After a week off just before the August Bank Holiday, whisked off on a surprise few days, I realised how important planning and preparation really is! I didn't know what to pack as I didn't know what I was doing or where I was going! Great fun but it meant I packed everything under the sun (well, almost)! I was given a few essential items to bring but not enough to give anything away!
Whilst you can't plan for everything it is always good to be as prepared as you can. Weather in this country can be unpredictable for a start! But was I staying in this country? I really didn't know.
At the end of the day I had been given my essential items and everything else on top of that was "a bonus".....
In the end I had everything I needed and much more - I could have stayed away at least another week, whether that was in the sun somewhere or on an adventure week! And like most trips, as I'm sure most of you can relate to, the same things get worn or used leaving plenty of things untouched at the bottom of your suitcase!
Like life, Business is all about planning and preparation. We can all plan and prepare as much as we like but we still don't really know what is around the corner. With some guidance and effort we will at least have the basic essentials to get by and everything else will fall into place. There is very little that can't be fixed (even if temporarily), sorted out, got around. We need to constantly review our plans and prepare as best we can.
We can't plan for all eventualities but knowledge and expertise allows us to make educated decisions about the things we need to consider when planning and preparing for our own business or for the clients we provide a service or product to. That's what makes us good at what we do in our chosen careers.
Thankfully I am also good at packing and going away!
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
Thursday, 18 March 2010
Prioritise and organise your time
I KNOW!
I’m sure I’m not the only one who uses this exclamation on a regular basis and still doesn’t always do anything about what it is I supposedly know. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Sometimes we are good at telling others to do what we don’t do ourselves!
I find myself telling others things they know but don’t do, like writing a To Do List every day, even if it’s just 5 things that you can achieve that day, or even 1. We all know that it is very disappointing when you don’t achieve what you set out to do so why over stretch yourself? On the other hand, don’t slack and make life too easy for yourself! Motivation will come from achieving what you set out to do and in turn you will probably achieve more than you thought you could. I know it works for me. My To Do List looks very daunting at the moment but break it down and it’s so much more manageable and achievable! And I feel good when I can tick everything off and perhaps do a couple more things on top. Of course, you never know what the day may bring and you have to be prepared to make changes and adapt accordingly. Don’t beat yourself up if you only achieve 4 of the 5 things on your list if you have had to change your plans.
If you went to a dinner party offering a 6 course meal and it was all laid out in front of you it would probably look like an impossible task to achieve in one sitting but by bringing it out to you in separate courses and over a couple of hours you would probably manage it! If you can’t, perhaps they offer a doggy bag and you can take a course home to finish off the next day!
How much do you know?
Have you been told you need help with your workload recently? Trying to juggle too many things? Not getting anything done? Feeling the pressure? I bet you are thinking “I KNOW” I need help but I don’t have the time to look into it.... “I KNOW” I probably need to hand a few things over but I might get round to them at some point.... “I KNOW” this isn’t going to get done unless I ask for help....
For example, I know I should be working on the content for my website which I am currently in the throes of updating but for some reason I am finding other things to do! Some, admittedly, more important but none the less time is of the essence. I know what I want to say but I also know I am too close to it and need help fine tuning it and having a fresh pair of eyes look at it. So I will be asking for help from someone who is better qualified to do so. I know this is the right thing to do. It WILL save me time and an unnecessary headache!
Stop saying “I KNOW” and start saying “I WILL”
I WILL ask for help!
"I WILL" get help because I don’t have enough time to do it myself, "I WILL" hand a few things over as I KNOW I won’t get round to them, "I WILL" get this done now because I have asked for help.
Outsourcing a project, or several projects can dramatically increase your productivity and free up valuable time and space in your head to think about the things you should be spending your time on, or the people you should be spending your time with. That is what I do, help you to prioritise; coordinate; plan; source people, products and services; be your voice. By understanding your needs I can carry out requirements, keeping you informed of progress along the way, involving you in any decision making. You can sit back knowing that all those things you don’t have time to do are getting done whilst being kept in the loop and still being able to make those all important decisions about your business without all the leg work in-between.
There are plenty of other people that can help free up your time too, like book-keepers, accountants, call answering services. The list is endless for people out there to help you run your business and leave you the time and energy to get on with what matters for you. It can be hard handing work over but ultimately you are more likely to achieve the results you are looking for.
Share some of the things you “I know” about!
I’m sure I’m not the only one who uses this exclamation on a regular basis and still doesn’t always do anything about what it is I supposedly know. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Sometimes we are good at telling others to do what we don’t do ourselves!
I find myself telling others things they know but don’t do, like writing a To Do List every day, even if it’s just 5 things that you can achieve that day, or even 1. We all know that it is very disappointing when you don’t achieve what you set out to do so why over stretch yourself? On the other hand, don’t slack and make life too easy for yourself! Motivation will come from achieving what you set out to do and in turn you will probably achieve more than you thought you could. I know it works for me. My To Do List looks very daunting at the moment but break it down and it’s so much more manageable and achievable! And I feel good when I can tick everything off and perhaps do a couple more things on top. Of course, you never know what the day may bring and you have to be prepared to make changes and adapt accordingly. Don’t beat yourself up if you only achieve 4 of the 5 things on your list if you have had to change your plans.
If you went to a dinner party offering a 6 course meal and it was all laid out in front of you it would probably look like an impossible task to achieve in one sitting but by bringing it out to you in separate courses and over a couple of hours you would probably manage it! If you can’t, perhaps they offer a doggy bag and you can take a course home to finish off the next day!
How much do you know?
Have you been told you need help with your workload recently? Trying to juggle too many things? Not getting anything done? Feeling the pressure? I bet you are thinking “I KNOW” I need help but I don’t have the time to look into it.... “I KNOW” I probably need to hand a few things over but I might get round to them at some point.... “I KNOW” this isn’t going to get done unless I ask for help....
For example, I know I should be working on the content for my website which I am currently in the throes of updating but for some reason I am finding other things to do! Some, admittedly, more important but none the less time is of the essence. I know what I want to say but I also know I am too close to it and need help fine tuning it and having a fresh pair of eyes look at it. So I will be asking for help from someone who is better qualified to do so. I know this is the right thing to do. It WILL save me time and an unnecessary headache!
Stop saying “I KNOW” and start saying “I WILL”
I WILL ask for help!
"I WILL" get help because I don’t have enough time to do it myself, "I WILL" hand a few things over as I KNOW I won’t get round to them, "I WILL" get this done now because I have asked for help.
Outsourcing a project, or several projects can dramatically increase your productivity and free up valuable time and space in your head to think about the things you should be spending your time on, or the people you should be spending your time with. That is what I do, help you to prioritise; coordinate; plan; source people, products and services; be your voice. By understanding your needs I can carry out requirements, keeping you informed of progress along the way, involving you in any decision making. You can sit back knowing that all those things you don’t have time to do are getting done whilst being kept in the loop and still being able to make those all important decisions about your business without all the leg work in-between.
There are plenty of other people that can help free up your time too, like book-keepers, accountants, call answering services. The list is endless for people out there to help you run your business and leave you the time and energy to get on with what matters for you. It can be hard handing work over but ultimately you are more likely to achieve the results you are looking for.
Share some of the things you “I know” about!
Thursday, 27 August 2009
Delegating tasks
So many of us try to do too much of the 'day to day'. This takes us away from the reasons why we are all in business - to do the things we enjoy and are good at. That's why we are all specialists in our chosen fields.
So why spend hours or days doing the things we can get others to do, saving time, money and a lot of blood, sweat and tears! You may think you are saving money because no one is charging you but how much is your time worth? How much could you charge a client for a days work? How is your time best spent?
Here is a recent article that I read which endorses just this.
http://www.successtrackonline.com/2009/08/
So why spend hours or days doing the things we can get others to do, saving time, money and a lot of blood, sweat and tears! You may think you are saving money because no one is charging you but how much is your time worth? How much could you charge a client for a days work? How is your time best spent?
Here is a recent article that I read which endorses just this.
http://www.successtrackonline.com/2009/08/
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