How Does Your To Do List Compare To Your What’s Done List?

How often do you review your To Do List, sigh and experience feelings of
overwhelm? If you’re like most of us, this probably happens on a regular
basis. But what about your What’s Done List? How often do you review it?
Or do you even have one?

We all know that perception is everything and if we focus our attention on
what’s done (perceived as positive) instead of what we have to do (perceived
as negative) it can boost our confidence and inspire us.
Here are 3 easy ways you can boost your confidence:

1. If you maintain your To Do List electronically, in Word for example,
create a new column where you can cut and paste or drag and drop
completed items from your To Do List into your What’s Done List.
Compile for one month, date and print your page. 3-hole punch and file
it in your Success Binder (or duotang).

2. If you don’t have a formal To Do List you can still recognize your
successes by documenting each one on a note card. Keep one card per
week and accumulate over the course of a year. Make sure each card is
dated for the current week and add one line for each new accomplishment
that week. File your cards in your Success (recipe) Box.

3. If you use a white board, it’s a great way to view your accomplishments
up front and centre. Erase each completed task from your To Do List and
transpose it to your What’s Done List. Take a digital photo weekly to
document and file in your Success (photo) Album.

Compile your What’s Done Lists over the course of a year and review
regularly. Whatever method you use, I suggest reviewing your What’s Done
Lists weekly and you’ll be amazed at how much you’re accomplishing. For
instance, Friday or Monday prior to planning your next week of To Do’s, take
some time to review and celebrate your successes.

Your What’s Done List can also serve another purpose. By tracking all the
small steps that add up to the completion of one larger task, you have just
created a process. Document this process for your future use or for a
Virtual Assistant to follow if you decide to outsource this task later on.

Yes, it feels great to cross things off a To Do List but it feels even better
to recognize a growing list of What’s Done. Honour where you are now as
opposed to where you want to be. It won’t be long before your To Do List is
nothing compared to your What’s Done List.

The Top 7 Excuses That Are Holding Back Your Small Business Success

Do you have bad habits in your business? Are there things you repeatedly do just out of habit? You know you could be holding yourself back from success but you continue making excuses. I’m sure you’ve heard the quote by Tony Robbins, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”

Bad habits and excuses go hand in hand. If you want to kick your business up a notch but you’re allowing excuses to keep you stuck, have a look at the following list.

 

These are the top 7 excuses business owners use to justify their inaction and how you can turn that around to achieve the success you strive for:

1. I don’t have the time. A lot of us procrastinate by getting lost in busywork because it’s easier. These are activities that take up time but are not producing results. By managing your time well and prioritizing, you can ensure that you make the time for that important project.

2. I’m too busy. Similar to the above but rather than procrastinating you are multitasking to the point of accomplishing nothing. Try single-tasking. Focus all your energy on the task at hand. You will make fewer errors and achieve better, faster results.

3. I’m afraid it won’t work. Fear of failure can be immobilizing. Make a list of ideas you’ve dreamed of putting into place in your business, but haven’t because you’re afraid. Take action in small steps and celebrate each small success along the way. If things aren’t working, do it differently knowing that you’re learning and improving with each experience.

4. I’m afraid it will work. Success can be scary because it means things will change. You will have new and probably more responsibilities but remember you have more to gain than lose. Keep doing what works to create long-term success.

5. I’m making enough. We are creatures of habit and become comfortable with the status quo. However, it is crucial to get outside your comfort zone and come up with new ideas for your business. Volunteer to speak at the next networking event. Perhaps the regulars know you socially but do they really know what you do? There are probably at least one or two fellow business owners in the group that could benefit from your product or service.

6. I’ve always used ‘X’. Loyalty may not always be a good thing. Does it take your webmaster 2 weeks to make a small change to your website? Perhaps it’s time to look for someone more efficient. Don’t let loyalty hamper your success.

7. What I’m doing is working. In this case, maybe all you need to do is keep doing what works and add to it.

So if your desire is to have something greater, what’s stopping you? Choose one of your bad habits and create a new one. It is said that it takes 21 days to change a habit. That’s not long really. So put yourself up to the challenge. Start today and a month from now your world will be better for it.

How Improv Can Improve Your Small Business

If you would like to try something new and fun that can help you as a business owner, try taking an improv class. It may not be what first comes to mind as a traditional learning environment for the purpose of developing new skills, but what you will discover about yourself in the process is priceless.

You may be wondering what exactly improv is and why learning improv may be of benefit to you as a business owner.

Improv is basically acting without a script or costumes and few if any props. The audience often creates the scenarios and character traits for the actors. Some of the actors may not be made aware of this information but must play along as if they know what they don’t know.

The workshop I attended was a one day introduction to the basics of performing improvisation described as a ‘crash course in improv’. Through various games and exercises (alternating as actors and audience) we learned how to perform without the luxury of a script or rehearsal and sometimes without intelligible language. In one exercise we could only communicate using the language of ‘gibberish’. Each actor quickly tried to convey their character and the setting through movement and meaningless babble so that the other actors could react appropriately. The laughter never stopped!

What can you learn from all of this playfulness that can be applied in your business?

There are some key skills improv teaches you and developing these abilities can complement your work. They are:

1. Thinking on your feet. Being spontaneous, creative and working without a script go hand in hand with improv. In business we often need to react quickly to unexpected events, adjust to changes and come up with creative solutions.
2. Hone your listening and communication skills and improve memory. While performing improv you have to work as a team, focus on what others are saying and then respond appropriately. Maintaining clear and consistent communication is one of the most important aspects of a relationship with a client. Listening and responding proactively, replying to messages in a timely fashion and ongoing progress reports are top priority.
3. Building confidence. Performing in front of an audience is beyond our comfort zones for many of us. We wonder if we said the right thing and what people are thinking. Improv classes teach you to get out of your head and learn to trust your instincts. As an expert in your chosen field, these skills allow you to speak with self-assurance to prospects and can open up public speaking opportunities.
4. Risk Taking. We learn the ‘Yes and…’ principle in improv. This means we reply with ‘Yes and…’ to whatever someone says to us and run with the idea to see where it leads. Often in life and business our natural reaction is to play it safe or shut down an idea with an excuse as to why something can’t be done. However, taking a risk can open up a whole new revenue stream and a world of possibilities.
5. Self Awareness. We can learn a lot about ourselves in an improv class. Stephanie, our instructor, commented that within the first 10 minutes of a class, she sees personalities begin to emerge. The exercises improve our awareness of natural strengths and areas that need improvement for personal growth and success.

If you haven’t already, get involved in an improv class. It is both an entertaining and learning experience and the fun and laughter are guaranteed.

Out With The Old, In With The New

Professional Organizers recommend that for every new item you bring into your home or office, you remove an old item. This makes complete sense and I recommend that you adopt this rule. You avoid collecting clutter with this process.

For those of you that have already accumulated clutter, there’s no time like the present to purge and organize and gain greater control over your workday. If you tackle a pile a day or one drawer a day during time dedicated to this task alone, you’ll be back on track in no time. Taking it on in small bites makes it a manageable task and easy to maintain. For example if you set aside an hour a day or every other day, you will be making progress and still have time for your revenue generating tasks.

This ‘Out With The Old, In With The New’ rule is also relevant to our ways of doing things in our businesses. Consider your approach this past year. Did the methods you used help you to achieve your goals? If not, it’s time to ditch your old methods and try something new.

Here are a few points to ponder as you prepare for the new year and contemplate your goals:

• If you were always trying to do too much in a flurry of activity, try doing less and doing it better. The time you spend will be more focused and count for more.
• If you had a lot of goals and didn’t achieve them all, only have one achievable but challenging goal at a time this year. One main focus increases your chances of achieving the goal.
• Are you a Jack or Jill of all trades, master of none? If you had many new skills you tried to learn but only skimmed the surface of a few of them, try picking the one most essential new skill to your business and learn it well before moving on to the next. It is not possible to be proficient at everything but it is to your advantage to have a couple of key areas of expertise. Surround yourself with those that are specialists in other areas and work with each other.

In those areas of your business that didn’t quite go as planned, try doing things a little differently this year for better results.

“Success is not for the chosen few; success is for the few that choose it.” -Gary Keller

Give Yourself Permission to Leave Some Things Undone

Ever find yourself saying something like, "When this is done, then I’ll [fill in leisure activity here]". But you repeat this until you’re too exhausted to do that leisure activity? Does being organized really give you the freedom you’re looking for? When your list of to-do’s is unending and you feel you have to do them all, then the answer is ‘no’.

Now, I’m all for being highly organized. It makes up a good portion of who I am and what I do. It’s an asset that helps me keep things straight in my own business and life and allows me, as a VA, to keep track of my clients and keep all their activities in their respective businesses flowing smoothly.

But are you like me? Do you sometimes feel you’re caught up in all the details of the never-ending to-do list?

I think this is why my mom, the wise woman that she is, gave me this plaque that reads "Give Yourself Permission to Leave Some Things Undone". It was so timely, around the birth of my first child, when I felt I had to still do everything I’d always done and look after a new baby. I keep it as a reminder & look at it every day.

Our lives and our businesses are a work in progress. Know that there will always be something else on your list and to enjoy the process! It’s not just about life balance it’s also about life acceptance.

Here are some tips that will allow you to enjoy being the organized person that you are by nature without the guilt and nagging persistence of the yet undone:

1. Do less. You can work all day rushing from one task to the next, but little quality work will get completed. Instead, focus on a couple of important tasks and invest the time to do them right from start to finish. For example, got an idea for an article? Write down your outline, let the ideas flow then put the pieces together. Voila! Now you have a properly completed article for your ezine, blog or an article submission piece that will all have a positive effect on your business. Rushing through several bits & pieces of various tasks in a frenzy throughout your day, will get you nowhere but frustrated.

2. Take a break. Get up from your desk and away from your office. If there are issues you are struggling with, clearing your head with a 15 minute walk or a step outside for a breath of fresh air, will provide some clarity on these issues. Studies have shown that frequent short breaks or less frequent longer breaks will refresh your mind and body, reduce discomfort and fatigue and increase accuracy and productivity!

3. Give yourself permission to leave some things undone. It is important to recognize and accept that you will never clear your list; there will always be undone items. Pick the top 2 to 3 items each day that absolutely must get done. Do these first and if you get to something else on your list, consider it a bonus. When you allow yourself to focus your time on fewer tasks you enjoy the process more and avoid mistakes.

4. Celebrate the victories. You are setting yourself up for success with the above approach, accomplishing great things while spending your time joyfully. Take a few moments to reflect on your accomplishment when you finish an assignment before you tackle the next item.

Remember, the goal here is to be more effective. Focus your time on fewer tasks and do them well. Avoid the overwhelm of having to ‘get it all done’. Doing less but doing it better allows you to enjoy the lasting results of real achievement.