Why is it in life that when something is working, you stop doing it?
Jack has a well-established electronics business which he started 10 years ago. Over this time the business has grown and he now has a team of 7 people.

When Jack initially contacted me, he was at a point he felt like walking away from his business. He was working in the business at least 10 hours a day and it was consuming his life. There was no time left for him to do anything else (or so he thought).

After clarifying what Jack really wanted to achieve both in the business and personally, the first task I had him undertake was to fill in the special time sheets I have devised. He did this for 2 weeks.

We discovered that Jack was wasting at least two hours each day because of his lack of planning. He'd arrive at his office and whatever happened, happened.

It took some time but eventually Jack got into the habit of writing his 'to do' list for the following day before he finished work. He also used Friday afternoons to plan for the week ahead. And guess what? He achieved much more than he'd ever done before.

It's such a simple thing to do, yet how often do you stop doing the basics on a daily basis and then find your business and your life spiralling out of control?

Here's seven proven ways to have a productive day:

1. Write your 'to do' list at the end of each day.
2. Say 'no' to unscheduled interruptions.
3. If you get distracted easily (and who doesn't?), focus on one task for 10 minutes.
4. Keep your office free of clutter.
5. Constantly ask yourself 'is this the best use of my time?'
6. Do the worst thing first.
7. Schedule appointment times in your diary to get things done.

The Final Word

Action these tips consistently and you'll be amazed how much more you'll achieve each and every day.

With the end of the tax year fast approaching, it's With the end of the financial year fast approaching, now is an ideal time to focus on your personal affairs. I'm always amazed that so many business owners and entrepreneurs spend most of their time consumed by their business and totally neglect their personal affairs.

Many of my clients want to get their business organised yet often admit that their personal affairs are in chaos. They have no systems for handling this most important area. The household paperwork is disorganised… piled up in a corner of the house… somewhere. They have no idea where they spend their money and often have no plan for their financial future.

Sure they are busy in their business yet they can lose focus as to why they are doing what they do in the first place… and generally that is to make more money so they can have more choices in life. Whether that be to have more time with their family, make a difference in the world or to have a better lifestyle. Of course, you do want to enjoy what you do otherwise you won't be happy in the process.

If you do not organise your personal life, you may not have much of a future to look forward to. Avoid the excuses that you are too tired, don't have the time, and don't know how.

Here are several tips to get you started:

#1 Set up a filing system to store your paperwork.

#2 File your papers in categories: Bank, Car, Children, Home, Medical, Insurance, Investment, Tax, Utilities etc.

#3 Organise direct debits for regular bills.

#4 Read, sort and action your snail and e-mail daily. This will avoid a big build-up.

#5 Make a note in your diary when you need to remember to do things.

#6 Check your bank accounts daily or weekly via phone or the Internet to keep tabs on your money.

#7 Allocate a particular day and time each week to review your personal affairs.

#8 Get educated - attend seminars, read books and listen to information on wealth creation. Having knowledge will make it easier to make better decisions and provide you with the confidence to take action.

#9 Be pro-active and take responsibility. Don't rely on other people to advise you what to do. Do not wait for your accountant financial advisor or anyone else for that matter to come up with the solutions. You need to have the knowledge to ask the right questions so you can make the best decisions for you and your family.

THE FINAL WORD

If you take control of your personal affairs you will have peace of mind and know that you are making things happen. It's nearly six months since you probably made those New Year's Resolutions. Let me ask you; was one of those goals related to money in some way? Have you moved forward, stagnated or gone backwards?

You must learn how to manage your time effectively and get organised enabling you to focus on the highest priorities in your life, otherwise a year from now you could still be no further ahead. Some people make things happen, others watch things happen and others wonder what happened. What do you choose to do?

If you're not sure how to get your business organised so you free up your time, make more money and have a life, then I urge you to take action and invest in a proven step-by-step system that will get you big results. Get a copy of  "The Productivity and Profit Home Study System ^TM".

You can read the success stories and get your own copy at www.productivityqueen.com/profit.html (why be time poor and struggle in your business, when you can easily get much more done, make more money and have time off?)

With four of us in the family who are all into health and fitness, we used to attend this particular practice. The actual environment is lovely; however there was always a high turnover of physiotherapists. It's only a small practice yet it seemed that apart from the owner and one other physio who looked after us, the rest seemed to come and go fairly quickly. I could easily see what the problem was…the owner. He lacked fundamental communication and business skills. Sure he knew his 'stuff' about how to help someone heal their body but he sorely missed basic skills in leadership and managing his own staff. The funny thing was he had a 'Mission Statement' in his office stating "Our people are our number one asset".How often have you seen this in businesses around the country? Quite often the opposite is true. If Don's people were his no.1 asset then he should have got the message by now, that with the high turnover of staff, there was one common problem… himself! Not only was this business owner sadly lacking in leadership, business and communication skills, it was reflected by the people he hired.  And it was no use trying offer advice to him… he thought he knew everything. Due to his lack of knowledge and personal development, heaps of time was wasted and potential business lost.  Then there was the stress of having to work extra long hours whilst he was finding new employees.  This also caused uncertainty for his patients.  In fact we ended up leaving, because we were fed up with a number of things: hearing from the staff about how poorly they were treated by the owner, we were often seen late (their lack of time management) and how we were often treated in a rude manner by the receptionist. From an employee's perspective, they often leave because they are unappreciated. They are taken for granted.  I knew that had happened in many instances in this particular business.  The owner had hired some great people but he himself was difficult to get along with and made it very uncomfortable.  He was a perfectionist and if his people didn't get things 'right', he'd let them know…all the time. When I ask new clients how often they get together with their people on an individual or group basis to discuss their performance and get their perspective on how they find their jobs and how to improve things, a common response is "it's something I've been meaning to do". I'VE BEEN SO BUSY!!!" The Final Word To find and keep the right people requires many skills.  Get yourself organised and allocate regular time to continually work on this very important area of your business… Now, if you're not sure what you need to do to attract and retain the right people so you boost your productivity and profits, then I urge you to take action and invest in a proven step-by-step system that will get you big results.  Get a copy of "The Productivity and Profit Home Study System™" .  It includes everything you need to know to free up your time, organise your systems and master your marketing so you make much more money and get a life! To ensure you avoid killing your profits through poor people management, then I urge you to take action and invest in a proven step-by-step system that will get you big results.  Get a copy of "The Productivity and Profit Home Study System™" .  It includes everything you need to know to free up your time, manage your people effectively, organise your systems and master your marketing so you make much more money and get a You can read the success stories and get your own copy at www.productivityqueen.com/profit.html (why be time poor and struggle in your business, when you can easily get much more done, make more money and have time off?) Small Business Blog.

What I've noticed about very successful business owners, they are always learning and growing. The majority do not achieve their high levels of success on their own.

The coach I'm currently working with has a multi-million dollar business and invests thousands of dollars a year to learn more so she can earn more and have the time to do what she enjoys doing.

For your business to be better, you need to be better, and you don't get better by doing nothing! To do this you may have to get right out of your comfort zone and join a coaching program, go along to seminars where you meet other like-minded people or those playing at a higher level of business than you.

There's no excuse not to get off your butt and learn your way to success. Regardless of where you are located events are taking place all around the country regularly as well as on-line. Saying you have 'no money' or 'no time' are poor excuses.

For many business owners they spend their whole lives using these excuses and going nowhere. Don't focus on where you are now, but where you want to be. You'll find the money and the time if you seriously want to change.

Your ongoing learning (and consistent implementation) can take you from struggling along to soaring high in all areas of your life. Remember your New Year resolutions to make changes in your business and your life? Are you getting the results you wanted? Is your business more profitable? Do you have more free time? Is the quality of your life improving?

If you answered 'yes,' then take a look at why that is. What have you been doing to get these results and keep doing what's working. And if you're not moving ahead, seriously look at why that is and do something different.
When's the last time you read a book, listened to a CD, got coached or attended a seminar to learn how to do things better?

The Final Word

The people I know who are getting great results in their business and personal lives are always learning, growing and implementing.There's a saying that 'if you're green you're growing, if you're ripe your rotten." Which one are you?

Now, if you're not sure what you need to accelerate your learning and accelerate your earning, then I urge you to take action and invest in a proven step-by-step system that will get you big results. Get a copy of "The Productivity and Profit Home Study System ^TM".  It includes everything you need to know to free up your time so you can take better care of yourself, organise your systems and master your marketing so you make much more money and get a life!

You can read the success stories and get your own copy at www.productivityqueen.com/profit.html (why be time poor and struggle in your business, when you can easily get much more done, make more money and have time off?)

Got a comment about this article? Share your story with us at our Small Business Blog.

On a recent walk I noticed that one of our local bakeries had closed down. There was a sign in the window saying that due to the passing of the owner, the shop was closed until further notice.

I had seen the owner a few times…he seemed to always be working and his physical condition looked awful. Unfortunately it was only a matter of time before something happened to him…and it did.

A few years ago one of my clients felt a tingling in his finger. Being a workaholic he didn't have time to pay too much attention to it. After all he had meetings booked all day and they were more important than a tingle in his finger. He was about to leave home, then collapsed. Luckily for him, there was another person in the house and they called the ambulance.

John had suffered a stroke. The warning signs were there all along. He smoked, was 30kg overweight, his diet was poor and exercise was spasmodic. He worked long hours and was under enormous pressure. Much of the pressure was caused by John's organisational skills. He was a poor delegator and had difficulty saying 'no'. Planning was something he did if he had the time (which meant he never did). Oh, and by the way, I forgot to mention he was also divorced!

Up until the time of his stroke, John had been making progress through being coached, however he wasn't making enough consistent effort, particularly around his health. He was a disaster waiting to happen and it did happen. John was 43.

Fortunately John survived, but what a way to have a 'wake up' call. He's definitely paying attention now and making himself the no. 1 priority in his life. He was off work for weeks.

After that event he seriously applied what he had learned through coaching. He had no choice. Either he got himself organised and changed his behaviours or he would have a short life.He did lose the weight , worked much less hours, planned for his personal life and met a partner in the process. He even got himself fit enough to successfully complete the Kokoda trail.

Running your own business can be very stressful. Most of us just can't switch off easily. We need even more self-care.

If you are just like 'John', here's 5 ways to avoid working yourself to death…

1.  Learn how to get yourself organised so you make time for you. 'I'm too busy' or 'I don't have the time' is an excuse.  

2.  Find a holistic practitioner who offers a range of health tests and can provide proactive on-going treatment and advice. You can ask people you know who you know look after themselves and find out who they go to. You will require supplements because hardly anyone eats a 100% organic, fully balanced diet and lives in a non-toxic and stress free environment.

3.  Avoid people and places that do not support what you are trying to achieve, i.e. there's a lady who attends my gym every day to stay in shape and keep her weight under control yet she works in a bakery!

4.  Set restrictions about how much of your time you're prepared to work and stick to it. Do not take work home! Of if you work from home, set rules about when you will and won't work. Make sure it doesn't take over valuable family time.

5.  Eat healthily, get enough sleep and exercise regularly. Respect your body and treat it as you would if you bought a brand new car. Buff and polish it, go for a long drive and fill the tank with quality fuel.

Bet there's nothing new here, that you didn't already know. But are you doing it?

THE FINAL WORD

Being fit and healthy is not an option. Just because you are standing and breathing doesn't mean you are well.

Wellness is about being pro-active with your health and not waiting until you are sick or something happens to you. No matter how busy you are, you surely can't be too busy to die?

Now, if you're not sure what you need to do to avoid working yourself to death, then I urge you to take action and invest in a proven step-by-step system that will get you big results Get a copy of "The Productivity and Profit Home Study System ^TM".  It includes everything you need to know to free up your time so you can take better care of yourself, organise your systems and master your marketing so you make much more money and get a life!

You can read the success stories and get your own copy at www.productivityqueen.com/profit.html (why be time poor and struggle in your business, when you can easily get much more done, make more money and have time off?) 

Got a comment about this article?  Share your story with us at our Small Business Blog.