10 Minutes At A Time

We often say we don't have time and there's always plenty that we don't get round to.  Even when we have a task to do, we often get distracted and end up wasting time.

So how would you like to do something different?  Set an alarm or timer for just 10 minutes.  Stay focused, you know the clock is ticking, so there's no time to waste and you'll be less inclined to waste time.

In just 10 minutes a day you could:

• Create your action list.
• Plan your day.
  
• Tidy a room.
• Do the laundry.
  
• Clear things away.
• Do some filing.
  
• Tidy the garden.
• Start a report.
• Skim read a magazine.
• Enjoy a cup of coffee.
• Do some paperwork.
  
• Go for a brisk walk.
• Meditate.
• Make a phone call.
• ...
  

The first two will make your whole day more productive, so definitely worth spending time on them if you don't already.  See how much you can do in 10 minutes.  You might not finish the task in 10 minutes but you'll be 10 minutes closer.

Set a goal you'd like to achieve and allocate just 10 minutes a day to it.  See what a difference you can make. You could even have more than one goal - two or three sets of 10 minutes throughout the day.

Let me know how you get on.

Right here, right now

We all have long-term goals of where we'd like to be in 3, 5 or 10 years time. Even if they're not written down, we have an aspiration of where we'd like to be or what we'd like to be doing.

But what would make a difference to your life right now ... today?

What can you take from your long-term goals, desires, aspirations and dreams and move a few steps closer to them today?

You might be able to make a few changes to your life and be able to have what you want right now and not in several years time.

• A different job - what can you change about your existing job to make things better?
• A new house - time for a repaint, declutter or a bit of DIY. You might not be able to buy your dream home today but make the most of where you are now.
• More holidays - plan to take regular breaks, more often.

If you want more freedom and flexibility to enjoy the things you like doing - how can you give yourself more time to do them?

Why wait - a few simple changes, a little thought and planning and you can have more of what you want today.

Refresh, Review, Revitalise

One of the things that's come out of the recent Time Audits is how useful it is to take a step back every now and then. The process of just answering the questions has helped identify a few blind spots.

Having the obvious held up in front of you can be enlightening. Even if you think you know it all - take a look in the mirror every now and then - literally or proverbially. Talk to someone else about what you're doing and see if they can shed some light or give you a new perspective or as someone once said to me - "shining a light in to the dark corners".

You may think life is ticking along but why not spend a few minutes taking stock. When you're back refreshed after your summer break is a good time to sit down with a friend or partner. Think about what's good, what's working, what's not. Write it down. What would you like to change?

You may be surprised what you come up with.

You can get your free copy of the Time Audit on my website.

Other People's Deadlines

Respect other people's time in the way you'd expect them to respect yours. Everyone is busy these days and has demands on their time coming from all directions. They are not there sitting waiting for your email to land in their inbox, so that they can instantly respond. They're not waiting for your phone call just so they can respond to your every request.

Plan ahead. If you need something done by a particular time, give yourself a bit of slack. If it involves someone else, this is even more important. Don't dump something on someone and expect them to turn it around to meet your timeframe - especially if you haven't discussed this with them first.

I've seen people dump something on someone at the last minute or only with a few days notice and expect them to given an instant response or meet their deadline. Yes, sometimes we have to work to deadlines and at short notice but make this the exception not the norm.

Don't make your problem (or lack of planning) someone else's deadline.

Time For A Spring Clean

Spring is most definitely in the air – we’re now into March and in the northern hemisphere at least, things are starting to change, as the days get longer and warmer. It’s a time for fresh starts and new beginnings in more ways than one, as nature comes out of it's winter dormancy.

• What new perspective could you take on things?
• Do you need to throw out the old and bring in the new?
• Have you been stuck with old habits that no longer serve you?

Look at the different aspects of your life, both personally and in business, internally and externally – what works, what doesn’t.

• What do you want to change?
• What do you want to do differently?

Assess where you are now by completing the Life Balance Wheel or taking the Time Audit and decide what you’re going to change and when. Think about the difference it would make to your life if you made these changes and then resolve to do something today – however big or small, to take you one step closer to making that change.

Sometimes just doing something is better than doing nothing at all and if you feel stuck, overwhelmed or lacking in energy, even a small thing can make a big difference.

It's Starting That Matters

This weekend I took part in the Brighton Half Marathon. The prospect of running 13.1 miles (21km) is pretty intimidating at the best of times, especially when you haven’t done a lot of training leading up to it. So last week I decided that rather than risk injury, I wouldn’t be running. The longest run I’d done in the previous wintry weeks was 50 minutes – only a third of the time I was likely to take. However, my fellow runners persuaded me that I could always drop out if I wanted or walk it.

Now as a coach, who encourages my clients to challenge themselves, this might seem like a defeatist attitude but actually what I find tends to happen, is that if you take the pressure off achieving a goal, what seems like a real challenge becomes far less intimidating and you’ve taken out the emotional and mental pressure of achieving it. All I was going to do now was go out for a “gentle Sunday jog” and if I ended up walking it that was OK too. This meant that I didn’t have anything to lose and was under absolutely no pressure from myself (at least) to complete it.

Of course having other people I knew taking part helps as a motivator but as I set off, I didn’t worry about the entire distance or even completing it (well, not much), I settled into my pace (slow) and focused on just getting from one mile marker to the next. Each one taking me one mile closer to the finish line. If I had to slow down and walk that was OK too, as long as I didn’t stop completely. Having made it to eight miles there were only five to go and then four, three, two and then into the home stretch and I was hardly about to give up with the finishing line in sight.

So, if you have a big goal that seems just a little overwhelming or you can’t see the end point when you start off, just think about the first few steps and take one step at a time. You don’t have to go full tilt all the way, if you need to slow down or go at your own pace and not everyone else’s, then do that. No one says you have to come in first, it's starting and finishing that matters, not how fast you do it.

You're Never Too Old To Learn New Skills

Learning is an important aspect of our lives. We learn from experience how to do every day things. We’re born knowing nothing and have to learn to do everything for ourselves. This doesn’t change as we grow older – yes, we often get to a point in our lives where we feel we’re sufficiently capable and know enough to go off on our own, leaving the safety and security of our home – those key life changing moments when we take leaps in our learning – going to school, leaving home, first job, having children. There are always things we can learn at whatever stage in life we’re at and you’re never too old.

I was on a course this weekend where the importance of learning being one of the criteria for success in business was mentioned. Whether you work for a company or work for yourself, it’s always worth taking time to plan your own self-development. You may already do this as part of your annual goal-setting and appraisal process, if not – decide which skills you would like to improve or learn this year to keep your job, earn a promotion, improve your business - communication, marketing, sales, leadership, finance, technical, practical ... the list is endless. Talk them over with your boss, your business partner or a colleague. Look at the options available – courses, workshops, mentoring, working with colleagues to learn how they do it. Time spent on personal development is never wasted.

What's on your list this year, what new skills would you like to learn to develop your business?

If you’d like to get on my goal setting teleclass tomorrow and even if can’t make the time, you can still register and you’ll receive the notes from the call.

Plan For Your Success

I hope you’ve all had a good break over the Christmas and New Year Holiday and didn’t have to get too bogged down in work, while you were meant to be relaxing. I certainly didn’t. In fact I didn't touch my laptop for a whole four days.

If you were working last week and got a chance to have a tidy up and a sort out, you’re probably ready to get going for 2009. No doubt the thought of New Years Resolutions may have passed through your mind at some time over the last few days. These thoughts may have passed swiftly on because you just know you’ll have given them up by February.

But if you reviewed your successes from last year you can plan your success and plan of attack for this year. Knowing where you want to go, means you can at least work out how you’re going to get there and have an idea of which direction you’d like to go in.

• Create a plan.

• Set a few goals - make them specific and set a completion date against each one.

• Think about what achieving these goals will mean to you - personally, financially, emotionally and imagine how you will actually feel when you’ve got there.

• Tell someone about it - or at least write it down. Sharing it with a friend, colleague, mentor or coach makes it more likely to happen than just having it as a vague idea in your head.

• Now you can decide how you're going to achieve them. Break it down into achievable and realistic steps and develop an action plan to take you from A to B … and beyond.

• Importantly - track your progress - make yourself accountable. If you've got someone keeping tabs or nudging you along, you're far more likely to achieve your goals and stay on track. I use checklists as I find this is a good way of keeping me motivated as I tick off each action.

If 2009 is going to be a tough year, it's even more important to make sure that you take time to make time for what you want to achieve and don’t forget to have fun along the way.

You can find more on Goal Setting on www.clareevans.co.uk/articles.htm.

Celebrate Your Success

I’m sure most of you are in holiday mode right now. I certainly am. Things are winding down for a few days over the holiday period, so I’ll keep it brief this week and probably next. Take the opportunity of having customers and clients on holiday to tidy up lose ends for the end of the year and put things in order for the beginning of the next. Or perhaps you’re as busy as ever in the last few days of the year.

Now is the time to take a look back at what you’ve achieved this year and what you’ve learned from your experiences – good and bad. Although it’s hard to think of it at the time – there’s no such thing as failure, merely an opportunity to learn from our mistakes.

So have a look at what you’ve learnt, how close did you get to meeting or exceeding your goals? What unexpected challenges presented themselves, what great opportunities did you take advantage of?

Give yourselves a pat on the back for what you’ve achieved, no matter how big or small. It doesn’t matter what anyone else has achieved – they’re not you and although it’s good to have something to aim for and to aim high, don’t beat yourself up if you’ve fallen short. Life happens. Perhaps with a little more support, knowledge or guidance you could have done more but what you’ve done is good enough.

Have a great holiday – wherever you are and whoever you’re with.

What You Really, Really Want

I’m in the process of reading Tim Feriss’s – 4 Day Work Week and one of the things that strikes a note is that we work so hard to have the things that if we just took time to look around, we’ve already got. This always reminds me of the tale about the fisherman. If you already know it, I apologise for repeating it here but it’s always worth being reminded.

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied, "only a little while."

The American then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs. The American then asked, "but what do you do with the rest of your time?" The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life."

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?" To which the American replied, "15-20 years." "But what then?" The American laughed and said that's the best part. "When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions." "Millions.. Then what?"

The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

So, if you had more time – what would you fill your life with?

Do Something Scary

We all have a tendency to want to stay in our comfort zone, to stay safe, comfortable and secure in our own cocoon, the environment that we know well. Sometimes though it’s good to just get out there and be brave. Knowing that – everything will be all right and we are probably stronger than we think.

Since I’ve been running my own business, I have a voice inside me (no, it’s alright you don’t have to drag me off in a strait-jacket) that tends to pipe up and say ‘Yes, I’ll do that’ when actually my gut reaction is probably to do the opposite – ‘Oh no, I can’t do that’. For me it usually revolves around getting up in front of people and speaking.

I remember going to my first official breakfast network meeting – you know, where you have to stand up and talk about your business for a minute. I didn’t know what to say and was very nervous. However, a few months later and I’d agreed to stand up in front of about 50 businessmen and talk about what I did – that really was scary. Breakfast meetings no longer hold the same fear. When asked to speak at my local Chamber last month, I said yes – then thought Yikes!

Now as a time management tactic – saying no is a good thing to do but I’m talking about saying yes to those opportunities that present themselves, getting out of your comfort zone by doing something you know is going to be challenging. Even if it’s just going out for the evening instead of staying in, especially when it’s cold, wet and raining outside.

I was reminded of this again today when I read about doing something scary every day. It doesn’t have to be as extreme as going bungee jumping, or abseiling off tall buildings but confronting something that scares you or that you wouldn’t normally do or perhaps have been putting off. Now I’m not talking about doing anything illegal or that is a risk to life and limb or anyone else but just doing something different, trying something new.

Do one thing this week that makes you feel uncomfortable.

Bit By Bit, Chapter By Chapter

Last week I officially launched my first book.

Looking back there was a point when the goal of actually writing my book seemed like a distant dream, something almost too big to possibly contemplate. Deciding what to put in the book, finding a publisher, finding the time(!) to write, getting the chapters together and going through the process of getting it into print. One of those many things that you say to yourself - “One day …” as a delaying tactic because it just seems too much to think about or you’re just too busy.

I was lucky enough to be approached and actually asked to write the book by a publisher. However, there were still times when my resolve was wavering and I wondered if I’d actually complete it. There was a certain element of not looking at the end result, which seemed like a huge task and just focusing on getting the next chapter written and sometimes even that seemed almost overwhelming, as I starred at a blank computer screen waiting for the words to come. Again, just spending a few minutes writing down bullet points and random thoughts meant that slowly but surely they developed into something coherent that took shape on the page and four months later ended up in a printed, yellow and black book with my name on it. :)

If you’re not the sort of person that plunges into new projects with enormous determination, motivation and energy, set your goal and just focus on taking one step at a time.

Slowly but surely you’ll make progress towards your goal.

Holiday Intentions

The schools here go back this week and many people are now back from holiday. If you’ve managed to get away for a few days break or even had your summer (what summer) holiday – did you managed to take some time out while you were away?

I’ve often found that holidays can be a great opportunity to not only take a break from your business or job but to think about the things that are really important to you, spending time with family and friends who you don’t have as much time for when the nose is to the grindstone, time to exercise and eat more healthily … or perhaps not if you’ve been over indulging. When we get a chance to get away from our day-to-day routine, it can be a lot easier to take a few steps back and step off the treadmill for a while. As well as New Year, holidays can be a time when we decide to make changes to our lives – whether it’s to exercise more, work fewer hours, go for a career change or get a promotion. The trouble is that when you get back to work and back into the daily routine, it’s easy to quickly forget all the good intentions, as the memory of the holiday quickly fades.

Write them down, before you forget them (see Getting Accountable – 18th Aug). Even if they’re not something you’re in a position to do anything about right away, there are probably one or two small things you could do now to make a difference or at least get you moving in the right direction. If you want to get fit – book time for exercise in your dairy. If you want to work fewer hours – commit to a starting and finishing time and stick to it.

Another opportunity for change. Don’t let the enthusiasm and intention fade away without trace.

Inspiration To Change

Well, the Olympics launched in great style on Friday with an amazing Opening ceremony and while I’m not particularly into sports on TV, I’ve been avidly watching some of the more obscure sports that we don’t usually get to see – especially if you don’t have satellite or cable.

However, watching these athletes who have trained for years and I’m thinking that I really need to get out more … and exercise. My running (well, it’s like running, only slower) has dropped off, as has the cycling – mainly due to the constant wind which makes cycling to and fro from town too much like hard work. Also my diet needs a boost and having discussed the best places to have coffee and then got onto the subject of detox diets – I could do with loosing a few pounds. It definitely hangs around more as you get older ladies!

So, not only have I just agreed to run the Brighton Half Marathon in February next year but I’ve also decided to give my diet an overhaul this week. Not that it’s all bad – just a few too many cakes and lattes creeping in. OK, I know it’s not New Year but you don’t have to leave your resolutions for just once a year. You can set your goals at any time of the year. I’ve printed off my training chart, stocked up on fruit and veg and got through one day without a tea or coffee.

What inspires you? What would you like to change? Set yourself a challenge and then do something about it.

Have A Gold Star

Do you remember when you got a gold star at school for doing a great piece of work? The sense of pride and achievement when you did something really well and the inspiration to do even better or get another gold start for your next piece of work.

When was the last time you gave yourself a gold star for doing something really well. You have your goals, your daily actions and you tick things off as you go but who gives you a pat on the back when you’ve completed a project or achieved everything you set out to on a particular day or on a week? Create some added focus and motivation by giving yourself a reward when you do something a little bit different. We spend so much time doing things day in day out that we rarely stop and give ourselves a reward even if it’s something as simple and as visual as a gold star.

What actions this week would result in a gold star? Achieving something that stretches you more than usual. Managing to tick off a new habit on seven consecutive days. Completing a task or project ahead of time.

How many gold stars can you get this month? Give me a call if you'd like a virtual pat on the back - I have several gold stars to share this week - would you like one? :)

Start As You Mean To Go On

While we’re all setting resolutions (or not), the beginning of the year is a good time to start as you mean to go on. If you’re intending to take regular breaks throughout the year – then look at your calendar and book the time out now. If you want to keep your office tidy – decide to spend the last few minutes of the day putting things away. If you want to keep your accounts up-to-date – book out time in your diary once a week or once a month to get them done.

If you want to finish work on time or not work such long hours this year – set a finish time and stick with it. Don’t plan meetings or take on additional work late in the afternoon when you know it will make you late.

If you want to start saving or clear your debt this year, take the money straight out of your bank account at the beginning of each month. Although it might be tough for the first couple of months, once you get used to it, you won't even notice it.

If you want to get fit or improve your health – book time out in your week for regular exercise and put it at the top of priority list.

While an initial burst of enthusiasm might dwindle after a few weeks, check your progress at the end of each month to see how you’re doing. Focusing on what you want and checking your progress at regular intervals means you’re more like to stick with it.

Season's Greetings

Hopefully you'll all taking some well earned time out to relax, enjoy yourself and spend time with family and friends over the holiday period.

I'm not going M.A.D. this week but following on from last week's post, I've put together an Annual Review, which I'd like to share with you. You can download it from my website by clicking here.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Clare

If Only ...

If only … I had more time. If only … I had more money. How often do you hear people say that or find yourself thinking or saying it?

Exercise often features up in the top three as one of those things that people would do more of, if only they had the time but often it drops to the bottom of the list. Spending time with partner, family or friends is often up there too.

At this time of the year it’s worth taking a look back at what you’ve achieved this year and what you would like to have done more or less of. Take a look at your Life Balance Wheel and see if there’s an area that you’d like to focus on in the coming year. Write down just three things you want to achieve next year.

Whether you want to get healthy, grow your business, learn a new skill, have more free time or something else, make a commitment to do these three things. Write it down. Tell someone about it. Create key milestones and accountability to keep you focused throughout the year.

What’s going to stop you or get in the way? Stay focused and turn your 'if only ...' into 'I have ...'

Focus On How You're Going To Get There

Having focused on where you're going (my previous posting), now you can focus on how you're going to get there.

There may be 101 ways in which to do this but some of these will be easy and some of these will be hard. What you want is the quickest, easiest and most effective way of getting there. This may not always be the most obvious one. In fact often it isn’t.. While the most direct route from A to B is a straight line it may not be the best solution. If the direct route happens to have a mountain in the way, it's easier to go around.

Think about what would be an 80/20 solution or route for you. What would get you there with less time, effort and cost? Don't try re-inventing the wheel if someone else has already done what you're trying to do, learn from them.

For my recent trip to Slovenia – we needed to get from Brighton to Stansted. We had three options bus, train or car. When practical, I try to minimise the use of the car but the difference between the amount of time, effort and cost involved in taking the bus or train, meant long waits, high cost, multiple segments and changes, against taking the car – shortest time, easiest route and lowest cost – even for two of us.

Which option gives you more with less for your particular situation?

The first one you think of will probably be the most obvious and the one that is likely to come as much from habit as anything. Take a while to think about other options, step back, brainstorm some ideas, ask your friends and colleagues. Find something better that gives you more with less for your particular skills, abilities and way of doing things. The ideal solution is likely to be the one that pops up out of the blue or comes from an unexpected direction, possibly when you're thinking of something entirely different, so give yourself a break every now and then.

Focus On Where You're Going

I've been reading Richard Koch's Living the 80/20 Principle. Essentially, how to do more with less. Sounds like a great principle to me. Who of us wouldn't want to have more but do less in order to achieve it?

• What do you want more of?
• What do you want less of?

In reality we spend a lot of our time, effort and money on achieving things that we don't really want. How much more productive would we be if we focused 20% of that effort on achieving 80% of the results. That's what the 80/20 Principle is about. You get 80% of the results with 20% of the effort, whether that's time, people, money, effort in can be applied to pretty much anything. 20% of the salesmen achieve 80% of the results, 80% of the population live in 20% of the cities, etc.

When you want something, all the Universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. [Paul Coelho – The Alchemist]

The basis for the Law of Attraction is that if you focus on what you want the Universe will provide. All well and good but you do actually need to get off your butt and do something in order to achieve it. You can't just sit back and wait for the phone to ring. The other thing that I've found is that once you're focused you are more open and aware of the opportunities that present themselves to you and these don't always come when and where you'd expect them.

So where do you want to go? What is it that you really want to achieve in your life? Be honest, realistic and most of all, specific about this. More money is all well and good and probably something that we'd all like but what will 'more money' give you and how much 'more' do you want? Cut out all the extraneous 'wants' the things that don't really mean much – think about the things that are important to you – think quality rather than quantity.

Forget about all those things that aren't really important and find the 20% that is. This week make sure that what you're focusing on is what you really want.