The Accountability Minute:Business Acceleration|Productivity

Today we are talking about Idea #1 to help you attain even better work life balance, which is that you need to have clear boundaries .    Even if you work from a home office you need to set office hours – this is for your clients and your family. Clients need to appreciate that you’re not on call 24-hours a day. Family needs to understand that between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm you’re working and...

Life is in continual motion. There seems to be a blur between life and work and that is especially true for an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs, it seems, have a harder time separating work and life and home; they feel they need to be always available and always in “client search mode” as well as running the business.    Are there secrets to attaining a work life balance? They aren’t exactly secrets, b...

Struggling with a Tough Decision? This Exercise Will Make It Clear!   Ever found yourself stuck, needing to make a decision but unsure which way to go? We've all been there. When you're faced with these moments of uncertainty, it's time to go back to basics with a tried-and-true method: the Pros and Cons list. This simple exercise is a powerful tool to help you navigate those pivota...

Today we are talking about Productivity Tip #7 of the 7 tips, which is: Take a Break.    It may seem counter-intuitive to get away from your desk and take a break, but in truth, you need to give yourself some breathing room. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, you aren’t as productive as you should be and need to be, taking a break will clear your head. Also, in order to be a productive entrepreneur,...

Today we are talking about Productivity Tip #6, which is: Write it Down.     If you write down tasks, project steps, and other items you need to do on a regular basis, you are more likely to get it done. When you’re hoping to remember what you need to do and are just letting tasks float around in the ether without being written down it is easy to feel overwhelmed that you have too much to do and n...

Today we are talking about Productivity Tip #5, which is: Speaking of Distractions.     If you work from home, distractions are, well, distracting! They take you from your work and make you less than productive. The vacuuming, dog walking, laundry, errands… they all can distract you when you work from home. If you work in an office, your staff can be distractions. People popping their heads into y...

Today we are talking about Productivity Tip #4, which is: Embrace the Power of “NO.”     To be more productive is to get more done on your current tasks that only you can do and lead to generating revenue. It doesn’t mean that because you’re now productive you will want to say ‘yes’ to every request that comes your way. Saying “no thank you” is a great way to focus on your core business and not be...

Today we are talking about Productivity Tip #3, which is: Multitasking is the death of productivity .    Many people feel they are more productive when they have multiple irons in the fire; fact is, you are less productive when you focus on more than one task at a time. The reason is because it takes time to start and stop and get involved in a task, and when you’re doing more than one task, you w...

Today we are talking about Productivity Tip #2, which is to Be Accountable.     You can be accountable to yourself or you can have an “accountability buddy or buddies.” This is a person (or people) to whom you will be accountable for getting tasks done. This is a great way to find a new colleague with whom you can connect and build a working relationship as well as helping and motivating one anoth...

Today we are talking about Productivity Tip #1, which is: Time blocking helps.     Time blocking is a productivity method in which you set aside specific times of the day to work on specific projects or activities. Those projects that require the most brain power and creativity should be done during those hours when you are at your peak and when you are most productive. Do you know which hours are...

As an entrepreneur, most days feel like you’re juggling multiple balls. As you struggle to keep them all in the air you may be asking yourself… is it worth it?    If you sometimes feel like you want to let the balls drop where they may, here are seven tips that can help amp up your productivity and help rid yourself of that feeling of continual juggling. There are days that a reminder of some basi...

The time to implement a strategy is now! In the past, strategy making was like this exclusive club, only happening behind closed doors with top brass. But guess what? Times have changed! Now, we all have a say, from the big shots to the frontline warriors. It's about tapping into the wisdom of everyone on the team which allows everyone to provide input. This Strategic Thinking exercise is you...

Today we are talking about tip #11 of the 11 tips for helping you to stay even more focused, which is, if you sit at a desk, get up, stretch your legs and take a few deep breaths, do some sit-ups, or push-ups or take a walk around the inside or outside of the office.   If you have been working on a computer, re-train your eyes to focus on middle to long distance objects. This helps avoid eye strai...

Today we are talking about tip #10 for helping you to stay even more focused, which is to take regular breaks . Very few of us can remain focused for long periods of time without losing the plot, so take a 5 to 10-minute break every 90 minutes or so.   Minimize distractions and you'll reach your goals faster - plain and simple.  This means being focused on doing your highest payoff activities...

Today we are talking about tip #9 for helping you to stay even more focused, which is to work attentively . If you find yourself getting easily distracted, re-visualize the project in your head and the action steps necessary to complete it.    Working when no one else is around can also help you be even more focused .  This can sometimes be the greatest distraction elimination available.  No clien...

Today we are talking about tip #8 for helping you to stay even more focused, which is to close the door to your office . If you work in an open plan space where there is a lot of noise around you, consider buying a pair of ear plugs, or noise cancelling headphones, or check out the conference room, if you have one.   For many people, eliminating noises helps them to be even more focused .  Listen...

Today we are talking about tip #7 for helping you to stay even more focused, which is to close down any programs on your computer that could cause you to become distracted. Remember to turn off RSS feeds, and remove computer desktop icons .   All of those things you love doing, like playing solitaire, checking on the latest Facebook friend posts, surfing the internet, or whatever is distracting yo...

Today we are talking about tip #6 for helping you to stay even more focused, which is to turn off your cell phone or shift the ring tone to “silent”.   The emails and phone messages will still be there when you have completed one or more of your important tasks or activities. I have had many of my clients forward their cell phone to the main office number, so someone could answer the call and help...

Today we are talking about tip #5 for helping you to stay even more focused, which is to turn off your email and shut down the automatic email notification system.   You can choose to let people know when you will check email, so they don’t expect an immediate response, if you want to. Being very clear in a short email is a good way to let people emailing you what to expect. Let me share an exampl...

Today we are talking about tip #4 for helping you to stay even more focused, which is don’t answer the office phone.   Imagine you are in a meeting and can’t be interrupted or distracted.    It's ideal if you have someone answer every call since a real-person response is a vital part of a successful business, in my opinion.  If this is a resource available to you, establish a schedule of when...

Today we are talking about tip #3 for helping you to stay even more focused, which is to block out a time in your daily schedule to attend to the urgent matters . Most of us find we are at our lowest ebb early in the afternoon, so this is an ideal time to take care of anything “urgent”.   Some of the most productive people in the world swear by this technique called time blocking.  Ever heard of E...

Today we are talking about tip #2 for helping you to stay even more focused, which is to clear your desk of everything except the important project you are currently working on . If necessary, make a pile of paperwork on the floor or keep it filed away until you need them, if you still use paper. You can always pick the next project up once your important task is completed.   Magazines you say you...

Tip #1 for Increasing the Power of Your Focus     The power of focus lies in your ability to distinguish the urgent from the important; and concentrate your energy on the important.   Let’s explore the first of the 11 guidelines to help re-direct your focus and prioritize getting the important tasks or activities done first.    So, guideline #1 is to Write down the important tasks you have set you...

11 Guidelines for Increasing the Power of Your Focus    If asked, what is the one defining quality that sets great leaders apart from their wannabe counterparts, it would have to be their ability to maintain focus on the important issues, tasks and activities.   Sure, once behind closed doors, even the most successful leaders probably have moments of indecision, procrastination, and uncertainty, b...

Why Do We Procrastination? – Part 4     Today we are continuing to talk about reasons why some people procrastinate.  One reason is related to Mood versus displacement.   Have you ever heard someone say or felt that you weren’t in the right frame of mind to do the task required when it was scheduled?  Some people might continually have the feeling that they aren’t in the right mood or frame of min...