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!

My Technology Fiasco is Good News for You

Were among the 500 people signed up for today’s special teleconference From Procrastination to Payday:  Breaking through the Fears and Overwhelm of Entrepreneurship So You Can Start Making Money Immediately?

If you were I owe you a HUGE apology because I know you set aside time to participate and join Suzanne Evans and me as we discussed a topic that plagues many entrepreneurs but weren’t able to listen.  I haven’t taken the time to figure it out why yet, but the technology got the better of me and the teleconference did not play.  This is not how I like to do business and I apologize.

The good news is that I have a complete recording of the program and have uploaded it to my website.  It’s available right now!

Click here to access the recording…

So why is this even better for you?  Since the recording is on my website it can be downloaded it to your mp3 player and won’t have to be glued to your computer as you listen.

Here’s a quick preview of what Suzanne and I discussed:

• Specific ways to identify the most important project for you to focuse on.
• How procrastination “helps” you and why understanding this will help you move beyond it.
• Simple steps to take to get you past the overwhelm to so that you can move forward and achieve your most important projects.

One last thing…

During the call I previewed a new CarrieThru program, The 3C’s Boot Camp.  I made a special offer to the first 7 people who sign up for it before Friday.  I think Suzanne seemed a bit peeved at me when she realized just how generous of an offer I made but I guess she’ll have to live with that.

Here’s the link again… http://carriethru.com/index.php/youre-registered-from-procrastination-to-payday/

By the way, because of the technology fiasco I experienced I decided to make this recording available to everyone even if you hadn’t signed up for the call consider this a special gift from me…no additional opt-in required!

Making Your To-Do List Work For You

Often to-do lists end up becoming “one of these days I hope to get around to this” lists.  When this happens, the list become useless and worse, it makes you feel guilty and it can hold you back from taking action.  You know there’s no way you’ll ever get through your list so why even bother.  It’s ok to have a “one of these days” list but the list you look at regularly needs to include things that you are really going to act on.

Here are 10 questions to ask yourself BEFORE you put something new on your to-do list and if you’ve already got a to-do list that’s a mile long you can use these questions to help you lighten your load. Read more

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.

News Flash…You Can’t Do it All. BUT You CAN Do What’s Important!

I’m always asked about “time management”.

How do you manage time so that you can get what you want to do done?  How do you manage to run your business and get your work done and also have time to live your life and have fun?

I have good news and bad news for you.

First the bad news, you can’t manage time. You have exactly 24 hours in a day, no more, no less.

Now the good news, you’re not alone, the Dali Lama, Mother Teresa, Thomas Edison and everyone on this planet also has exactly 24 hours in a day.

So what can you do to help you use that time to your advantage?

You see, it’s not about doing everything it’s about doing the things that will make the most difference and will help you move further along the path that you want to travel.

Here are five questions that my clients and I use every day to make sure that we’re focusing our attention on the most important things. Give them a try and see what happens. Read more

Is it Time To Graduate and Move Forward?

My sons, Eric and Josh, graduated from middle school last week. I had a conversation with them about moving onto high school.  I expected to hear “I’m looking forward to high school,” “I’m nervous” and “I hope there isn’t that much more homework” but, after all of the complaints I heard this past year, I was surprised that what came out of their mouths was “I’m going to miss South Orange Middle School,” and “I really like my teachers.”

Middle school served Eric and Josh very well. They learned.  They matured.  They made mistakes, which they hopefully learned from.  They met people and learned how to interact with peers, teachers and leaders.  They learned to be part of a team and how to lead teams.  They learned a lot about responsibilities.  It was a good place for them to be.

So why not stay put?

Nobody ever considers staying in middle school beyond graduation because once you’ve graduated you’ve learned what you needed to learn there. How many times can you take the same science or math class?  How many times can you write the same essay in Language Arts?  Middle school was a vital stepping stone but it was just that…a stepping stone on a journey to another place.  Sure it can be scary and there may be a few tears but unless you move on and take the next step you stagnate and won’t continue to learn and grow.

What does this have to do with you? Read more

Your Weekend To-Do List

It’s Saturday morning and I woke up really early.  My brain was really busy thinking about my “weekend to-do list”.  It’s a mile long and frankly I couldn’t figure out what to do or how to do it.

Then I figured it out and decided to shoot a short video telling you about my weekend plans.

Go ahead and watch it…it’s only 4 minutes long.  If I look a bit tired it’s because I am…that’s what happens when you’re trying to get too many things done.

I hope you enjoy the video…I’m off to enjoy my weekend!

Oh yeah…here’s the link I referred to in the video:  www.CarrieThru.com/jumpstart

Jump Start to Getting Organized:  Take Control of Your Time, Tasks and Things begins Wednesday June 16th…

Click here to learn more & join me

Calm the Overwhelm by Saying “No”

I received an email recently that summed it up best…

“I’m overwhelmed, over stimulated, interested in everything … recently got a promotion…have more responsibility that I don’t feel prepared to handle…feel like quitting and hiding from everyone.  I’m spinning my wheels and not accomplishing anything…I’m burnt out to the point of avoiding everything, and not caring what happens and really creating a point of no return for myself.”

Overwhelm is everywhere.  There are so many things that you think you should do, have to do, or want to do.  How do you find your way through the maze of these ideas in order to accomplish anything?

For many people, especially entrepreneurs like myself, the overwhelm often comes in the form of ideas.  It might be projects or programs that you want to create or take part in, ideas to follow up on, events to attend, people to connect with and even clients to work with.

New ideas are tantalizing.  To me they symbolize “bright, shiny object syndrome” better than anything else.  You find yourself reaching out and grabbing them.  Unfortunately, the reality is that when you reach out and grab too many they end up sitting in piles on your desk, or muddled in your mind.  The ideas aren’t bright and shiny anymore, in fact they get old and tarnished.  Read more

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