Until recently, I’ve spent much of my life occupying my time with small projects and a list of things to do that has kept me constantly busy. This process has become second nature and I’m quite good at playing the game of being organized and on top of things. Having this list provides a regular sense of accomplishment – crossing off items makes me feel I am making progress.

At the same time, this list also keeps a certain level of stress revving in the background; never quite accomplishing everything because I have so much to do and am so busy. I’m working from sun up to sun down. It can’t be helped. The real problem is these activities are just a big facade – a mask of busyness, Read More...

You have heard your whole life that you should work really hard to get ahead in life or to achieve success. And most likely, you have also heard people talking about working smart to achieve their success.

So, the question becomes “Well, which one is it?” Because you’ve seen people put their heads down, keep their nose to the grindstone for 25 years, and work really really HARD, to end up not far from where they started. Conversely, you’ve also seen that guy in your office who continually is trying to work smart. He is always looking for a shortcut, scheming to find an easier way, looking for the magic bullet, spinning his wheels, and spending more energy on how to Read More...

With 2009 right around the corner, many of you are starting to set resolutions or goals for the New Year. You probably have a long list of things you want to accomplish. Perhaps getting to the gym three times a week, taking a two week vacation, setting and sticking to a weekly budget, learn a new hobby, cooking and eating healthier each night for dinner, but you might be thinking to yourself, “Do I really have the time to make these resolutions a reality?”

We all know people, who seem to do everything, but how do they fit it in with work, family and other commitments? Did this just happen? Are they lucky? No, they are intentional with their long term planning.

For Read More...

How many times have you said, “I don’t have the time…..” or “I wish there were more hours in the day.”

The truth is, we are each in the position of being in control of setting our schedules, our priorities, our budgets, our relationships, and our thoughts, and yet many people relinquish that authority to chance. An old adage says that, “people plan to fail by failing to plan.”

Today I am going to talk about your time and how to be proactive with your planning. It can literally change not only your day, but the rest of your life!

In my speaking engagements, I often ask people what is their favorite thing to do. I am consistently surprised by the Read More...

Today I am going to write about a tangible way you can increase your enjoyment, pay, and recognition at the office, while impacting more people through your work,. It starts with a mindset of treating your professional life as a BUSINESS instead of a JOB. This mindset plays a huge role in the activities you devote your time to throughout the day.

We will start with how you manage your schedule. Regardless of your title, you can create a schedule from a business owner’s perspective. The key difference is a business owner creates a schedule based on the RESULTS he or she wants to accomplish. An employee creates a schedule based on the HOURS that he is supposed to work. Here’s what Read More...

We all have the same 24 hours each day to utilize as we see fit, but how are some people able to accomplish extraordinary results and others are scrambling to get the minimum requirements done in any given day? How can some find the time to balance work, personal life, personal health & fitness, and family responsibilities and still manage to take that vacation without stress or concern? What abilities do they have that I don’t?

If you have found yourself asking the same questions or relating to anyone of these scenarios, know that there is hope. Here are four ideas that have had a powerful and profound impact on my ability to accomplish more in any given week and if you’ll apply these Read More...

Download How to Handle Interruptions to Your Schedule mp3
(1. Right click the link 2. Choose “Save Target As”)

All of us have interruptions coming at us on a constant basis from our kids, from our coworkers, from our spouse, from our customers, from our boss. There are three simple, helpful things you can do when faced with an interruption. Prevent, delay, and deal.

Prevent
Any good general will tell you that before you go into battle you must have a battle plan. Even if you know Read More...

Download Creating a Daily Success Routine mp3
(1. Right click the link 2. Choose “Save Target As”)

Before we even begin discussing how to create a daily success routine, I think it makes a lot of sense to define what we consider to be a success. The best definition of success that I’ve ever heard comes from Earl Nightingale who said, “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.”

What an awesome definition! I’d even add that a worthy ideal can be an external event that’s meaningful to you or to the people in your life. It can also be a level of character that you hope to Read More...

One of the most challenging situations people face when planning their day is how to stick to their schedule when they are constantly being interrupted. Just when your activities are organized, someone else’s emergency seems to get in the way. A client has a crisis, co-workers are in a jam, your boss is breathing down your neck, a friend calls, or any of the dozens of other interruptions you face on any given day.

So what can you do to keep your day on track?

Schedule time for interruptions.

That’s right, just as you would schedule a Read More...