Time management

3 Tips to Get Out of Procrastination Mode

“Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday.”

Napoleon Hill

Okay, I’ll be honest. Even though part of my job is helping my clients move out of procrastination mode and into action mode, I sometimes experience the same struggle. Particularly when I have a lot of writing to do, or when I need to develop content for an upcoming workshop.

When I’m in procrastination mode, I spend a lot of time and energy thinking about the projects, and really feel them hanging over my head! And I feel stuck and unmotivated to actually begin them, because, well, I secretly think I still have a lot of time and I always work better under pressure!

And while it may be true (sometimes) that I work better under pressure, I can really feel how having these things hang over my head, zap my energy and make me feel cranky, particularly with my family!

So this week, I talked to myself as if I were a client and applied these three strategies to get me unstuck…and they really worked!

1-Stop waiting for “the perfect time” to start.

One of the things I realized, is that I often feel like I need a huge chunk of time to start a writing project-like at least three or four hours. Well, like any of us, I rarely have three or four hours of open time on my calendar. So I took my own advice (from my free CD, 7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs) and set aside two 90 minute time periods this week (on different days) to start my project.

2-Stop filling up your calendar with “busy work”

In analyzing my reasons for procrastinating on two big projects, I realized that I had successfully filled my calendar with so many “busy work” kinds of things on the calendar-they had totally sucked up any available time to work “on” my business. Blocking out times to strategize, plan, write, work on projects is absolutely crucial to get them underway.

3-Just do it!

While waiting for the “perfect time” to start, but realizing I hadn’t even left any available time in my calendar to start, I felt so overwhelmed and stressed until I challenged myself. I took the next 15 minutes to see how much I could get done. I turned off my phone, Facebook, the “ding” on my computer, signaling a new email and I set the timer on my phone and just dug in. For only fifteen minutes. The results were amazing-it got me started, in fact at the end of the time I didn’t even want to quit. I was on a roll. In fact, I couldn’t wait to get back to my writing-which was a total turnaround to how I was feeling before I spent the focused 15 minutes on it.

We all get stuck and we all have our stories to tell around why. Sometimes it just takes a few simple steps to unhook us, prop us up and get moving on the things that will significantly make an impact in our businesses.

I would love to hear from you in the comment section below, some of the tips you use, when you get stuck and procrastination sets in!

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?

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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.

Are You Taking Enough Action Every Day?

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“People often say that motivation doesn’t last.
Well, neither does bathing –
that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar

I’ve seen it time and time again. Two entrepreneurs who start their businesses at relatively the same time, similar businesses, both have similar backgrounds, yet one of them become much more successful than the other. What is it that the more successful one has over the other? It’s all around taking action…every single day.

As entrepreneurs, it’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day of running our businesses, that we can lose sight of our bigger goals. I see it with my own private coaching clients. There are those that work to stay motivated and take massive action every day. They are the ones who are willing to do what others aren’t willing to do, to get up earlier, stay up later, make one more call, attend one more networking event, step out of their comfort zone to do more speaking, or start a blog etc. And these are the clients who are consistently doubling and tripling their year over year income.

What’s enough action you might ask? I would ask you to answer these questions:

What opportunities are in front of you right this minute, that you are not taking advantage of?

Where are you falling prey to resistance?

What things have been on your “to do” list for too long, and by taking action on them immediately could help catapult your business in a big way?

The difference between a doer and dreamer is the amount of action that follows their visions. You must implement! Action is an issue of personal responsibility. You are solely responsible for the choices in your life and you are responsible for every action and non-action. You must accept that it is YOUR responsibility to take action.

So where can you be taking more action, starting today? Look at what you’ve been resisting, where you’ve stopped short, what’s been on your “to do” list for far too long. Make a plan, set a time limit for completion and get moving!

Mandy works with talented, bright, 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” at www.mandyschumaker.com. Or contact her at 207-653-6977

5 Ways to Take Charge of Your Schedule Today!

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It is not unusual when I meet with a prospective or new client to hear, “I just can’t seem to get anything done”, or “I work nearly 60-70 hours a week, but I just seem to move from one thing to the next and don’t ever feel like I accomplish anything.” Or, “I tend to just wing stuff a lot and go with the flow”.

Many entrepreneurs and business people have the ability to handle a lot of different tasks, assignments and projects at the same time. However, as the old saying goes, “what got you here isn’t going to get you there”. In other words, while one of your strengths may be to “wing it”, that’s probably not going to continue to make you successful in your business or career. Or while you may have been successful at multi-tasking or moving from one thing to the next, at some point, that’s not going to continue to work for you as you move up the ladder in your career or become more successful in your business.

Getting in control of your own schedule is crucial. And with good intentions, discipline and consistent practice, it can be accomplished. Here are five “tried and true” tips that have worked for me and my clients:

1-Keep a Time Log for 2 weeks-Keep a piece of paper near your desk or computer and keep a time log-by hour of how you spend your time. At the top of each page put the day with each hourly increments starting from when you wake to when you go to sleep. Be sure to be as detailed as possible noting what you’re working on (i.e. e-mail, project, meeting etc.) what time you started and when you finished. It’s important to keep this for 2 weeks to be sure you cover a portion of time when things may only happen once, or things that routinely happen. At the end of two weeks, take the time to really analyze where are there time sucks? Where are you spending too much time, perhaps with e-mails, looking for things in your office, or on your desk? Are you moving from one thing to a next without completing the first project? While this task can in itself feel overwhelming, all of my clients who have completed this exercise have found it INVALUABLEto help them get more organized and dramatically improve their productivity.

2-Organize Your Work Area-If your work area is a disaster, or there are piles and piles on your desk, (oh, I know, you know where everything is, or you’re afraid if you file it away, you will forget to do it) there is no way you will ever feel or get in control of your own schedule. Schedule a time this week to spend the time getting your work area organized. Buy some cheap boxes or baskets, label them and put like papers and info into each of them. Throw away what you don’t need and create a “projects for the future” basket which you schedule to look at once a month for new ideas.

3-Don’t Leave Your Office For The Evening Without Planning For The Next Day-I never leave my office without making a list of the things I have to do the next day. That way, I don’t waste any time when I get into my office the next morning, trying to figure out what I need to do that day. I already know from my planning the previous night. I also prioritize my list by the most important. Research shows that most people are most productive in the morning hours and it’s the best time to do the “hardest stuff” first.

4-Finish One Priority Before You Move To The Next-When working your prioritized list (that you made the night before!), go as far as you can with the first priority, until it’s either completed or you can’t go any further, before you move on to the next one, and so on and so forth. This way you start to complete projects, rather than just getting a little done here and there without really completing any of them.

5-Respect Your Time-This means to value your time. If you’ve scheduled some personal time to work out, or take a walk, or take time off-stick to it. Don’t let other people, or other “time sucks” pull you off your schedule. It’s important to schedule free or personal time into your calendar and stick to it-just as you would if it were a client appointment. This will greatly begin to reduce your feeling of overwhelm because you are able to make some space in the day for yourself.

Assignment: Implement these 5 tips today. Stay true to them for two weeks, being as disciplined as you can in following these five things and I will guarantee you will make a big difference in lowering your stress level and helping you feel more in control of your time and schedule!

Sign up for her free Cd “7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs” at www.mandyschumaker.com. Or contact her at 207-653-6977

Is Procrastination Hurting Your Business?

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All of us are guilty of letting procrastination creep into our lives at one time or another. The trick is to recognize it for what it is, then take a hard look at what it is that’s holding you back and begin taking small steps to move you forward.

This video takes a pretty amusing (and accurate) look at procrastination. Enjoy, and then do your best this week to remove the procrastination from your life so you can move forward on the things that will make you and your business even more successful!

Enjoy!

httpsv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU8H0kR-_Go&noredirect=1

Sign up for her free Cd “7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs” at www.mandyschumaker.com. Or contact her at 207-653-6977

3 Ways to Add More Structure to Your Day

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One of the things I find that many of my clients struggle with (me included) is being able to structure your day so that you can continually get things done and move forward with your business. There are so many things for us to get done in any given day, that we are often in a state of overwhelm, often coupled with feelings of procrastination and low energy.

In working with clients over the past nine years, I have found time and time again, having some structure to your week and day, can make a huge difference in how you feel and how much you accomplish.

So often we take on more than we can handle, or try and cram everything we need to get done into one long “to do list”. And sometimes we just are plain “out of energy” because we’ve worked so hard for so long. Adding some structure and boundaries to your day can help.

If you can relate to any of these feelings, here are some ways you might consider adding structure to your day to help you get back on track and moving forward:

1-Structure your ideal work week and day. When specifically during the day are you going to work on your marketing? When are you specifically going to see clients? When are you specifically going to work on the administrative tasks in your business? The more you can schedule these activities into your weekly and daily schedules, the easier it will be for you to know exactly what you should be doing at any time during business hours.

2-Plan your next day the night before. Before you leave your office or shut down your computer for the night, be sure you’ve created a list of things you’d like to get done the next day. That way, when you come into work the next morning, you know exactly what your priorities are for the day, where to begin and what you need to get done.

3-Don’t have an overwhelming “to-do” list. When clients first start working with me, they often have really long to-do lists. Sometimes they even have two and three lists, one for business, and one for personal and one for major things. First, I recommend having one to-do list with everything on it. Then prioritize the list, with A’s, B’s and C’s. Be sure and break down some of your larger projects into bite-size pieces. For example, if you have an item that’s listed as “Create new business development idea”, you might want to break that big idea down into smaller more doable parts. Those smaller steps can then be put on your daily to do list. As the old saying goes, “it’s much easier to eat an elephant, one bite at a time.”

Where can you be putting more structure into your day and week to help you stay on track so you can be even more successful in your business?

Time management

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