Tag: time management

The Importance of SMART Goals

Posted on by In Order to Succeed Team

At In Order To Succeed® we help clients succeed. Whether it’s achieving a more organized lifestyle, accomplishing a difficult move, using technology to keep our households on track or editing a wardrobe—it gives us sublime pleasure to help others embrace and achieve an organized life. One of the ways we do this is by working with clients to set themselves up for success rather than failure using measurable goals that meet the benchmarks of appropriate goal setting. We use the metric of SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time Bound. Today we’ll take a look at how to set goals in a way that makes sense and so that clients achieve success over failure every time.

SMART Goals

Acronyms are popular for a reason: they give people a way to remember a more complex idea by giving them a device by which to remember it. This is more than a hip buzzword, though, they are a practice that when applied help businesses, other organizations, and individuals progress at a new pace.

What are SMART goals? A way to check to see if goals are realistic. Let’s say you want to use technology to make your life easier, you might set a New Year’s Resolution of “Use technology more.” Sounds like a great idea for most people, right? The scraps of paper, notes scrawled hither and thither, texts and emails and other electronic communications sent over various platforms easily missed and not close to being efficient—what could be better than streamlining through technology? But how does “use technology more” measure up as a goal when we use a metric like SMART? What does it mean? What can you tell from the goal? SMART is a way to look at your goal to decide whether or not it can help you achieve.

Do You Have Specific Goals?

“I want to use technology more” While it is a goal that specifies an area where you want to accomplish something, it’s vague. Why do you want to use technology more? Are you learning a new program related to your philanthropic ventures? Have your kids gotten frustrated with a voicemail, text, Facebook Messenger AND email reminding them to walk the dog? Be specific in your goal and you’re likely to be more successful. “I want to use technology to run a more efficient household.” Giving your goal a specific reason, even if it seems obvious to you, makes it more than just an item on a to do list. It helps you to set a powerful intention.

Do You Have Measurable Goals?

So, you want to start using apps and other technology. And you want to do it to be more efficient in how you run your household. That’s a good start to your goal. But, technically, you could simply just start using one mode of communication, like texting, and have met your goal. Or, on the other side of the coin, you could start using seven apps that all do the same thing, wasting lots time. People like to see progress and chart changes—think about the popularity of apps that track everything from water intake to steps taken and stairs climbed. By making your goal measurable you accomplish a few things:

  • You put more thought and time into setting the goal, which makes you more invested.
  • You can track your progress which helps you feel successful along the journey rather than just at the end.
  • You are more likely to hold yourself accountable.

Your goal might now look like, “I want to use technology to find one app that will help me run a more efficient household and use only that app for 90 days.”

Are Your Goals Achievable?

An important part of setting better goals is assessing whether or not they are achievable. Like the investment of time in making measurable goals, taking time to assess whether or not goals are achievable is an important step. If you are in the midst of a life-changing event, don’t know how to download apps and sync them across users, or have not spent any time researching good ideas for apps, you’re not going to achieve your goal. If members of your family don’t use smartphones you’re also not going to achieve it. While your SMART goal doesn’t need to change in wording ask yourself if it’s doable — is it possible for every member of your household? Have you built time into your schedule to research apps?

Are Your Goals Realistic?

There’s a difference between “Achievable” and “Realistic” albeit subtle. Anyone can use technology to help their household be more efficient. But should anyone? If your household is attempting to communicate through more “face time” this might not be a realistic goal that helps you overall. When looking at goals make sure they are doable (achievable) and that the outcome meets the needs of your motivation.

What’s Your Time Frame?

Attaching time to a goal might seem like it would only serve to make you nervous but it actually helps empower you along the way. You can’t get efficient in a week using technology. You might, though, be able to get a grasp of whether a particular app works for you and learn its intricacies over 90 days. Using this type of thinking forces you to mindful of many aspects of the SMART goals process including asking if you have measurable goals.

“I want to use technology to find one app that will help me run a more efficient household and use only that app for 90 days.” Does it pass the test? We already know that this goal is specific and measurable. It’s achievable and completely realistic. It has a time frame, too, meaning it meets the criteria.

SMART Goals For All Of Your Goals

This is just one example of how to set measurable goals but let’s look at other areas of our lives.

Traditional Goal: I want a more organized kitchen.

SMART Goal: I’d like to organize my kitchen this weekend so that I have more room to keep it looking its best and so that I can find things I need instead of wasting time going through everything.

Does It Meet The Benchmarks of SMART goals? You’ve been specific that you’re targeting a kitchen in order to live more efficiently and not waste time. You’re going to get it done this weekend. This goal meets the criteria. How will you measure it? When you cook at the end of the weekend!

 

Traditional Goal: I want to use my smartphone more.

SMART GOAL: In the next thirty days I would like to use my phone to help me stay organized instead of scraps of paper that can get lost and look messy.

Does It Meet The Benchmarks of SMART goals? Add this to your list of measurable goals. It is one that sets a specific time limit to achieve something that is possible and for the reason of de cluttering your life. Maybe it’s your first step to going paperless?

By redesigning your goals as SMART and focusing on what can be measured you will achieve your desired results. The consultants of In Order to Succeed® are available to help you develop your plan and set you on the right track, whatever your goals might be, personal or professional!

6 Tips on How to Deal with Stress for a Longer Life!

Posted on by Denise Caron-Quinn

It feels like everyone’s schedules seem busier than ever right now! However, one high-priority item to add to your full plate is to take at least 10 minutes a day to relax and you will live a longer and happier life! Stress is one of the top killers in our modern world, and yet we still refuse to take a time-out. Taking a break is like hitting your reset button; this brief appointment with yourself will increase your productivity, improve your mood and most importantly, decrease the chronic stress that over time paves the way for heart disease, depression, insomnia, cancer and other life-shortening health conditions. Here are 6 tips on how to deal with stress in order to live a long and happy life.

Quiet Time Is Not Just For Toddlers

Somewhere along the line, we got the idea that taking time for ourselves was selfish or even a waste of time. While we schedule time for our children to rest, we think we are exempt. Yet, rest and relaxation are essential to restore our physical energy and to maintain emotional balance. Take 10 minutes of quiet time in your day. Read an inspiring book. Take a long, slow stroll in nature or your neighborhood. Commune silently with a furry friend, meditate, journal, or whatever makes you feel peaceful within. I’m giving you permission to relax.

Retreat From Technology

This tip may seem a little radical to some: take a one-day retreat from technology. Information overload is particularly harmful at midlife because you have less tolerance for stress, which can contribute to high blood pressure and heart disease. So, give yourself a break. Take one day out of the week to minimize screen time. Don’t watch TV, resist the lure of email and skip the news. It will be there tomorrow and, after a day of rest, you’ll be refreshed and ready to deal with it.

Unblock Tension With Exercise

The constant pressures of your responsibilities can lead to chronically elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which is a direct cause of muscle and joint pain. Clenched jaw? Chronic back and neck pain? These can all be manifestations of stress in your body. Release physical tension and clear these emotional blockages with massage therapy, cardio exercise, yoga, tai chi or qi gong.

Breathe For Stress Release

For increased stress reduction, practice five minutes of deep breathing during a break. Deliberately slow down your breath by counting to six for each inhalation and exhalation. When you exhale, blow out and let go of worries and negativity. After five minutes, you should immediately experience deeper state of relaxation and a clearer head.

Stay Relaxed With Schisandra

Supplement your attempts to be stress-free with healing herbs. Schisandra, sometimes spelled schizandra, is a berry that has been used for thousands of years in China as an energy tonic to revitalize the senses, soothe the nerves and take the edge off anxiety. Schisandra contains several vitamins and flavonoids that possess antioxidant and immune-boosting properties, which will also come in handy with the upcoming cold season. Grown in Asia, it is available as a supplement from health food stores and online. Also, look for schisandra   berries, which can be infused into a tart and tasty tea. Sometimes you can find schisandra in combination with other herbs. Schisandra should not be used by pregnant women.

A Powerful Stress Release Relaxation

This more structured relaxation releases tension in your whole body front, sides and back. If you practice this exercise daily for 10 minutes, you may begin to notice that you have a higher capacity to cope with stress, a less worried mind, and an increased energy level. Lie down on your back. Try to slow your respiration, breathing from deep in your abdomen.

FRONT: Starting at the top of your head, imagine your scalp muscles relaxing while you say the word ‘calm’ to yourself with every exhalation. Repeat this with each body part as you move down through your face, throat, chest, stomach, lower abdomen, thighs, knees, legs, ankles and feet. Visualize all the tension leaving your body through your toes as black smoke.

SIDES: Begin at your temples on either side of your forehead, and work your way down the sides of your upper extremities. Again, imagine your muscles relaxing while you say the word ‘calm’ inwardly with each exhalation. Repeat with each body part as you move down through your jaws, the sides of your neck, shoulders, upper arms, elbows, forearms, wrists and hands. Visualize all the tension leaving your body through your fingertips as black smoke.

BACK: Starting at the back of your head, repeat the breathing-visualization-word routine as you move down from the back of your neck to your upper back, middle back, lower back, back of thighs, calves and heels. Then focus on the soles of your feet for one minute.

Try to work up to two 15-minute sessions per day.

Hope everyone finds the time to RELAX because it’s crucial to your health!

Credit @ WendyKlucas

Tip Day Wednesday: Office Productivity

Posted on by Denise Caron-Quinn

26288869_a587a1dea3Put an old fashioned egg timer on the desk to maximize office productivity. When I start a long or boring project, I’ll set the timer at 15 minutes, and no matter what happens, I’ll force myself to take a break when the alarm goes off. At first I thought the timer will A) stress me out or B) distract me. But it turned out to be a great idea. I often procrastinate because I hated doing long and boring projects. But if I promise myself a 15 minute break no matter what, I’m much more likely to be productive.

Have a tip you want to share or something you want a tip on? Let us know by leaving a comment or emailing us.

Image via flickr by  Then and Again.

In Order to Live: 5 Reasons You Should Hire Professional Organizers

Posted on by Denise Caron-Quinn

home2Professional organizers help clients decrease stress, regain control of time and space, improve the functionality and appearance of their office, enhance efficiency, boost productivity, allow them to channel more energy toward individual talents, and help clients simplify their lives, but you didn’t here it from us. Here are 5 reasons your business should hire professional organizers, written by 5 people who did:

Now, I have a system that easily helps me manage both my business and personal papers. Not only can I find what I need, but paper piles don’t accumulate. Now, I know where to put them. They all have a home! In addition, my computer files follow a similar format, which saves much time and aggravation. My husband is thrilled with our new system of organization! Denise has incredible organizational skills and can apply them to any situation. I can assure anyone, that an investment made in hiring In Order to Succeed® will be paid back to you many times over! DT, Southport CT

We are so grateful to Robin and In Order To Succeed®. In four short hours, using only what we had, she transformed our family room from, (to be frank,) a frumpy, uncomfortable looking room – to a warm & cozy, functional, organized, “pleasure-to-sit-in” space. When my children came home that day, they weren’t sure that they were in the in the right house! My husband was, and still is, amazed at the change. And, we now spend more time in the room than ever before. It was like working with a creative tornado! Robin walks into a room, comes up with a plan and, Presto! The room is transformed, amazingly, using what I already had. And, to top it all off, it looks great! MB, Brooklyn NY

Denise is a phone call away, I have confidence that she is readily able to come in and get a home in order, prior to a photography shoot or showings. I know I can ask top dollar for the properties I represent, because Denise makes the homes shine. I have observed Denise first hand as she and her staff transformed a household from chaos to order with effortless professionalism. Even if you know that becoming more organized could affect you in a positive way, you will be caught off guard by how dramatic a change she can create for you.” LS, Residential Real Estate Broker, NY, NY

My elderly father has a variety of health issues. I work full time, and have a family of my own, and was finding it impossible to optimally attend to his many needs. He needed assistance to keep his home-life comfortable and organized, and his personal affairs in order. Particularly, the timely processing of his insurance claims and other matters were a deep concern for me. I was at a total loss, until a friend told me about In Order To Succeed®. Denise’s kindness, understanding and extensive knowledge of the health care industry was surely a welcome relief. She understood how to coordinate insurance benefits with Medicare and my dad’s other private insurance carriers. She and her staff dealt diligently with all of the complicated paperwork. She communicated on his behalf with the insurers, providers and medical institutions, and looked deeper into his coverage and benefits. My family and I are tremendously grateful for all of the help and compassion In Order To Succeed® has bestowed upon us. Their intervention has allowed our family to offer help my father to achieve the best possible outcome. R.M, Stratford CT

I am a single male, and lived for years in a fully furnished apartment in Manhattan. I realized it was time to have a space that was more suited for my personal needs, and promptly found a place of my own. The trouble was, I had nothing; I had no furniture, no kitchen items, not even towels for my bathroom or a wastebasket for my kitchen. To say my work schedule is hectic is an understatement. There are days at a time that I spend no more than a few hours at my apartment and I hadn’t the time to furnish it with even the bare basics. I met with Denise briefly and told her what I needed. She and her team swiftly constructed a plan of action, making cost-effective suggestions to furnish my apartment and to also make it feel more like a “home”. She unpacked what little belongings I had, and then researched everything I needed, from bed linens, to coffee pots and even artwork for my walls. In addition, she dealt with the utility and cable companies as well as the Super, who would handle necessary installations and repairs. She also set up a beautiful and very well-thought home office. I now am able to do some work from home, rather than spending the majority of my time at my job sites. I actually look forward to coming home now that I have such a gorgeous place, filled with everything I could possibly need. It has changed my life for the better. BC, NY, NY

Contact our professional organizers in Minnesota Lakes, Sarasota, New Tork, New Jersey, or Connecticut to get started today!

Further Reading
20 Reasons Why You Need a Professional Organizer (September 2009)
Learn more about In Order to Succeed’s home organizing services.

Tips on How to Make Your Home Business Grow

Posted on by Denise Caron-Quinn

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Quitting your regular work is a big decision to make, this means sacrificing the years of hard work and a risk. Starting your own home business can very challenging which basically mean that the success depends on you and your ability to make it grow. Some start from a low budget but succeed; this proves that not all business needs an enormous budget to make it work.

You now become the Jack of all trade where you can be the manager, the publicist, the employee, and employer. You do everything for your home business to be able to save on costs and start up your own business with your limited funds. You do a lot to develop a business in your interest that will harness you better business return in the future. But as the saying goes, no man is an island. This simply means that a novice like you needs some help and assistance to help your business grow.

Here are some tips to consider on how to grow your business at home:

1. Find substantial budget for your marketing campaign to satisfy the clients demand.

2. Let your advertising grow at the natural pace.

3. Invest your profits back to your business like upgrading your business services, advertising and even infrastructure.

4. Expand your business using the profit you earn and this expansion can bring you more earning and profits.

5. Never use your business earning to pay for personal debts or expenses, as you are diverting your earning to a wrong venture.

Following these tips allows you to grow your business, but it takes some firm discipline to keep your business running. Several alternatives you can use to cost cut your expenditures in putting up your new home business, you can used your old home gadgets like fax machines, computers, tables and some other stuffs that you will probably need in your new business. If you don’t have the gadgets you can avail of the discounted ones.

Instead of hiring assistants, you can make use of your family members’ help, instead of hiring some link builders you can make use of the free online tutorial learning the link building process and optimize your site and submit it to the search engines yourself. You do not have to rent some office space to do your business; you can start right at the comfort of your home.

For the very best prices and selection of income from home online, there is no better place you will find than home business.

By Melissa Garner

For the most up to date information about income from home, This is the only resource you will ever need home business.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Melissa_Garner
Image courtesy of  charlietakesphotos
For helping growing your home business visit inordertosucceed.com.

Save Your Business From Time Wasters

Posted on by Denise Caron-Quinn

556656621_ba9e8c870fWith piles and piles of projects to complete and the time flying away relentlessly, it’s crucial to stop wasting precious minutes, and get the work done. Time is the only non-renewable resource you have, and you need to manage it wisely if you want your business to grow by leaps and bounds.

Here are five tips to help you stay on track and accomplish more in less time…

Keep your impulse to constantly check your email box and your social media sites under control
Don’t start your day by checking emails and hanging out on social media sites – a couple of hours will disappear in the blink of an eye. Instead, use those first hours in the morning, when you’re well rested and clearheaded, for your most productive work – for the income generating activities. Then, decide upon the number of times, and the exact times of the day you’ll open your email box. When you do, reply immediately, don’t make it another task on your to-do list. Follow the same principle on your social media sites – deliberately choose when and for how long you’ll be logged in, and when you are, actively interact with other people, making the most of every moment you’re there.

Use voicemail
A phone ringing all day long can be incredibly disturbing and harmful for your business, since you’ll find it impossible to get any concentrated work completed. To keep your sanity intact, put the voicemail to good use. Record a professional message, explaining when you can be reached, or when will you call back. Alternatively, hire an assistant to handle your phone calls. The key thing is to regain control of your time by eliminating constant phone interruptions.

Switch off the television – or better yet, don’t even turn it on
You might think that television just keeps you company, and is in fact responsible for your creative mood, but the truth is that it’s only slowing you down. Sure, many great ideas can be triggered while watching a movie or a show – however, if you’re trying to finish a project that no longer involves general brainstorming, having the TV turned on might only be responsible for a huge delay in your working schedule.

Reduce in-person interruptions to a minimum
While you adore your family and friends, make sure to let them know when you’re in business mode, and kindly ask them not to disturb you, except in case of an emergency. According to statistics, a single interruption causes – on average – a twenty-minute setback, so try to ensure yourself a peaceful working environment. The more focused you can get, the sooner your business day can be over, allowing you plenty of time to dedicate to your loved ones.

Adopt the right mindset
You might notice that if you’re feeling overwhelmed, or you’re nervous about the outcome of a business project, it’s more difficult to fully immerse yourself in new and half-completed work that still needs your attention. So, in the most frenetic moments, calm down, and cheer yourself up. A success-oriented mindset will save you from panicking and losing invaluable hours you’d waste, if you gave in to fear and confusion.

By Martina Srblin, The Multi-Passionate Entrepreneur who will help you build an efficient, coherent and thriving multi-faceted business around your values and your core message.

Martina Srblin is The Multi-Passionate Entrepreneur who will help you build an efficient, coherent and thriving multi-faceted business around your values and your core message. For free resources, a FREE subscription to The Multi-Passionate Entrepreneur Ezine and to sign up for a FREE report on “7 Key Strategies to Skyrocket Your Multi-Faceted Business”, please visit Martina’s website http://www.martinasrblin.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martina_Srblin Image courtesy of bogenfreund’s photostream

Six New Year’s Resolutions

Posted on by Denise Caron-Quinn

4191485585_99932470ab_oHappy 2010. This New Year why not want make resolutions that are not only easy to keep but will improve your productivity, time management, organization and success. Here are six new year’s resolutions to simplify your life:

Stop Multitasking
Take on one thing at a time. Give your family, your friends and your personal and professional issues your full attention.

Tackle Clutter
Begin the organization process with areas that are most visible and/or problematic. Start small and be sure to allow sufficient time for each step in the process (sort, purge, assign a home, containerize, then maintain and equalize regularly).

Aim for Success not Perfection
Any job or project has a point of diminishing returns. Think of time as return on investment. Will the payoff of this task be worth the effort that you’re putting into it? That is the juncture at which additional time or effort spent is not going to significantly affect or enhance the end result. Beware of trying to complete an action step more perfectly than is necessary to satisfy your boss, client or yourself. A job that is done “too” well may require the devotion of time that could be better applied somewhere else.

Learn to Say No
Devote time to your goals. Lessen your commitments in accordance with your big picture life goals and say no to things that do not fit in with those goals.

Recharge Yourself
Give yourself some down time. Schedule it to be sure that you make it happen.

Be Thankful for What You Have

Further Reading
Six Ways To Boost Productivity
15 Productivity Pearls to Create a More Organized Life
Manage Your Actions and You’ll Free Your Time
In Order To Succeed
Photo courtesy of: tourist1000’s photostream.

3 Time Saving Tips

Posted on by Denise Caron-Quinn

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1. Check it off: Write a to-do-list for any task you do regularay: preparing for a meeting, drafting a press release, packing for a business trip and so on. The to do list will ensure that you never miss a step and will allow you to delegate more readitly.

2. Master the cutoff: Choose one phrase that team members and employees will recognize as your signal that they are talking excessively about a point. Examples: “What’s Next,” “Enough Said,” or “Move on.”

3. Keep separate emails accounts: Have one e-mail address that you publicize and another that you give out only to closse contacts. This will allow you to know which messages regquire your attention first and which your assistant can filter.

Further Reading
“3 Time Saving Tips,” was adapted from the Organized Executive‘s “Quick Tips & Time-Savers” (January 2010 issue). For more time saving tips pick up or download a copy of the Organized Executive and be sure to visit inordertosucceed.com for more time management, lifestyle management, and organizational ideas.
Photo courtesy of Zoutedrop’s photostream.

10 Tips to Manage Stress

Posted on by Denise Caron-Quinn

443874838_62ea09374aBy: Kurt Rawlins, fitness professional, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and author.

You wake up at 5 o’clock to shower and rush off to work. You skip breakfast, but manage to drink 4-5 cups of coffee throughout the morning to keep you going. You’re stressed about preparing for your 8 o’clock meeting. You’re mind was racing all night, disrupting your sleep. You have a lot to do today, so you scarf down lunch in 5 minutes and head back to your desk. Your boss is down your throat for not meeting deadlines and expectations. You stay an hour late until 5 and manage to take your kids to soccer or volleyball practice. You come home, exhausted, and realize the fridge is empty. You order take out, and continue to work on a few things you couldn’t finish from work. After all, you have a big presentation tomorrow. Before you know it, it’s 11 p.m., and you’re not quite finished, but you need to wind down. You watch an hour of T.V. and finally pass out around midnight, only to repeat the cycle the next day.

Does this sound like you? Too many people have days like this, and they’re incredibly stressful. Over time, these daily stresses add up and throw off your body’s systems, interrupting digestion and creating hormonal balances. In the worst cases, stress can lead to disease, cancer, and death.

Here are ten simple strategies to manage stress that everybody could use in their life:

1. Sleep in until 9:00 a.m. whenever possible, including weekends.

2. Stay away from artificial light 30 minutes before bed. Your body doesn’t distinguish between natural and artificial light. In response to light, your body will release cortisol, a stress hormone. Cortisol will prepare your body for action, and can inhibit sleep patterns.

3. Drink tea, read, or take a hot shower or bath before bed. This promotes a decrease in cortisol levels and will help the body to release melatonin and growth and repair hormones, enhancing the natural sleep cycle.

4. Exercise. This could be resistance training, cardio, stretching, yoga. Whatever you enjoy, do it, and do it often. You’ll increase your energy levels and sleep better.

5. Avoid coffee and caffeine, at least after early morning. You’ll drain your adrenal glands and drag through the day.

6. Eat frequent, small meals. Instead of drinking coffee, have a light snack like fruit or a baggy of fresh vegetables.This will maintain your metabolism and you won’t crash.

7. Relax. Use belly-breathing, slow-breathing, or count your exhalations. Even ten minutes of this will promote stress relief. Make it routine.

8. Reframe. Picture an intimidating person in a diaper instead of a suit. Distort his face in your mind.Make his nose big and his eyes bulging.

9. Laugh everyday. Surround yourself with people who are lighthearted and don’t take life too seriously. Laughter truly does have great health effects.

10. Take horizontal power naps. You’d be amazed at what 15-30 minutes can do as far as restoring your body.

Further Reading
Kurt Rawlins is a fitness professional, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and author. He specializes in helping professional women in Chicago shape and tone their muscles into fat-burning machines so they can wear whatever they want, and feel healthy and confident doing it. Visit his website at http://www.kurtrawlinsfitness.com to sign up for his free e-newsletter with valuable fitness and nutrition tips.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kurt_Rawlins
For more organizing, time management and project management tips visit inordertosucceed.com
Photo courtsey of Prakhar’s photostream.

15 Tips to Improve Productivity

Posted on by Denise Caron-Quinn

timeTime is a limited resource for most people. As business owners or professionals, we have so many roles – chief marketing and sales officer, team leader, operations manager, parent, spouse, pet owner, and more. What we accomplish is very dependent on how well we plan and prioritize. You can’t manage time, but you can manage yourself and how you choose to spend your time to improve productivity.

When it comes to self management, consider this. There is a big difference between activity and productivity. There are tasks that keep us busy, and tasks that take us closer to our business and personal goals. Most of us are busy, but are you busy doing the right things? Too often the activities that drive results in business or in life are the ones many people can’t find the time to do.

15 Tips to Improve Productivity!

Set Goals and Write Them Down. It sounds simple, but written goals with specific tasks and deadlines provide focus and are a key to prioritizing our time. Without goals, everything seems like a priority.

Know How You Spend Your Time. Begin to track your tasks for a two-week period and be specific. Make a special note of interruptions. Then identify the role (marketing, sales, planner, admin, operations) associated with each task. Which tasks consume the most time? Are you spending a lot of time on operations and administration or growth and team-building activities? Most people find this time study eye-opening. Once you recognize the time wasters, you can take actions to fix them by eliminating some and delegating or outsourcing others.

Get Organized. It is easier to perform tasks when everything is where you need it and out of the way. This means clearing off your desk so you have room to work and eliminate distractions. Everything should be in a file or binder (in a drawer, cabinet or bookshelf). If you need help organizing your space, there are books on this topic or professional organizers who can help.

Create a “To Do List” And Use It. When you identify a task that needs to be completed, put it on the list and give it a priority (low, medium high). When you plan your weekly work, pull tasks from the list and always do the high priority tasks first. Don’t forget to continuously evaluate the priority levels you assigned, as time can change some of these.

Plan Your Work. At the end of the week, plan your next week AND at the end of each day, plan the next day. According to Brian Tracy, every minute spent in planning saves as many as 10 minutes in execution. In other words, 10-12 minutes planning can save you 2 hours in wasted time and effort throughout the day. What would you do with an extra 2 hours per day?

Block Off Time To Work On Tasks. The tasks on your To Do List will remain there unless you block off time to work on them. When planning your week, block off chunks of time and assign tasks to them. Don’t work on anything not on your list and don’t try to accomplish everything in one week. Remember to block time for personal activities – hobbies, fitness, family and friends. These are equally important.

Break Down Big Tasks. Big tasks can appear overwhelming so they quickly get put aside. Break them into smaller chunks that are more manageable. Then schedule time to work on them.

Delegate or Outsource. Always look for opportunities to delegate or outsource recurring tasks or low-value activities. Did you know that 50% of time wasted in business is due to lack of trust – the owner doesn’t think others can do it as well or micro-manages the team. Give your team the tools and processes then watch them shine — and see how much time you gain for more valuable activities.

Use a Follow Up System (or Tickler File). Lose the out of sight, out of mind mentality that drives many business owners to keep files visible. Rely on a tickler or reminder system to insure important deadlines are met.

Match Your Work With Your Energy Level. Each of us has times during the day that are high energy and lower energy. For many, early or mid-morning is most productive; but yours may be different. Work on more complex or high value tasks during your ‘most productive’ times.

Hold Calls (Or Send To Voice mail). If you block time to work on important tasks – hold that time sacred and don’t permit interruptions except from a handful of people, such as your spouse or children. Block off time to return calls each day at your convenience. You may also find that when you are not so accessible, others will handle the ‘issues’ and some problems will actually resolve themselves.

Handle Mail or Email Once. When you go through the mail – apply the following formula – Delegate, Action (add to “To Do” list), File or Trash. Do not put aside to handle later or you simply end up with piles and piles and piles.

Strive for Excellence, Not Perfection. Results come from taking action. By striving for perfection, you delay taking action or delegating tasks to other team members. This uses up your time and energy, so settle for excellence and take action.

Learn to Say NO. Those two letters are the best productivity tools there are. Before you say ‘yes’ to events, meetings or other time commitments, ask yourself this question, ‘Will it move me closer to my goals?’ If the answer is no, then say NO.

Stop Procrastinating. When something is important and left undone, it drains your energy. William James says it best, ‘Procrastination is attitude’s natural assassin. There’s nothing so fatiguing as an uncompleted task’.

Time is your most valuable asset so invest it wisely. If you are not sure where to start, pick ONE and conquer it. Then move on to the next one. You too can become productive not just busy!

Joan Nowak, business coach and founder of Hybrid Business Advisors, helps solo and small business owners create the lifestyle that fits their dreams from a business that is simple, fun, and profitable. Through easy, proven systems, a step-by-step approach, collaboration and support, Joan helps clients achieve more sales, profits, control and freedom.

By Joan Nowak, founder of Hybrid Business Advisors

Further Reading

For more information on coaching and consulting services to grow your small business, visit http://www.HybridBizAdvisors.com or call (856) 533-2344.

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