, children or organization will be thrilled when you come through earlier, better or cheaper!

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Make Use of “Lost Time”

By on February 2, 2011 in Personal Growth, Success

Do you know an easy way to gain more time from your week?

Identify “lost time” throughout your week and figure out a better way to make use of it.

What do I mean by “lost time?”

Time spent waiting at children’s activities, in waiting rooms, on your commute to work all qualify. Your schedule may be different, but if you look closely you will be able to find these little snippets of time that have been up until now relatively unproductive. Even an hour per week adds up to an extra two days per year of useful time. I once heard of a famous author who wrote her entire novel while waiting at her child’s swimming lessons each week!

Think about what you could do during those times. Keep a list or an idea in your mind so that when the opportunity strikes you will be ready. For instance, in my case I could write a blog post while waiting at drum lessons, return calls while cooling my heels at horseback riding, read research in the waiting room or listen to a podcast or recorded call while sitting in traffic.

I would be remiss if I didn’t note here that you need to determine the appropriateness of the work. The whole premise of my philosophy is to encourage work and life harmony, not overworking. If you are at your son’s baseball game, you should be watching your son. That is his time, but perhaps doing work while waiting at practice is acceptable. If you really enjoy chatting with the other parents at dance lessons and that is quality time with your friends, then by all means continue, but if it is just time spent gossiping, you’re better off doing something productive.

In your quest to towards a more efficient and meaningful use of my time in the simplest way possible, let’s see what time you can identify and re-allocate from wasted time to productive time.

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Golden Rules of Productivity

By on January 31, 2011 in Success

scrollWe are, most of us at least, creatures of habit and structure. We thrive when there are rules and guidelines to assist us through the veritable maze of life and work processes. Why should productivity be any different? Learning or developing any routine or program can be frustrating and confusing. If you are feeling overwhelmed, don’t let those feelings discourage you from your quest for higher personal and professional efficiency. You will not master every technique for organization or effectiveness; you should not even try. I can hear the type A’s protesting out there – mostly because I am one of them – but if you strive for perfection, you will inevitably come away disappointed.  Seek instead; measurable improvement over time and your pay-off will be less stress, greater success and more time to enjoy your life.

So, with that in mind, I have assembled a list of the most crucial rules that will ensure your success in becoming more productive over time. They are a combination of strategies gathered by researching and studying highly successful productive professionals, juggling mothers and also what I have personally found works for me.

Productivity Golden Rules

  1. One Change at a time – you get the best results when you truly focus on one change at a time.
  2. Know Your Why – What is the purpose behind your goals or work?
  3. Clarify your objectives.
  4. Plan your day, every day.
  5. Energy management – Know your peak productivity cycle.
  6. Set boundaries – Protect your time and space.
  7. Play to Your Strengths – Delegate or automate the rest.
  8. Don’t overthink, don’t procrastinate, and just do it.
  9. Invest in yourself – Learn, grow, improve your skills.
  10. Focus, Focus, Focus!

For a more in depth discussion on these productivity rules, read their individual posts, where we describe them in further detail.

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