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April 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Stop, Drop and Read

stop drop read Stop, Drop and ReadEmails…we all get a ton of them every day. The business world pretty much runs on email these days. But, are you actually paying attention to what people are sending you?

Taking the time to stop and read the words – all of them – is becoming a lost art, I find.

With email overload, people are scanning and reading as fast as possible, taking action of some sort and moving to the next one.

Many of us are guilty of this – life is so fast-paced, it is hard not to focus as you should. I feel sometimes like the Firefighter teaching the class in kindergarten what to do if their clothes catch fire. You know…Stop Drop and Roll.

Well, with emails we may need to apply the same principle - Stop, Drop and Read.

  • Stop - If you are planning to open the email, stop all other work. Multi-tasking is NOT your friend.
  • Drop - Drop everything else and concentrate on the content.
  • Read - Actually take the time to read all of the words. Some people can have more than one topic in the email.

As the writer, there are things to do to help your reader as well:

  • Focus and keep it to the point.
  • Bold and bullet point important parts.
  • Keep emails, as much as possible, to one topic and task.

Another BIG TRICK to tackling your inbox is to create a system and set aside time to review emails – not having it open all the time. If you are the type to keep it open and check every couple minutes, your productive time will decrease every day. Use blocks of time set aside to check the emails and then you can sort and deal with the emails for a certain period of time and then back to work – probably with a couple new to-do’s adding in from the emails you read!

So remember - Stop, Drop and Read…you may find you actually get more out of the emails this way too and not miss important information.

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September 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Setting Family Boundaries when Working from Home

 
 
 
Setting Family Boundaries when Working from HomeOne of my favourite parts of working from home is that I don’t have an office outside our house to go to and, better yet, no traffic to drive through. What is one of the most stressful parts of working from home? Yep, you guessed it. I don’t have an office outside our house to go to.

I love the fact that I can plan my days so I can be there for my family and especially for my kid’s activities. But, I also find myself running into issues when the kids feel I should just drop and take them places as needed. The phrase, “Sometimes you need to pretend I work at an outside office.” is something I have to repeat as needed, which is often in the summertime.

I’ve found that by having clear boundaries that everyone understands, your family will happily (most of the time) adhere to your work rules, if you follow these suggestions:

Make the Rules Concrete

Set specific guidelines. These can be simple to understand guidelines like “You may not come in my office when the door is closed,” which even the youngest of children can understand. You can set a more specific schedule for older children such as “I am not available between 10-2, Monday through Friday.” The more specific your rules, the more readily everyone will abide by them.

I have a poster I tape to my shut door when I am doing training sessions that are recorded. This is a clear note with a big stop sign on it and everyone knows the recorder is on so, unless I need to call 911, they wait.

Reward Them for Compliance

Bribery works! In extreme cases, I will readily agree to play a board game, take the gang for ice cream, or let someone control the TV remote in exchange for an hour of uninterrupted work time. Don’t be afraid to reward your family for a job well done. If you have a specific project that you need to get done, remind your family of the rules, and let them know that you appreciate their understanding by giving them something to look forward to. Help them be a success too!

Refuse to Break the Code

No means no, not maybe. If you give in to whining or pleading, you’re only training your kids (or spouse) to whine and plead. Not a good thing. Before you give in, ask yourself what you’re training your family to believe about your ability to set limits. Then act accordingly. Teaching children to respect the rules, your rules, is a lesson for life.

One issue I find is phone calls. My family has all my phone numbers and I have clearly shared with them the rule that if I don’t answer one phone, I most likely will not answer the other and they should leave a message. Sometimes I have had to pull up my cell and text them to stop while on the phone…but eventually they learn that this is one of my boundaries.

Hold Up Your Side of the Bargain

If you tell the kids you’ll be off the computer at 5:00pm and spend some time with them, then you’d better be ready to go at 5:01pm. Pushing out the timeline or going back on your agreement is no good. This only sets the stage for an argument. The next time you insist on a specific rule regarding your office time, you will have much less leverage as you try to defend your position. Your word is your bond – keep it.

Be Available When You’re Off the Clock

If you want your family to respect your work time and space, then you need to respect family time. No checking the BlackBerry at the dinner table. No taking business calls in the middle of a school concert. No sneaking off to your computer to send a few emails when the rest of the family is gathered around the TV, watching the kids shows. When you’re “away” from the office, make sure you’re really away. (I find this is the hardest one because I cannot stand some of the TV shows the kids watch so we try to compromise and get one we can all enjoy. If we put on the Big Bang Theory in my house, everyone gathers round – it’s a family favourite.)

You set the rules – you need to follow them too. Work up a list of where your problem areas are and then create boundaries that will address the needs of everyone – your business and your family.

Any other tips you have to working under less stress from home? Please share your tip on my Facebook Page.

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August 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

What is the # 1 Priority in your Business?

 
 
What is the # 1 Priority in your Business?
If you are a Solopreneur, you ARE the business, so that #1 priority has to be YOU!

Your business can be operating like a well-oiled machine, but if you’re not taking care of yourself, you’re going to be stressed out and it will affect your work, relationships and overall mood. It’s ironic that when things are going really well, we typically end up spending MORE hours on our jobs because we see all the fantastic benefits of hard work.

To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to also be a healthy, well-rounded, business owner and that means taking care of YOU. Here are a handful of tips to make sure your business isn’t taking over your life at the expense of your health and well-being:

Take a Regular Vacation or Break

Unplug. Get away. Grab your family, some friends or even yourself and step back from everything work-related and take a break. Our brains need the time away to recharge. The benefits of breaking away and focusing on non-business related tasks – hiking, camping, family fun at a water park or the beach – will help you and your business because you return to the desk refreshed and full of new ideas, thoughts and plans. Whatever your break, make t happen. No one can run full tilt all the time without some rest and relaxation.

Get a Hobby

You will probably laugh at this…thinking you don’t have time for a hobby. But the truth is you don’t have time NOT to have a hobby! Whether it’s knitting, cycling, scrapbooking, cooking, etc., you need something that provides balance to your life – especially when the vacation is a few months away. There will be days when the business side of things isn’t going so well and you will need an escape. Get a hobby before you’re forced to find one.

Get Physical

You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again – regular exercise reduces anxiety, combats obesity, and makes you a nicer person to be around. If you are sitting on your butt in front of the computer most of the day (like me!), you have to find some way to move your body on a regular basis. It can be as simple as a 20-minute walk first thing in the morning, or as intense as a 2-hour gym workout. Just choose something and do it. I also add in a quick break every hour to get off the chair and move, whether it be up and playing with the dog for a couple minutes or grabbing a coffee (and lately catching up on the Olympics for 5 minutes).

Get some Rest

I’m willing to bet that, at least once in the past month, you’ve found yourself up way too late, finishing one last work project, answering one more email, or putting the finishing touches on one last product. On an occasional basis, these nocturnal escapades are no big deal, but night after night after night and you’re frying yourself. Not only does sleep deprivation make you anxious, edgy and unable think clearly, it also makes it harder for you to work at peak efficiency. Set a bedtime and stick to it.

Connect

Connecting with those around you is critical to minimizing your stress. At the end of your life, you’re going to be worried more about the people you love and less about the business you created. Show your family and friends how important they are to you NOW by giving them their rightful share of your time. The bonus? It will calm your anxiety when you know you’re investing time where it’s going to matter most throughout your lifetime.

Always remember you need to be your first priority in business and it may mean some time away from business in order to be at your best! Do you have any additional tips on getting away? Please share them on my facebook page.

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June 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Urgent vs. Important

 
 
 
urgent vs important 234x300 Urgent vs. ImportantDo you feel like your day is spent in “firefighter” mode – putting out one emergency blaze after another?

You can easily spend eight hours or more at the beck and call of the urgent activities on your list: The phone call that comes right when you’re sitting down to do some much-needed strategic planning, the unexpected invitation to contribute to a blog round-up, the desperate plea for a last-minute speaker on an industry teleconference. While these all might be worthy tasks, they’re not necessarily related to your high-level goals. And as a result, the time you’ve set aside for your important activities can be usurped by the tyranny of the urgent.

Yes, it’s hard to ignore a ringing phone or a full email inbox. But if you want to move your business to the next level, you need to have a system for focusing on the important tasks instead of the urgent ones.

Here are five tips for keeping your attention in the right spot:

  1. Know what “important” is.
  2. Create zones with no distractions.
  3. Set expectations.
  4. Create systems to support your new habits.
  5. Remind yourself you can’t do everything.

Urgent vs. Important: be aware of what group your tasks fit in, assign the time to do (or not) the work. This will help you manage your day and your tasks with a lot less stress.

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February 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Who Has Control of Your Workday?

 
 
 
interruption 300x160 Who Has Control of Your Workday?

One of the biggest issues every business owner has is time…or rather the lack of time. We all want more time in our day, but the reality is there is no known way to change how the universe is setup and add more hours to the day. What has to change is us and how we use our time.

No matter how in control things may feel, if you track your activity throughout the day, you generally will be surprised at the results. You will see where your time is being spent and who or what is controlling that time. It is the control of your time that can help you find more hours in the day.

To figure out how you spend your time, you will need to do a bit of work, but it always pays off in seeing what is actually happening to your workday. You start by keeping a record of all your activity – everything you do, how long it takes – do this for one week. Picking a normal week too – not a week when you are at a conference or not doing your ‘typical’ work.

Your time log should include:

  1. The Task
  2. The start time and stop time
  3. Interruptions
  4. Who or What interrupted you
  5. The start and stop time after the interruptions too
  6. Whether you completed the task

This will take dedication to do and do for a whole week. I suggest doing it on paper – keep the sheet of paper by your side so you can quickly take out your pen and fill in the sheet. Using a computer-based tracking means leaving your work and interrupting the task at hand to enter the time. Paper is a little mightier and more effective in this case. (I have created a sample sheet you can print out and keep handy. You can copy the sheet template from this Google doc.)

Once the week is up, tally up your results. Review the “interrupted by” column more than anything. Make a tick sheet of the interruptions and the instigator of each. Tally up your top 10 ‘interruptions’. This list will tell you who or what is controlling your workday and you may be surprised at what you find.

If the list is full of names, other than yourself, this tells you others are in control of your day and time. If your name or just a new task is the top factor, then it is, in fact, you controlling your day by the choices you make. Now you know what or who is in control. So, what can you do about it???

Take the next week and track yourself, even if you think everything is fine. You may be surprised at what shows up on the tracking sheet that can help you regain control of your day.

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