Not too long ago an executive client of mine, a business owner, was lamenting she simply had too much to do in the amount of time she had to do it in. She was working 10 hour days, five days a week and a few hours most Saturday mornings.  She said she didn't mind putting in the hours, but she just couldn't figure out a way to come up with more time to get at all the important issues she had to deal with. I tried to give her the "we all have the same amount of time" story, but before I could finish, her eyes began to roll and her body language shouted "yeah, I've heard that one before; now tell me something I don't already know." So I quickly ended my story without the gravity punch line (I'll write more about gravity issues in future e-zines) and got right to the point.

 

"Look," I said, "you need to do something differently if you're going to get out of this vicious time cycle. Do you agree?"  "Yes," she said, "but I'm not about to be locked into a PDA, wrestle with learning some "wizy" personal planning software or take a course on time management. I don’t have the time! I really know what I need to do, I just need a way to do it more effectively."

 

"Well then," I said, "I really think you have the seeds to your own solution. If you'll agree to try a couple very simple techniques that won't add any time to your day, I believe you can make your day 10-25% more effective." She agreed, and here are those very simple techniques:

 

The Mirror Technique

Print this question on a small piece of paper:

 

“What can I do differently today to add value to my business?”

 

Now tape it to your bathroom mirror or maybe to the corner of your computer monitor if that's where you start your day. As you look into your mirror or monitor each and every morning, ask yourself this simple question, formulate an action step or two (even if it's something you've thought of before but haven't yet tried) and decide to execute at least one of these actions today. Make it something meaningful (it can be a small task as long as it's results oriented) and make it yours (don't delegate it). But most importantly, whether it's easy or difficult, make it something you will do today! Adding value is what separates successful business owners from the also-rans; so add value to your business every day.

 

The Blue Chip Technique

 

Get hold of a blue chip (a plastic poker chip works just great) and place it in your pocket, purse or someplace you will come in contact with it several times per day. Each time you see or touch your blue chip ask yourself this question:

 

“What is the most important thing I can be doing now,

for my customers and clients?”

 

Then quickly get to that activity, reject all current distractions and put off all activities that you really don't need to be doing now. (Believe it or not, many of these put-offs will simply go away or be resolved by you doing nothing.) Asking yourself this question several times per day provides focus and discipline for what any business is all about — your customers. Doing something for them creates momentum for greater results and satisfaction for you — a truly virtuous cycle.

 

Are these techniques a bit hokey? Perhaps. But if you allow them to evolve into habits they eliminate time-consuming distractions and increase your focus on creating value for your customers. Oh, and my client: She put these techniques to work and is no longer working Saturday mornings — or Friday afternoons, either.

 What Good is a Mercedes-Benz if You're Jabba the Hut?
by Rand Golletz

I recently read a staggering statistic. More than 40% of college graduates never read another book after they graduate – EVER – FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES!

 

If you are not among that 40%, congratulations; you are among the living. If you are among that 40%, how are you growing? How are you developing new perspectives? How are you challenging your preconceptions? Who are you becoming?

 

Personal development philosopher Jim Rohn said, "success is not something you search for and find; it is something you attract by the person you become." If you aren't reading, you are becoming more of the person you already are.

 

Wow!

 

Only 3% of the public in the United States have library cards. Double wow! 3%. All of my previous comments apply to the 97% missing the boat.

 

About 15 years ago, I was the number 2 guy at a medium-sized company. On one particularly spectacular spring afternoon, I was driving to a sales meeting we were conducting. The lady accompanying me was complaining that I wouldn't let her smoke in my new car, which I was driving at about 70 mph down the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

 

After about 15 minutes of her cigarette tirade, she admonished me to slow down, not because of my unsafe speed, but rather because she said that new car engines should be broken in slowly. I knew that she was right, but my reaction was, "it's a car!"

 

This person was really on top of the requirements for car maintenance but was ruining her health with a two pack-a-day habit. What is wrong with that picture?!

 

We have, as a nation, become obsessed with "stuff." There is nothing inherently wrong with "stuff," mind you. What is confounding is that many of us value our stuff more than we value ourselves. We validate ourselves with other peoples' opinions of our stuff. We eat fake food designed to addict us. We live on debt. We devour reality TV.

 

If Simon Cowell's face is more recognizable to you than that of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, what does that imply about who you are and what you value?

 

It can be different; you can be different. Do these things beginning tomorrow:

 

• Limit your TV watching to five hours per week.

 

• Read one book a month.

 

• Purchase nothing in the supermarket from the inside aisles. That’s where all of the synthetic food is. Buy food from the outside aisles only.

 

• Walk vigorously for two hours per week.

 

These are "bare minimum" recommendations. If your reaction is, "I don’t have the time," please consider your priorities and their implications very carefully. Don't take too long, however. Your psyche and your body are wilting while you wait.