10 Time Management 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.

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.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Plan to spend at least 50 percent of your time engaged in the thoughts, activities and conversations that produce most of your results.
4. 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?"
5. 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.
6. 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?
7. Put up a "Do not disturb" sign when you absolutely have to get work done.
8. 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 email and return phone calls.
9. Block out other distractions like Facebook and other forms of social media unless you use these tools to generate business.
10. 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.

Lead From a Place of Confidence, Not Fear

When the Wright brothers tried to solve the “flying problem,” they were figuratively and literally modeling the process of launching a business. People doubted them. They “failed.” They had to work constantly to fund their experiments. Because they persisted against these obstacles, though, they eventually succeeded in building a working airplane. And the world was never the same.

While your business may not revolutionize the way we travel, it will only overcome obstacles if you lead -- like the Wright brothers -- from a place of confidence, not fear. In 2014, you can achieve this with a focus on three main areas:

Solidify client relationships-  A frequent fear is that a competitor will poach our clients. When we see a competitor undercutting us on price, fear tempts us to race to the bottom to prevent clients from jumping ship -- perhaps cutting margins so tight they are unsustainable.

In reality, though, happy clients can’t be poached. Investing time, energy and money in listening to clients (rather than wasting those resources trying to outdo competitors) ensures that our clients have no reason to leave.

Early in my career at McKinsey & Company, a mentor told me that feedback is like a bear: you can try to run from it, but you can’t hide. That’s truer than ever in the age of social media. Clients can share feedback about your services -- publicly -- whenever they want.

It’s important to realize that not all feedback is 100 percent accurate, but it is all important. Every comment is an opportunity to respond, engage and build trust. Once we do that, we don’t have to be perfect. We don’t have to worry about clients leaving for lower prices because having a trustworthy partner is worth more than an extra 5 percent off.

Empower employees- Fear whispers to us that our employees will mess up if we give them too much responsibility. It prods us to micromanage every detail. Confidence allows us to let go so our talented teams can do their jobs. Such confidence is only possible when we spend time and energy hiring the right people, training them and letting them make mistakes.

At insureon, our average employee is younger than 30 years old -- not the norm in an industry built on tradition. But we’re also a technology company that’s changing the way small businesses buy insurance, which requires new blood and constant innovation. Enter the energy of youth.

One capability our team designed and implemented shows in real time, via multi-colored “hockey pucks” displayed on six 50-inch flat screens, who’s filling out an application -- and when they stop. This empowers our producers to take ownership -- encouraging them to engage with our customers, reach out proactively and improve our conversion rate. In essence, they have a stake in the customer’s success.

Manage your risks-  Fear buries our heads in the sand so we can peacefully ignore the biggest risks to our revenue (until one hits). For example, last summer, ACE European Group released a study that found that 81 percent of businesses consider reputation their most valuable asset, but 77 percent don’t know how to quantify it financially or how much to spend protecting it. That seems like a big question mark to answer.

Confidence, on the other hand, allows us to calmly consider worst-case scenarios, quantify their potential impact and take steps to minimize the chances of those scenarios happening. Ironically, taking the confident approach is terrifying. A lot can go wrong with a business -- cyber-attacks, building fires, lawsuits -- much of which is outside our control or beyond our understanding. That’s why risk management needs to involve these three steps:

• Assess risks with expert help. Insurance agents understand risk. Agents familiar with your industry offer the most valuable insight.
• Reduce risks. Train employees. Communicate with clients. Update your antivirus software.
• Prepare for disaster. An emergency action plan, rainy day fund and insurance policy go a long way toward helping you stay afloat when disaster hits.

The bottom line: Leading with confidence is not easy, but it’s essential when venturing into the unknown.

4 Ways to Immediately Improve Your Work/Life Balance

If your workload is increasing, your workout time is decreasing and your personal life is falling flat, the last thing you need is someone telling you that achieving an optimal work/life balance is simple. It almost never is.

However, there are some things you can do today that will steer you to a more balanced place. Here are four tried and true tips to help make 2014 the year you establish personal and professional feng shui.

1. Lower your expectations -- of yourself

Cut yourself some slack. No one can do it all. Tradeoffs are a part of life, and if you walk around thinking they don't apply to you, you're bound to feel you're letting people down. So be honest with those around you about the demands of your job and the amount of time you actually have available for social commitments.

If you have to work late unexpectedly, don’t let it get to you and ruin your evening or following morning. Chances are you’re working on something that really matters to the success of the company – hopefully a company that you care about. So accept the demands of the job you’ve chosen and be proud of what you’re doing. As much as you might like to, the reality is you might not be able to attend every one of your child’s soccer games or swim meets.

When I’m home enjoying time with family, I sometimes get the unsettling feeling that I should be working. The opposite is also true – when I’m at work, I feel like should be spending that time with family.  Don’t let yourself get trapped in this “dammed if you do, damned if you don’t” limbo. Instead, I’ve learned to immediately jot down a list of things I think I should be doing instead of what I’m currently doing. Then I ask myself if I can accomplish those tasks later or if they have to be done now. Try it; you’ll find the quick exercise helps clear your mind to make better choices with your time. You’re also likely to prioritize family activities because those activities have firm timetables. After all, you can’t postpone “dinner with the kids” until 10 p.m. or the next morning.

2. Schedule dedicated spouse time

As I've mentioned before, scheduling is critical. We book dentist, doctor and haircut appointments far in advance; doesn’t your significant other deserve the same commitment? It may seem calculated to send your S.O. a meeting request (and it is), but it guarantees you a slot of time where you can both put work duties aside and enjoy each other’s company.

Get a calendar out right now and pick 12 date nights over the course of the year. Selecting these nights in advance will dramatically increase the odds that you’ll stick to the date night. Plus, this will give you the chance to make reservations at those popular restaurants booking weeks or months out.

If you have kids and you don’t have a reliable babysitter around, email a handful of your friends and ask if they’d be open to swapping date nights with the kids. You’ll be shocked how excited they are that you’re taking the initiative to help them get out of the house.

For extra credit: schedule an overnight with your spouse at least twice a year. You don’t need to go anywhere fancy, but pick somewhere for you to relax, sleep in and order breakfast in bed (splurge on those pricey eggs!). You’ll come back from that 24 hours feeling recharged and ready to continue conquering your year of balance.

3. Schedule “me” time

As you give into increasing demands from other people for your time, you may find that you don’t get enough (or any) me time. Being a little self-centered is important, because without some alone time, there’s no way for you to be a great colleague, companion or parent. My wife is understanding when it comes to granting me personal time because I’ve told her how important it is to me. (And, let’s face it, she likes me a lot better when I’ve got my head on straight and thinking clearly.)

So go find that me time! Run marathons, bake cookies, learn to rock climb. Your specific activity of choice really doesn’t matter, but finding a passion outside of work that you can do by yourself does. Not only will you find something you love and learn to be happy in your own skin (if you’re not already), but it will give you something to talk about on those date nights!

4. Develop a hobby that excites you and your kids

Whatever time you have with your children should be quality time, so find something you and your kids can call “your thing.” I know a dad and daughter who bake bread, which is both easy and cheap. (Google “Rosemary Focaccia” and you’ll see what I mean.) Plus, start to finish, it takes only about three hours. The great part about baking bread is that you and your child can learn together, make a mess and share a meal in the end. They’ll have the culinary skill for life, and think of you whenever they exercise it.

Don’t forget to make sure the activity is really fun for your child. Another dad I know is a huge baseball fan and takes his son to games all the time. How did he get his toddler to love baseball so early in life? It wasn’t by showing him historic games in black and white or memorizing player numbers and stats; he would make their stadium experience about the things his son likes. They wouldn’t get expensive seats, but the dad would treat his son to hot dogs and ice cream, which created a very positive association for the child. In no time, the child learned how to score the games and has become a diehard baseball fan right alongside dad.

The perfect ratio of time dedicated to work verses personal life is subjective, so it’s important to be honest about what your priorities are at a given time – and then make decisions about how to use your time accordingly. If you’d rather be watching soccer games than wrapping up a work project, go watch soccer games! You’ll figure out how to meet the professional deadlines, too.

10 Ways to Become the Most Productive Person Around

Have you ever come across someone who just seemed to get so much done and was by far the most productive person you knew? Why can't you be that person?

Here are 10 ways to become the most productive person you know.

1. Eat to win- We really are what we eat. The “eat to win” mentality is fully understanding that what we put into our bodies greatly effects our focus, energy and well-being throughout the course of the day. A junk food diet will lead to a junk performance. When we start our day by consuming foods that increase our energy, focus and well-being, we instantly set ourselves up for a productive day.

2. Start your day with a green smoothie- There is no better way to feed our mind and bodies than consuming an alkalizing drink such as a green smoothie first thing in the morning. One of my favorite recipes is as follows: 8 ounces of water, 2 handfuls of organic spinach, 1 apple, 2 stalks of celery and a juiced lemon. This drink is high in fiber, which will help rid the body of toxins and provide us with the vitamins and minerals needed for world-class energy levels.

3. Plan your day the night before- Take 10 to 15 minutes to plan your day the night before. Adopting this habit yields phenomenal benefits. Lack of sleep mostly comes from thinking about all you have to do the next day. This makes the mind restless, and it becomes much more difficult to get a good night’s rest. Planning your day the night before should crush this problem right away. When we plan our day the night before, we wake up ready to hit the ground running knowing exactly what has to get done.

4. Write a productivity creed- This has been an absolute game changer for me. For example, my creed is written on a note card that reads, “I, Matt Mayberry, am the most productive person I know. I dominate my day and move quickly from task to task, accomplishing things that matter most.” This simple creed has worked wonders and I carry it around with me everywhere I go. When I catch myself in a funk, I glance down at my creed and get right back to work. I look at this creed at least 10 times throughout my day.

5. Jumpstart your day with a workout- I say it all the time. Fitness is the best productivity tool you can ever invest in. Find a routine that works best for you and work that routine into the ground every morning. By starting our day with a workout, we get the blood flowing and rid ourselves of the morning blues with the release of endorphins. Not only does a good workout release stress and increase energy, but you will feel super charged and ready to conquer the day.

6. Drink up-  Instead of rushing to grab a cup of coffee every time you feel sluggish or tired, drink some water. Our bodies need proper hydration to perform at our absolute best. It’s a natural tendency to look for an instant “pick me up.” These methods of energy are very short lived. The human body is made up of over 70 percent water. More times than not, when you are feeling sluggish or tired, you are dehydrated. Water is a fundamental aspect of high performance.

7. Do not disturb-  How many times throughout your day has someone come into your office and interrupted you just to talk about nonsense? Chances are you are getting interrupted via text, phone or email throughout your day. If you work in an office, set up a “Do Not Disturb” sign when it’s time to get important work done. If you work from home or outside of an office, set a policy so people know not to call or interrupt you during certain time blocks. If you are able, completely silence and stow your phone away so there is no distraction or urge to stray from the task at hand.

8. Take a walk or eat lunch away from the office-  Instead of eating lunch at your office, find the nearest place where you can step away and enjoy yourself. A great way to rejuvenate and be prepared to attack the rest of the day is to take a lunchtime stroll. Eating lunch outside of your regular work place or going for a midday walk helps to clear your mind of clutter and distractions from earlier in the day. This should recharge you for an even more productive second half of the day.

9. Hour to greatness- This is one whole hour first thing in the morning that is dedicated to preparing my mind, body and spirit for the day ahead. This routine consists of reading an uplifting book for 15 to 20 minutes, rewriting my goals while visualizing the achievement of each one, meditating on my productivity creed while looking over my to-do list for the day, and finally, flooding my mind with positive and motivational messages via audio. This alone can drastically skyrocket productivity levels. Instead of watching all the negativity that’s on the news or in the newspaper, indulge in preparing your mind for a phenomenal day.

10. Decide- To actually become the most productive person around, you must first decide to do so. Don’t beat yourself up over how unproductive you’ve been or relish over how productive someone else is. This will never get you to where you need to go. Making the decision is half the battle. Once you’ve made up your mind, you will begin to challenge yourself to see just how much you can accomplish any given day.

Answer These 3 Questions Before Jumping Into Entrepreneurship

Everyone has at least once in their life had a million-dollar idea. The tricky part is deciding if this idea actually has legs and could be a viable business.

As a small-business owner for a decade, I’ve identified three crucial questions to ask yourself to help decide whether or not the concept is worth pursuing.

These questions can help scope what I like to call “The Success Triangle,” an approach to help budding entrepreneurs decide whether to pull the trigger on that small business idea.

1. Concept: Is it a good idea?

Let’s start with the obvious.  Not every idea is a good one and just because your mom thinks it’s great doesn’t mean it is.  Too many of us suffer from the “if we build it, they will come” mentality which can be equally tempting and dangerous.  Just because you are obsessed with your dogs and think the world is clamoring for the introduction of canine teeth whitening pens doesn’t mean it will be a hit.  It’s easy for something to seem like a great idea initially but several key questions should be asked to help determine whether the idea is truly solid:

• Is there a need?  How significant is the need?
• How much competition currently exists in this space?
• How large is your potential customer base?
• Do you have a unique ability to provide this product/service?
• Do you have experience/passion in this area?
• Are there trends in the marketplace/industry that might make my produce/service more or less attractive going forward?

2. Execution: How Well Can You Execute the Concept? 

While it’s great to have a solid business idea, it’s quite another thing to execute it well.  Your idea about selling doggie teeth whitening might be a viable concept that the marketplace needs, but how well can you execute it?  How do you manufacture the product?  How well does it work?  How easily is it applied?  How do you market and deliver the product?  These questions and others are critical issues to consider when contemplating how well your business idea scores on execution:

• How will you provide great customer service?
• What is the quality level of your product/service?
• How efficiently can you produce your product/service?
• What is your time to market?
• How is your product/service produced?  Fulfilled?
• How easy/difficult is it to market the product?

3. Profitability: Is Your Business Model Profitable? 

Unless you’re starting a nonprofit, most entrepreneurs are hoping to be profitable. (If you’re not managing your profit levels, you won’t be around very long most likely.)  As part of this analysis, it’s important to evaluate your overall business model.  For your dog whitening product, you should consider your pricing structure?  Are you selling whitening pens individually or in bulk?  Are you only selling pens or also providing a whitening service?  Where will you sell: online, through vets and spas or at retailers?  Consider these questions to help evaluate your business model and profit potential:

• What is your cost structure?  What are your expenses?
• How much does it “cost” to gain a client? 
• What is the anticipated demand (quantified)?
• How will you sell? Online, brick and mortar, using party concept, through resellers?
• Are you focused on B2B or B2C selling?
• Are you selling to individuals or groups? Bulk or individual products?
• Are you using a franchise model?
• Are you selling products, services or both?

These questions aren’t a substitute for developing a thorough business plan, but they act as a simple guide to help the budding entrepreneur begin that critical vetting process.

Five Creativity Exercises to Find Your Passion

Benjamin Disraeli, a 19th century British Prime Minister, once said, "Man is only great when he acts from passion."

For today's aspiring entrepreneur, exploring avenues of creativity to find your passion is likely the quickest route to increase your chances of launching a successful business. Where to start? Here, five exercises to help you uncover your passion.

Exercise 1 - Revisit your childhood. What did you love to do?
"It's amazing how disconnected we become to the things that brought us the most joy in favor of what's practical," says Rob Levit, an Annapolis, Md.-based creativity expert, speaker and business consultant.

Levit suggests making a list of all the things you remember enjoying as a child. Would you enjoy that activity now? For example, Frank Lloyd Wright, America's greatest architect, played with wooden blocks all through childhood and perhaps well past it.

"Research shows that there is much to be discovered in play, even as adults," Levit says.

Revisit some of the positive activities, foods and events of childhood. Levit suggests asking yourself these questions to get started: What can be translated and added into your life now? How can those past experiences shape your career choices now?

Exercise 2 - Make a "creativity board."
Start by taking a large poster board, put the words "New Business" in the center and create a collage of images, sayings, articles, poems and other inspirations, suggests Michael Michalko, a creativity expert based in Rochester, N.Y., and Naples, Fla., and author of creativity books and tools, including ThinkPak (Ten Speed Press, 2006).

"The idea behind this is that when you surround yourself with images of your intention -- who you want to become or what you want to create -- your awareness and passion will grow," Michalko says.

As your board evolves and becomes more focused, you will begin to recognize what is missing and imagine ways to fill the blanks and realize your vision.

Exercise 3 - Make a list of people who are where you want to be.
You don't have to reinvent the wheel. Study people who have been successful in the area you want to pursue. 

For example, during the recession, many people shied away from the real estate market because they thought it was a dead end. Levit believes that's the perfect time to jump in -- when most others are bailing out -- because no matter the business, there are people who are successful in it. Study them, figure out how and why they are able to remain successful when everyone else is folding and then set up structures to emulate them.

"If you want to be creative, create a rigorous and formal plan," Levit says. "It's not the plan that is creative; it's the process that you go through that opens up so many possibilities."

Exercise 4 - Start doing what you love, even without a business plan
A lot of people wait until they have an extensive business plan written down, along with angel investors wanting to throw cash at them -- and their ideas never see the light of day, according to Cath Duncan, a Calgary, Canada-based creativity expert and life coach who works with entrepreneurs and other professionals.

She recommends doing what you enjoy -- even if you haven't yet figured out how to monetize it. Test what it might be like to work in an area you're passionate about, build your business network and ask for feedback that will help you develop and refine a business plan.

It's a way to not only show the value you would bring, but you can also get testimonials that will help launch your business when you're ready to make it official.

"Perhaps most importantly, though, it'll shift you out of paralysis and fear," Cath says, "and the joy of seeing the difference your contribution makes will fuel your creativity."

Exercise 5 - Take a break from business thinking.
While it might feel uncomfortable to step outside of business mode, the mind sometimes needs a rest from such bottom-line thinking, says Levit, who has recently taken up Japanese haiku, a form of poetry. Maybe for you, it will be creative writing, painting, running or even gardening.

After you take a mental vacation indulging in something you're passionate about, Levit suggests coming back to a journal and writing down any business ideas that come to mind.

"You'll be amazed at how refreshed your ideas are," he says. "Looking at beautiful things - art and nature - creates connections that we often neglect to notice. Notice them capture, them in writing and use them."

To Be Your Best, Choose Your Heroes and Learn From a Mentor

One of the great secrets to entrepreneurial success is what I like to call the slight edge -- making small, positive changes consistently on a daily basis for an extended period of time. Sometimes, you need some guidance to make those small changes add up to big success. Mentors are one of the most valuable assets for a successful entrepreneur.

If you’re teachable -- and I hope you are, because most success stories begin with a lesson learned -- you’ll benefit enormously from working with a mentor, even one you never meet. Let’s take a look at how to begin.

Start by writing down a list of the heroes or successful people in your field that you would like to model yourself after. Choose your heroes carefully though, because a person can be defined by the heroes he or she aspires to emulate. Too often, we make heroes out of those who can’t really help us, whose lives are fantasies. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Are my heroes genuine role models?
• Can I become like them?
• Are these people doing the kinds of things that I aspire to do?
• Are they living the kinds of lives that I aspire to live?
• Can they really help me become who I want to become?

Next, do whatever it takes to learn as much as possible about your heroes. Read inspirational or motivational books they’ve written. Watch webinars and videos they’ve posted. Follow them on social media outlets and peruse their blogs.

Learning pure information is a good start, and while adding the street smarts you gain from applying that information can take you far, even that is not enough to go all the way toward the successful achievement of your goals. You need some way to process all that information, experience and integrate it. That way is through an apprenticeship.

Throughout human history -- long before books, universities or continuing education programs existed -- there’s been one tried and true path for learning a skill, craft, trade or profession:Study with a master. If you want to learn how to do something well, go find someone who has already mastered that skill.

• If you want to be a great public speaker, spend time with great speakers.
• If you want to be a success in business, then find a way to spend time in the company of successful businesspeople.
• If it’s important to you to be a terrific parent, the best thing you can do to further that aim is to spend time with men and women who have mastered parenting.

Do whatever you can to associate with a mentor because this can be the quickest and surest path to raising the quality of your life. Emulate your mentors, and let their understanding and mastery of their subject rub off on you. By working with someone who has already achieved mastery in your industry and modeling your behavior based on their experience, you’ll take your success to the next level.

It’s amazing the impact one person can have on your life. How they see you and what they see in you can influence how you see yourself. When I was younger, my mentor, Clyde Share, believed in me and taught me much of what I write and talk about today. Because I put forth the required effort on a daily basis, I started believing in myself.

By actively working to stay inspired by realistic heroes and working with masters who believe in you, the time and money you invest in your apprenticeship will begin to pay big dividends.