June 2, 2008
- Be More Efficient: 7 Ways to Get More Done in Less Time
I know it's been a while since I last wrote; this is because I've been riding the wave of what Dan Kennedy calls "The Phenomena"; which happens when all these forces in your business suddenly align, and new opportunities and new clients just keep rolling in. I've been busy developing some social marketing campaigns for some top level clients- all focused on developing more effective branding and accelerating the growth and goodness of their online reputation. It's been exciting, and challenging, to cull through all the possible ways to promote, and select the best of those available. Nothing like time pressure and deadlines to push me to get clear.
So in learning how to surf the wave of The Phenomena, I've had to be even more efficient than usual. Here are 7 new strategies I've been implementing with great benefit; see what you think of them:
February 16, 2008
- Listen faster to audios and podcasts
In business, your two main resources are money and time. You may need to spend money to make more time (such as when you outsource work or hire out for certain tasks), or you may need to trade time for money (such as when you work with clients), or you sometimes may need to do both (when a problem shows up and it will take both money and time to fix.) With everything you have to do to keep your business running, it is useful to try and find points of leverage in your business, places where you can save time, money, or both.
February 4, 2008
- Planning
Do you ever have one of those days where you wake up and nothing goes as planned?
November 8, 2007
- My New Favorite Digital Recorder
Ok, so in my quest to try and get even more done each day, but in an easy and fun way, (of course!), I decided to try dictating blog posts on the way to work. While this particular one wasn't dictated, I have several others coming up which were, so you should be hearing from me more often.
Anyway, there are two reasons for sharing my favorite digital recorder with you. One, because I love it! and, if you're in the market for a new digital recorder, you might benefit from knowing about this one. The other reason I wanted to share this with you is because I've lately been focusing on how I can streamline my work and make better use of my time. One way I've done this is to spend some time at the beginning of each month and map out my projects for the month, including details about each step.
October 30, 2007
- Additional Email Address Beats Gremlins
Ok, so we're close to Halloween, and the gremlins have gotten into my email. I have one particular account which seems to be getting blocked by a few ISP's, resulting in emails not making it to clients. I've had two clients call me, in the past two days, wondering why they hadn't heard from me- when, in fact, I'd been replying regularly. So, in the interest of putting in systems to over-respond to the problem (as opposed to over-reacting), I implemented the following:
June 11, 2007
- Possibility Paralysis
Possibility paralysis is a term I recently coined (as far as I know) to describe the paralysis that can come from having too many choices. Similar concepts have recently appeared in the psychology literature, stating that people are becoming overloaded by the vastness of their choices.
April 5, 2007
- Energy Follows Action.
Are you feeling at all weighted down or draggy in your business? If so, today's post is for you.
I'd been noticing a sense of friction and resistance creeping into my business over the past couple of weeks.
I've been busier than ever, but the resistance wasn't about that. I began to notice that everything was taking much longer to complete and all my business processes felt a bit fragmented and scattered.
January 29, 2007
- How Much is Enough?
I've been pondering this question lately as my business has been growing, and I find that the normally tight control I keep over things has been slipping. Emails pile up longer than before. My blogs remain un-updated for more days at a time. I have recently hired a new assistant, but I've lost a few hours a week training her. So the drive to grow bigger also means that some adjustments have to be made.
April 17, 2006
- Take control of your inbox.
Take control of your email inbox. Once of the biggest timewasters (and energy drainers) is massive amounts of uncategorized unread email.
April 14, 2006
- Create systems for time-consuming tasks.
Create systems or processes for time-consuming tasks. For example, if you know that you plan a direct mailing once a month…
April 12, 2006
- Get rid of items you don't need.
Get rid of items you don’t need or use.
April 10, 2006
- Streamline your voicemail.
Streamline your voicemail. If you have voicemail at home, voicemail at the office, and voicemail on your cell phone, consider forwarding two lines so you only need to check one voicemail box.
April 7, 2006
- Have just one way of tracking appointments.
Develop just one way of tracking appointments, either a paper appointment book, a computer based scheduler, or your Blackberry or Treo.
April 5, 2006
- Start with quiet time to plan.
Start most days with some quiet time to focus and plan the day.
April 3, 2006
- Clean your desk.
Set aside time each week to clean and organize your desk.