Productivity

Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

I recently had the fortunate opportunity to attend a great workshop on improving your brain function and keeping it sharp. One of the things the presenter focused on was sleep and the importance of getting enough every night.

Now, I certainly have heard this before, and have myself, experienced significant sleep deprivation when my son’s were born, but what I hadn’t seen was some of the research and numbers on the impact lack of sleep can make on your output and general well being.

The ideal amount of sleep varies amongst individuals. And to determine how much sleep you need, you have to find out how much time it takes for you to wake up feeling refreshed without needing an alarm clock. Studies show it can be anywhere between 6-10 hours per night, which is why you hear that 8 hours is recommended, because it’s the average.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t remember the last time I had 8 hours of sleep in a night. I usually average 6-7 hours, mostly because I try to fit just one more thing in before I call it a night, like reading or sending one more email, or writing one more blog, or working on content for a teleclass.

According to a study by the Better Sleep Council, Americans know how to get better sleep; they just don’t act on it. And more importantly, it was also evident that Americans are not aware of the mental and physical consequences of sleep deprivation.

Another recent study by the Better Sleep Council shows sleep deprivation impairs quality and accuracy of work (31%), clear thinking or judgment (31%) and memory of important details (30%). In all areas, that’s one-third of our capacity for quality of work, clear thinking and remembering important details.

These studies and data have gotten my attention and so here’s what I propose: I’d like to challenge my Higher Performing People community to a sleep challenge. Here’s how to play.

You must commit to:

1-Finding out how much sleep your body really needs. Go to bed earlier than usual for a couple of nights and see what time you wake up without an alarm clock.

2-Once you get that number (somewhere between 6-10 hours), make a commitment to get that amount of sleep for 7 consecutive nights.

3-Notice any difference in terms of your productivity, judgment, physical condition, tiredness, afternoon slumps, your moods etc. You might want to jot these down in a journal.

Then let me know how you did, share what you learned and what you’re going to do on a regular basis when it comes to sleep. I’ll share comments and stories, as well as my own experience with this challenge, in an upcoming newsletter in the next couple of weeks.

If you have comments or suggestions for any of us up to this challenge, please leave a comment below! Good luck!

Mandy works with talented, high energy self employed professionals and very small businesses who struggle to market their business effectively, stretch their capacity and play a bigger game. Mandy’s client’s receive proven, specific information on what they need to do to get more clients and grow their business. As a result, those who coach with Mandy increase their business, get more clients and make more money, faster and easier than they ever would have on their own. Sign up for her free Cd “7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs” right down below.

3 Tips for Handling Your Email More Effectively

by Mandy Schumaker Leave a Comment

Several clients this week mentioned how overwhelmed they felt in handling the amount of email they received on a daily basis. One of the clients asked what I thought about the notion of running their email on their laptop, while simultaneously working on a writing project on their desktop. They thought that perhaps this might be more efficient to go back and forth, so you didn’t have to toggle different screens on the same computer.

Wow.

I said I thought that was a terrible idea. In fact, I strongly believe that we need less multi-tasking activities, not more. The research is showing that our brains are never getting a rest from technology and activity.

Prior to technology, particularly cell phones and smart phones, we had times during the day when our brains could rest: when we drove in the car, walking down the street to a restaurant for lunch, on our way to a meeting etc. But now, as a culture, we are constantly on our phones either texting, checking email or surfing something on the web. There is no time for our brains to rest and that in itself is taking a toll on our health.

But, back to email overwhelm.

Here are three tips that might help you manage your email-I know they have helped me and many of my clients:

1-Turn off the “ding”

Turn down, or better yet turn OFF the “ding” that happens when you get a new message indicating a new email is awaiting you. That way, you won’t be so inclined to jump every time you know a new email has come in. Research shows that when you get pulled off a particular project or focus, it can take you nearly 20 minutes to get refocused and back into what you were doing. If you are constantly checking your email, every time it dings, it’s no wonder you are feeling overwhelm in getting things done.

2-Check your email only three or four times a day

Set a schedule for yourself to check and work on your email three or four times a day. Yes, I said three or four times a day, not every second of every minute! This is still enough time to get back to people on a regular basis and not worry about losing business. We are a culture that has trained ourselves to expect instant response to everything. I feel I am pretty responsive to my clients, but I have some clients, when I didn’t respond to an email within the hour, will then text me. Remember when all we had was snail mail? Two weeks was an appropriate time to expect to hear a response. So I urge you to figure out what times work best for you to check your email, and stick with it.

3-Unsubscribe to anything you aren’t reading regularly

I recently went through my inbox and literally unsubscribed to over ten newsletters I was receiving, but not reading. And some of them were from some of my very good friends and colleagues. Let’s face it. If you’re not getting value from a newsletter, unsubscribe. If you don’t, it just means you have to deal with it later.

I urge you to try these three tips for the next 21 days and see if it doesn’t make a huge improvement in your feelings of overwhelm, increase your productivity and make more time to do the things that are going to move you towards your bigger goals and vision!

I would love to hear from you in the comment section below, what tips and strategies you use in managing your email?

Off Your Game?

by Administrator Leave a Comment

The game has its ups and downs, but you can never lose focus of your individual goals and you can’t let yourself be beat because of lack of effort.

Michael Jordan

This week was school vacation week in our house and instead of taking a big trip away, we chose to take day trips and stay closer to home. It was a great week, lots of family time and fun activities, but I had recently just returned from a week away with a friend in Europe and was already feeling a bit “off my game” in my business.

It happens to all of us at one time or another. There are disruptions in our lives that can often pull us in another direction for awhile and we can lose focus of our goals.

I experience this with my clients and I often see it happening eight to ten weeks into the New Year. Remember back to January, where we were all so gung-ho to get our goals in place for the year and really commit to what we want? Then something or some event or situation demands our attention and we wonder how we got so off track to our best laid plans?

The trick is recognizing where you are and where you need to be, and getting yourself refocused and back on your game. Don’t beat yourself up, or make negative comments about any of it, because this happens to everyone. The muscle you need to learn to develop is how to refocus your attention and continue on your path and “get back in the game”.

Here are three suggestions to help you get refocused on your business-and they work because I just used them for myself this week!

1-Schedule a ½ hour with yourself (yes, put it in your calendar) to review your business plans, goals and visions. Figure out where you are in the process and write down the next three steps you need to take, from where you are today, to get back on track.

2-Surround yourself with positive affirmations, tapes, people, quotes, build a vision board; make a mind movie-whatever works for you. When we get off track, we usually start giving ourselves negative messages, which in turn spiral us further down and make it increasingly difficult to get back on track. Find a way to circumvent the negative tapes by creating lots of positive input for yourself.

3-Make a list of everything you are grateful for-nothing puts us in a better frame of mind than to be grateful for all the wonderful things in our life. It helps us focus on what’s important and puts us in a state of abundance, rather than lack.

I can guarantee that taking these three steps will help get you refocused on your goals, give you renewed energy and help you continue the success you’ve already created for yourself!

Be sure and let me know how this works for you!

Having a System is Everything

by Administrator Leave a Comment

This morning, as I struggled to find my black pants, dug through a box to find my black shoes, struggled again in the kitchen looking for the frying pan and trying to find the salt for my eggs, it occurred to me that having a system is everything.

Not that I hadn’t realized this before, but I finally realized this week after my family moved into our new house, what makes it so hard about moving is the lack of systems and lack of an organized environment. Not only do I find it stressful and frustrating, it’s also very time-consuming and I’ve spent hours the last few days, walking around in circles (or so it seemed) looking for a particular object or item.

The same can be said for your business.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Is your work environment organized in a way that makes it simple and easy for you to find what you need? Or do you have piles on your desk, business cards you’ve picked up at networking events strewn all over and several empty coffee cups? Is the aesthetics of your work environment pleasing to your eye and makes you feel good just by being in it? Or, are you using mismatched furniture, with boxes piled around you?

It’s important to have an efficient, pleasing (to your eye) looking office area or work environment. It not only makes you feel better, but studies have shown it increases your productivity three fold.

MARKETING SYSTEMS: It is important to create the systems you need so you will consistently take action and create great results in your business. You will always need to market and keep your pipeline filled with potential clients-which can sometimes feels overwhelming and draining. By creating and implementing tried-and-true systems you will develop a more organized and productive approach to running your business and achieving your financial goals.

INVOICING AND BILLING SYSTEMS: Have you created a system for invoicing your clients and paying your bills? Or do the bills sit in a pile on your desk? And you are always doing last minute invoicing to your clients when you have a spare minute? There are lots of great systems out there to help you systematize the financials for your business.

I challenge you to look at your work environment and your business to see where implementing a system could help reduce your stress, overwhelm and free up some time so you can work on the important things like getting more clients and making more money. If you think getting some support around these areas might be helpful to you and your business, feel free to schedule a get acquainted call with me (no strings attached, I don’t work with everyone, so this is just a get acquainted call) to see if I might be able to help you “systematize” your business!!

Mandy works with talented, high energy self employed professionals and very small businesses who struggle to market their business effectively, stretch their capacity and play a bigger game. Mandy’s client’s receive proven, specific information on what they need to do to get more clients and grow their business. As a result, those who coach with Mandy increase their business, get more clients and make more money, faster and easier than they ever would have on their own. .Sign up for her free Cd “7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs” right down below.

Where the Magic Happens

by Administrator Leave a Comment

“How we spend our days, is of course how we spend our lives”

Annie Dillard

I just love this graphic and think it’s so reflective of how we feel about staying or leaving our comfort zones. For the magic to happen, you have to get outside your comfort zone. It’s not too far outside the comfort zone, but there is clearly a space between the outside of the comfort zone circle and the beginning of the circle where “magic happens”. And for many of us, that small space can seem like a huge leap.

Think about something you’ve wanted to change in your life or business, or something you’d like to do, or try. Something that would take you outside your comfort zone. Does this possible move from your comfort zone excite you, scare you, and petrify you? What keeps you stuck from moving forward?

For many, it can be the fear of failure that holds them back. And most likely, it’s a lack of faith that the outcome will be worth the risk. A lack of faith in the magic.

What is holding you back from your big dreams? It’s important to identify and name what those things may be for you.

Here are three things that might help you leave your comfort zone and move into the area where the magic happens:

1-Stop telling yourself the same story. These stories might sound something like this: “I don’t have the money”, “I’m too old”, “I’m too young”, “I can’t change, I’ve always been like this”, “I’m not smart enough”, “and I’m not good enough”. Stop running these tapes in your head and create a new story for yourself that is not only more accurate, but true.

2-Ask for what you want. It’s important to learn to ask for what you want. Notice I say “learn”-yes, it is possible to learn to ask for what you want. People who don’t ask for what they want stay stuck, angry and resentful, as if things should just magically appear for them without ever having to articulate it. The ability to ask for things can be the single biggest success factor in your relationships, earnings and in playing a bigger game in the world.

3-Take massive action. Thinking, dreaming and wishing about moving out of your comfort zone will not make it happen. Or trying to manifest the next big thing will also not work on its own. You must be willing to take action-every day, in many large and small ways, if you want your big dream to come true.

Assignment: I encourage you to look at something you’ve been considering for some time that will take you outside your comfort zone. Ask yourself, what’s the story you’ve been telling yourself about this? What’s true and untrue about your story? Now, how can you create a more accurate story for yourself? Ask for what you want and need get the support and resources you need to make this happen. Then take an action step every day that will take you the place where “magic happens”. Be sure and let me know how it goes, and if I can support you in anyway, please feel free to contact me at mandy@mandyschumaker.com or 207-653-6977.

Mandy works with talented, high energy self employed professionals and very small businesses who struggle to market their business effectively, stretch their capacity and play a bigger game. Mandy’s client’s receive proven, specific information on what they need to do to get more clients and grow their business. As a result, those who coach with Mandy increase their business, get more clients and make more money, faster and easier than they ever would have on their own. .Sign up for her free Cd “7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs” right down below.

Do You Have Good Boundaries?

by Administrator Leave a Comment

As entrepreneurs, it can often feel like we are working 24/7 in our businesses. Because there are always things that need to get done, customers to call, paperwork to complete, strategies to implement, and business to develop.

So, if you aren’t creating good boundaries for yourself around yourself and your business, things can quickly become stressful and overwhelming.

What do I mean about establishing good boundaries?

Well, for example, I spoke with a client this week who is working with me because he’d like to get more clients and grow his business. In prior meetings, we had talked about some strategies that he was going to implement that would help him reach his goals. When I asked him this week how it was going he said, “Well, pretty good, but I’m having a hard time finding the time to start the ideas we spoke about.” “Really”, I said, “What seems to be in the way of starting the projects”? “There are just a lot of interruptions in my schedule”, he answered.

We then looked at his schedule and what was happening and it was clear that he wasn’t exercising strong boundaries with himself or other people. For example, because he is an entrepreneur and has a more flexible schedule than when he was working a corporate job, he was finding himself doing things during the day, like taking the dog to the vet, or taking and picking up his laundry, or setting routine doctor and dentist appointments in the middle of the day. He also has several friends who consistently call him during work hours to talk about sports and other topics-that while fun and interesting, were not helping him get more clients and make more money.

Here are some thoughts about where you might begin setting some boundaries:

1-Develop a weekly work schedule that works for you-and stick to it. In other words, don’t work 24/7, or 50 or 60 hours a week. It’s not good for you, your health or your family and probably your business! Set a schedule for yourself, share it with your family and friends, let them know this is when you will be working and you’d prefer not to be interrupted with things that can wait until after your working hours. Stay firm to this. At the end of work period, pack up and go home. End it. Period.

2-Plan routine doctor and dentist appointments at the beginning or end of the day. That way, you won’t have to interrupt the middle of your day. See if your doctor or dentist has extended evening hours-many do.

3-Plan to run your errands on the way into work or on the way home, not in the middle of the day.

4-Make sure your family and friends understand your working hours. Any friend or family member that you have, who calls you at work and chats on and on, needs to be told gently but firmly, that you have work to do and you would hope they can honor that and call you at other times outside your working hours.

5-Be diligent about saying “no”. No to committees, boards, volunteer work, groups etc. that will become “time sucks” and not bring you more clients or make you more money.

Developing good boundaries takes practice and consistent attention. Where or with whom are you feeling stressed, overwhelmed and often times angry with? These areas (or people) can be good indications of a boundary violation for you and it’s up to you to first recognize it and work to change it or modify it in a way that works for you.

Mandy works with talented, high energy self employed professionals and very small businesses who struggle to market their business effectively, stretch their capacity and play a bigger game. Mandy’s client’s receive proven, specific information on what they need to do to get more clients and grow their business. As a result, those who coach with Mandy increase their business, get more clients and make more money, faster and easier than they ever would have on their own. .Sign up for her free Cd “7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs” right down below.

Productivity

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