What You’re Probably NOT Focusing On (that you should be…)

So often, we start the new year or a new project with a huge list of things we want to accomplish.

This can be a powerful tool, but it’s not all there is.

In addition to creating your new year by looking at WHAT you’re going to do, I want you to pay some serious attention to HOW you’re going to do it.

Every successful business owner knows (and most have learned the hard way) that without some foundational practices in place, they just can’t sustain over time.

I call these foundational business building areas the TOOLS: Time Management, Organization, Office Environment Loving Self Care, and Support.

Here are 5 simple tips to upgrade your TOOLS so YOU can have one of your most productive, prosperous, and joyful years ever!

TIME MANAGEMENT

Your time really IS your biggest asset! And how you spend it absolutely determines what kind of success you’re going to have.

One of the most powerful and important time management habits you can take on in the new year is a simple – but profound – shift in perspective. How much do you really put your own agenda at the center of your day? My experience is that the majority of entrepreneurs spend way too much time responding to other peoples’ needs.

TIP:

Start your day with 90 minutes of uninterrupted time, focused on your #1 top priority item. This item should be something that is income-producing, and that moves your business forward.

ORGANIZATION

Our world has changed dramatically in recent years, but most of us haven’t yet evolved with the times. Overwhelmed with too much paper? Still collecting more?

Again, the change here starts with a shift in perspective. Most anything you could ever want to know about the world and how it works is available to you in 10 seconds or less. Do you know how huge this is??! It’s obvious that this is new to us as humans, but most of us haven’t upgraded our “operating systems” to live and work in the new reality.

TIP:

Don’t hold onto information – or sign up for mailing lists – because you “might need it someday.” Like with Time Management, put yourself at the center of your experience, and go out to get the information you need when you need it. Along with this, develop the trust that you’ll know what you need at the right moment, and will be able to get your hands on it when the time is right.

OFFICE ENVIRONMENT

Buckminster Fuller, one of the greatest thinkers of the last century, said, “Our environment is stronger than our willpower.” Yet most of us don’t take advantage of the powerful tool of adjusting what we surround ourselves with to pave the road for where we want to go.

TIP:

What stories does the space you work in tell you about who you are in the world? You don’t have to spend thousands on a remodel, or even move so you can stop working in the living room.  Look around right now and write down 3 small changes you can make that would have you feel better about your space. Change the cracked light switch plate, hang the picture that’s been leaning against the wall, move your desk so you feel more in control of the space – these are just a few examples of the kinds of things I’m talking about. (I just cleaned my windows, and it brightened my perspective in more than one way.) Did you write your 3 down? Now go do them as soon as possible!

LOVING SELF-CARE

You know you feel better when you take baths, go for walks in nature, get massages, follow your morning routine. You don’t need me to tell you what to do here…

TIP:

What makes you feel relaxed and strong in yourself? Go do it!

SUPPORT

We all are supported in so many ways! As business owners, there are 4 types of support it’s crucial to develop and maintain.

TIP:

Here are some questions to ask yourself to help you know where you could to reach out and develop stronger relationships:

• Spirit – Do you really, REALLY know that you’re not alone and you don’t have to do it all yourself?
• Staff – Are you trying to do it all by yourself every day – even the tasks you’re not good at or hate? Many successful business owners mark the time when their businesses took off as the moment they trusted enough to take a scary leap of faith and hire someone to help them.
• Sisters and Brothers - How connected do you feel to a community of entrepreneurial minded colleagues?
• Sage Mentors – Who do you have helping you avoiding the pitfalls as you steer your business to success?

What adjustments are YOU going to make? In the comments section below, tell us specifically which of these areas you want to make the biggest movement in, and what actions you’re going to take first.

What You Don’t Know About How to Think

by Alison Marks

Earlier this year I hosted a telesummit. This was a huge project that took months to plan and produce.

One day about a month into the event, I had to go back and re-think how I was doing something. I had to tap back into that original creative energy that the telesummit was born out of. And I literally couldn’t do it!

While I stayed very connected with the vision of the thing from beginning to end, there were some distinct periods in which I was called on to bring forward very different parts of myself.

It’s like that for any project, isn’t it? Read more

Stop Monkey Mind!

By Alison Marks

Struggling Every Day to Find Balance Your Career, Family, Finances, Health, Diet, Time, and Energy? ( oy vey!)

As busy modern women entrepreneurs, our plates are already completely full. We’re all too familiar with how the stress of this busy life can get compounded during the holiday season, right?

My friend and colleague, Dianne DelReyes, the Anti-Aging Artist, (see us chatting in the video just above here!) is hosting “15 Days to Slim, Sexy, Successful and Stress-Free”… and you’re invited!”

Getting through” the holidays just isn’t good enough, and Dianne is committed to helping you set and meet goals THIS YEAR to manage your business, money, stress level, personal relationships, time, style… even your waistline!

Click here right now to see the rest of the outstanding line-up and secure your place at the summit!

Double Your Productivity… REALLY!

By Alison Marks

John Williams on Procrastination

By Alison Marks

John WIlliams has one of the most refreshing perspectives on self-employment around. Last week I had the pleasure of of talking with him about how to get past procrastination and actually get things done.

John is the author of the British bestseller, “Screw Work, Let’s Play,” and is co-host of the upcoming 30 Day Challenge.

The Challenge is a way to take on a project you’ve been putting off forever and get it done. Participants get content on how to stop procrastinating, make time, and conquer resistance, etc, plus support from coaches, experts and guides, and a private online community to talk to each other and cheer each other on. Needless to say, it’ll be FUN!

People in the last 30 Day Challenge did some amazing stuff – writing novels, launching websites, starting businesses, inventing a new dog shampoo, planning a cycle adventure around Spain. And this time there will be even more people playing. Maybe you???

Find out more about the 30 Day Challenge here.

Just Stop It Already!

By Alison Marks

I want you to try something. Write down any three habits you can think of that could help you get things done. Nothing fancy, just simple – plan your day in advance, turn off email when focusing on a project… things like that.

Seriously. Just grab a scrap of paper and do this.

Done?

One of the most important things we all MUST do to be productive is – well, counterintuitive. We don’t think of it naturally because it doesn’t really make sense in a linear kind of way. And yet it is the key to getting things done. My guess is that it didn’t make it onto your list.

That habit is… Read more

Step 1 To Getting All Those Projects DONE!

If you’re reading this, my guess is that you have some projects on the back burner that you just haven’t been able to get to. Unfortunately, we don’t all have an “Alice” to take care of things. Organizing, website updates, planning, accounting, visioning the next big thing… all of these things take time to complete.

And while you’re busy with all the other things in your business and your life, those unfinished projects are filling up the corners of your attention and actually slowing you down.
Getting them down on paper gets them out of your head, and helps you be able to see more clearly what you’re really facing so you can sort through it all and make powerful decisions about where to put your energy.

So let’s get busy!

Grab your notepad and start making a list of all those niggly projects in your business you just haven’t been able to get to
(and of course you can use this same project for your home or personal life, too). The objective at this stage is to just write down as many things as you can think of, in no particular order. It’s a brainstorm – no judging!

Once you feel like you have a pretty complete list (of course you can add to it later), take a deep breath!

Then look at the list as objectively as possible and ask yourself what criteria would be most helpful for you to sort this list by. For example, you might break it down into small projects (which will take under 10 minutes to complete), medium projects (under one hour), and large projects (over an hour).

Once you get the list sorted in a useful way, you can prioritize and see the gameplan that wants to emerge from what earlier felt like chaos.

Pick somewhere to start, then GO! There is no right or wrong. Keep in motion. Trust the process.

Try it and let us know what you accomplish or discover about yourself below!

Planning Nouveau

By Alison Marks

“I need to feel really confident about where I’m going with my business before I really commit, and so I need to WAIT until I figure things out more to ________________ [put up my website, teach a class, create a blog, do a social media campaign, create a product, write a book]“

Sound familiar?

In the last few newsletters, I’ve been exploring some different ideas for how to do effective planning in your business. This week I’m sharing with you the NEW way to do planning. I call it “Project-Based Planning.”

If you want to really “get off the pot” and move ahead quickly, try this!

Instead of mapping out every detail of your business plan, get a good sense of your overall vision, where you’d like to end up. Your vision should be as detailed as possible to really feel into it, but not so detailed that you start to invoke resistance or get stuck in your head (i.e., if it starts to feel difficult in any way, stop! Go back! Get back into the good feeling.)

From this feeling place, brainstorm a list of projects you could do that would move you in that general direction. These projects should take 30-90 days to complete, and should have a measureble end. As with all brainstorming, the point is to get out as many ideas as you can – not to judge them. Just write ‘em down, and you’ll sort ‘em out later.

When you’ve got that good list, take a deep breath before you look it over. Then ask yourself, “Which of these will be the most fun for me? What will I feel great about immersing myself in 100% for the next few months?” And pick that one! Feel your way into it… don’t think too much.

Seriously, just getting into motion and doing anything that will move you toward your goals is infinitely better than sitting around spinning your wheels for another few months. It doesn’t have to be perfect.

The point here is that you will:

– learn
– end your procrastination and stop feeling bad
– develop the habit of focus
– get in the groove of moving forward in your business
– enjoy yourself; re-connect with the soul of your business
– make some good money!

We want to hear about it! Share with us below and let us know what YOUR next Project will be.

How Marketing is Like a Guitar

By Alison Marks

Imagine you’re watching a video of a simple acoustic guitar, just sitting there on a table. Kinda boring, right? But all of a sudden, mysteriously, one of the strings starts to vibrate! What on earth is going on??!

Wide angle lens now, and you see a woman with cowgirl boots on, sitting in a chair, strumming that very same note – but on a different guitar!

The two intstruments aren’t connected by any cords or electronic equipment.

But they are connected… by the law of resonance. When Guitar B put out a strong signal, the previously silent Guitar A responded. It had to, because that note/signal was encoded in its structure. It just needed something to come along to make it hum.

That’s exactly how you want the marketing in your businesses to work. You don’t want to have to wrangle people into working with you. You want the right people to just hum. And when you perform the unique and special song that is inside you, you put out a strong signal that some people just can’t help responding to. It is as much a part of them as it is part of you.

Like a good music teacher, a gifted business coach or mentor can help you find your song, give you exercises to strengthen and tone your natural gifts so your audience hums even louder, and help you prepare effectively so your “big performances” are received with standing ovations.

Send me an intro email at Alison [at] 6FigureHomeOffice.com if you’re yearning to play your music and you think I might be a good match as a coach for you. I’ll be in touch and let you know what’s next!

Never forget, the notes are already in you.