Are Your Business Files Organized According To How You Personally Work?

Following up on the last post about productivity in your home business, here is an article about organization and how each individual is quite different in how their mind organizes information.

It's Only Organized if It Works for You

Being organized means different things to different people. For some it means dozens of filing cabinets with carefully organized drawers and folders with lots of subsections.

For others, it means knowing which pile of papers to begin looking in when they need something.

What's organized to one person may be a horrible mess to someone else. But no matter what your organizational style, the bottom line is making sure that what you're doing works for you.

You could have the most state-of-the-art organizing system around, but if it takes you hours of sorting through subcategories to find what you need, it's not doing its job.

It Doesn't Have to Be Fancy, But It Should Be Functional

When getting started in business, many people run out and buy filing cabinets, in and out baskets, and desks with lots of compartments. These things provide lots of organizing options, but unless you are dealing with lots of files and paperwork, chances are it's overkill.

Systems that can expand as a business grows are a more economical option. Stackable file drawers are a great example. There are even plastic storage units that might suit your purposes just fine.

If you are dealing with confidential information, you might want to go with something sturdy and lockable. Otherwise, anything that holds your paperwork in a way that can be organized will do.

When it comes to desks, some like open shelving while others like lots of drawers and compartments. As long as you can keep things that you need within easy reach, it is simply a matter of preference.

There's a Lot to Be Said for Trial and Error

If you are new to business, it's hard to know just what will work. Even those who are extremely organized when it comes to personal papers and items may not know where to begin when it comes to organization for business purposes.

Perhaps the best thing you can do is just jump in and try something, and if that doesn't work adjust until you find what works for you.

Fellow business owners may be able to provide some guidance and share things that work for them. And there are lots of organizing gurus out there who are more than willing to help.

But the fact is that they may not work the same way as you do, and what is perfect for them could be a disaster for you. It doesn't hurt to get suggestions, but it's how well a system works for the person who is using it that counts.

Organization systems are as unique as the people that use them. One person might find things better when their location is determined by a specific and logical formula, and another might prefer to have frequently accessed items within easy reach and file away the rest.

Neither way is better than the other. It's what works for the individual that matters.

Be More Productive In Your Home Business

Run Your Business From Home? Here's 10 Ways to Be More Productive

Ah, working at home sweet home... Visions of leisurely days, conference calls in comfy sweatpants, increased productivity with fewer interruptions. But the distinctions between work life and home life soon blur. You really should throw some laundry in the wash before you write that proposal. You have an hour before a meeting: Should you balance your books or clean the kitchen? And remember to call that client back right after you empty the cat box.

Welcome to the real world of the home office: unforeseen distractions, a lack of structured time, and sometimes a perceived loss of identity. But don't give up the dream just yet! By putting into place a few simple ideas, you can reap more of the rewards of staying home-bound. Based on my experiences and those of my clients, here are 10 simple ways to help you stay on track.

1. Separate Your Space.

Keep a separate, distinct work area in your home. Very important. (This is especially difficult if you're living and working in a shoebox apartment, like I was when I started my business in New York City!) If you don't have a separate room, at least define an area, and know that when you're in it, you're in "work mode."

2. Structure Your Time.

As your business and personal time mesh, it's more important than ever to structure your day. For example, if you regularly take a walk or go to the gym, try to do it every day at the same time. Value that personal appointment with yourself -- even when you're very busy. It will actually help you keep your business on track! I like to get up early and work until 1 pm, then I take a few hours off to enjoy lunch and go to the gym or jog on the beach. Then I'm back at my desk at 5:00 until who knows when!

3. Outsource All You Can.

When I began my business, I made the mistake of doing all my own administrative work. Whenever you start thinking, "Well I can just do that myself," STOP. Streamline your business, making everything as automatic as possible. Use outside services to stay focused on your *real work*. Get accounts with an overnight delivery service, messenger service, errand service, bookkeeper, etc. Save your time and energy for your brilliant ideas! (Learn more about hiring a virtual assistant (VA) at www.ezinequeen.com/assistanttele.htm)

4. Use Technology to Your Advantage.

In-person meetings are very valuable when appropriate, but schedule them sparingly. Try to do most of your business via phone, fax, and e-mail using the best equipment you can afford. For most of us, when we're out of the office, we're not bringing in the bacon! So it's important that you can communicate flawlessly from where you are. PLEASE do us all a favor and get separate lines/services for your phone, fax, and Internet! No one likes getting a busy signal or having to call first before faxing.

Get separate lines for home and business, or ask your phone company about getting "distinctive ring". Also, voicemail is better than an answering machine, because if you're on an important call and don't want to be disturbed, other callers can still leave you a message.

5. Group Your Errands.

Try to group your meetings and errands together to minimize your out-of-office time. Make a list in the morning of all the outside tasks you need done for the day, and attempt to complete them in one fell swoop. Even better, do what I used to do and designate just one day a week as your "blitz" day for errands and meetings. Plus, then you only need to get dressed up one day a week! : ) (Nowadays I use an errand service to run around for me.)

6. Stay Focused.

Make your workspace off-limits to other roommates or family members when you're working. For you animal lovers, this may go for pets as well. (My cat Francine gets extremely jealous when I'm not giving her complete attention!) Keep all personal paperwork such as bills, magazines, and to-do lists out of sight, so they won't distract you from your work projects.

7. Beware of Yappers.

Many of your friends and family will be immediately delighted when they learn that you're now home-officing. They picture you lounging on the couch, eating potato chips, and waiting for their calls. When they call you simply to chat, politely remind them that you're working, and ask them if you can call them back after your day is over. It may take them a while, but they'll eventually get the idea.

8. Work With Your Moods.

Keep track of your moods and productivity compared with the time of day. For example, if you find you're more alert in the morning, use this time to make important calls and do your creative work. Take advantage of your natural cycles. If you feel better after an afternoon nap, go for it! (I'm a BIG proponent of the catnap. In fact, I may start a support group.)

9. Suit Yourself.

To bring out your best work, make your environment perfect for YOU. How do you work best? With plenty of breaks, or with no interruptions? In silence, or with some light music in the background? On a cushy couch and coffee table, or at a business desk in an ergonomic chair? (My friends thought I was nuts when I spent $750 on my Herman Miller Aeron chair, but they quickly understood why I did once they sat in it! It will last forever and my spine thanks me every day.)

Also, find some places you can do work when you need a change of scenery. How about the library, the park, or your neighborhood coffee shop? When I need to do serious reading, thinking, or editing, I take my work outside to the beach. The sea air, sunshine, and soothing waves help me think much more clearly.

10. Break for People.

Feeling sluggish, lonely, or moody? Arrange for at least one social break during the week. Schedule breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even just coffee with a client, vendor, or friend. Join a business networking group, or sign-up for social activities such as dance class or recreational sports league. Don't go into hermit mode -- it can be self-destructive!

© 1999-2006 Alexandria K. Brown

WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE?
See Alexandria's Small Business Marketing Blog.

Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," publishes the award-winning 'Straight Shooter Marketing' weekly ezine with 20,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at http://www.EzineQueen.com

Pareto's Law Applied To Business

The 80/20 Rule

The Pareto principle (also known as the 80-20 rule), states that, for many things, 80% of the consequences come from 20% of the causes. For instance, you wear 20% of the clothes in your closet 80% of the time. This equation also affects your business, as in 80% of your business will come from 20% of your clients.

Unfortunately, most people will spend 80% of their time dealing with the 80% of clients who are not bringing in business. You can use this theory to argue that only 20% of the tasks you work on will bring in the majority of your business.

Here are some tips to help you streamline your schedule and spend time where it really counts.

Have you ever noticed that the people who ask the most questions or are the most difficult are the people who place the smallest orders? While it is certainly important to provide great customer service, you can place a limit on your time.

For example, let’s say you sell cosmetics and a potential customer wanted to know if the product was tested on animals. Once you researched the answer and got back to them, they wanted to know if only organic materials were used, so then you research that answer and when you get back to them they have another question and then another question and so forth.

This exchange could go on for several days, and at the end of it, the potential customer may not become your customer at all. If a potential customer is “on the fence” about a sale, it is okay to ask them for the sale, and if they hesitate, to let them know you are available to help them place their order, once they are ready.

It definitely feels good to get a sale and gain a new customer, but the time you spend chasing down small sales could be spent on the “big clients” who are willing to place large orders.

Another smart thing to do is create a thorough FAQ and standard answers that could be cut and pasted into a support email. Always direct your customers to your FAQ first, then support.

Email can be another big time waster. Setting aside a half hour in the morning and a half hour in the evening to respond to your email can save you time during the day. Another option is to hire a virtual assistant to answer general business email. There may be some things you need to respond to yourself, but the vast majority can probably be handled by someone else.

Start a time log where you document time spent and results achieved. Experiment a little by tracking the time you spend on various tasks to determine which ones are actually making you money. It only stands to reason that devoting more time to those activities will greatly increase your productivity and profits.

Try it and notice how much more you accomplish. See you next time.

Al

Discipline Is A Key To Business Success

It's All About Discipline
By Susan Carroll

Having your own internet marketing business means being able to enforce some self discipline.

While many people think that time management is the only form of discipline you must enforce on yourself when you have your own home business, it isn't. There are at least 7 aspects in your life you must learn to adjust and today we're going to look at them.

1. Time Management - Learn to use your time effectively.
You must identify "weak spots" - the things in your business that suck a lot of your time and energy but produce very small results. For most, email and the amount of time spent reading and responding eats up their most valuable time. For others, proof reading their site and making sure they catch every typo is their downfall.

If you are spending some of your most creative and productive time on "weak spots", you need to redo your schedule and give your most creative and productive time to the areas of your business that earn you the most. Continued On The RGG Site

Productivity In Your Online Business

Great article post over at Zen Habits today. In this post the author writes about time management and productivity.

He runs a full time online business from home, or wherever he happens to be as long as he has access to a computer.

12 Organizational Pointers for anyone working an internet based business include the following:

Focus on the essential.
It’s important to take some time to think about what’s essential to your tech work (and play). What do you really need? What gives you the most benefit for your time? What’s not so essential? What takes up a lot of time without making much of an impact? What gives you the most enjoyment?

If you can identify the activities, sites and software that is most essential to you, you can eliminate or at least reduce the non-essential. And from then on, focus almost exclusively on what’s essential. This applies to your work tasks as well - what tasks are extremely essential? Focus on doing those each day.

Do one thing at a time.
I know. This is super hard when it comes to tech. Browser’s on, a dozen tabs open at once, switching between reading and email and work and IM and Twitter … we live in a multitasking world. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

While there’s nothing wrong with having multiple tabs open, it can be very helpful to focus on one task at a time. Have 10 tabs open, but do one tab until you’re done, then close it and move on to the next, and so on. If you’re going to do IM, just do IM.

If you’re going to do email, just do email. Sure, you can do more than that at once, but it adds to the stress of your day and decreases your effectiveness because of all the switching. Practice doing one thing at a time and you’ll find your work to be much more peaceful.

Have periods of disconnectedness.
While I do most of my work online, I find it extremely useful (and calming) to close my browser and just work offline for awhile. This post, for example, is being written in a text program, and when I’m done writing I’ll go and post it in WordPress. This really allows you to get much more done, because there’s no temptation to go check something just for a sec.

Don’t live in your inbox.
I’ve done this, and if you do it you know who you are. Email is everything to many people. It’s communication, it’s a task list, . . .

Read more about 12 Powerful Ways to Keep Your Online Life Simple and Peaceful

Be Proactive and Creative In Your Problem Solving

Think Outside The Cup and Saucer
Larry Galler

There were four of us at dinner. Three ordered “regular” coffee, the fourth requested “decaf.” Every so often a server, carrying two pitchers, refilled the coffee cups and knowingly poured three cups from one pitcher and one from the other. He never asked who wanted which type of coffee.

As we were leaving, one of us asked the server how he knew which of us preferred “decaf.” “Simple, the three of you drinking “regular” coffee have black cups with white saucers, we serve “decaf” in white cups with black saucers.” Instead of thinking outside the box these people have been thinking outside the cup and saucer.

What an elegant, easy solution. The server doesn’t have to interrupt conversation to find who is having which coffee, there is no mix-up or confusion, and everyone gets what they want. More importantly, it demonstrates how deeply the “customer satisfaction” thought process has gone in that particular establishment and it is a lesson for everyone who manages a business.

Imagine how many opportunities for little confusions that exist in delivering any product or service, from not greeting a customer properly to forgetting to return a credit card, and everything in-between.

Management that really wants to deliver a superior customer service experience systematically looks at every possible opportunity for confusion or error and attempts to eliminate them as they are identified. In the case of the cup and saucer solution there was no cost expended to solve the problem, just a little time and creativity.

An owners or managers challenge is to identify a little confusion or opportunity for error in your business that can be overcome by thinking through the process and developing a low cost / no cost solution. Instead of thinking outside the box, let’s call it “thinking outside the cup.”

Larry Galler coaches and consults with high-performance executives, professionals, and small businesses since 1993. He is the writer of the business column, "Front Lines with Larry Galler" Sign up for his newsletter at http://www.larrygaller.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

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10 Steps To Increased Profits For Your Business

Here is a good article about how to increase your business revenues and profits without spending a fortune. These strategies are based on sound business principles that have been proven through the ages.

10 Simple Tactics To Improve Your Business
By Leslie Sprankling

These ten simple tactics are just that, simple. Each one is a nil cost or low cost ways to improve your business and together they form a formidable armory of weapons at your disposal to make your business grow.

So, read, study and think about them all so that you can devise the best ways to implement them in your business. Here then are ten simple tactics to improve your business.

1. Concentrate your efforts on those people who are most likely to buy from you. If you sell only apples, don’t waste your time on people who really want to buy oranges. Qualify the people who come to you (your prospects) and pre-qualify the viewers and readers of your ads so that you don’t spend all day dealing with lookers and tire kickers.

When you qualify the inquiries as they come in, you’ll be able to spend the majority of your time with people who want or need your product or service, want it now and have the ability to pay for it now. All others are just a waste of your time.

2. Get ‘connected’ to your customers, at least the top 20% who may produce as much as 80% of your business. Get in touch with these ones personally and stay in touch with them regularly. Cultivate them and reward them for their loyalty to you. After all, these are the ones who provide the bulk of your income.

However, do not neglect the rest of your customers. Assign members of your staff or sales force to look after them as their ‘personal customer care officer’ as these ones, with proper attention have the potential to join the top 20%.

3. Follow up with all qualified prospects, not with blatant sales blurbs or pressure tactics, but do so with additional information on the product or service they inquired about, or to provide free advice, some additional benefits or solutions to their problems.

You can offer a free booklet, tips etc or ways to assist in meeting their desired goals. Never, never, never give them a sales pitch without at least offering help, advice or a solution.

4. Don’t take it for granted that your customers and prospects know all the benefits of doing business with you, compared with your competition. The fact is, unless you tell them, they don’t know, and couldn’t care less about you. Customers and prospective customers are selfish people, they want what’s best for them, not you.

Think about this for a moment, as a prospective customer, about to spend your dollars on something you want. Do you care about the person you’re doing business with? Or do you want to know ‘What’s in it for me’? Well your customers are the same, so spell out to them all the advantages and benefits of doing business with you instead of your competitor over the road or down the street.

This means telling about your great warranty or guarantee, your extended hours of business, your 24/7 home service, your lower prices, your greater range of products, sizes, colors etc., your uniqueness and whatever else puts you a step ahead of your competition. Even if you don’t do anything differently, tell ‘em what you do because they probably don’t know that your competitors do it too.

5. Spend whatever time and resources are needed to determine your customers’ Marginal Net Worth. This is the amount, in dollars, that a typical customer is worth to you over the duration of the time he does business with you. Without this valuable information you could be handing most of your business over to your competitors.

In simple terms a customer’s Marginal Net Worth (or LifeTime Value) is the average profit on each purchase, multiplied by the number of times in a year that he buys from you, multiplied by the number of years he stays your customer. As an example, if a customer’s average purchase is $100 (of which $50 is profit), if he buys 8 times a year and stays with you for 3 years, you net profit from this customers is $50 X 8 X 3 which equals $1,200.00 net profit. This is his Marginal Net Worth.

See The Simple Secrets to Business Growth at http://www.better-n-chocolate.com, for detailed information on how to determine your customers’ MNW.

6. Follow up all inquiries promptly. In contemplating the reasons for this use empathy here by putting yourself in the place of your prospective customer. How long would you wait for a follow-up before you went somewhere else. We live in a society where instant gratification is demanded. We want it, and we want it now!

So, if a customer has come to you, by phone or in person, get back to him while he is ‘hot.’ The longer you leave it before you follow up, the ‘colder’ he will get or, worse, the more likely it is that he’ll go to your competitor. Always follow up with useful information, advice or some benefit to him, but never solely with a blatant sales pitch.

7. In any transaction, there is a risk. For the customer the risks include that the item he buys from you will be defective, unsuitable, won’t match his color scheme or some other reason. He needs assurance that the item will be repaired, replaced, exchanged or his money returned if need be.

By reversing all those risks and taking them upon yourself you remove those risks from the customer. He will therefore be free of the normal transaction risks and will be more inclined to buy. Yes, you will get a few who may unfairly take advantage of your risk reversal, but you’ll get far more additional business than you will refunds.

8. In a disagreement with a customer, separate personal feelings from business relationships. Hurt feelings can be gotten over in a few hours, a damaged relationship can be financially disastrous and long lasting. Always listen politely to a complaint and act on it on the assumption that the customer is right (even if you feel he is wrong).

It’s much better to lose a little face, or a few dollars, if you can salvage and restore a business relationship. And remember this, the old man in the frayed sweater and dirty jeans may have enough cash in that shopping bag he’s carrying to buy and sell you three times over.

9. There are only three ways to grow a business: get more customers, get your customers to buy more, and get them to buy more often.

10. Hidden Assets are items in your business that, on the surface have no fundamental value but which you can sell or exploit to raise cash. These can include:

* disused or surplus materials, equipment, appliances or office furniture,
* unused space in your warehouse, factory, office or store that you can rent out to a sub-tenant,
* a good relationship with your customers (who can provide referrals or bring in new customers),
* relationships with your suppliers (who may be willing to meet all or part of your advertising costs, or even supply you with stock on credit),
* old merchandise that you have stashed away because you no longer handle those products,
* your reputation in the community as a person or business to get free publicity through press or media releases, informative and advisory articles in local newspapers, magazines etc., radio and/or TV interviews,
* component suppliers who may be willing to include you in their marketing at no cost to you or, if you are a component supplier, your customers may be willing to include you in their marketing.

© 2005 Leslie H F Sprankling. All Rights Reserved. Leslie H F Sprankling is an Australian business consultant and author of a number of business manuals and other publications. He has been involved in the start-up and operation of a number of successful businesses over some 40 years. His business experience covers three continents, North America, Africa and Australia. His web-site, http://www.better-n-chocolate.com offers a wide range of business products, including exclusive software, business books and manuals for experienced business people and for those entering business for the first time. For anyone considering how to get into business on the internet without risking large sums of money and time, as well as for some exclusive free software and business advice http://www.better-n-chocolate.com is well worth a visit.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

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Productivity - Do You Have A System For Handling Your Email?

Great article today on how email can be tamed and timed. If you are looking for other productivity increasers, have a look at today's post over on Productivity Laws before you go.

The Email Problem - Stop Wasting Your Time

What if I could show you a way to shave 15 minutes per day off of the time you spend on your email? Would this make a difference in your life?

Saving you 15 minutes per day would free up more than 2,225 hours over the course of the next 25 years. That's equivalent to 285 work days (2,225 hours divided by a typical 8 hour work day = 285 days). That's more days than most people work in a whole year!

What could you accomplish with an extra year of work? Would that be worth spending 15 minutes to learn the system I developed for processing your email?

If you're like most people, you have challenges with your email. Perhaps your in-box is always backed up. It may be so backed up that you would be embarrassed to tell someone just how many messages are in there.

Many of my clients (before they learned my system) had a backlog of several hundred messages in their in-box. This caused them to waste time sorting through their messy in-box searching for messages which needed their attention.

But the main problem I find with my clients is that they simply spend too much time on their email. I teach my clients to be MORE PROACTIVE and LESS REACTIVE. This helps them to be more efficient, effective, and successful in their work and personal lives.

Email provides a huge temptation to be in a reactive mode. You might have majorly important, even time sensitive goals on your plate, yet you're still taking time away from those goals to read email messages about the most irrelevant things imaginable, and sometimes even taking time to respond to those messages!

Many people, in an attempt to escape the distraction caused by their email, choose to bury their heads in the sand by not processing their email for days, leading to a massive backlog that leaves them overwhelmed with no hope of ever fully catching up.

My system is designed to solve all of these problems. So let's get down to it.

RYAN'S HANDY DANDY EMAIL SYSTEM

One of the best things about my system is that it's VERY SIMPLE. This makes it easy to learn and implement. However, you probably have years of bad email habits that will need changing and old habits die hard.

It's going to take a really strong commitment and some discipline to create the new habits, but once they're established, it will be easy and natural.

Step 1: Create two new folders named "*URGENT" and "*NOT URGENT". Put the "*" in the beginning of the folder name so that it will sort to the top of your list of folders. You could also us an underscore "_" or another character for this purpose.

Step 2: Create folders for saving emails that you might need later. If you already have these folders, you might need to create some new ones, or rename and reorganize the ones you have so they make more sense.

Step 3: Learn to use the filter system in your email program and set up as many filters as possible for messages that you don't need to see right away when they arrive.

For example, if you are on any email discussion lists, where you get several messages per day or per week, make a filter that automatically sorts all of those messages into one of your mail folders. This way they will never show up in your in-box and they will be neatly organized into folders.

Step 4: Make sure you have a good spam filter in place. Everyone receives a lot of spam these days, but having a good spam filter will get rid of the majority of it.

Step 5: Learn my system for processing your in-box. You can use this process to empty your in-box very quickly, even if it has hundreds of messages in it. Have your messages sorted from newest to oldest and process the newest ones first.

This way, if there is a discussion involving several messages, you won't respond to an older message, only to later find that your response was not relevant to the current stage of the discussion.

Process your messages in the order they have been sorted - one at a time. Don't try to skip around your in-box in an attempt to process the more important or urgent emails first. That was the old way of doing things.

Trust me, you will be much more efficient if you just go through them in the order they are sitting there in your in-box (don't skip around!). Your goal at this stage of processing your in-box is to get it to empty and to sort your messages quickly and efficiently into folders for dealing with later. At a second stage you will be actually responding to the important messages.

Don't open any messages that you don't need to in order to decide what to do with them. Try to make the decision based on the Sender and the Subject. If you have to open the message then scan it as quickly as possible in order to make the decision on what to do with it.

I'm not crazy about those "preview windows" because they provide a temptation to read emails that you're not actually ready to deal with yet. You might want to try turning your preview window off, although this is not a critical part of my system.

Here are the 4 options for what to do with each message. You might want to post these next to your computer while you're learning the system and establishing new habits.

Delete It: The delete key should become your new best friend. Take joy in each message that you delete because it's just not important enough to receive your attention. Think of all the time you're freeing up for other things. Delete, delete, delete. Your goal should be to delete as many as possible.

File It: If you think you may never need to read it or do anything with it, but you might need it later for some reason, then save it in one of your folders. However, don't put it in your *URGENT or *NOT URGENT folders - these have a different purpose. You will occasionally need to make a new folder for saving your messages in an organized fashion.

Less Than 2 Minutes - Do It: If it is something you want to read, or something you want to read+reply to, or something you want to forward, and you can do it in less than 2-minutes, then do it right then. Then either delete or file the message immediately to get it out of your in-box. If it's going to take more than 2 minutes, DON'T DO IT, instead do the following:

URGENT or NOT URGENT Boxes: If the messages needs reading, replying, or forwarding, and you estimate that it will take more than 2-minutes, move it to either your URGENT box or your NOT URGENT box.

The URGENT box should be for messages that need action within the next 24-48 hours and the NOT URGENT box is for the rest. Both of these boxes are for important messages only! If something is not important, perhaps you shouldn't be wasting your time on it.

Perhaps it should be deleted or saved in one of your folders (other than the URGENT and NOT URGENT boxes) in case you need it later. However, if you have a hard time breaking your habit of responding to unimportant messages, then you might want to create a third mail box called "*NOT IMPORTANT".

Step 6: Use the above system to process your in-box to empty once or twice per day. It will be easier if you stay on top of it daily. You should be able to do it in less than 15 minutes per day if you're really following the system and not getting caught in the temptation to respond to messages that take more than 2 minutes.

If you fall behind, which will happen from time to time, don't panic or drop the system all together, instead, use the system to get caught up. You should be able to process a very backed up in-box with hundreds of messages very quickly. You will get faster as you practice using this new method.

Step 7: Schedule one or two times per day to go through your URGENT and NOT URGENT boxes and read, reply to, and forward messages. Aim to get these boxes to empty. Do the URGENT box first, then move onto the NOT URGENT box.

On days that you have very little time, don't bother with the NOT URGENT box. If these boxes start to get backed up, schedule a more substantial amount of time to process them and get caught up.

Step 8: Learn to choose powerfully. This system doesn't leave room for you to be indecisive - especially when you are processing your in-box. In the past, when you weren't sure of what to do with a message, you probably just left it in your in-box. You'll need to break that habit.

When you process your in-box and your URGENT and NOT URGENT boxes, make it your goal to choose powerfully what to do with each message - just decide, take action and don't waste time.

Step 9: Break reactive habits. For the sake of being more proactive and less reactive in your life, I suggest that you turn off any "you've got mail" type reminders.

During the day, when you go to your email program in order to compose a message to someone, resist the temptation to read your email while you're at it. Instead, process your mail at the times you have scheduled for that purpose.

Doing your email in blocks of scheduled time will help you to process your email more efficiently and intelligently, and it will help you to stay focused on all the other important tasks you're working on without getting distracted by your email on a regular basis.

You might want to make some exceptions. For example, if someone emails you about an appointment later that day, you might want to read that email right away to determine if any action is needed before the appointment. However, make these types of "read right away" emails the rare exception and not the norm.

Step 10: Maintain your system. About once per month, make the effort to unsubscribe from any lists that are sending you mail that isn't worth your attention any longer. Create any filters that would be helpful.

Go through and delete any saved mail folders that aren't relevant any longer. Go through your NOT URGENT box if it has been backed up for a while and process it to empty. Examine your system and think about how it could be improved, etc.

Bonus Step: Now, take all the time you're saving and do something meaningful with it! Spend it on the 20% of the actions that are going to get 80% of the results. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read my newsletter on the 80/20 rule.

If you like my email system, you will probably love the book, "Getting Things Done, The Art of Stress Free Productivity" by David Allen. I have most of my clients read this book. You can get the book through my recommended books page.

by Ryan Eliason

Ryan Eliason has been a professional, full-time Life and Business Coach since 2003, successfully supporting hundreds of clients to produce extraordinary results in their businesses and personal lives. An entrepreneur since a young age, Ryan has founded several successful businesses and a non-profit.

He developed his unique approach through 15 years of business consulting, designing and leading workshops, and working with both coaching and therapy clients. He received his formal training with the renowned Coaches Training Institute in San Rafael, California. He is also a certified Master Hypnotist, massage therapist, polarity therapist, and Transformational Therapist through the Heartwood Institute.

Ryan publishes a popular FREE monthly eLetter, ShortCuts To Success, with strategies to get everything you want in business and in life, quicker and with less effort. You can learn more about Ryan and sign up for his eLetter at: http://www.ryaneliason.com

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Resolve To Keep Your Company Lean . . . And Profitable

I received a newsletter today from HBB Confidential. I receive quite a few informative newsletters that keep me on the cutting edge, and those that don't keep me interested I unsubscribe quickly.

This one always has me wanting more and I want to share an article today that I enjoyed thoroughly. Laurie Hayes wrote this article about how she is making changes in her day to day business operations to become more effective and more efficient.

Since this is a new year you might think that this is only applicable when making great sweeping changes, but this information can be effective anytime at all. In fact whenever you are reading this is the best time of all, meaning NOW! There is no time like the present.

Here is a little teaser here and the link to the full article below.

TIME TO TRIM THE FAT FROM YOUR HOME-BASED BUSINESS?

I don't know what came over me this holiday season, but for whatever reason, I had this overwhelming urge to start cutting the fat from my business.

It was starting to look like an over-stuffed turkey and although you might think, 'Is that really such a bad thing?' -- it is if the stuffing has little flavor or nutritional value.

There was too much going on both in my business and in my head.

I decided to make some lifestyle and business-style decisions before January 1st. This was too important to wait.

I made a list of all the things I should be doing consistently but wasn't, even though I knew they produced terrific results.

I made a list of the things I shouldn't be doing, but was.

Although I have a mastermind group and a good support system, I set out to find a new mentor and coach who has already achieved the level of success I'm aiming for.

And, I made a list of the relationships that do not contribute to my life or business in a meaningful way.

Then this is what I did ...

Full article here.

Top 7 Mastery Principles To Building A $1,000,000+ Enterprise

Top 7 Mastery Principles To Building A $1,000,000+ Enterprise

Are you aware of the single ** most powerful ** asset in your business? Is it money? Is it employees? Is it your credentials or intellectual knowledge? Is it your products or services?

No, actually, it is none of these. Your single most important business asset is your MIND ... more specifically, your mindset.

Your business only grows as quickly as you, your mind and your thinking do. If you want to create a $1,000,000+ business, you must think like a $1,000,000+ business owner. You must in your mind’s eye already BE a $1,000,000 business owner.

The seven mindset principles below are crucial to building a $1,000,000+ business. Print this list, and refer to it often. Devoting as little as 15-30 minutes per day to shifting your mindset is THE single best investment in building your $1,000,000+ enterprise.

1. THE PRINCIPLE OF TRANSCENDENT PURPOSE

Great companies and great business leaders do great things that leave a lasting legacy and make this world a better place for you and me. Such leaders create CAUSES, not businesses. If you want to get to the $1,000,000+ level in your business, you must have at its core a “transcendent” purpose for its existence - a purpose that bigger than yourself and your own self-interests.

Viktor Frankl, the great Austrian psychiatrist,said it best: “Success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue ... as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself.” What is the transcendent purpose of your business? How can you make your business a vehicle for making a differencein your customers’ lives?

2. THE PRINCIPLE OF HIGH PROBABILITY THINKING

Whatever you focus on, that is what you will multiply in your business. If you focus on the problem, you will get more of the problem. If you focus on finding a solution, the door will open to more solutions. Wherever your attention is, will drive your most probable outcome. Where is your attention right now in your business - on the problem or on the solution?? How must you shift your attention in your business to get to the $1,000,000+ level?

3. THE PRINCIPLE OF MAGNETIC ATTRACTION

What you think , you magnetize and attract. Your ** thoughts ** make your business and your world. Eg., if you are attracting low income producing or difficult customers, your beliefs about your income worthiness or about the kind of clientele that will want your products/services are attracting such marginal customers. Your business is **always** a mirror of your own inner thinking.

To go to the next level in your business, you must first get to the next level in your mind. You must know the value you offer and raise your mental sights on the kind of customers you want to attract. What challenges do you have in your business currently? How do they mirror back to you your thinking?

4. THE PRINCIPLE OF DELIBERATE CREATION

Having hopes, dreams and visions of becoming a $1,000,000+ enterprise is not enough to create it, although certainly a first step. Deliberate creation comes from deliberate intention, from making a **decision**, that no matter, what you will take your business to the next level.

When we come from a place of 100% committed intention, synchronicity and magic happen. Finding the right people and resources to support your vision unfolds effortlessly. Momentum pulls you in the direction of your dreams. Are you in a wishful state or have you committed 100% to creating your visions and dreams? What willit take to be 100% committed?

5. THE PRINCIPLE OF MASTERMIND MARKETING

Marketing is **not** a battle of products. It’s a battle of PERCEPTIONS. It all starts in the customer’s mind. Perceived value, first and foremost, is what attracts customers to your business. Real value is what retains them. What are you doing to create perceived value in your customer’s mind? Are you winning the battle of
perceptions?

6. THE PRINCIPLE OF SUPERIOR CONSEQUENCES

With every action, there is a consequence or outcome. While you cannot control the outcome, you can control and are responsible for your actions. This principle tells us If you want a different consequence or outcome in your business, you must take different actions.

No matter what your current level of success, a $1,000,000+ enterprise requires higher level strategies and higher level performance actions than your past efforts. Where are you getting inferior outcomes or results in your business? What different actions can you take to create a different outcome?

7. THE PRINCIPLE OF MENTAL RICHES

All riches are of the mind *** first ***. It is your MENTAL ATTITUDE that determines the difference between a floundering $10,000/year business and a booming $1,000,000+ empire. “As you believe, so shall you receive.” If you were to picture a $1,000,000+ business, how would that business be different than what you are operating now?? How differently would YOU need to be to run a $1,000,000+ business?

A FINAL NOTE: Mindset changes do not happen overnight. It takes persistent focus, effort and attention to shifting deeply embedded thinking to a new level.

However, just 15-30 minutes of time daily to mastering these principles and shifting your thinking can reap much greater rewards in your business than 1000 hours of additional efforts. The creation of a $1,000,000+ enterprise is only a mindset away.

by Denise Corcoran

About the Author:

Denise Corcoran - CEO, The Empowered Business (tm) - is a Business & Leadership Coach, Strategic Consultant, Master NLP Practitioner. http://www.empoweredbusiness.com/ Learn the legendary secrets of top business achievers. Our ezine is YOUR exclusive source. To subscribe (+ claim your BONUS): http://www.goldbar.net/go.php?id=7996&c=1738&ac=isnare


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