Improve Productivity by Keeping the Chaos Out
I’m always amazed at how easily we grow accustomed to things. Years ago my husband and I removed an air conditioner from a window. We didn’t have anywhere to put it, so we stowed it under a clear glass table in our living room. Even though it was completely visible we didn’t see it and amazingly, neither did our guests.
I was at the chiropractor the other day, he touched my shoulder and I winced in pain. I hadn’t realized anything hurt until he touched it.
My neighbor had a new roof installed a few weeks ago. All day long the contractors were running generators and banging right outside my office window. I knew it was loud but didn’t realize just how much it bothered me until they shut down the generator and my whole body noticeably relaxed.
In many ways it’s a good thing that we acclimate so easily. I forgot the word my chiropractor used to describe what was going on but the way he described it was that, being constantly aware of every single sensation we feel, see or hear would overwhelm us. All of the sensations we would have to process would make it completely impossible for us to do or think about anything else.
It’s wonderful that our brains are great at compartmentalizing like this but these stimuli have an effect on the way you function and how you run your business and life.
In your daily business you are exposed to tons of input. There’s the constant barrage of email, phones ringing and things that “must get done.” Then there are the ideas that you’ve already started working on and want to follow up on or finish. Of course there are also ideas that have come across your desk which look interesting or promising. Read more
So Much To Do…So Little Time
I’ve got good news and bad news for you. The good news is that we live in a world with endless possibilities and opportunities. The bad news is that all of these possibilities and opportunities can get overwhelming and you may find yourself not accomplishing anything.
Often as I speak with my clients or (to be completely transparent here) even as I look at my own desk, I get the sensation of drowning in a pool of options and to-do’s.
Different people have different reactions to all of the options. Some people end up freezing and doing nothing, while other people may jump from one thing to another in an effort to get everything done. The end result is the same…at the end of the day you wonder where the day has gone and marvel at how little you’ve accomplished and how much more there is to do.
Since there are so many things that my clients and I either want to do or feel that we “should” do, we sometimes create one of those “brain dump” lists to get everything out of our brains and into one spot. I wish I could simply wave a wand and accomplish everything on my “brain dump” list but I can’t because the reality is that we only have 24 hours a day.
Maybe it would be different if the list was stagnant but it isn’t. Somehow the universal law of to-do lists seems to be to always add more than you can possibly cross off. If you try to do everything all you’ll manage to do is engage in a race against the clock that you will never win and you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and in the end, unproductive.
When I see this happening either for myself or my clients it means it’s time to Read more
Action 911
Free Teleseminar!
It’s the end of May…we’re five months into 2011. Are you on track to meet your 2011 goals?
If not…
Join Carrie for a revealing 30-minute Take Action Teleseminar
Action 911: The Immediate Steps You Must Take to Stop Planning and Start Profiting in 2011.
*** Fill in the SHORT form below to register for this FREE program! ***
I keep hearing the same story over and over…
- The first five months of 2011 are over. I haven’t implemented any of my ideas and I’m not making money.
- I’ve been waiting to get all my ducks in a row but I’m not sure I’ll ever get there.
- I’ve been planning and planning…actually I’ve been planning to plan … I don’t have enough clients, I’m not making money…I just don’t know what to do.
- I’m afraid I’ll be looking at these same plans at the end of December!
This has got to end.
It’s time to stop planning and start doing. The bottom line is that unless you act nothing will happen. You and your business will not grow. You will continue to be frustrated. You will keep running around in circles. You will continue under-earning. Everything will stay exactly the way it is.
During this FREE presentation there will be no-hype and no sales. Just 30-minutes of pure content delivered quickly so that you can immediately stop spinning and put your plans into action.
You will learn how to…
- Take the plans you already have and act on them so that you can quickly monetize on the work you’ve already done.
- Focus your attention on the actions that will give you the biggest return on your investment.
- Let go of perfectionism and “just do it” so that you can get the clients you want.
And this is just a small part of what you’ll discover.
There’s nothing to stop you!
Go ahead and complete this SHORT form and register now!
Your coach,
Carrie
P.S. Do you know someone else who would benefit from this program? Go ahead and forward them the link to this page but make sure to reserve your spot first!
Do you realize what you’re doing?
Do you have any idea how many habits and daily routines you have? You know some of these habits are great and support you and your business and there are some that are draining you and your business. Did you realize that you have habits and practices that you think are helping you but actually hurt 
you?
Here’s an example. Let’s say, the first thing you do every day is handle any email that came in overnight. What’s more, over the course of the day as soon as something new comes in you deal with it immediately too. This enables you to keep on top of the barrage of requests and messages that pour in.
The process works. You are one of the few people you know whose inbox is not overflowing so it must be a great habit, right? 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 Constantly Race Against the Clock?
I’ve got good news and bad news for you. The good news is that we live in a world with endless possibilities and opportunities. The bad news is that all of these possibilities and opportunities can get overwhelming and you may find yourself not accomplishing anything.
Often as I speak with my clients or (to be completely transparent here) even as I look at my own desk, I get the sensation of drowning in a pool of options and to-do’s.
Different people have different reactions to all of the options. Some people end up freezing and doing nothing, while other people may jump from one thing to another in an effort to get everything done. The end result is the same…at the end of the day you wonder where the day has gone and marvel at how little you’ve accomplished and how much more there is to do.
Since there are so many things that my clients and I either want to do or feel that we “should” do, we sometimes create one of those “brain dump” lists in an effort to get everything out of our brains and into one spot. I wish I could simply wave a wand and accomplish everything on my “brain dump” list but I can’t because the reality is that we only have 24-hours a day.
Maybe it would be different if the list was stagnant but it isn’t. Somehow the universal law of to-do lists seems to be to always add more than you can possibly cross off. If you try to do everything all you’ll manage to do is engage in a race against the clock that you will never win and you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and in the end, unproductive.
When I see this happening either for myself or my clients it means it’s time to Read more
Loading ...