6 Easy Steps To Get You Where You Want To Go Without The Stress June 3, 2010

By Carol Halsey © 2001 – 10

The comment I hear most frequently from business people is that they feel overwhelmed with work, and are often playing the game of “catch up.”

But there is a way to get it all done without being overwhelmed.

You are probably thinking, “but you don’t understand – all the phone calls, on the spot decisions, immediate tasks.”

But I do understand. These are the realities of business.

However, a little preplanning and goal setting can ease the daily pressures and find you additional time each day – as much as an hour – and relieve a whole lot of stress.

It boils down to you being more in control of how your day goes, and not being controlled by the situations that hit you.

1. Identifying and writing down your goals, short and long term, is the beginning. You may already have done this, but how do you accomplish them in a timely manner?

2. Scheduling your time is the next step. The question is then, how do you plan your time to accomplish goals when you are under the gun with crises, deadlines and interruptions?

3. Start with a daily “to do” list, which identifies the uncompleted tasks required to meet each goal.

4. Next, prioritize those tasks in order of which must be accomplished first. We sometimes are so caught up in the urgent matters of the day, that we fail to schedule time to undertake the important tasks that will lead us to our goals.

5. Allot time each day to address these tasks, in the form of blocks of quiet time, at least one hour, to work these tasks, and to plan.

Find the most creative and productive time for you and use this time wisely. Let phone calls go to voice mail to be returned later.

This time is an appointment you make with yourself, and treat as any other business commitment. It gives you the sense of being in control of where you are going, and that you are taking the positive steps to get there.

If circumstances arise that infringe on your quiet time, and surely at some time they will, reschedule for later in the day. You will soon realize the importance of having this quiet time.

6. Take 10 minutes at the end of each day to plan for tomorrow. Identify and prioritize tasks necessary to reach your goals on a daily “to do” list.

However, be careful not to commit every minute, but allow flexibility for the unexpected and urgent events that surely will occur, and it also allows you to reschedule your quiet time if necessary.
About the Author
Carol Halsey is an author, speaker and organizational expert specializing in office-based organization for the past 24 years. She consults businesses and coaches people on how to manage their time and paper more effectively.

Chili Earthquake shortened our DAY? OH NO! March 2, 2010

Yes,
According to space.com as reported on Yahoo my DAY was shortened by
a whopping 1.26 milliseconds – OH NO!

How is this going to affect my business building?
What will I do with a shorter day?

Read some hints here on how to use time to your advantage for building
your MLM business>>> Using Time to Your Advantage

The Gift of Forget December 24, 2009

This year, give yourself the gift of “Forget”.

Forget the things you didn’t accomplish last year – move to the Future
this year. Make your promises to yourself. Write down your goals.
Move forward to making it happen in Twenty Ten!

Forget the wrongs done against you and move to the Future. Dwelling
on the past is dwelling on something that has already been slept on,
dealt with, thought about, finished, used up, and thrown away. Don’t
let bitterness keep you stuck in the past! Forget it and move FORWARD.

Forget the bad memories. Quit replaying them in your mind’s theater.
Move to the Future with NEW memories.

Imagine your mind as a huge sticky note pad. You know the kind that you
are always writing things on in order to “remember”. Well, make your
“Forget Pad”. Write down things you need to “Forget” so you can move
forward. Write them down and then THROW THEM AWAY! I mean DO it!
Slam Dunk style into the trash can.

Forget and move to the Future of Twenty Ten!

Meet.. Pearl Harbor December 7, 2009

Today marks the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor

This man is returning to the scene, for the first time since that fateful day.

An picture of the scene is here.

Walter Lord’s Book, Day of Infamy is here.

Meet… No-Time-Syndrome for Spare Time December 3, 2009

I read this following chart a while back in a book called
“The Fifth Principle” by Micheal Clouse.

He wrote it to help people in training others and to point out
when folks say they don’t have time to build a business -

Thousands of Network Marketing distributors are
building successful part-time business in their
“spare time.”

But Spare Time can be used for other things as a well!

Maybe you are someone that has said,
“I can’t start a hobby, I don’t have time”….
or…
“I can’t exercise and get fit, I don’t have time”
or…
“I can’t give back to the community or do any sort of
volunteer work, I don’t have time”

There are 168 hours in every single week. Where
does the time go? Let’s take a good long look:

Activity / Time Spent / Time Remaining in the week

Sleep
8 hours a day / 56 hours a week / 112 hours remaining.

Full time job
8 hours a day / 40 hours a week / 72 hours remaining.

Commuting
2 hours a day / 10 hours a week / 62 hours remaining.

Eating
2 hours a day / 14 hours a week / 48 hours remaining.

Family & Entertainment
2 hours a day / 14 hours a week / 34 hours remaining.

Miscellaneous
2 hours a day / 14 hours a week / 20 hours remaining!

So the next time you think to yourself “I’d like to, but
I just don’t have the time,” look at the chart.

90 Day Challenge – Days 54-56 10/24-26 October 27, 2009

Wow, time gets away when you are BUSY doing things!
These last days finished up my tasks with my Chapter 4 of The Artist’s Way. That week we were to give ourselves a reading break. Allow our mind to fill itself instead of being filled. The break away from the laptop reading eBooks and forums also kept me from posting follow ups for my tasks and challenges! I found myself BUSY!
During those days, I made some more information packets, samples, met 4 new folks, coached a team member on the phone regarding Fundraising – it was actually very productive days.

I also became more diligent on tracking my daily tasks for business building.
If you think you are “working” your business – but aren’t getting anywhere in growth….
TRACK IT, and see how much work is REAL work, or busy work…

http://www.firstclassmlmtools.com/Pocket-Tracker-Booklet-and-CD-P24C33.aspx

Meet..Stress Relief October 26, 2009

Here are 5 simple ideas to help you deal with any of the stress you may face.

Stress Relief # 1: Do One Thing At A Time

Give the most important thing that you are doing your undivided attention. Do it mindfully. Do it well. Once it is done move on to the next task. Take the time to get it right and enjoy the experience!

Stress Relief # 2: Cut down on competitive stress.

In our world today it seems that we compete for everything: the space around us, to be first to own a new product, to get our kids signed up for programs, to get our viewpoints across, to be faster, smarter, and richer. Our days are filled with stressful competitions. And most are absolutely unnecessary. Try to get above all that. Compete to stay calm and in control in the middle of chaos. Let that be your daily competition.





Stress Relief # 3: Throw something out every day! We all have too much stuff in our house. Office. Garage. Attic. Useless clutter that’s weighing you down, getting in the way, obscuring the things you really need. Be realistic. If you’re not going to use it, lose it. Every day, find one thing you don’t need and toss it. Or give it away. Over time, the clutter will begin to vanish and space and order will magically appear in your home…and your life. I started this process today! I got through several boxes in my garage and it was great to realize I had made progress.

Stress Relief # 4: Eliminate meaningless deadlines.


Our life is full of them. Arbitrary and unrealistic time constraints imposed by ourselves and others that serve only to make us more pressured, anxious, stressed out. For no worthwhile reason. Avoid the trap of assigning time frames to everything you do, especially if you have little idea how long it will take. Instead, make your goal one of completing a project in a careful, professional, satisfying manner. In other words, as long as it takes to do it right. Save your nerves, and your energy, for the few real deadlines we face…like April 15th.

Stress Relief # 5: Get More Out Of Life By Doing Less.

What a concept! Is your life fulfilling? Or is it merely crammed? Know the difference and you’ll realize it’s not the quantity of activities you engage in (or possessions you collect) that ultimately determine your happiness. One naturally unfolding, enriching experience can easily surpasses many rushed and distracted ones. But you may be so chronically over scheduled, you never give yourself a chance to enjoy anything to the fullest. Experiment. Choose an occasion and give it your complete, mindful and unhurried attention. Then imagine an entire life of such enrichment. It’s absolutely attainable.

When you find yourself stressed, ask yourself one question: Will this matter in 5 years from now? If yes, then do something about the situation. If no, then let it go.” Catherine Pulsifer

From:
Dale@winnersbychoice.
Dale Smith Thomas

Open the locks to your gate! October 7, 2009

“Wealthy people tend to be orderly, while those who struggle have lots of messes. Each mess is a lock on the gate that keeps abundance out.”

Raymond Aaron
From “Double Your Income Doing What You Love”

That statement was given to me by a friend. Truthfully, this is one of those statement that I didn’t like – because it pointed out a fault of mine. BUT, it is a fault that I am working on to improve so that helps to buffer the message =)

I’ve pretty much been a disorganized person my whole life. Organization meant a pile here, a pile there. I knew what was in the piles and could find it – just give me a few minutes and I could find it. The past 5 years my j.o.b required me to be organized so I adapted organization skills to fill the need there. However, my personal life was lacking.

BUT, since I started my home business with the candles, my life has become a LOT more orderly.

Organization of files is a priority, because my time is precious and I don’t want to waste a minute of it. I have to keep appointments, remember to do things to build my business, schedule my priorities and goals – everything must be done orderly so that my business will grow and I will not be the one standing in the way of my own success and achievements.

I have been focusing more in the past 60 days on “extreme” organization and business building and I DO see results! I FEEL better about my self, my skills, and the business I am building.

However, I will be the first to admit to you – THIS IS WORK FOR ME. Organizing is not natural for my personality. BUT, the old saying “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” isn’t true! I’m learning new skills every day – and organizing is ONE!

I can truthfully say that if I was not building a business in the MLM industry, I would not have added these positive qualities to my life. Some folks are natural organizers, or a natural “people” person, or a natural teacher, leader, etc… BUT, if you want to meet success, if you truly WANT to change, it you truly want to LEARN…you can. You just do it. One step at a time.

From the from the Tao Te Ching, verse 64:

Great trees grow from the smallest shoots;
a terraced garden, from a pile of earth,
and a journey of a thousand miles
begins by taking the initial step.

Meet..The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People – Habit 5 August 6, 2009

Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood.
Habit 4 encourages looking for Win/Win. Habit 5 is a first step in the process. Habit 5 is learning to truly listening to understand another. Learning to empathize when listening. We usually listen autobiographically – we evaluate, or probe, or advise, or interpret. This type of listening comes natural to us. But they hinder us from truly understanding someone when they are talking to us. Here is an excerpt:
“As you authentically seek to understand, as you rephrase content and reflect feeling, you give psychological air. You help him work through his own thoughts and feeling.s….It opens a soul to soul flow…”

This chapter, as all the chapters, are like a good steak. You have to chew it for a little bit to really get the benefit!

Meet..The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People..Habit 4 August 6, 2009

This has been a very deep introduction for the Habit. The explanation of Win/Lose, Win/Win, Lose/Win, etc… I cannot effectively explain it here. But, truthfully, I read the chapter twice in order to absorb the lessons learned. My homework is to evaluate an event in my life, an interaction, where I need to really listen to what they want vs. what I want, and learn to make it acceptable for both sides. An attempt to reach an agreement or negotiate a solution. WHERE was this training when my child was small? So much of parenting is the Win /Lose. Parent Wins, Child Loses just because “I said so”. You see, these principles are not only for your work environment, but are LIFE principles which is why YOU become a more effective person.

Another concept in this chapter is your “emotional bank.” This is the “bank” you build by trust in a relationship. Six ways to deposit into a relationship is by understanding an individual, doing little things for an individual, keep commitments, understand expectations, having personal integrity and being sincerely apologetic when needed.

The homework for this chapter is going to be ongoing……
Moving on to Habit 5…Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood…..