| Fear is just excitement in need of an attitude adjustment.
Russ Quaglia The start of the new year is a perfect time to remember these 5 steps to getting organized and take heed of these 6 time mistakes we all succumb to at times! By starting today to "take control" of your time and your energy, you will find your progress towards your life goals much more productive! Let's make it a GREAT 2008 by discipling ourselves NOW to success habits! 5 Steps to Getting Organized 1. Identify your mission in life. This is our "push" that makes us move forward with our plans, in spite of the obstacles. 2. Set goals that will help you achieve your mission. Goals are the benchmarks that move you forward towards your mission in life. 3. Use To Do Lists to help manage your activities. Each day, evaluate what things were not accomplished that need to be done first the following day. Make your first 3 actions of the next day the unfinished business from today. 4. Divide up your efforts by projects. Projects are short term goals that move you closer to the long term goal. A project is something with a definite start and end time. 5. Prioritize. Not everything that you have to do is the same importance. Focus your energies on those activities that are most important and urgent first. If it doesn't take your personality - delegate it or hire someone else to do it. Always ask, is doing this going to move me closer to my goals and mission? 1. Start the day without a plan. You will begin your day by responding to the "loudest voice." You may have worked hard, but not done enough of the right things. 2. Get out of balance in your life. Our lives are made up of 7 vital areas: spiritual, family, health, financial, intellectual, social and professional. While we may not spend time daily on each, over the course of the week, we should have balance in our lives. Failing to keep balance leads to shut down and unhappiness. 3. Work with a messy desk or work area. On average, a person with an unorganized (messy) work space spends 1 1/2 hours per day looking for things or being distracted by things. That's over 8 hours per week! 4. Don't get enough sleep. 75% of people complain that they are tired. Stress detracts from restful sleep. 5. Don't take a lunch break. After several hours, we "dull out." Our energy levels drop because of imbalance of sugar in our blood. Take a mid-day break for a light lunch, high in protein and fiber, and you'll be less likely to procrastinate and be more productive. 6. React to the phone, instead of pro-act. Even if a call is only 6-9 minutes, it takes an additional 4-5 minutes to get back to what you are doing. 5 interruptions can take up to an hour of your time. Have a time set aside to return calls and then do it! Make sure your plan for this week includes adding MORE parties to your Datebook for January as well as talking to someone every day about your business. Even 30 minutes of focused effort on calling and updating customers can make a huge difference. There is a saying, "so goes January, so goes your year!" 2008 is the year to go from Good to GREAT! It's our year to implement and work "the POWER HOUR" concept we trained on the last few events! :) Tip for the week: Staying on top of things is easier than catching up on things! Each day, spend 15 minutes going through papers, notes, E-Mails, etc and throwing away those you don't need, filing and noting those that you do need, and having a HOT FILE where you put things that need action in the next few days. Attached is a two great forms to use with your parties this year. It helps you remember what to do for each host as well as each party to insure a great party and ultimate success for you, as well as offers a place to record your results, payments, even mileage. Everything you need for end of year evaluations and tax Tupperly, Judi Business is GREAT in 2008! | 