3 Ways To Do More With Less Time

We live in a world where more is expected of us every day.

First there were fax machines, now email and cell phones.Our number of communications daily rom various sources is extreme.

How can we get to all of it in a timely fashion and still get 8 hours of sleep?

Here are three time reducing strategies that are easy to implement:

1. Schedule. Like it or not in today's world if you want to achieve greater levels of success you must learn to use a schedule. You can use a Palm Pilot, a journal or a Daytimer. I use the Franklin-Covey Planning software for windows. It pops up when I turn on my computer and it is
compatible with my Palm Pilot so that I can sync at night when I leave my office.

Now, having a schedule isn't half as important as using a schedule. It doesn't work if you don't use it… everyday.

I keep track of appointments, make a To Do list and then as I work on projects I enter them in so that I can make a journal of my day. Later, this will help me remember how much time I spent on tasks for billing purposes. I schedule in exercise time and I schedule in personal development time for reading and writing.

Once you get started, you'll find it easier and easier to use. The amount of time saved by spending the time to keep your schedule can be enormous. It helps to eliminate the clutter we create on our desks and in our minds when trying to remember all the things we need to do.

It can also help to eliminate unnecessary tasks. Many times we say 'yes' when something is not really in alignment with our goals. The act of making time for it and getting on the
schedule will cause you to evaluate its importance. This can be a tremendous time saver.

2. Systems. Systems are a key component in time management. I have a system for everything! Systems do not have to be complicated but they help to keep you on track and save
time. For instance, I use a 'system' for my after-work time. When I leave the office my evening everyday is pre-planned. I drive home, I change, I make dinner, I watch one hour of TV,
I work two hours, and I go to bed… A system.

I follow the same system every single day. It removes wasted time trying to decide what I'm going to do with my time. Setting up systems for checking email or taking calls can be a real time saver. If you have tasks that you do regularly, think about ways to systemize them. Sometimes
setting up forms or check lists, creating schedules or flow charts, delegating, just about anything can be turned into a time saving system.

3. Lists. Keep lists. You can keep the lists in your schedule but you need to get into the habit of making a list for tasks and systems. Checklists save time because you don't have to think about what comes next. The amount of time I save by using a calculator instead of figuring in my
head is enormous…. Using lists is very much the same. By removing the "think" time you streamline processes and save brain energy for more important things. I have a grocery list prepared in Excel, I print it off before I head to the store and buy only what I need. No time wasted wandering the aisles.

I have a checklist for updating my weblog and writing my newsletter. I have templates for the newsletter and I have time scheduled to do both.

Many times a little time spent upfront can be a huge savings later. When I find myself doing a task that I've done before and feel like its taking too long, I sit down systemize and make a checklist and suddenly I've found 15 or 20 minutes.

© Yolanda A. Facio for Strategy-3.com All Rights Reserved Tired of watching others succeed? Discover how to achieve a more prosperous life. Yolanda A. Facio is the author of an incredible new ebook that guarantees you a more successful and productive life. Click Here Now => http://www.newrulesforsuccess.com More success tips can be found at http://www.strategy-3.com

7 Practical Ways to Earn More by Working Less

Here is a great article on how to work more productively, courtesy of Terry Dean of My Marketing Coach.

The motto of my coaching business is Earn More, Work Less, and Enjoy Life! This is something every business owner wants, but they often feel it's too difficult to achieve.

Too many of us have been programmed by the employee mindset of working hours for dollars. Employees get paid by the number of hours they put in. Entrepreneurs get paid based on the value they create for others...whether they're actively working or not.

Here are 7 practical steps to begin on the road to earning more by working less.

#1 - Hire a Personal Assistant

Quit trying to be a one man (or woman) show. Even if you're currently a small business of just one person (such as a home business, life coach, or real estate agent), you can't do it all yourself.

Hire someone to help you with the routine tasks of answering emails and phone calls. Have them do secretarial work. Figure out what parts of your current work can easily be handled by someone else. Either hand it to a staff member or outsource it.

#2 - Eliminate the Time Vampires

Quit wasting your time. That short call you had to answer became a 30-minute delay. The email you once answered for a non-client has produced 10 additional emails and help requests from the same person ... who still hasn't purchased. That individual who stopped by your office for a quick word with you is still here after one hour.

Try putting an egg timer on your desk and remind yourself every call or contact needs to get to the point within the next 3 minutes.

#3 - Quit Working On Your Weaknesses

We're told to acknowledge and work on our weaknesses to be a well rounded person. Forget about it! Acknowledge your weaknesses, but quit trying to work on them. Build a team and hand off responsibilities where you're weak.

Concentrate on your strengths and giftings. You do what you do best. Hire out the rest. If you're horrible at writing, hire a copywriter. If you don't like administrative paperwork, hand it off to someone else who's qualified.

#4 - Raise Your Prices

I've helped many businesses develop their unique client focus. In a few cases, they were one of the lowest cost options. Yet this is NOT the unique client focus I prefer to have. It's the most difficult one to build a business on.

I'd much rather see you use one of the other 17 ways to develop your uniqueness in the marketplace. You'll often find that by raising your prices and focusing on a more upscale market segment, you'll eliminate many of the time consuming problems of your business.

#5 - Work One Less Day a Week

If you want to make more money, work one less day a week. It sounds crazy, but it has been proven time and time again. If you're currently working 6 days a week, drop to 5. If you're working 5 days, drop to 4. By removing one day from your schedule, you'll be forced to focus more on the days you're working. You cut the garbage out and get down to business. You'll quickly find that a lot of the things you used to think were essential weren't needed at all.

#6 - Take Time to Plan

Plan the schedule for your next day in the last 5 minutes of the day. Plan your schedule for next week on the last ten minutes of your last day of the week. Take out one day every quarter to plan the next 90 days for your business. This is only a small investment each day, but it pays huge dividends for what you accomplish. Of course you can purchase a time management course, but this is the simple basis of planning your time.

Decide on the essentials that must be done in the coming period. And always plan time to work on your business instead of just in your business.

#7 - Hire a Coach

It's so easy to keep following the status quo. I'm sure you've heard that one definition for insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. If you want to earn more while working less, you have to make some changes.

And the absolute best way to make these changes is bring in someone from the outside. They have a different viewpoint and experiences in helping other entrepreneurs just like you. A good business coach knows how to ask the right questions to help you discover exactly how to transform your business into a profitable business instead of just a low paying job.

Terry Dean is the president of MyMarketingCoach. Discover the 10 Key Strategies Any Business Owner Can Use to Earn More, Work Less, and Enjoy Life in a special free report by going to My Marketing Coach.

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7 Easy Ways to Spend Less Time on the Phone

Reviewing a typical day's activities, you're shocked to discover how much time you spent on the phone. Even as you're adding up the number of calls, the phone rings again. "Here goes another twenty minutes," you mutter. Meanwhile, your desk overflows with uncompleted paper work. Fortunately, there are strategies for reducing your telephone time. Here are my 7 top ways to spend less time on the phone. I used every one of them during my twenty-three years in management, so I guarantee they will be useful for you.

1.Budget (yes, budget) your phone time. With six calls to make, allow yourself no more than thirty minutes to complete all of them. Obviously, this constraint will discipline you to get to the point, cover the point and make an exit.

2.As I have just indicated, batch your calls. Instead of scattering them throughout the day, make your calls consecutively. You'll shift into a "telephone mood," comparable to what athletes call "the zone." The second call becomes easier than the first, the third call even easier. Your efficiency escalates, and you accomplish more sooner.

3. Rely on E-mail more consistently. This is my favorite way to avoid phone tag. E-mail allows us to send messages at our most convenient time. Too, we will probably use fewer words (and time) than we would use by phone.

4. Make calls from your cell phone, if you can handle the phone safely while driving. When you tell someone, "Hi, Ted, I've got a couple of minutes to chat as I'm driving into downtown Atlanta," you're triggering them to get to the heart of the call instantly.

5. Outline what you intend to cover in the your calls. The outline keeps you from rambling, and from having to call again to cover an item you forgot to mention--embarrassing as well as time consuming. Ordinarily, I use a key word outline that resembles a grocery list. For example, in calling to get details about my next speaking engagement, my notes might include: time, duration, microphone, handouts, number attending, introducer and convention theme.

6.Call people just before lunch and just before closing time. I guarantee they won't be longwinded then.

7. When you have said what is important, make a summary statement and say farewell: "Barbara, it's my understanding that you have given me permission to exceed two or three budget items as long as I stay within the departmental budget. Thanks for the clarification. That's all I needed to know. Goodbye."

Source: http://Top7Business.com/