Posts Tagged ‘time managment’

I recently met an organizational expert, Kristen Hart of Toss n Tidy.  I was inspired, as I often am toward the end of the year, to clean up, clear out and start afresh. 

My intentions in this area are grandiose. I want to dig out 20 years of accumulated matter from the attic, the basement and the garage. My goal is a feeling of freedom and the perceived ability to travel spontaneously and at length.  I figure this is a five year plan.

I am certain of eventual success because I have uncovered my deeper reasons for wanting an empty attic – a sense of freedom.

Whenever we pursue change it is wise to know our reasons; to understand our deepest longings. Knowing the why helps us not only stay motivated but allows for creativity.  When you know the why, you can be flexible about the how.  For instance, I can sell my stuff on e-bay and put the money in a travel fund.  If I were only committed to the outcome, without knowing why, I might just take it all to the dump.

Know Yourself

For another example: Kristen the professional organizer and a role model for a well organized life said she had spent time, energy and money trying to organize her coupons. Every attempt failed until finally she realized she was ‘just not a coupon person”. 

Of course coupon clipping is not a personality trait, it is a behavioral choice adopted because, on some level, it meets a deep desire, on some level there is a why.  Kristen just doesn’t have a good answer to the question: “Why clip coupons?”

I am not a discount person either.  I prefer to just find what I need and buy it.  It is more efficient and I am happier with my choice. 

However, it is also okay if saving money gives you sense of accomplishment.  I just caution you: make sure the time you spend searching for discounts, clipping coupons and filing them in your color coded file folder is solidly grounded in a compelling “Why”.  This “why?” is your return on your investment (ROI).  To know truly if your time is being well spent, you will need to identify the deeper values you are honoring.

I have resources (available for free), to help you uncover your dreams, your vision, your closely held intentions.  Taking time to know thyself and to clarify your vision and values is time well spent. Time far better spent than the time spent clipping coupons.

Today we return to my series of lessons on leading your small business as if  it were a mega corporation and you, my small business friends,  are CEO’s with a huge staff of highly trained, highly paid, executive MBA wiz-kids to rely on.

 ”My every waking hour is a contest to see how much fun I can have making money doing what I love to do.”

Meaning Is the New Money

Times are tough, business is tough.  There is a school of thought that says if you are happy, you are successful. 

True but…

 Money is important too. As a mentor of mine often says, money may not be the most important thing but it is the most impactful thing.”  Translation: if you can’t pay the rent, you are going to have a hard time holding on to your happiness.

Which is why, for all the meaning and satisfaction your work gives you, you must, at least occasionally, focus on the money. Focusing on the money is, in mega corporation parlance, the job of the Chief Financial Officer or C.F.O.

Money is Mostly Numbers

Do you know how much money you will make this year?  It is now the fourth quarter of 2010. You should know. If you are not sure, overcome your math anxiety and do a little sales forecasting.

“In math there is always one right answer, and if you can’t find it, you’ve failed.  That makes me crazy” High school math student

Guessing at the Numbers

Forecasting not really math it is more like educated guessing. Guessing about how much money you expect to make in the next month or 3 months or 12 months. To forecast you need to know how many units of each widget you will sell and for what price. Simple multiplication will give you a sales forecast.

10 widgets X $10 each = $100

Math Anxiety is Unnecessary

Being anxious about this simple math is an overreaction because there is no absolute right answer. It is a guess! But it is a guess that will give you some direction in your day to day activities; some way to judge your effectiveness and some sense of security knowing in advance what you might expect for income in the months ahead.

Anxiety in General is Unnecessary

If you are feeling anxious about your any aspect of your business, consider signing up for In The Trenches: the new Working Miracles newsletter for small business leaders with practical tips for consciously turning your work into a miracle of prosperity and meaning

My premier edition is due out in mid October.  The sign up form is not yet up on the web site but I promise to get you on the list.  Just let me know in the comments box below.

Image by Flickr user Al Power, licensed under CC 2.0

Personally I think it is lame to repost blog posts by Seth Godin. Granted he is the king. Everyone agrees you can’t go wrong reading Godin’s marketing advice but it is HIS advice, you can read it at his site.  The Working Miracles Blog is, or should be, about my POV.

So – just so you know – I am cheating:  I know it and now you know it.

Here is My Excuse

When people ask me what I do I answer, “I am an entrepreneur”. Depending on the person, I might add some clarification.  I might tell them I have rental properties. I might say I have high quality, fully automatic cappuccino/espresso machines that I put into offices and public places. I often tell them I am a business coach.  Sometimes I will add,” I also have investments that I manage”.

Getting Things Done

I have “multiple sources of income”.  Usually is diversity is not only prudent but interesting. Wearing multiple hats keeps me actively using all my skills, talents and knowledge in a way that both challenges and engages me.  Sometimes however the management responsibilities of my three or four business ventures converge to create a mini version of the perfect storm.

This week is one of those perfect storm weeks. 

• It is a short week since I spent the Memorial Day weekend at the beach.
• The rental property is newly vacant. It needs cleaning and maintenance as well as arranging showings.
• For the first time in almost three years one of my cappuccino machines needs repair. The repair process requires shipping parts over international borders. (Don’t get me started on that story.)
• I have a great new book by John Jantsch of Duck Tape Marketing about setting up a referral system for your business. I want to not only read the book and review it for you, but to set up a smooth running referral system for Working Miracles Small Business Coaching.

Time Managment - That is Why…

So, that is why I am cheating and suggesting you read this blog post by Seth Godin instead of offering brilliant exposition from my own mind.  Go ahead.  Take a look and answer the questions about “What Do You Do?”  Especially number 16.  “What does busy look like?”

I’d love to hear your vision.  What did you learn about yourself and your business (or businesses) by reflecting on what you do?