Improve Your Productivity with What I Learned Shoveling Snow.

It snowed overnight and the snow turned into sleet and icy rain. If you know anything about shoveling snow you understand that this is trouble. The snow on the ground gets incredibly heavy, if you leave it on the ground it will freeze solid and there’s no way a snow blower is going to be of any help. Shoveling the driveway was now the number one thing on my to-do list for the day.

As I worked shoveling in the sleet, I saw a connection to what many of us in business — tasks that we have to do that we’d rather not. As I shoveled I realized that I was applying the same ten strategies I use in my business every day to get the more difficult projects done. Hope they help you as much as they helped me! Read more

A Lesson From A Cereal Box

The other morning I was having breakfast with my children. We’re not an overly talkative bunch at 7:00 am but there was some conversation. Things like, what is going on at school today? What are you taking for lunch? Do you have any after school plans? Just idle chit chat.

Then my son Josh finished his bowl of cereal. He was still hungry and wanted more. He got up, went into the kitchen, got the cereal and brought the box with him to the table. He poured himself more cereal and put the box down on the table.

As soon as he put the box down Read more

5 Easy Strategies for an Incredible 2011

Success doesn’t happen automatically but it’s also not magic. Here are five steps you can take to help set yourself up for success and profits.

1. Take a look at your recent successes. Are there any that you can easily expand upon or do again so that you’re not constantly recreating the wheel? Read more

Are Diamonds a Girl’s Best Friend

I bet you’ve heard the saying “a diamond’s a girl’s best friend,” well I’m not so sure it’s true. Read these two examples and tell me what you think…

About five years ago I received a wonderful present from my mother-in-law. She gave me a pair of 18 karat gold earrings that she had inherited. What’s more is that the earrings were covered with 44 smallish but nearly perfect diamonds. It told you it was a wonderful present!

But there was a problem… Read more

Are you an information hoarder?

Have you seen the show Hoarders, Buried Alive? Many people are entranced by it. It’s reminds me of when you drive down the road and pass an accident… it’s hard to turn away. I’ve heard people say that they are amazed at how “those people” live. Can’t “they” understand the difference between what’s junk and what’s not? How can “they” save all that stuff? What were “they” thinking as they accumulated all of it? Did “they” really think they would use it? How can “they” live that way? Don’t “they” know when enough’s enough?

It’s easy to see how things can physically block your path and get in your way but it’s not just about physical things. Information can do that too.

This may be dating me but, I remember when getting information about a topic was difficult. If you wanted to learn about a topic you’d have to spend hours in a library, use card catalogs, read books and ultimately consolidate all the information.

Times have changed. For the most part information is easily accessible. When something interests us we just “google it” and like magic, information appears. Then, instead of selectively reading the information that appeared, if anything is of even the remotest of interest you read it or simply hit print.

Here’s what you end up with… Read more

Do you do it or not?

The biggest problem I see among the people I speak with is quite simple…they don’t decide. They allow themselves to “think about it” or “decide later”. The end result of not deciding “yes” or “no” is that nothing happens and they are stuck.

Last week was an incredible week. I opened up my calendar to you and gave you the opportunity to be “laser-coached.” I asked 30 entrepreneurs about the biggest challenge they were facing in their business. Each had their own answer but what it all boiled down to was one thing… Read more

How to Get Yourself Focused and Moving

Here are ten strategies to use for those times when you find yourself staring at your to-do list but can’t seem to get going on anything.

1. Break up the project into mini-tasks and do just one tiny piece of the project.
2. Since starting is often the hardest part, agree with yourself to work on a project for JUST 5 minutes. At the end of five minutes assess your experience. Was it as bad as you thought it would be? Would it be okay if you worked for another 5 minutes?
3. Ask for help. Sometimes just having someone in the room with you will help keep you grounded and motivated.
4. Identify the time of day when your concentration tends to be weaker or drift and do things that require less concentration and effort at that time. On the flip side, identify the times of day when your concentration tends to be stronger and it is easier for you to stay on task. Plan to do things that tend to be more difficult for you to do at that time.
5. Set realistic goals…don’t try to do everything at once.
6. Write down the exact steps of what you plan to do. Then post your plan so you can see it and refer to it as you move through your day.
7. To keep you motivated as you progress, think about why you really want to get this project done. What’s in it for you? What’s in it for your clients? What’s in it for your friends and family?
8. Ask yourself, what is the single most important thing for me to do right now?
9. Recognize the things that typically distract you like your cell phone, computer, other people, the TV, email or noise and avoid them (or better yet shut them) when doing things that require your concentration.
10. Be accountable to someone by telling them your plan and asking them to check in on you as you proceed.

Do you have any other tricks you use?  Share them with me right here in the comments section!

3 New Coaching Spots Now Open…Video

I sent out an email last week about some openings in my coaching program.  As I spoke with people about the program I kept getting the same questions so here’s a short video that answers them.

It’s just 3 minute long…enjoy!

To apply for the CarrieThru Coaching Program geared specifically for entrepreneurs send an email to Carrie @ CarrieThru.com.  Let me know what’s going on in your business to day and where you want it to be.  Make sure to include your phone number and email address so that we can talk and make sure this program is a good fit for you.

5 Strategies to Stay Focused and On Track

Call it procrastination, distraction, lack of focus, being unproductive or whatever you want, bottom line is that there are things that you simply need to focus on and get done.  Sometimes it’s quick and easy other times it seems near impossible. You know it has to be done but…How?

Staying focused and getting things done is a topic that comes up frequently as I work with my clients and even as I approach my own tasks.

Here are five strategies that my clients and I all use to help us get things done! Read more