Design your Week, Control your Time!

In life you have two choices; you either float through it by accident, dragged by its currents and moods, or you can do it on-purpose taking control of the helm and setting a course of your own design.

You can be reactive, or proactive… what’s it going to be?

Of course, I know; you cannot plan for everything. There are events you cannot anticipate, but it is a hell of a lot easier to get to your destination when you are proactive and have your destination in mind; and one great way to approach this strategy is by creating your Ideal Week, kind of a chart and a compass to steer you in the right direction.

I first heard of this concept from author, coach, and speaker Donald Miller, who originally heard it from his coach. The idea is similar to a financial budget; only in this one, you will plan how you will manage your time instead of your money.

 

Setting your Plan

In anyone’s ideal week –that is, the week you would live if you could control everything that happens to you- should be divided into a simple grid, so each day of the week has a main theme (listed at the top of the planner), and each day also is segmented into blocks, related to a specific focus area.

 

Themes

For instance, on an Ideal Week, the themes for the days of the week could be:

• Mondays could be Teams (one-on-one meetings, staff meetings, and general planning)

• Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Outside Tasks (travel, extended meetings, client visits, etc.)

• Thursdays could be Problem Solving days

• Fridays could be spent on medium and long-term planning

• Saturdays are for personal/recreational activities

• Sundays for rest, family, and spirituality

 

Focus Areas

It’s important to notice that there is no limit to the variety of things you can achieve if only you create firm boundaries around your time blocks and focus areas. If you don’t set them apart, work –it is mostly the case- will expand to the time allotted for it.

• Early mornings are reserved for self-nurturing activities (reading, meditating, working out)

• Middle morning to late afternoon is for work.

• The end of the day is reserved for family time and home (cooking, dining, writing, etc.); it’s a time to connect and catch up.

You can use some kind of color scheme to highlight or even chunk things down a little bit more. It’s all subjective, you can create your own scheme, as long as you make sure you’re working on what matters most.

Map your ideal week, and use it constantly to check whether you’re on course, or off course. Not always you’ll accomplish 100% of your weekly goals, but it will give you something to shoot for; and hey, hitting half percent of a perfectly designed week plan is an unbelievable productive week!

If you take on your weekly chunk of activities without knowing what your priorities are, and just ‘move forward’, you’re actually moving sideways or going around in circles. Unless you have a laser focus aim, you’re going to miss your target.

 

Remember, if you aim small, you’ll miss small.
Stay on target, stay strong!

Stay on Top of Your Game

A life of success and fulfillment doesn’t happen overnight, it builds on our everyday actions and decisions. In the long run, success comes down to grit, a strong start, organization, and consistency.

The following are 9 tips you may want to consider in order to stay ahead and develop yourself into the leading force of your own success.

1. Get things started now

Starting strong helps you coast to the finish line with less stress than starting slow and agonizing over whether you will make your numbers or meet your goals.

2. Holidays can wait

Always put responsibilities first. Stop putting off what needs to get done. Procrastination only robs you of the time you desire for leisure activities. Remember why you chose your career and what’s required to stand out amongst the best.

3. Perfection is not the name of the game

Business is not designed to be clear, easy or perfect. If you have been giving it all you’ve got, whatever mistakes you make are necessary and perfectly fine as learning experiences. The more mistakes you make, the more you grow, the more you develop your knowledge and expertise.

4. Make time for fun

If your life is all work and no play, you will not have the necessary space from your career to actually enjoy it. You need personal time to gain perspective on the benefits of what you do each day and to stay connected to the reasons that drive you to achieve. Enjoy the ride.

5. Work is not an end

Work isn’t where the fun ends, it’s where all of your new, important adventures begin. There is so much ahead of you that will expand your life. Each step along the way opens new doors of opportunity, which enrich your life in immeasurable ways.

6. Get into the game

If your life is boring, you’re doing something wrong. Always seek ways to get involved — join groups, build networks, go to the gym, or attend church. Network within your own industry by attending as many in-person events/dinners as possible.

7. Say yes

Each day brings a new opportunity. Say yes to new things that take you outside your comfort zone. Say yes to your personal growth by choosing to do the exact things you fear. Train yourself to risk, and to risk again.

8. Be realistic

You cannot be successful if you consistently feel you’re not measuring up because you don’t have enough time or the skills developed to be who you want to be. You will burnout under this pressure. Learn to succeed one imperfect step at a time.

9. Take care of yourself

You must be physically, emotionally and mentally sound to have the energy and brainpower necessary to be as successful as you desire to be; eat clean, get enough sleep, drink water, exercise and take a day off here and there just to relax. You cannot succeed at the expense of your own health.

Take a look at your day now, and see how you can improve it by putting these tips into practice; work on them for a while, and then come back here and tell us about your experience… I bet you’ll have great things to share!

Stay strong!

One of the core values we have as a company is to inspire and empower people in all aspects of their lives. Additionally, if you want to read about our Custom Software Solutions and Consulting Services, please visit www.isucorp.ca

Put Your Procrastination under the Magnifying Glass

We all had fallen into the bottomless pit of procrastination; I know I had, more than once… and I’d bet that you had too.

When it happens, we tend to think of it as just one unique way to avoid something; but if we were to get a magnifying glass and look closely, we would see that there are actually different reasons why we tend to get into procrastination mode.

Before we can work on getting rid of or circumventing our delaying habits, we need to understand where they’re coming from.

Let’s look through that glass and see the main reasons we fall into procrastination, and also some simple ways to overcome them:

1.    Feeling Overwhelmed

There are times when you’re faced with the complexity of a task at hand, and you think “there is no way I can get this done by x time… let’s channel-surf for a while instead”…
Surely you’re familiar with this kind of Overwhelm-procrastination, which is the urge to avoid tasks that are just too big that you don’t know how to tackle them; you don’t find a way into it, so you put it off for as long as you possibly can, and find all kinds of excuses.

One easy way to overcome this feeling is to break big goals into small, concrete steps (often called “chunks”) you can work on right away.

2.   Fear

There are times when we avoid taking action just because taking that next step requires us to push ourselves into the unknown territory of “the Next Level”. Setting a higher year income, getting into a new market, writing your new chapter, or submitting the book to a publisher… we put these things off because they are Uncertainty incarnated… The Unknown, and we tend to assume the worst.

In this kind of situation, we go into survival mode; something that must have been helpful to the average caveman back in prehistoric times, but it is not for our own state of mind or achievement.

In this case, the best remedy against fear is faith, trust, confidence, and resolution. There is nothing to worry about, what doesn’t go well becomes a learning experience.
Again, tiny first steps are the best way to start; remember: you don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take one step at the time.

3.   Lack of Incentive

We, humans, are wired to instinctively seek comfort. In order to motivate us out of the couch, we need a clear benefit –that or a big mean dog chasing our butts into discomfort. In other words, if we don’t think going to the gym is bringing us a tangible value, we won’t do it… why change things when we’re so comfy, right?

If we want to get results when there is no sense of urgency, we have to be able to visualize the potential pain that inaction will bring to us. Pain is a bigger motivator than pleasure, but we also have to envision the rewards of actually taking action.

This way, we have the stick and the carrot that will make us move and keep us moving.

Let’s say you want to lose some weight; it’s much easier to stay watching television and eating ice-cream than it is to face the reality that, if we keep this behavior, in a year or less we might look like the giant rock ball that chased Indiana Jones at the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

That image alone might be enough to get you to the gym.

Next time you’re faced with a project you just can’t seem to tackle, no matter how many times you write on your planner or put it on your to-do list; you need to figure out exactly why you’re avoiding it.

You need to see things clear first in order to lean the ladder against the right wall.

That way, every step we climb is getting closer to the right place.

When you get there, you will feel really, really good.

Stay strong!

Hack into your Procrastination

Everyone can fall into the procrastinating trap, delaying important tasks when you feel overwhelmed and stressed out.

Pushing yourself to take action might seem like a good idea at first, but in the end, it’s no better than telling a depressed person to just “cheer up”.

Instead of just fighting against it, what you need is a specific process that works with each individual psychology.

Hacking into your procrastination tendency can help you to bypass any internal resistance and get yourself to take action almost naturally.

This process only takes about 10 to 30 seconds to implement, and –if used correctly- is guaranteed to succeed.

 

So, how does this work?
Easy; but first, let’s get into common ground.

We use the term “chunk” to define a small step into the direction of getting your big goal done. It is something so small that, even if you’re really busted, you can easily say “yes” to doing it.

With that in mind, just ask “Can I just … (insert your “chunk” here)?

For instance, let’s say you’ve been pushing off cleaning your house for some time now. You can ask yourself “Can I just take two minutes and clean up my desk?”

Clean up your desk is your chunk in this example.

Apparently, it doesn’t sound like much; I mean, it’s just the desk… but once you start, you will notice an internal shift stepping into action, and you will get more motivated to keep going.

This happens because momentum generates real motivation, which in turn gets you to ask “Can I do a little more now?”.

As we looked into procrastination, we identified 4 powerful drivers: fear, overwhelm, uncertainty, and perfectionism.

Let’s look at them individually now, and find out how to overcome them.

 

 

Overcoming Fear

The best way to overcome your fears is to face them head on, exposing yourself to them, but starting in a safe environment.

For example, if you are afraid of public speaking, you may start by asking a group of close friends to your home and give a speech in front of them.

It’s all about going one step at the time. Don’t break out of your comfort zone; stretch it gradually until you get out.

 

Overcoming Overwhelm

It’s very important to dream big and find inspiration. But when we focus only on the whole picture, we get intimidated and overwhelmed.

This is why it’s so important to break big goals into smaller action steps (or chunks) and prioritize them.

By focusing on just one or two priorities at a time, you’re more likely to get effective on those and get used to them before moving on to the others.

 

Overcoming Uncertainty

One thing that usually leads to procrastination is not knowing what to do next; not having a clear picture of our road ahead. But we can start taking steps and then use feedback to adjust our advancement until we get to our final destination.

Remember, you don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take one step at the time.

 

Overcoming Perfectionism

Nothing can be made perfect, so you need to focus on making it right instead. We all make mistakes, so we have to be ready for them, get them right the next time, and move on.

Make a commitment to yourself, set up some specific amount of time, and work on your task. Great work, lousy work; it doesn’t matter for now.
Ironically, once you remove the pressure to be perfect, your work flows freely, giving space for creative expression. Then you can go back and review it with an improvement mindset.

 

 

This process is a great way to hack into your procrastination tendencies. When you start applying it, you may notice that momentum building and an inner transformation.

The key is to get started today.

Commit to something you’re guaranteed to easily say YES to, pick your first “chunk”, and start moving forward one step at the time towards your biggest breakthroughs.

Stay strong!

Learn to Say YES to the Great!

How do we learn to say NO to some good things so we can say YES to the great things in life?

This is one of the biggest skills we all need to learn.

When you say NO to those things that aren’t really adding value to your life, taking you closer to your goals or in alignment with your values; you’re actually saying YES to something else that is. It could be time with your family, workout, meditation, reading or studying something you love, or even a little shut-eye time.

That NO can be hard sometimes, but it’s nothing if you compare it to some other time when you reluctantly said yes and regretted it later on. Think about all the sorrow that one decision caused… You might have kicked yourself for a while, but then, you’d surely resented the person or circumstances related to that task.

Saying no in the first place to a task you don’t want or you don’t have the time to do, ends up being a lot easier than having to struggle with it out of time and resources; so, the sooner you learn to do it, the better.

In the end, this underrated time management strategy will help you devote your time to the things that you really care about.

 

See you next week to close this series of strategies.

Stay strong!

Time to Minimize Distractions!

Welcome back! Last week we laid the path for you to discover your core purpose; now we’ll find out what is taking you off course by distracting you.

Is it email? People in your workspace? Texting? Social media? All of the above combined?

 

Whatever it is, it’s time to eliminate distractions and the stress that comes with it.

Block the websites, mute or turn off your phone, install concertina wire around your office if that’s what it takes!

Take control of your space so you can be productive in whatever you decide to devote your time to. Don’t make excuses, this is your time.

One of the most efficient time management tools is to minimize distractions; those things that don’t get you close to your goals.

Try doing this for a week: Next time you allow yourself to get distracted and interrupted, stop and write down what you were doing, what interrupted you, how you were feeling right before you switch tasks.

Why?
Sometimes we allow ourselves to go adrift when we’re experiencing uncomfortable emotions like frustration, boredom, or lack of interest. These reactions are a crutch and a compulsion; learned addictive responses that we can learn to overcome and change, starting simply by becoming aware of them and why we’re actually using them.

Let’s face whatever task we’re working on as a challenge, and take it head on, keeping our eyes on the end goal.

 

 

Next week we’ll talk about how we can learn to say NO to daily pleasurable distractions in order to say YES to the greatness of life.

Stay strong!

 

 

Clarity Really IS Power

If you want to leverage the real power of clarity, you need to be specific about what you want and build your outcome around a significant way of measurement.

Let’s assume you want to make more money this year, and you ended up earning 10 extra dollars… technically, you’ve achieved your goal, I mean, you earned “more” money this year; but I doubt that was your idea when you set that goal, right? The difference was probably more in the area of the tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands.

You always want to set a clear goal for yourself, always.

If you are specific with your outcome and have a clear picture of what it is and why do you want it, your actions will be like a big, sharp telephoto lens that will achieve them.

Now, following the precepts we established in the previous articles, you know you need to be working toward your core values, and follow your personal rules in the process… so, how can you be sure?

Make a core values audit:

Keep a close track of your activities for two weeks, take note of which values your actions are connecting with, and evaluate yourself as you move closer to your goals.

Once you have several weeks of progress written down, take a thorough look at how you’ve spent your time; highlight any activity that you know is unconnected to your values and goals –like checking social media every other hour- and take it out from your schedule. Replace them with something else that can contribute to your ultimate plan.

After a while putting this procedure into practice, you’ll notice you don’t miss all those time-consuming tasks anymore.

Next week we’ll be talking about how to minimize distractions by, among other things, learning to say NO.

Until then, stay strong!

Maximize Results with Effective Time Management

Suppose you want to strengthen your relationship with your kids, so you decide to use one or two hours out of your day to give them the time and attention they deserve; but as you’re playing with them, your phone rings in your pocket…

Naturally, you automatically take it out to see who called or texted you. You’d probably even call or text back and before you know it, you’d have a conversation going.

By shifting your attention to your phone (or to the TV, or some similar source of daily distractions) you’re directing your attention and energy away from your kids, and you are no longer working toward the outcome you’ve set initially; one that really matters to you, which is a healthier, more loving relationship with your kids.

What if instead of checking your phone, you stayed committed to your intended outcome and gave your kids the attention they deserve? By staying focused on your target, and letting the phone wait for one or two hours –nobody is going to die, and the world is not going to end because of it- you will be more successful attaining your goal, and that speaks the most to your core values.

Aligning your actions with your core values is about having clarity on what these values are. What is it that you truly want? How can you accomplish this by using your favorite time management skills?

Whatever your goal is, you have to be clear with the outcome you are after and establish the time required to achieve it; it could be a deadline or a certain amount of time you’re taking daily what gets the job done… but either way, be realistic –not extremely shy or too eagerly optimistic- set the timing in a proportional way depending on the goal you’re setting.

 

All this takes us to our following article, which talks about clarity in your goals.

See you next week. Stay strong.

Success through Time Management

There are many things in life that you can’t control, but the way you spend your time is not one of them.

As Gandalf said in The Lord of the Rings: “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’”

The way you invest your time determines what you will achieve in life. If you work hard towards your most important goals and values, you will lead a successful and fulfilling life.

In order to make the most of your time and live the life of your dreams, you need to develop a good set of time management skills, and also change the way you think about it. You have to give up that old belief that states that time is a resource that’s out of your control. It’s true there are only 24 hours in a day, but you get to choose what to do with them, and fix your focus on what really matters.

 

What follows is the first of a series of weekly tips on how to effectively manage your time.

 

First and foremost: Align your actions with your core values

As silly as it might sound, we often need a friendly reminder that, in order to get to our destination, first we need to define where we are, and where we want to be.

If we decide to use our time to take a certain set of actions, it would really really help if such actions were in alignment with what truly matters to us –our core values- so in addition to accomplishing our goals, we get a sense of achievement and fulfillment by focusing on what would add the most value to our life.

When we focus on such an outcome, we get to develop the motivation and organization needed to meet those goals, and in the process, we become the kind of person who is worthy of that goal.

 

 

Next week we’ll talk about maximizing our results by using our time effectively.

Until then, stay strong!