9 Routine Task You Should Eliminate from your Workday

By Jane Porter  

Rachel Weeks couldn't get through the workday without constant interruptions. Employees at her Durham, N.C., apparel company, School House, would ask her to sign checks, approve designs and field questions whenever they wanted. Realizing that routine tasks were taking over her day, she started signing checks once a week, sending out packages at a set time each day, and addressing staff questions at weekly meetings.

Those changes have helped Weeks grow the business by developing a new e-commerce site and partnering with a big-box retailer. So far this year, revenue has risen 20 percent, compared with the same period in 2011. "In a small company, there's this tendency to think … if anybody needs something, they can come and find me," she says. "You really have to carve out those hours of uninterrupted work time."

But that means something's got to give. Here are nine daily tasks you probably can eliminate from your workday to help you stay focused and be more productive.

1. Stop overloading your to-do list. You might feel the need to write down everything you need to accomplish each day, but resist making an impossible list of daily tasks, says Peter Turla, a time-management consultant in Dallas. Compiling a lengthy list of things you need to accomplish might seem productive, but you could be doing more harm than good. "It results in too many items at the end of the day that are not completed," says Turla. "That will make you feel stressed out, inadequate and unfocused." Instead, create a manageable list of essential tasks that should be finished on a given day--and save the rest for later.

2. Stop having open-ended meetings. Figure out your priorities before you call a meeting and make them clear to all the attendees, says Doug Sundheim, a New York consultant and executive coach. Too many small-business owners waste half the meeting just getting to what they really want to talk about. Sundheim suggests putting three priority topics at the top of your agenda to avoid getting sidetracked by other issues.

3. Stop answering repetitive questions. If you find yourself answering the same question from clients or employees frequently, you're wasting time, says Peggy Duncan, a personal productivity trainer in Atlanta. Instead, put together an FAQ on your website or create instructional videos that people can access via links at the bottom of your emails. "Figure out better ways to answer [questions] without your having to be involved," she says.

4. Stop taking the same follow-up approach if people ignore you. If you've sent someone an email and the recipient hasn't responded, don't keep firing off more emails. Try communicating in another way--calling, sending a text or visiting in person if it's appropriate, says Jan Yager, author of Work Less, Do More (Sterling, 2008). Too many business owners get bogged down communicating with people inefficiently, she says.

5. Stop eating lunch at your desk. Tempting as it might be to scarf down a sandwich between emails at your computer, don't make it a daily routine. A short break will help you make clearer decisions, Sundheim says. "You get your best ideas when you get up and walk away from your desk."

6. Stop making regular visits to the post office. Instead of going to the post office, schedule mail pickups from your business or home office, Duncan says. You also can buy envelopes with pre-paid postage or invest in an inexpensive scale and postage printer.

7. Stop making piles. Eliminating clutter can boost efficiency, Duncan says. Rather than organize papers in piles whose logic is known only to you, stick to a systematic filing system and eliminate any pieces of paper you no longer need.

8. Stop scheduling appointments by phone or email. You can waste a lot of time just trying to find a time that works for a meeting. Instead, use an automated system that does the work for you, Duncan says. She suggests using software, such as Schedulicity or Appointment Quest to let people schedule appointments with you online.

9. Stop signing every check. Designate a specific day and time for certain tasks, such as signing checks, rather than allow them to randomly interrupt your workflow. Better yet, you can have your signature printed on checks to avoid signing each one. Programs like QuickBooks let you use preprinted checks and keep track of transactions, Duncan says.

 http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224063

7 Ways You’re Wasting Time and Don’t Even Know it

By Jane Porter 

Fourteen months after starting her own insurance agency, Dawn Berry found herself surrounded by stacks of paper. Her inbox was brimming with more than 500 emails that needed to be answered or trashed. And just finding a pen on her cluttered desk became a challenge.

Berry realized she needed to get smarter about managing time and making Provident Insurance Agency in Florissant, Mo., run more smoothly. She hired a productivity coach and saw immediate results. She began completing tasks that would take less than two minutes right away and delegated routine work to her assistant so she could focus on selling. Now, at the end of each day, she has fewer than 50 emails waiting in her inbox. In 2011, by better managing her time, Berry grew her business to a point where she could hire her first full-time employee, making her all the more able to focus on the important aspects of the company. "I have a do-it-now mentality," she says.
If you feel as overwhelmed as Berry did, you may need to rethink how you use your time. Here are seven ways you may be wasting time without even realizing it.

1. You overload on administrative work. If you've spent three hours reconciling a bank statement, you're making poor use of your time. Too often, small-business owners waste time on tasks they don't like or aren't even good at. What's more, they often expend energy avoiding such tasks and then spend more time than necessary doing them, says Cathy Sexton, the St. Louis, Mo., productivity coach who helped Berry. "If we just hired it out, it would be less expensive," Sexton says of tasks like bookkeeping and website maintenance. "It's looking at your time and putting a value on it."

2. You put off quick tasks. If you can pay a bill or schedule an appointment in a couple of minutes, do it immediately. Putting chores aside for later—no matter how mundane—is a common way small-business owners waste time, says David Allen, author of the runaway bestseller Getting Things Done (Viking 2001). People often set emails aside for later, for example, and then have to search for them and reread them. "It will take you more time to remember it later than just doing it now," Allen says.

3. You micromanage employees. Too many employees need their hand held throughout the day, says Jason Jennings, author of The Reinventors - How Extraordinary Companies Pursue Radical Continuous Change (Portfolio, 2012). As a result, small-business owners often waste precious time micromanaging such workers just to make sure they do their jobs properly. If you have to guide an employee through every aspect of the job and he isn't making progress toward working independently, Jennings advises that you let him go. Harsh as it may seem, firing people who are slowing you down may be the best solution for your business.

4. You let daily developments drive you. Putting out tiny fires throughout the day is a big misuse of time, Allen says. Rather than thinking about strategies to expand your business, you're bogged down dealing with every issue that comes your way minute-by-minute. "That's not making good priority decisions about things." To stay focused on what really matters, try to block out time each day for your strategic priorities.

5. You don't have a clear social-media strategy. Limiting the amount of time you spend on social media sites will certainly help your productivity. But even if you devote only one hour each day to social media activity, you will still be wasting time if you don't have a game plan, Sexton says. "Social media is part of your marketing plan. You really need to understand what your desired results are."

6. You try to reinvent the wheel. Hanging onto projects or products that no longer look promising is a big time-suck, Jennings says. "The reason people are stymied and can't get stuff done is because they are constantly reinventing the wheel. They can't let go." Stop and ask yourself, "How promising does this endeavor look?" Be honest with yourself and decide if it's time to drop it and move on.

7. You repeat the same things over and over. Customer communication is important, but if you always have to answer the same questions from different customers, you're wasting time, says Chris Guillebeau, author of The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future (Crown Business, 2012). Rather than starting from scratch each time, Sexton recommends creating a template for such routine tasks as email responses to common queries, invoices, client letters and meeting agendas.
 http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224090

10 Tricks for a Fabulous Workday

It takes just as much effort to have a wonderful day as it does to have a miserable one. Why not enjoy yourself?

By Geoffrey James

Want to have the best workday ever?  Day after day?  It's not as difficult as you think.

These 10 tweaks to your everyday behavior will virtually guarantee you a day that's not just enjoyable but allows you to get more done than you ever thought possible.

1. Start with 15 minutes of positive input.
It's easier to achieve and maintain a positive attitude if you have a "library" of positive thoughts in your head, so you can draw upon them if the day doesn't go exactly as you'd prefer. Start each day by reading (or listening to) an inspirational book to ensure that you have just such a resource at hand.

2. Tie your work to your life's goals.
Always remember that there's a deeper reason why you go to work and why you chose your current role. Maybe it's to support your family, to change the world in some way, to help your customers, to make a difference: Whatever the deeper motivation, remind yourself that this workday--today--is the opportunity to accomplish part of that deeper and more important goal.

3. Use your commute wisely.
Most people waste their commute time listening to the news or (worse, especially if they're driving) making calls, texting, or answering emails. In fact, your commute time is the perfect time to get yourself pumped up for the day, and there's no better way to do this than to listen to music that truly inspires you and gets you in the right mood. Don't depend on a DJ: Make your own mixes!

4. Stick a smile on your face.
It's likely, if you followed the first three steps, that you'll already be smiling. If not, stick a smile on your face anyway. It doesn't matter if it feels fake: Research has shown that even the most forced of smiles genuinely reduces stress and makes you happier. Does this mean you should be grinning like the Joker in the Batman comics? Well, yes, if that's the best you can do. But something a bit more relaxed might be less alarming to co-workers.

5. Express a positive mood.
When most people are asked social greetings--questions such as "How are you?" or "What's up?"--they typically say something neutral ("I'm OK") or negative, like "Hangin' in there." That kind of talk programs your brain for failure.

Instead, if anyone inquires, say something positive and enthusiastic, like: "Fantastic!" or "I'm having a wonderful day!" It's true that there are some people whom this annoys--but these are people you should be avoiding anyway. (See No. 7, below.)

6. Do what's important first.
Everybody complains about having too much to do, but few people do anything about it. As I explained in "The Surprising Secret of Time Management," 20% of your activities are going to produce 80% of your results.  So do that 20% first, before you get to the 80% of your activities that is mostly wasted time. You'll get more done, and you'll get better results.

7. Avoid negative people.
If you've been following Steps 1 through 6, you'll probably find that the most negative people in your orbit will be avoiding you, while the positive people will want to hang out with you and help you. Though it's true you can't avoid all the Debbie Downers, you can certainly find something else to do when they start grousing about stuff they won't or can't change.

8. Don't work long hours.
Long hours are simply a bad idea. For one thing, as I have pointed out before: Long hours, after a short burst of productivity, actually make you less productive. But frankly, if you've followed Steps 1 through 7, you'll be getting so much done that you won't need to work those long hours.

9. Wind down and relax.
Once you're done with the workday, fill the remainder of your hours with non-work related activities that bring you joy and help you relax. The analogy of "recharge your batteries" is valid. Failing to take time to relax and stop thinking about work guarantees that you'll begin the next day with a "hangover" of resentment that will leach the joy out of what can, and should be, a positive work experience. overconcentration.

10. End your day with 15 minutes of gratitude.
As I pointed out in "The True Secret of Success," exercising your "gratitude muscle" is the best way to make certain that you experience more success. Before you go to sleep, get out a tablet (paper or electric), and record everything that happened during the day about which you are (or could be) grateful.

You'll sleep better and be ready for tomorrow--which will probably be even more fabulous than today.

But What About ...
Now, I know some of this can sound like a stretch. It may take a leap of faith to give this approach a try. But before you push back too much, let me answer some of the questions I sometimes hear.

• What if something really horrible happens during the day? You'll be much better prepared to deal with challenges than if you were already halfway to miserable--which is how most people go through their workday.
• What if I simply have to deal with a negative person? Tune out the negativity. Learn to shrug it off. If the negativity becomes too much of a burden, start using the extra energy you're producing to reorganize your team or (if the person is outside your company) find a different partner.
• What if I'm too depressed to do any of this? If that's the case, you may need professional help. None of these tricks require more time and effort than making yourself miserable, however.
• Do these tricks really work? Yes.

http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/have-a-fabulous-workday-10-tricks.html?nav=pop

7 Deadly Sins of Business Meetings Pt. 1

By Lisa Girard 

  

Skype meetings used to be a weekly ritual for InQuicker, a health-care IT company with offices in Nashville, Tenn., and Vancouver, B.C. "It had always felt a bit contrived to meet weekly," says company co-founder and CEO, Michael Brody-Waite. "I think it hurt morale to place what is essentially a giant productivity speed bump in the middle of every work week. When we really thought about it, there weren't too many issues coming up in our weekly meetings that needed everyone's attention."

InQuicker finally changed the meeting schedule to once a month and began using Google Hangouts so that 10 people can share the screen in a less formal setting. That made everyone happier—and more productive.
InQuicker is not alone when it comes to dysfunctional meetings. For many businesses, routine meetings can lack focus and a clear agenda and end up wasting time and boring people.

"The last thing a meeting organizer wants is their attendees to be sitting in a conference room or on the phone wondering what the meeting is for, why they were asked to join, or what the output will be," says Kathryn Hammond, owner of BlueSpire Strategic Marketing, a Minneapolis-based marketing company. "If a meeting doesn't have a defined agenda and concrete next steps, I can almost guarantee you will see people playing with their phones or hear people typing in the background."

Here, seven deadly sins to watch for in business meetings -- and tips on how to redeem yourself.

1. Meetings that become useless rituals. Companies frequently meet simply because it's time for their weekly, monthly or annual sales meeting. "Meetings that are ritualistic instead of necessary are often boring, and attendees eventually flip an 'off switch' in their brains," says Joe Calloway, business strategy consultant and author of Becoming A Category of One (John Wiley, 2003).

Tip: First, reexamine your routine. "Do not have a meeting unless you can very specifically define why it's necessary and how it will advance the strategy of the organization," he says. Also, create a specific agenda and send it out early enough for people to prepare.

2. Meetings that are a one-way conversation. People often tune out monotone lecturers and mind-numbing PowerPoint presentations. "A one-way speech is generally one of the least effective ways of teaching, informing or motivating people to action," Calloway says.

Tip: Encourage your team to speak up, exchange ideas and comment on what they've heard. If you show PowerPoint slides, make them visually interesting and keep words and numbers to a minimum.

3. Meetings with lax leadership. In today's "virtual" conference rooms, time is often wasted waiting for people to join the call and then getting stragglers up to speed on what they missed. "This punishes the people who joined the meeting on time with the likelihood you'll run over, leaving employees stressed out playing catch-up on the rest of their day," says Gary Bradt, business strategy expert and author of The Ring in the Rubble (McGraw Hill, 2007).

Tip: Choose a leader who is organized and forceful, leaving latecomers to catch up on their own. "Use tact, of course – you don't have to be Attila the Hun – but if you're too nice, it allows too much nonsense to go on," Bradt says.

Stay tuned for more tips. 


 http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224151?cam=Dev&ctp=PopRightMod&cdt=2&cdn=224151

Out of Sight is Out of Mind

By Kelli C. Holmes

I REALY want to share this message with you. I have been involved in, and/or working in the “Referral Group/Network Group” industry for over 25 years. I have been a member of a referral organization, spent 10 years as an executive with this large referral organization, and my company, TEAM Referral Network, has been around for 10 years. I have also networked across the country and with people in the international market as well. I am recognized as an expert in the industry and many companies and groups have paid me to speak on this topic.

So…have I qualified myself as a person who knows what she’s talking about yet? Because I could go on…ok, I’ll stop. But the bold statement I am about to make will be questioned by many of you reading this, but here goes anyway… out of sight is out of mind. Yes, it is.

Many (and I do mean many) people operate on the assumption that once they have established a business relationships with people that little to no “continuing nurturing” is needed. I cannot tell you how many people have told me directly or indicated to me that they do not need TEAM anymore because they have already established their relationships with the members. Their thought process is…I’m not going to get anything NEW and I will continue to get their referrals anyway.  (Never mind the fact that chapters have new members and visitors on a regular basis that they could meet.) But, what they also forget about is… out of sight is out of mind. 

Once you are no longer part of a group, your networking partners can (and will) forget about you. Yes, occasionally former members will continue to get referrals but not nearly as much as when they were a part of the group. And if (or should I say when) another person joins who does what you do, and they are at the meeting each week sharing their commercials, listening to everybody else's commercials, bringing referrals….guess who they are going to give their referrals to? Yup! The new person! Out of sight really is out of mind!!!

Kelli C. Holmes, author of “Effective Networking”,  shows you a better, smarter way to grow your business through powerful business relationships.  Kelli is the Founder of TEAM Referral Network, a professional referral organization that turns success-oriented business people into a strong team of networking professionals who work together to build their business by referral.  TEAM’s motto is Together Everyone Achieves More.  For more information visit their website www.teamreferralnetwork.com or call (866)311-TEAM.     

6 steps to Better Networking for Young Entrepreneurs

By Matt Villano 

 

"All young entrepreneurs know that time is money, which makes the time we spend at industry networking events almost as precious as the funding for which we’re all gunning. How can you maximize the benefits of attending these soirees? Here’s what real-life “treps” -- as well as some networking event experts -- have to say:

Have an agenda.
Not all networking events are created equal. It behooves you to research the best of the bunch in your area and decide which might be best for your overall start-up goals. What is your objective for the event? Are you looking to find a cofounder? Are you looking to meet investors? Are you simply looking to get more educated or inspired? Asking yourself simple questions like these before selecting a networking event can help refine your search -- and, in turn, get more out of your selections.

Nathan Beckord, principal and startup advisor at the San Francisco-based consulting firm VentureArchetypes, will scan the guest list of networking events he attends to identify people in the crowd he wants to meet. "I also will familiarize myself with the speakers -- not only who they are, but what they look like," he says. "That way, if they are hanging out before their chat, I can go up and meet them, whereas if I want until after they speak, they are often swarmed by a mob."

Fly solo.
We all feel more comfortable attending work functions with a "buddy," someone with whom we can seek refuge when the constant meeting-and-greeting gets old. But Priyanka Sharma, marketing director for iSwifter, a Menlo Park, Calif., startup that makes a Flash web-browser app for the iPad, suggests reconsidering. "When you’re solo, you’re forced to talk to people, it's easier to insert yourself into conversations, and you're less intimidating to mingle with," she says.

Work the room.
Consider the law of averages -- the more people you meet at one of these events, the greater the likelihood of making networking magic. Sepideh Nasiri, a director of off-line activities at Women 2.0, a San Francisco-based networking organization for women, suggests that entrepreneurs spend no more than 5 to 7 minutes per conversation. "You shouldn’t need any more time to figure out exactly what the person in front for you is looking for," she says.

Take notes.
It’s impossible to remember specifics on every person you meet at these shindigs, so don’t be afraid to take notes. According to Azam Khan, a social-commerce and marketing entrepreneur in Fremont, Calif., the easiest place to jot stuff down is on the back of someone’s business card. Use keywords to help you contextualize a person’s strengths when you get home and sort through your stuff.

Khan notes that this philosophy works both ways. "Give a card but don’t dwell on it," he says, "and let them write notes, too." Another option here is to use your Smartphone (or bring along a small steno pad) for more detailed scribbles -- though (so as not to make anyone nervous) it’s best to do this in the privacy of a corner or the rest room.

Watch what you drink.
Sure, alcohol makes it easier for all of us to meet new people. And, yes, beer and wine (and sometimes cocktails) are standard at most of these networking events. Still, moderation should rule the day. "If you need a drink to loosen up a bit, that’s probably fine. Anything more could lead to trouble," notes Nasiri, whose Founder Friday events draw up to 500 people per month in more than 10 cities around the world. "The last thing you want is to wake up the next morning and wonder, 'What did I say?'"

Follow up.
The most important step in making new acquaintances is following up. Tweet, email, Facebook -- whatever -- just close the loop. Sharma, the marketing guru at iSwifter, says that in addition to following up with fellow attendees, you always should follow up with the hosts of the event, too. "It’s a good way to get an invite to future and similar events," she says, noting that organizers frequently have large networks and can connect you with others easily. Hey, you never know.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/223916

Expectations

People expect good service but few are willing to give it.
Robert Gateley

Expectations

"Customers don’t expect you to be perfect. They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong."
Donald Porter, V.P. British Airways

Customer Expectations

Set Up Your Referral Partners for Success - The Don't's

by Sam Blyveis

• Never try to sell your partners products/services. Get the appointment, get them on the phone to make an appointment, or put them in direct contact so that they can do their job. REMEMBER, you are not an expert in that field, or you wouldn’t need to refer it out. 100% of the referrals you try to sell will fail! Sell the partner, not their stuff!

• Never put the partner in a spot! I recently had one of these experiences and it ended up a complete failure and wasted a lot of time for all 3 parties! Never ask your partner a question in front of the referral that you don’t already know the answer to! Making your partner look unknowledgeable or unprepared never works!

Customer Service Strategies

What is the "Tipping Point" for Your Business?

In today’s economic climate, relationship marketing is extremely important and very necessary. Business owners today, are asked to do a lot with a little. This causes us to continually juggle and multi-task. When a small business owner / entrepreneur / sales person joins a networking group, their expectations may not always be reasonable or realistic. I have found through my years of networking and training of thousands of workshop attendees, that if people get very honest with themselves they realize that their expectation was to receive a significant return with a minimal investment. What do you want to get out of your networking efforts? What do you expect your return on investment (ROI) to be?

Each industry / business category has its own “tipping point”. A tipping point is the event of a previously rare phenomenon becoming rapidly and dramatically more common. Do you know what yours is? I will share with you a few examples to help set the bar and get an idea of your “networking tipping point”, to help you get the most out of your TEAM membership. If you were to represent Mary Kay (or equivalent) and you joined a chapter today, it is very safe to say you could potentially start receiving referrals and transactional business within a few weeks, if not sooner. Let’s look at the opposite end of the spectrum now. If you are in financial services, this is a much more personal and sensitive category. Your investment needs to be much greater before you start receiving a return. It is very realistic to say that you would be looking at 9 – 18 months before you truly start seeing something or possibly anything. Is it worth it? Absolutely it is! You just have to understand the concept and philosophy to this type of environment.

Let me share a story with you to put this into perspective. I have a student of my program, who has since become a friend, who is a Financial Advisor. She went through my course in February 2011 and when she did, she told me she would do everything I told her to do because it wasn’t a matter of wanting to make this work, she had to make this work. No pressure right?! I told her, due to the nature of her industry and the sensitivity of dealing with people’s money and the trust that had to be evoked, it would require her to invest 9 – 18 months of playing “full out” and participating in networking continually. She assured me she got it. She understood and she was fully on board. By October she shared with me her frustration. “I have done everything you told me to do and I have become a great referral source. People have gotten a lot of business from me, but I haven’t received anything in return. This isn’t working, I’m not sure if I can keep doing this. I’m just not getting the value.” Her boss even called me. He said, “ I really need you to intervene, she believes in everything you tell her. She must be doing something wrong, because she isn’t seeing anything. Will you see if she is closing right?” I assured him that she was fine and would start receiving a return on her investment, she just had to reach her “tipping point”. I received a call shortly after Thanksgiving, “I got my first referral, and wrote my first piece of business from networking.” Then a couple weeks later, I received another call, “I got another referral and wrote another plan.” Guess what? Between then and now she has signed up 10 new clients. Just on the verge of her “tipping point”, she was at her ropes end. She had almost given up. She is very glad she didn’t.

Each industry has a different investment level before you will see a return. Now that doesn’t mean that you might not luck out and get something before then. It just means that you won’t see the “mother lode” until you have made your investment. Now to get clear, “investment” is not just showing up to your weekly TEAM meeting. Investment means, SHOWING UP to your TEAM meeting. Playing full out. Engaging in relationships, adding value. Investment means, having a networking plan, creating a commercial strategy, participating in your chapter, doing your coaching sessions and adding value to your TEAM members. Remember, how you do some things is how you do everything! How you do the little things is how you do the big things!

The last tip I would like to share with you to help ensure you get the biggest bang for your investment is track your ROI. Put a dollar amount on your time, track what you spend on networking, get really organized and track the referrals you receive, 1^st generation, 2^nd generation and 3^rd generation etc.. referrals. By understanding your “tipping point”, making a real and honest investment and then tracking your ROI you will be very surprised on your true networking results. If you have any questions or would like any help, please feel free to contact me.

Stacey O’Byrne – Pivot Point Advantage, www.pivotpointadvantage.com