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

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

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

5-Keys to Successful Goal Setting

Wouldn’t it be great if we could do it all? Imagine never having to think about having the time or resources necessary to do a project because you had all the time and resources in the world. Wishful thinking huh?

The truth is that you don’t have infinite access to time or resources. There are things that you might like to do that will be left undone. In order to make sure that what you value the most gets done it’s important not only to set clear goals but to strategically pick the goals that you want to accomplish and create a plan to accomplish them.

To do this, when I work with my private clients one of the exercises we often do is a brain dump. First we create a list with every goal my client can think of, and then we apply the following 5-CarrieThru Keys to Creating Goals to them in order to make sure that we pick the most important goals and make them happen.

Give it a try.

Key 1: As you create your list of goals include the reason you want to accomplish each one. The clearer you are on why you want to do it the better you’ll be able to specify exactly what your goal is.
Read more

Good News/Bad news…it’ll never be perfect but it can be done!

I decided to write an article about getting things done and not worrying about perfection and found myself in need of my own advice…

I like to think that I subscribe to the idea that “good enough” is good enough. Sure it’s important to do a good job and make sure there are no major mistakes or omissions but for the most part get it done and get it out.

The topic of “done is better than perfect” came up during one of my 3C’s boot camp group calls. It really hit a nerve for a lot of the participants so I decided to write an article about it. I wrote two paragraphs and said to myself, “Never mind, I’m not feeling inspired and am not happy with this.” I proceeded to close the document I was working in without saving my work.

Almost immediately I realized how hypocritical I was being…

The message I suddenly heard was…Stop waiting for the perfect mix of inspiration, time and energy. Because when you wait for perfection whatever you are working on will never get done. DUH!

So, if done is better than perfect why not send out an imperfect article? Here it goes…

The quest for perfection will freeze you. 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

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

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

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