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The Free Financial Advisor

You are here: Home / Archives for Time management

Own a Business? Think About Your Plan

August 8, 2013 by Average Joe 9 Comments

Hey, everyone! I’m back here….it appears OG and I are going to write at FFA once per week. My posts here will be more structured and on-task than my writing at Stacking Benjamins. If you’re looking for more humorous writing, find me there……

 

I just got off the phone with my coach. We have a session three times per month and they’re a powerful use of time. Not only do we focus on business, but on the balance between my business, personal and spiritual life.

This month we’ve begun digging deep. Here’s what we’re working through:

1)   I’ve listed all of my important strategic priorities for the fall.

If I don’t prioritize what’s important to me right now, I find that it gets lost in the shuffle. It’s better to plan my fall now to make sure that those events that are important to my business and family all make the cut.

2)   I took out the calendar and planned my model week. This also included making sure I block out time for family and friends. I don’t want to get buried in my work and forget my priorities.

For me, the Apple calendar works best because I use mostly Apple products. However, you should do something similar and find a good  calendar that will automatically sync with all your devices. That way, whenever you remember something that needs to be added to a calendar, you don’t have to worry about being at your desk.

3)   I reviewed my business accounts. Because I’m starting to build up some money in my business accounts that I’ll be spending later in the year, I’m interested in business savings. By setting up separate accounts, I can make sure my “buckets of money” for different projects don’t inadvertently get spent on other, less important pursuits.

4)   I scheduled creativity.  This is an important one for me. To write entertaining pieces and fun podcasts takes a ton of creative “juice.” Studies have shown that a neatly sewn calendar actually decreases creativity. I’ve scheduled time to read (called R&D) and time to play games with friends. I also schedule time to listen to other podcasts and read other blogs.

5)   I created automation whenever possible. If I could automate it, I’ve scheduled ways to get it done. Much of my twitter and Facebook posting can be prescheduled. Because I’ve found a bank that offers free business banking, I’ve automated much of my financial tasks. Anyone helping me on the back end of the site is given tasks each Monday so that I’m able to concentrate on the reader experience.

 

That’s what I’m doing to plan for the fall. How about you?

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Filed Under: Banking, money management Tagged With: Business, business planning, Calendar, Facebook, Time management

Productivity 101: Getting the Ball Rolling

July 31, 2012 by Average Joe 20 Comments

As I move back into my home office again after six weeks on the road, my brain turns to financial and business productivity. There’s much to do:

– unload the Trailblazer and find homes for tools and supplies. While the name “Trailblazer” might be over the top, it was a wonderful “Stuff Hauler.”

– organize the heaps of paper, clothing and tools in my office, closet and garage

– scan and archive rental house documents for tax time

– attack TheFreeFinancialAdvisor with a vengeance (subscribe to The Diary below for details)

– finish handyman instructions for more work on the rental house (I COMPLETELY forgot to put up the smoke alarms. Not good.)

– begin projects like “grow grass”, “get garage door working again” and the always thrilling “powerwash the house.” Me in a wet tee-shirt isn’t nearly as fun as Bo Derek was, btw…..

– prepare for an attempt to beat my Joe Record of 3:56 in the San Antonio Marathon in mid November

While I’m glad to be home, the number of tasks begging for attention is overwhelming. I feel like a crustacean at Red Lobster…like I’m ready to get boiled and eaten.

It’s when I’m pulling what little hair I have out while slamming my “Easy Button” over and over that I turn to productivity experts for help.

How about some show & tell? Here’s who I use:

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity’>David Allen: Getting Things Done – No book has informed my ability to quickly complete tasks more than Mr. Allen, the guru of the GTD movement. I constantly aspire to the Allen goal to “be like water” and flow with the situation. To do this, I have to maintain rigorous systems to find data at a moment’s notice and stay on top of critical tasks. I’ll be re-reading Allen’s Getting Things Done over the next two weeks to sharpen this saw.

The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal’>Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz: The Power of Full Engagement – the central principle of this book—that keeping high energy is the key to staying on top of tasks – is a fitting companion for anyone trying to implement GTD systems. Loehr and Schwartz compare businesspeople to professional tennis players: your schedule is year round, so it’s impossible to get up for every event. Instead, manage your physical training and energy to be in top shape for critical meetings and activities. It’s an important question: why do athletes stretch out, practice and warm down, but businesspeople “wing it?” It doesn’t make sense.

Stanford Study: Multitasking – I have to remind myself to stick to one task at a time. Forget the list building behind this current activity (as I write this there are clothes from the trip in the dryer, a foyer full of bags from the car and a list of emails I promised to return today). This Stanford study proved what I think we might have known all along: trying to multitask muddles your brain and actually costs you time. We aren’t wired for three tasks at once, no matter how hard we want to be.

Those are my resources for productivity. Try them out if you’re looking for well-tested material to help you shovel bigger loads of tasks at once. I think you’ll like them.

I’m curious: what are your favorite texts on productivity?

 

Note: the links to the top two books are affiliate links. If you purchase these books using these links you’ll support upkeep of our site while shopping on Amazon. Thank you!

Photos: Stress vs. Productivity: GDS Infographics; Things To Do: Hangout Lifestyle

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Filed Under: Feature, Planning Tagged With: Allen, David Allen, Getting Things Done, GTD, how to be productive, Productivity, The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy Not Time Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal, Time management

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