Do you ever find yourself with a zillion things to do, but you’re so overwhelmed by it all that you don’t seem to be accomplishing much? Even with so much to do, the feeling of overwhelm can sometimes paralyze us so that paradoxically, we don’t get anything done. I feel that way fairly often and I hear about it from nearly all my clients as well.

I have a solution that works every time.

First, take a blank piece of paper and write everything down you need to do. This includes business tasks, personal to-dos, and activities for self-care like a long bath, reading your favorite novel, or getting eight hours sleep. We can’t forget our self-care!

Writing everything down will solve half the problem. By getting it all out of your head and onto the paper, you don’t need to think about everything at once. And you know you won’t forget anything because it’s on the list. You can sort the list by category or by priority if you wish, but it’s not essential to the process.

Then, pick the next thing on this list that you want to do. What is your number one priority to get done right now?

The last step may be the hardest.

Work on that one item you chose to do and don’t think about anything else until it’s done. In our era of multi-tasking and busy-busy, this might be hard for you. If your mind strays to another task, remind yourself that it’s written down and you won’t forget it. Or if it’s something new, write it on your list and put it out of your mind.

Once you’ve finished that task, pick the next one and focus only on it until you’re done. Rinse and repeat.

It’s like what they tell you to do when you meditate. If you start to think about something, acknowledge it and let it go. In fact, this isn’t actually a coincidence. Just as in meditation, we’re striving to become mindful of the moment we’re in and focused only on the now.

OK, maybe you’re thinking this all sounds a little woo-woo for you. Well, to be honest, the whole “mindful of the moment” concept does come from Zen Buddhism. But who cares? It works!

Getting all the clutter out of your head will free up bandwidth to actually accomplish something. And focusing only on the task at hand will create a feeling of calm rather than the chaotic busy-ness you had going on.

Give this technique a try the next time you feel overwhelmed. You’ll get more done and feel calmer doing it.

In the last post, I shared some tools I use to help me generate blog posts. This time, we’re going to discuss techniques and habits you may want to consider to help you create blog posts on a regular basis.

Many people are concerned that they won’t be able to think of anything to write about. One technique is invaluable in alleviating this concern. Keep a notebook with a page of topics. Every time something comes up with a client that you think might be useful to others, write it down. When you see an article, blog post, or content on a website that triggers an idea, write it down.

As you start doing this regularly, you’ll find that you begin seeing potential topics everywhere. Once you’re mindful of capturing ideas for posts, you’ll end up with enough to write about for months in advance. When you’re ready to write, just pick a topic and go!

The next issue is about when to write your blog posts. There are several possible habits you can develop here and I’ve seen people use each of them successfully. First, pick a day (or days) of the week and do a blog post every week on that day. I have a few clients who are very disciplined about this. One writes a post every Sunday to be published and emailed to her list Monday morning.

Another option is to create an editorial calendar – that is, plan out your posts for several months and up to a year in advance. Then pick one or more days once a month or quarter, and just sit and write blog posts. For example, you could plan posts out for three months and once a quarter reserve three days to write and edit all the blog posts for that quarter. Once you post them in your blog with the correct future publish dates, you’re all set until the next quarter.

The method I use is a little more ad hoc, but it can work as long as you stay somewhat disciplined. Whenever I get inspired or have some time on my hands, I sit down with a list of general categories for blog posts, see what ideas come up, and start writing. Once I get in the “writing groove”, I can blast out two to four posts in a couple of hours.

This technique is particularly useful if you find yourself with some time on your hands and no internet connection. You can just open your text editor and go.

The danger with this last technique is that you won’t get the time or inspiration frequently enough to post as often as you wish, so a certain amount of awareness of your timeline and how many posts are currently scheduled is necessary so you publish consistently.

When you actually sit down to write a blog post, there are also techniques to help you structure it. Some people are able to just start writing and when they finish, their post is ready to go or just needs a little polishing. Most of us, though, need to think a bit more about our little article before we start writing.

A technique I learned in high school English class works well for me. (Wouldn’t those teachers be amazed!) When we learned to write essays, we were taught they should be comprised of an introduction, three to five points, and a conclusion. And that’s how I construct my blog posts. One difference, though, is that in high school, each point would be one paragraph. It’s important to have short paragraphs with a lot of white space with online content, so I often divide one point into multiple paragraphs.

I’m able to design the structure in my head and then write it. If that’s tough for you, go ahead and write down an outline containing at least your three to five points. It also can be helpful to wait until the rest of the article is done to write your introductory paragraph and the title. By then, you should have a good idea what your post is about.

I hope you’ve discovered the tools and techniques you need to post to your blog regularly. Comment and share your experiences. What works for you? What doesn’t?

In my New Year’s post, I wrote about my business intentions for the coming year and I referred to reflecting on what we want to be/do/have in the next year. The way I expressed my intentions was in terms of “doing”. I think that’s quite typical, that most people express their goals in terms of either things to do or thing to have.

What I’ve come to realize, however, is that the truly powerful way to think about intentions is through how we’re BEING. In other words, we can write down as many goals as we like, but unless we approach them by being who we need to be to accomplish them, nothing will happen.

I’ve found that several areas affect my level of success:

1. Frame of mind. I often set up certain environmental cues around me that help me be more creative and productive. These include either light classical or new age-y music, a lit candle, a glass of water and ice nearby, and a good amount of light. I’ve been doing this for long enough that something in me recognizes this environment and “knows” it’s time to get to work.

Connecting with the right colleagues and friends also enhances results. They provide encouragement, inspiration, support, and ideas.

These environmental factors can help us be in the frame of mind to be more creative and productive.

2. Intention. Our results are – not surprisingly – greatly enhanced when we’re clear on what we want to achieve. If we’re vague or not committed enough, it’s much harder to know exactly what to do and if our efforts are going to get the results we really want. It’s like they say, “It’s hard to know if you’re going in the right direction if you don’t know where you want to end up.”

To achieve the outcomes we want, we must be quite clear about just what they are.

3. Energy. This refers to both the type and quantity of energy we bring to our work. You probably realize that when we feel positive and motivated, we accomplish more. The quality of energy is best when we’re not distracted or holding onto bad feelings.

Clearly, the quantity of energy has an effect, also. If we’re tired or low-energy for any reason, it’s harder to feel motivated to work, and when we do work, it’s harder to stay focused and get much done.

4. Focus. Being in the moment rather than thinking about either the past or the future helps us achieve more. This keeps our minds on what we’re doing right now. It’s not always easy to do, but our productivity is definitely enhanced when we’re ONLY thinking about the current task and not the unfortunate conversation we had an hour ago with a child or worrying about whether we’re going to get everything done today that we want to.

5. Health. To the extent that we’re well-rested and have eaten good food, we work better. None of us is going to do as well when we’re ill as when we’re feeling good. Too many of us skimp on sleep, but that’s actually counter-productive. Taking the time to get enough sleep helps us use all the waking hours more effectively. And, of course, sufficient rest and food positively affects energy levels.

Are there any other ways you can “be” to enhance your ability to grow your business? Leave a comment and you might help others get there, too!

Forget time management! How do I manage the dreaded to-do list? I’m not sure I’ve figured out my last best way, but I promised I would talk about some of the to-do embellishments I’ve started using. I’ll do so, and then get into what topics I intend to share with you over the next few months.

In my last post, I described how I create my to-do list each night for the next day. In the past, I’ve listed the items in the order I intend to do them. Lately, though, I’ve “remembered” what’s known as The Pickle Jar Method and started using it again.

The Pickle Jar Method

The Pickle Jar Method refers to filling a pickle jar with items like the tasks you’ve considered for your to-do list. The most effective way to fill the jar is to start with larger rocks – your most important tasks to complete today. Then come the smaller, gravel-sized stones. These are your less important tasks.

Third is the sand – your maintenance tasks. I put making and eating meals, doing laundry, and reading the paper into this category. Last is the water. These are your recreational activities.

If you think about it, you’ll realize that each addition to the pickle jar fills in around the previous contents. It would not work at all if you started with water or sand. There would be no room for anything else. Hey, I think I’ve had days like this!

The translation of this concept to your to-do list is similar to the old prioritization scheme that had you assign priority A, B, and C to your items, doing all the A tasks first, B second, and C last.

How’s That Working For You?

I found, though, that when I attempted to implement my to-do list this way, so much time was still devoted to lower priority, but mandatory items like cooking and eating dinner, laundry, checking my daughter’s homework, etc. that the large rocks often still didn’t get done.

So I’ve found my way back to the chronological list – with some enhancements. I created a master plan of how many hours a day I want to spend on various categories of activity. For example, three hours daily on cooking and eating and one hour per day on reading the paper. I allocate four hours each day to my own projects and the same amount to client projects. And, of course, I have time for household chores and personal tasks.

If I get eight hours of sleep each day, that leaves sixteen hours to divide among these categories. So I set target amounts of time for my five categories. Keeping in mind my client, project, household, and personal priorities for the day, I create an agenda with the start and end time of each activity. I’m pretty generous with the amount of time for each task to make sure I have enough time, and to allow for “extra” tasks not on the list like reading email and unexpected phone calls.

This served as quite a wake-up call the first few days I did it. I didn’t have nearly enough time to do everything I wanted to! The other noticeable difference was that the amount of time I could spend on household tasks was much more limited than I was used to if I intended to get as much work done as I hoped. I realized I needed to choose one or two household tasks per day and leave the rest for later.

Gee, could this be part of the reason I wasn’t getting as much results in my business as I wished for? Hmm.

Working to a Strict Schedule – Me?!

So, this is the system I’m using now. But please don’t think I’m actually following this schedule every day. Oh, no! I’m not that disciplined or organized. Each day I find myself doing tasks out of order, and some still fall off today and move to tomorrow’s list. Even so, in these early days, I’m finding that I am indeed accomplishing more than I often do.

I do seem to be allowing time for my most important tasks since I’ve already thought about how long they’re likely to take. But it’s not just in the business area that I’m doing better.

Part of my scheme allows my to read – for fun! – before bed each night for 30-45 minutes. Yes, this is very pleasurable for me, but it accomplishes more than than that. It relaxes me and allows me to get to sleep faster. Giving myself permission for this time is significant. Since I almost never feel like I’ve done enough work, I often don’t read for fun at all, or I “steal” time when I think I should be working. Stealing the time doesn’t make it nearly as pleasurable since in the back of my mind, I’m feeling guilty for not working. Allowing myself this time in my schedule also gives me something to look forward to at the end of the day – and encourages this night owl to go up to bed on time!

I’d be very interested to hear what strategies and techniques you use and how well they work for you. Leave a comment and share your time management experiences.

What’s Next?

As you can probably tell, I’m sharing some of my challenges with you here in my blog. Now that I’m back on a more productive track, I’m feeling very enthusiastic about the products I’m creating and the tools I’m using to create and distribute them. During the next few months, I’ll share what I’m doing, how, and why, as well as how it’s working out. There’s a new version of my website in the future. I’ll also have some free webinars to share and news about my new products, so stay tuned. Good stuff ahead!

Searching for “Time Management” in Google yields 431,000,000 results. Apparently, I’m not the only one who struggles to accomplish everything she wants to!

However, I resist thinking of the problem as ‘time management”. That term makes it sound as though all would be well if I could just figure out how to make time work the way I want it to. The reality is simpler: it’s about the choices I make – or don’t make. Time continues to move forward at the same rate it has for these many millennia. It’s how I choose to spend my time that affects my results.

So I prefer to think about my productivity. This puts the focus where it belongs – on me and my choices, rather than an impossibility – managing time.

OK, So We’re Talking About Productivity…

Now that we know what we’re talking about, what are we going to do about it? I’ve tried many, many systems intended to help me achieve the results I want, and I’ll bet you have, too. There are books devoted to it, websites built to help with it, consultants who charge thousands to improve it. There are paper systems, graphic systems, and software systems. There are hand-held, wall-mounted, and computer-based systems. There may be as many systems designed to help us be more productive as there are people trying to be productive!

And I’ve tried quite a few of them. What have the results been? Well, you’re quite clever if you guessed that I wouldn’t be writing about this today if one of them had stuck and gotten me amazing results. There’s nothing wrong with any of the systems, and some work better for certain people and others work better for other people. My experience is that I start using each one feeling very gung ho, but after some number of days or weeks, I stop using the system.

What’s Wrong With Them? Or Is It Me?

Some systems feel too complicated for me to maintain. Others are not ideal for the types of tasks I need to accomplish. But even when one seems perfect, I still stop following it fairly soon after starting. So am I doomed to never getting the things done I want to? Always the optimist, I’m not willing to surrender to that fate.

One system I stick with the most and go back to when I fall off the productivity wagon is, ironically for this techie girl, the lowest tech solution of all. A task list on a piece of paper. Yes, you heard right. After trying every high tech and sophisticated system out there, my secret productivity tool is pen and paper!

Usually in the evening (or very early morning!) before I go to bed, I sit down with today’s list, a 5″ by 7″ notepad, and my favorite pen with purple ink. (I am allowed a few harmless quirks, right?) I start with a blank page and brainstorm what I need to do the next day. I include not only work tasks, but personal tasks as well, including even such mundane things as eating lunch and reading the paper.

I’ve done this enough to have a fairly good sense of how much I’m likely to really accomplish in one day, but inevitably every day I have things I don’t get done. So anything not done today that still needs to happen gets added to the list. If there are tasks that I need to do, but not tomorrow and I don’t want to forget them, I’ll add them to a future page in the pad for consideration the next day. If I have a larger project that I’ve broken down, I will have a master list elsewhere – either on my white board or in my computer – that has all the tasks for the project so I can easily remember them. I’ll often review that list of projects and tasks before I sit down to make tomorrow’s list.

Now I have a piece of paper with a list of tasks for tomorrow. My routine until this week has continued by my rewriting this list on a clean page in the order I intend to accomplish the tasks tomorrow. I’ve recently added a little twist to this that I’ll talk about next week. But just doing it the way I’ve described has worked much, much better than any other system I’ve used.

Why Does This Work?

Well, the biggest reason is that I actually use this system. No system can be successful if I don’t use it. This pen and paper method is as simple as it gets and after being on the computer all day, it’s refreshing to sit down with a pen and write on paper. I also really like taking a pen and scribbling across each item as I complete it during the day. That’s right, a check mark next to the task is not enough. I need to obliterate it! That little sense of satisfaction each time I cross out an item supports my ambition to keep knocking off tasks.

Sometimes I don’t get the process done the night before and do it in the morning, but this doesn’t work as well. First, I’m a night person, not a morning person and I don’t even drink coffee, so my brain cells aren’t hopping all that well first thing in the morning. Second, when I have the list done and ready to go as soon as I get up, it seems to give me more momentum to get productive right from the start.

In my experience, the keys to making this method work are:

• making sure I have everything on the list I really need to do tomorrow,
• not adding so many things that I end each day discouraged at not accomplishing most of them,
• having a master list to put tasks and multi-step projects I’m not going to complete tomorrow,
• and most important of all, actually doing it every day!!

As simple as this system is, I find I’m vastly more productive on days when I have a list than on days when I don’t.

Just because this system works for me doesn’t mean it’s the best one for you. The best one for you is the one you’ll keep up with that gets you the results you desire. I think it’s likely, however, that whatever method you find successful will be on the simpler side, just because it’s easier to stick with. And it will in some way boost your sense of satisfaction each time you mark a task completed. I think those two attributes are vital to a successful productivity system because they work with our human nature rather than against it.

Have You Got a Solution?

What’s your experience with time management or productivity systems? Have you been more successful than me in finding one that helps you achieve the results you want? Or are you still searching for a process that works for you? I promise to put reading and approving your comments on my task list if you’ll share!

Yes, I’ve been MIA from my blog and subscribers. What happened? Well, you can make plans (What’s the Plan?, Don’t Forget This!, Break Down Your Business Plan), but then you have to execute them. I’ve been so busy with client work over the last several months that my plan to write articles for my blog, post them to article directories, create and offer my own products and services, etc. has been pushed to the back burner. Or maybe I should say it’s fallen off the stove altogether!

I’ve learned that I’m good at following my plan right up until I get a backlog of client websites to work on. Then, I allow the perceived urgency of the client work to push all the work to build additional streams of income right off my plate. The client work is important and often urgent, whereas my other business tasks are “just” important. The urgent tasks completely take over and the “just” important ones don’t get done at all.

So What’s Wrong With That?

It’s OK in the short run. After all, I’m working and getting paid. But the underlying issue is that I’m totally trading time for money and there are several problems with that. First, I limit how much money I can make. I mean, there are only so many hours, right? Second, all my income is coming from this one area. If my web work slows down for any reason – and it does periodically due to client distractions like holidays, the economy, slow times in their own businesses, etc. – I have no other income streams to fill the gap. Obviously, this can wreak havoc on my cash flow.

What To Do…

Having had this brilliant insight, the next thing to do is clear, but not necessarily easy. I need to find a way to work on my clients’ sites and build additional income streams at the same time. That means I need to reserve some hours each week for these other business areas. Ironically, although most clients want work done as soon as possible, my wonderful clients are not the problem. They understand that their work is completed as soon as I can fit it in the schedule.

No, my problem will be making sure my behavior matches my intention that my other business tasks are important just like the work for my clients. For some reason, I’m very willing to put others’ needs ahead of my own. I think part of it is that the client work pays off right now, whereas the work on additional income streams pays off later.

I wonder if there’s also a bit of that all-too-typical female trait of taking care of everyone else before taking care of yourself.

Well, whatever causes me to always prioritize my clients ahead of
all other business has to stop. I truly love my clients, yet I need to show these other business areas some love, too! Of course I will continue to treat my clients with care, consideration, and promptness. At the same time, I need to treat the other parts of my business with respect as well.

How to Make It Happen

Next week, I’ll discuss the habit I have that – when I do it – makes me most productive, and how I intend to use it to help me achieve a balance between work for clients and work on other income streams.

What About You?

In the meantime, I’d be very interested in hearing from other
professionals out there about how you achieve this balance – or do you? Does this sound at all familiar to you, or are you managing to work both in and on your business effectively? If so, I’d love some tips!

I know the headline sounds ominous. And I’m not talking about a technique that can get you slapped by Google or labeled a spammer by AOL.

No, I’m talking about the risk of complete lack of action due to information overload. Between the constant flood of email messages with valuable information, as well as those offering to sell you the latest marketing technique you absolutely must know about, it’s enough to keep you surfing the web seeking to learn more and more for the rest of your days.

Of course, the huge problem with this is that you’ll have lots of useful information that you never have time to use because you’re off looking for the next nuggets of knowledge. So, you spend time – and probably money – attaining all this know-how and what I want to know is, “When are you planning on using it to make some money of your own?!”

Now before I get too preachy about this, please know that I am as bad an offender in this area as anyone reading this. I don’t even want to count how many programs are in my office, many of them unread (or listened to or watched).

If you’ve been learning about internet marketing for any time at all, I’ll bet you have a long list of ebooks on your computer right now that you’ve paid for and never read. Nevermind the expensive multi-media programs on your shelf. Be honest now!

Rich Schefren calls this getting information “just in case”. He believes that many of us in online marketing already have plenty of information to make our businesses more successful and shouldn’t be so worried about missing something. He’d rather we got our information “just in time” rather than “just in case”.

I have to agree with him. The marketers out there selling this information make it sound like we’ll be losing out on a one-time opportunity if we don’t buy their current product. That’s the power of a persuasive email campaign, joint venture partners, and good web copy.

But think about it… Have you ever seen online marketing information offered that wasn’t available, often in a new, “better”, revised version sometime later? After all, these guys aren’t going to let “important” content be sold once only to languish forever unsold in the future.

Yes, I know there are huge packages that have been offered for great prices recently by John Reese, Mike Filsaime, Frank Kern, Andy Jenkins, Jeff Walker, Rich Schefren, and seemingly every other big name internet marketer out there. And I’ve bought some of them. But these guys aren’t going anywhere. And the information they’re offering will continue to be offered – if not by them, then by others who’ve often learned it from them.

So what I suggest is that you stop reading every marketing email you receive. Unsubscribe from most of them. I promise they’ll be more than happy to welcome you back later.

Also, don’t buy every great marketing package that comes along. If you really want to learn more, pick one marketer whose business model and style of teaching resonates with you and focus just on his material for awhile. Try to pick material you can implement right now in your business. When you feel like you’ve gleaned – AND PUT INTO PRACTICE – his material, then and only then might you want to find your next guru.

I love learning and never want to miss out on anything, so I’m a terrific prospect for the talented internet marketers. However, we all need to find the right balance between learning more and accomplishing more.

One of the reasons I’m writing this is in the hope that if I’m persuasive enough to convince you, I might follow my own advice.

With that in mind, I resolve to focus on one program at a time and schedule an hour a day to work through it. That’ll allow me to digest the information and implement it in my business as I go. And please Lord, don’t let me run across sales letters for any more “must have” marketing products for awhile! Neither my schedule nor my bank account can afford any more “help”.

What’s your plan to balance learning with action? Post a comment and share what works – or you hope will work – for you.