Business Systems; Income-producing Activities
Once you have been working for a week or two, you should have a lot of connections and a lot of follow-ups. And next week, you should have more connections and more follow-ups. Do you see how this system builds upon itself?
That is why it is very important to be consistent daily so that this Business Fundamentals journey doesn’t become overwhelming.
We all have connections, and you must use these worksheets now… these worksheets keep your week focused – so you’ll know just what is going on in your business.
Let’s talk about purpose management. It’s very, very important when you are managing your business that you are ‘keeping the main thing – the main thing’. Right now, we’re focusing on income-producing activities.
You can use a large calendar for each month, or you can use a day planner as I have – it’s called the Passion Planner – you write down all of your activities, then you color code them.
For example, when you are setting up your calendar and scheduling time for:
- Income-producing activities are highlighted in green.
- Time with family for meals and everyday activities is highlighted in blue.
- Fun time with family and friends, or just time for yourself, should be highlighted in yellow
- Other things we have to do in life (doctor’s appointments, grocery shopping, banking, etc.) should be highlighted in orange
I don’t believe in time management, but I do very strongly believe in Purpose Management… manage your life with purpose, including work, family, and fun – it will set you FREE!
So this week is all about getting a calendar and working that calendar.
I’m excited for each of you, and I want each of you to take a minute and celebrate last week. You all have an amazing number of connections.
Please use these worksheets, feel free to forward the finished product to me via lynn.albro@gmail.com, and please label the email ‘Crazy Smart Marketing’. Also, don’t forget to share your victories, questions, or concerns on the Business Academy group page.
Remember, this Business Academy is just like any other school – if you don’t do your homework daily, then you have to catch up. Let’s say that you just play at a C level (just getting by), and in the long run, that is affecting your ability to accomplish your dreams. Your dreams are worth achieving. If you are playing at an A or B level, you are accountable to yourself, and you are metaphorically positioning yourself to succeed.
Time Management; 10 Tips That Work
Chances are good that, at some time in your life, you’ve taken a time management class, read about it in books, and tried to use an electronic or paper-based day planner to organize, prioritize and schedule your day. “Why, with this knowledge and these gadgets,” you may ask, “do I still feel like I can’t get everything done I need to?”
The answer is simple. Everything you ever learned about managing time is a complete waste of time because it doesn’t work.
Before you can even begin to manage time, you must learn what time is. A dictionary defines time as “the point or period at which things occur.” Put simply, time is when stuff happens.
Tips for a More Productive Day
There are two types of time: clock time and real time. In clock time, there are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year. All time passes equally. When someone turns 50, they are exactly 50 years old, no more or no less.
In real time, all time is relative. Time flies or drags depending on what you’re doing. Two hours at the Department of Motor Vehicles can feel like 12 years. And yet our 12-year-old children seem to have grown up in only two hours.
Which time describes the world in which you really live, real time or clock time?
The reason time management gadgets and systems don’t work is that these systems are designed to manage clock time. Clock time is irrelevant. You don’t live in or even have access to clock time. You live in real time, a world in which all time flies when you are having fun or drags when you are doing your taxes.
The good news is that real time is mental. It exists between your ears. You create it. Anything you create, you can manage. It’s time to remove any self-sabotage or self-limitation you have around “not having enough time,” or today not being “the right time” to start a business or manage your current business properly.
There are only three ways to spend time: thoughts, conversations, and actions. Regardless of the type of business you own, your work will be composed of those three items.
Easy Ways to ‘Clear the Decks’
As an entrepreneur, you may be frequently interrupted or pulled in different directions. While you cannot eliminate interruptions, you do get a say on how much time you will spend on them and how much time you will spend on the thoughts, conversations, and actions that will lead you to success.
Practice the following techniques to become the master of your own time:
- Carry a schedule and record all your thoughts, conversations, and activities for a week. This will help you understand how much you can get done during the course of a day and where your precious moments are going. You’ll see how much time is actually spent producing results and how much time is wasted on unproductive thoughts, conversations, and actions.
- Any activity or conversation that’s important to your success should have a time assigned to it. To-do lists get longer and longer to the point where they’re unworkable. Appointment books work. Schedule appointments with yourself and create time blocks for high-priority thoughts, conversations, and actions. Schedule when they will begin and end. Have the discipline to keep these appointments.
- Plan to spend at least 50 percent of your time engaged in the thoughts, activities, and conversations that produce most of your results.
- Schedule time for interruptions. Plan time to be pulled away from what you’re doing. Take, for instance, the concept of having “office hours.” Isn’t “office hours” another way of saying “planned interruptions”
- Take the first 30 minutes of every day to plan your day. Don’t start your day until you complete your time plan. The most important time of your day is the time you schedule to schedule time.
- Take five minutes before every call and task to decide what result you want to attain. This will help you know what success looks like before you start. And it will also slow time down. Take five minutes after each call and activity to determine whether your desired result was achieved. If not, what was missing? How do you put what’s missing in your next call or activity?
- Put up a “Do not disturb” sign when you absolutely have to get work done.
- Practice not answering the phone just because it’s ringing and e-mails just because they show up. Disconnect instant messaging. Don’t instantly give people your attention unless it’s absolutely crucial in your business to offer an immediate human response. Instead, schedule a time to answer emails and return phone calls.
- Block out other distractions like Facebook and other forms of social media unless you use these tools to generate business.
- Remember that it’s impossible to get everything done. Also, remember that odds are good that 20 percent of your thoughts, conversations and activities produce 80 percent of your results.
Source: entrepreneur.com ~ By: By Joe Mathews, Don Debolt, and Deb Percival ~ Image: Canva Pro
Goal Planning Worksheet
Business Fundamentals; Smart Goals
Smart Goals and You
So what’s your plan? If you’re like most of us, you have some goals in mind, but let’s go one step further and put together some SMART goals.
SMART goals will give you a game plan that makes it much easier to make decisions and helps keep you on track.
Just the process of writing down SMART goals will go a long way, but defining the reasons for accomplishing those goals makes all the difference in accomplishing them.
Writing down goals is a great first step because it puts you in the top 3% of the population. The second step and the secret to making your goals come to life are putting enough reasons behind the goals to make them a reality.
What do you think the difference is between having 2 reasons to achieve a goal and having 100 reasons? When you have 100 reasons, reaching a goal is pretty much a certainty. Reasons are motivation, and motivation is the fuel that takes you where you want to go.
Write down all the reasons you have for accomplishing each goal. When you have 25 or more reasons for a goal, it’s important to you. When there are few reasons to accomplish a goal, then it’s just not a match for you.
Some Urban Legends Make Sense
Urban legend says that many years ago, an interesting and telling study was conducted with a class of Harvard MBA students. I cannot find solid documentation that the study was in fact conducted, so according to legend, each student was asked, “Have you set written goals for your future?” 3% of the students reported that they had written goals; 10% reported they had goals generally in mind, but not in writing; and 87% reported they had no specific goals at all.
Now jump ahead 10 years. The same students were interviewed again, and the results were astounding! The 10 percent of the students who had goals generally in mind were earning, on average, twice as much as the 87 percent who had no goals at all. This is where it gets really interesting because the three percent who had written goals were earning, on average, 10 times more than the other 97 percent combined.
In my experience, working with thousands of people in hundreds of companies, the Harvard study, whether actually conducted or not, sounds right. Most people just don’t have written goals. I believe there are four major reasons why people don’t set goals:
Most people don’t recognize the value and impact of goals. If your friends, family, and peers don’t have written goals, what’s the chance you will have written goals?
The vast majority of people have never had any training in goal setting so they don’t know how to go about SMART goals. When goals are set they’re usually general and not well thought out. Goals that are not written, specific, and measurable are only dreams.
People fear failure and will avoid any failures if at all possible. Of course, any failure bruises the ego, but failures are a requirement for achieving success. The trick is to keep from sabotaging yourself by not setting goals to avoid failures.
People fear that others will be critical of them if they don’t achieve their goals. To overcome this, keep your goals to yourself. Then, when you reach some of your goals and experience some success, show others your achievements.
Make a habit of focusing on the things you want, staying positive, and moving consistently toward the outcomes that are most important to you. Setting goals is a wonderfully powerful process for envisioning your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision into reality.
The first step in planning personal goals is to consider what you really want. This isn’t necessarily the time to go big or go home. It’s no fun to only have goals that take 10 years to achieve. Start with smaller short-term goals and work up, but keep the big picture in mind.
SMART Goals
Use the SMART goal-setting technique to make it easier to set goals that you will accomplish. Download the goal-setting worksheet and use it. Feel free to share this form with everyone.
SMART stands for:
Specific – Keep goals clear, concise, and simple
Measurable – Define action plans to measure
Achievable – Keep goals incremental
Realistic – Match goals to needs and ambitions
Timetable – Add milestones and completion dates
Action Plan
Do some goal-setting in the following areas or in categories of your own that are important to you:
- Family – Relationship with a spouse, children, and extended family.
- Career – What do you want to achieve from your career?
- Financial – What do you want to earn? How will you make it happen?
- Education – What skills will you need to achieve your goals?
- Attitude – Are there any attitudes holding you back?
- Physical – Are there health goals that you want to achieve?
- Avocation – Do you have a hobby that is important to you?
- Service – How will you make a difference in your community?
Use the Life Wheel to see how well-rounded your goals are. For example, are all of your goals career or financial-oriented? If so, your wheel would be very lopsided, and you would be missing some enjoyable areas that make life fun.
The Life Wheel will help you set goals that fit the complete picture of your life. Just be certain that your goals fit your core values. When you have goals in each of the areas, you will be on your way to living your dreams.
Commit to Your Goals
Identify one or more goals in each category that reflect what you want in life. While you are in this process, make sure that the goals are genuinely what you want, not goals your family or employer might want.
If you have a spouse, discuss what they think is important, but make sure the goals you commit to are goals you believe in.
The bottom line is it’s hard either way: Hard to be aimless and living from paycheck to paycheck, and hard to be laser-focused on what you want out of life and determined to get it. So, identify your goals, work on them, and live your dreams!
4 Simple Steps to Smart Goals
Source: aboutleaders.com
“True success in life isn’t rare because people are weak or lazy or lack willpower or fear success. True success in life is rare because too often people use flawed strategies for success.” (Kraus, 2006)
To accomplish anything of significant value, you must begin by establishing smart goals.
Deciding Where You Want To Go
As you think about your goals, write them down. It may seem unnecessary, but it is a key element in achieving goals. You may keep your written list of goals private because they are designed to make you, as an individual, happy and successful. However, from a team perspective, it may be important to share some of the goals to give your team a clear vision.
Consider your favorite professional sports team. Will they accomplish a championship without clear and concise goals? Not likely. In fact, it’s most certainly not going to happen. Whether it’s business, sports, politics, or any other worthwhile endeavor, goals are a must for success.
Setting Goals is the Road to Success.
One goal to include is building a good attitude. As you grow and change your self-image, be flexible enough to change your focus and reach new, expanded capabilities. Also, remember that the goals you set can be changed or revised at any time; they can even be removed from your list.
Every time you reach a goal, whether it’s big or small, it’s another step up in growing your self-image, both personally and professionally. You should celebrate even the smallest of accomplishments. If it is a team goal that is accomplished, then the team should be included in the celebration.
Breaking it down the SMART Goal way
Break each goal down systematically, listing what needs to be done in order to keep you moving forward to accomplish the ultimate goal – your success!
Let’s say we start with a four-year goal. Break it in half, and you know where to be in two years. Break it in half again, and now there is a one-year goal. Do this one more time, and now you have a six-month goal. Continue this process until you’re down to what to do in the next month. What you end up with is a SMART Goal. Download our free SMART Goals Worksheet goal-setting template.
Once you’ve written down your goals and broken them down into bite-sized SMART objectives, you’ve actually mapped out an action plan. Now you know what has to be accomplished in the next 30 days to begin accomplishing the goals.
Step by Step
Start focusing on completing the smaller steps on your daily breakdowns immediately. If you do that each month, you’ll eventually get to your six-month goal, then to your one-year goal, and finally, you’ll accomplish your four-year goal. Is it that simple? Yes!
Concentrate on the goals that can be reached the fastest or easiest, forgetting about the rest until those goals have been reached. Once completed, be sure to mark them off your list to acknowledge your accomplishment. Continue to do this until you reach your long-term goals.
Focus on Tomorrow
If you concentrate on the whole long-term plan from the start, you’ll get discouraged and won’t be able to gauge your progress properly. Keep in mind that a long-term, long-range goal is really just a group of smaller steps that lead to one conclusion. This will keep you forging ahead. I know it is old and worn out, but you know, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
An occasional review of your overriding long-term goals will keep you going on the right track. Remember, if you focus on the final destination rather than taking one step at a time, you’ll end up feeling overwhelmed and intimidated. Instead, try to break goals down by levels until you know what needs to be completed tomorrow, and that is what should be the focus.
The Process of Establishing SMART Goals
Write down your long-term goals.
- Things you want to accomplish in three to five years.
- Break down your three to five-year goals into one-year intermediate goals.
- Then take each of those goals and write down a six-month breakdown.
- Then a 30-day breakdown of each of the six-month goals.
Life is Extremely Fast
Things happen all the time that we’ve not planned for. It’s difficult to keep track of all that one desires to do. The plans we make and the results we hope to attain are all in jeopardy throughout our lives because we can lose focus on long-term hopes and dreams due to the immediate fires we must put out now. How do you keep on track when the track is moving all over the place in front of you?
Competitive forces, in business and life in general, are often at odds with day-to-day operations.
You stay on track by having and writing your goals down, turning them into SMART goals and objectives, and revisiting them. Many people think there is no sense in writing goals down. They have them in their minds. I don’t know about you, but I can hardly keep track of tomorrow, let alone stay on top of what I want to do in ten years!
There is Magic in Writing Out Your Goals
When you write down your goals, something takes place inside of you. You unconsciously begin a path toward those goals. Something changes, and you become a person who stays on track with your plans, dreams, and hopes.
I am not talking about anything crazy here. I just know personally that having SMART goals changed my life in many ways and in many areas. The research on goals also shows that people who write down their goals are far more successful than those who do not write down their goals.
I teach my own staff to visualize their goals through pictures or words. Keep that visualization near at all times so that when times are tough, that picture or those words can reorient one back onto the path to success once again.
Why Do Goals Help So Much?
Because you always have a map to see if you are still on track. No matter what happens in life, you can always look back to your written goals and see if you are tracking. If you’re not, you can correct your path and get right back on the journey toward your goals.
Write down your long-term goals.
- Things you want to accomplish in three to five years.
- Break down your three to five-year goals into one-year intermediate goals.
- Then take each of those goals and write down a six-month breakdown.
- Then, a 30-day breakdown of each of the six-month goals
Image: Canva Pro
Business Fundamentals; Personal Development
Did you make any significant progress in your life recently? Did you grow as a person last year? Or, did you find yourself wasting time on mindless activities that led you nowhere?
“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” Tony Robbins
So if you are ready to stop drifting along doing whatever comes to your attention, and you are ready to have more control over your life, then you need a precise plan.
The power of a precise plan lies in the fact that, if you plan, you are able to focus all of your activities in the right direction. The result is more control over your life!
A Personal Development Plan is a detailed coordination of a complex operation where you develop strategies and implement tactics that result in a prosperous future. Think of it as an attack plan for your life!
The importance of writing a personal development plan
Have you written out just exactly where you see yourself in five years – how about one year?
There are a couple of reasons (and benefits) for planning; You have to answer these questions;
- Where do you want to be in five years? If you have no idea where you want to be, then it doesn’t matter where you go. And then you might as well take it easy and quit pushing towards a goal that doesn’t exist.
- What do you want to achieve? Once you start writing down the answers to this question, you drastically increase your chances of becoming the person you want to be. The importance of planning is further highlighted by scientific research, which has shown that writing down goals increases your chances of success.
Take a look at this article by Erin Eatough, PhD, at betterup.com
Why should you write a personal development plan?
There are big advantages to writing a personal development plan, including:
- Having a destination – Personal knowledge of knowing exactly where you want to go.
- Planning the path to reach that destination – You will develop strategies to reach that destination
- Knowing the obstacles – You’ll begin to learn how to avoid obstacles that can lead to failure
- Understanding the greater picture – You will know exactly why you are doing what needs to be done – even when the going gets tough
How to write a personal development plan
“Personal development planning is the process of creating an action plan based on awareness, values, reflection, goal-setting, and planning for personal development within the context of a career, education, relationship, or for self-improvement.” Courtesy of wikipedia.org
The contents of a personal growth plan
- What you want (or where you want to be)
- Why do you want it
- How do you plan to accomplish this plan
- The potential obstacles, risks, and dangers
- How do you plan to overcome the difficulties
Answer the following questions before developing the plan:
- What do I really want to make out of my life?
- What kind of person do I really want to be?
- Do I have a vision that I want to see implemented in this world?
- What are my goals and ambitions?
- What are my dreams?
- Are my current decisions leading me exactly where I want to be?
As a side note, it’s a good idea to refer back to the SMART Goals:
- Specific – target a specific area in your life that you want to improve
- Measurable – specify how you want to measure progress
- Assignable – decide who will have to do it
- Realistic – sets goals that can realistically be achieved
- Time-related – specify when you want to accomplish the goal
6 Components of the personal development plan
Take inventory. You have to be honest with yourself and the situation you find yourself in today. Once you analyze your current situation, you can identify areas to work on in the future. This stage requires that you re-evaluate your existing goals and ambitions.
Writing a mission statement. There are four key elements found in effective statements:
- Value
- Inspiration
- Plausibility
- Specificity
In a couple of short sentences, you need to convey the value of your company or why your brand exists, inspire and encourage your employees, sound completely reasonable and plausible, and be as specific and relevant as possible. Find a key theme for your business activity, and make sure each of these components revolves around it.
Short and long-term planning. Write a list of your goals, then separate those goals into short, medium, and long-term sections. If you are only planning for the long term, you likely get lost in the process of getting to those goals; don’t neglect the importance of planning short-term actions.
Reassessing your plan. It is important to continually reassess your plan, this process will allow you to adapt to recent developments and help you make better decisions in the present moment.
Get the necessary education (or coaching) to move forward with the plan. Consider the following learning opportunities:
- Courses
- Workshops
- Reading/Literature
- Mentoring
- Networking
- Training on the job
- Joining
Committing and taking action. Document the action steps you are going to take to execute your plan. Be committed to taking the action steps that are necessary to implement your plan.
The details of the plan (and examples)
A personal growth plan can be broken down into the following areas:
1. What do I want to accomplish in life?
What’s the true purpose of my life?
All of us were born with God-given gifts, and knowing what you were born to do should not be underestimated. Discovering your life’s purpose is important, and it takes time.
For more information: How to Discover Your Purpose in Life.
Example: It is my vision to help create a better world by helping people achieve health and financial freedom.
What are my dreams?
All of us grew up with the most ambitious dreams, only to lose sight of them once life got in the way. Don’t make the mistake of rationalizing the very dreams away that inspire and motivate you.
2. What kind of person do I really want to be?
What are my beliefs and values?
Ask yourself what it is that you stand for—the beliefs you hold and the values you appreciate.
Who am I now, and who do I want to be in the future?
The analysis of who you are at this present moment and the person you want to be in the future helps you identify areas to work on.
Example: I believe that I am really good at sales; however, I don’t want to be an employee for the rest of my life. I want to be an entrepreneur.
3. What are my goals?
Don’t forget that your goal has to be inspiring and realistic. They should also be written out in short, medium, and long-term goals. underestimate the importance of having realistic but inspiring goals. A short-term goal has at times been of approximately half a year. Medium-term goals are approximately 1 to 3 years, and long-term goals are 5 years or more.
Example: Short term, I would like to earn an extra $300/mo. In the next 1 – 3 years, I would like to be earning half of my current salary. In 5 years, I want to be able to quit my job and enjoy a freedom-based lifestyle.
4. What are the necessary milestones?
Ambitious goals are great; however, it is a good idea to break down a specific goal into several sub-goals. This will allow you to maintain the necessary motivation to keep moving forward and working on the long-term goal.
Example: During the next year, I need to make 10 contacts a week and coach at least 1 new client every 2 weeks. Within 6 months, I need to be making $400/mo. After a year, I should be making at least $1000/mo.
Tracking your progress
After you have finalized your personal development plan, it is important to regularly track your own progress. Having a plan is important, but it is useless if you are not documenting your progress. Make sure that you write down the dates of your progress and analyze the areas that need more attention.
Celebrating your successes
It is a good idea to celebrate each and every success, shout it to the world, and reward yourself. If you start out with an excellent reward in mind that you can only have once you have accomplished an important milestone, the reward will increase your motivation to go on to meet the next goal.