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ARE YOU PREPARED TO SUCCEED?

Success is planned. Ask any successful person – they have planned their way to it. You plan to succeed, or you fail to plan. As a small or medium sized business you need to be constantly aware of the bottom line. Are you overpaying for products, services and people? Do you have a plan? Or are you simply “going for it?”

  1. You need to determine your action plan and then break it down by both actions and by time frames. That will give you a level of measurability. Don’t be afraid to dream BIG.
  2. Start with the end in mind. Think about teams that work seamlessly together – like a NASCAR® pit crew for example. They look at the end of the race first and work the plan backwards. They plan where each pit stop and where each tire change must be in order to win the race. So they start with the end in mind. If your goal is to make a million dollars this year, you need to be at $250,000 by the end of March, $500,000 by the end of June, and $750,000 by the end of September in order to win the year at $1,000,000. So think like a NASCAR® pit crew – look at the end first and work backwards.
  3. Ask for help – seek it out! Ask your friends or colleagues. You might be surprised by how willing people are to share their experience and talents. Google it! Look for networking groups/sites on the internet and find the discussion boards and start asking your questions. There is an incredible wealth of information right at your fingertips. Once you get started, stick to it, stretch your imagination – don’t limit yourself or your options.
  4. Track your progress. Ignorance is not bliss. You can’t get yourself back on track if you don’t know whether or not you’ve fallen off. What if you don’t have all the hours in the day to do take care of the tasks needed? Are you going to accept that as an excuse or are you going to do something about it? You know what I’m going to say next, right? Of course, if you don’t already have one, HIRE A VIRTUAL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT!
  5. If you already have a virtual administrative assistant, are you maximizing her time and resources? If not, why not? Are you aware of all of her skills? Have you asked her how much time she has to offer you? Talk to her. Virtual administrative assistants care deeply about the growth of your business. Your success is their success. Find out how your virtual administrative assistant can help you meet your goals. Share with her your plans and visions. Tap into her resources and if you need more assistance, don’t be shy about asking her to add more members of her team to your account!

What are your measurable steps? How do you know if you are on track for success? We would love to hear from you, including feedback about this blog. Don’t be shy – leave us an email message. We will be happy to answer your questions or learn from you. Have a great week!!!

7 STEPS TO TIME MANAGEMENT

Google it?” – The transitive verb Google means “using the Google search engine to obtain information on something or somebody on the World Wide Web.”  The term was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2006.  The first recorded usage of the word was in 1998 when Google co-founder, Larry Page, wrote “have fun and keep googling.”  Add to that the multitude of how-to videos to be found on YouTube and you have a veritable arsenal of helpful information to get your time, and your virtual office, in great shape.

Time Management Is An Art Form— Often considered old fashioned, old school type lawyers had it right in so many ways.  They had systems in place to organize their time and workload.  They used dictation machines to record their thoughts, worked with secretaries who took shorthand (and actually read what they typed), and all law firms had a tickler calendar for ongoing reminders of important dates.  Courts didn’t have e-filing so it took longer to get things done.  That meant planning ahead.

Fast Forward To Today– We have instant everything – so we wait to the last minute to get things done, because we know we can.  Constantly being on edge is burning people out and many lawyers leave the profession after as little as a year because of the billable hours requirements.

We’ve Come Full Circle– We want our quality of life back.  Enter the Virtual Assistants – those people who can help get tasks done quickly and efficiently, free up the attorney’s time and reduce stress.  VA’s are extremely organized because time is money.  Here are some of my best tips on time management.

  1. Invest in yourself.  Take the time to figure out how you work best.  Are you a visual learner?  A procrastinator?  What makes you tick?  Half the battle is knowing yourself.
  2. Carry a scheduleand record your thoughts, conversations and activities for a week.  You will soon see how much time is spent producing results and how much is wasted on unproductive things.
  3. Use appointments, not to-do lists.  Any activity or conversation that’s important to your success should have a time assigned to it.  To-do lists only grow longer.  Instead, make appointments with yourself and create time blocks for priority items.  Schedule start/stop times to keep you on track.
  4. Plan for interruptions.  Take the first 30 minutes of every day to plan your day.  Don’t skip this step, it can be the most important part of your day.
  5. Take 5 minutes before every meeting or phone call to decide what result you want to attain.  This will help you to know what success looks like before you start.
  6. Practice not answering the phone just because it’s ringing – or emails because they just popped up.  Disconnect instant messaging.  Instead, block time to answer calls and emails daily.
  7. Block out distractions like Facebook and social media, unless you use these tools to generate business.  Schedule time for these activities after your priorities are dealt with.

Remember – 20% of your thoughts, conversations and activities produce 80% of your results.

WHAT DO YOU DO TO KEEP YOU ON TRACK DAILY?
PLEASE SHARE YOUR SUGGESTIONS AND IDEAS HERE.