Making Time For Success

Are you an individual who knows how to make good use of your time?  If you are not, you may want to learn ways to make improvements.  This is because time management can have a negative impact on your personal life.  Unfortunately, many individuals only believe that poor time management hurts those in the workplace, but this isn’t the case.  In fact, there are a number of ways that your personal life can suffer from poor time management.

If you do not know how to manage your time, there is a good chance that you will be stressed out.  You may also feel a wide range of other emotions, including anger, frustration, and fear.  With that said, if you know how to properly manage time you are more likely to live a happy, healthy, productive, and stress-free life.

Although we often associate poor time management with missed deadlines and showing up late to work, it is important to remember that the same can be said about your social life.  Do you have friends?  How much do you stay in contact with them?  How often do you get together for coffee or lunch?  If you do, do you show up for your meetings with friends late or do you forget to make regular contact with them?  If you do, you may end up putting your friendships at risk.

In addition to having a negative impact on your friendships, poor time management may also have an impact on your relationship.  To have a healthy and happy relationship, time management is important. You need to know how much time you should devote to your spouse, as opposed to spending it working, watching television, or hanging out with friends.  Time management is also important as you want to make sure that you arrive home or at dates on time.

If you are a parent, having poor time management may also impact the relationship that you have with your children.  When you are a parent, you have responsibilities to your children.  The most common of these responsibilities is to feed and clothe your children.  Depending on their ages, you may also be reasonable for getting them ready and sent off to school or daycare.  If you do not have a proper sense of time or if you do just choose not to use your time wisely, you can end up hurting your children, like by making them late to school or other important events.  All individuals are encouraged to have a good sense of time, but it is vital for parents.

In keeping with being a parent, if you are a parent, poor use of your time also sets bad examples for your children.  Whether your children are teenagers, toddlers, or elementary school-aged, they will likely make note of your behaviors.  If you want your children to get good grades at school and later get good jobs, it is important that you teach them all about time management and its importance.  One of the best ways to do so is by setting a good example for your children.  The good news is that this is a lot easier than it sounds.  You can set a good example for your children by getting ready for work in the morning on time or by arriving at scheduled events on time.

Another one of the many ways that having a poor sense of time management can hurt you is with your credit.  Those who have poor time management also often have poor credit.  This is because those who are unable to properly manage their time often pay their bills late.  With credit cards, this can result in expensive minimum payments that just cannot be paid.  By knowing when all of your bills are due, you are likely to have better credit, but time management is important.

As you can see, there are a number of ways that poor time management can negatively impact your personal life.  For that reason, take steps to make sure it doesn’t impact yours.

We would love to hear your comments.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

4 Crucial Things Leaders Must Know About Their Employees

Each employee finds value in the differing actions of their leaders. Here are some of the crucial things that you should consider about your employees to become a highly successful C-suite manager. 

Simply put, not all leadership styles resonate with every employee. It can be a challenge to translate technical talent as an employee into great management style and behavior. However, a CEO or C-Suite management position can tremendously benefit from having someone who is highly skilled, with a strong vision, and with technical talent.

So, how can you translate all of that into a single leadership role? It starts with working on the capability to understand those who work around you. It’s crucial to know specific things about your employees and about your team’s dynamic.

Here’s where to get started…

Provide Recognition when Earned

Providing proper recognition is one of the most priceless things that a manager can do for their employees. This is especially true when it comes to team or solo wins by employees.

Many people are motivated by the recognition of those whom they both respect or idolize. It’s important to recognize the accomplishments of a team that may have helped you to achieve success in your career as well.

Beyond verbal recognition, establishing a fair monetary incentive or system that will help your employees feel recognized can also be a major stepping stone. Unfortunately, positive feedback doesn’t pay the bills of the employees that you appreciate. Try to remember that most are motivated to be loyal when they’re taken care of and their needs are met.

Focus on Internal Staff Development

Employees who want to develop their skills, learn more about the industry, and to continually grow are the ones that you want to have around long-term. Providing resources, funding, and opportunities to your employees for professional development can help motivate the best talent in your organization.

Particularly, offering internal staff development opportunities at a challenging time (such as a global pandemic) can be a great way to shake up the routine and keep morale high. Internal staff development opportunities can also help employees understand their purpose and future direction which can lead to increased productivity, ambition, and total work quality.

Finally, attracting new talent with internal staff development opportunities is a great strategy. Ensure that your HR, hiring managers, and recruiters advertise the professional development opportunities that are available to employees. Actively leveraging this “work perk” during hiring seasons can lead to long-term talent recruitment and talent retention benefits.

Create an Environment to Thrive

Leaders must build a culture that’s designed for growth and for employees to thrive. If the C-Suite is recognizing that there’s a disconnect with employees and their morale or overall attitude – it’s time to reassess.

Creating a workplace where people feel they have shared values is so incredibly important. Not only for the short-term but also for the long-term vision in terms of hiring and maintaining the right workforce.

Always Maintain Trust

Finally, managers must continue to foster an atmosphere of trust. The key to doing this is to follow through on your word with actions. Don’t reveal people’s personal opinions or “throw them under the bus”. Leaders only have one shot to maintain trust and integrity. If the trust is broken over time, it will not be long until employees head for the door to find a different opportunity.

What else should leaders know about their employees?

Communication through all channels is a major key to keeping employees satisfied in the workplace. Actively hear the needs of your staff not as a personal failing but as them placing their trust in you to make change when you can. Explain how you’re resolving problems, working on their criticisms, or moving the needle forward in whatever way you have the power to. Being a great leader comes down to absolute communications in as many situations as possible.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

All articles, quotes, and material in this newsletter are copyrighted by our associate Gary Sorrell, Sorrell Associates, LLC ©. No part can be reproduced in any form without specific written consent. All rights reserved worldwide. Thank you!

7 Tips for Business Owners to Successfully Increase Focus Every Day

Focus is defined by the Oxford dictionary as “the center of interest or activity”. When business owners feel focused, their time can be used much more productively. Taking time to increase focus as a business leader produces more long-term results. But – in a world full of distractions, how can a business owner stay focused? Here are some tips.

Tip #1: Establish a Daily Routine
Typical day-to-day as an entrepreneur and business owner can be chaotic. Most successful entrepreneurs start the day with the same routine. This allows for the ability to mindfully set intentions and start with an “easy win”. Whether it’s coffee on your porch while reading a book, a regimented workout, or a sunrise walk – build something into your schedule that’s always there on working days before you start your day in the office.

Tip #2: Time Block your Days

Do you feel like you always have an endless to-do list? Research suggests that around 41% of tasks on a to-do list are never actually completed. Take 10 minutes in the morning to time block your calendar in a minimum of 15-minute increments. This method helps to break the work down into realistic chunks of time and can help you to prioritize what matters.

Tip #3: Tackle the Scary Tasks First

It can be oh so tempting to schedule all of your meetings and complete administrative tasks first thing in the morning. However, data shows that most people experience an increase in focus in the first few hours at work. This is when you should be tackling those big, creative, or lengthy tasks that you’ve been putting off. Don’t open your email inbox the moment that you get into the office. Cleaning out your inbox is the illusion of productivity. Instead, focus on one large task that will move the dial forward that day!

Tip #4: Determine your Goals and Reprioritize (as needed)

Your goals for the next week, month, and year of your business can be a major way to increase focus as a business owner. Be sure to display those goals prominently to yourself (and your team) so that you can be reminded of your “why”. If you find that your focus has been on tasks or projects that don’t push those goals forward – it may be time to reprioritize. Every task and idea that you’re working on as an entrepreneur should have a connection to your short-term or long-term goals.

Tip #5: Be Efficient with Meetings and Calls

Meetings and phone calls can be the ultimate time wasters if they’re not properly structured. Increase the efficiency of your meeting schedule by prioritizing your time. Communicate clearly with those who are asking for your time to ensure that there is a focus for each meeting that’s scheduled on your calendar. If possible, ask for an agenda for longer meetings to ensure that things stay on track. Every meeting or call should end with action items and clear goals for staff, business clients, or other parties. As a business owner, you should never leave a meeting or call feeling like you did not give or receive direction.

Tip #6: Build in Mental / Physical Breaks

Neuroscience shows that burnout rates are higher in people who don’t take mental and physical breaks throughout the day. While it may be easier to skip lunch (or eat at your desk while working) – make a point to take the breaks that you need throughout the day to feel rested and recharged. Your brain and vascular system require movement during the day to stay alert, increase focus, and feel energized. Even a 2-minute walk on a set of office stairs can improve overall mental clarity and function! If you can, get outside during the day for a walk – your body and mind will reward you for it.

Tip #7: Leverage your Team and Talent!

Finally, you’re the boss for a reason! Remember that as a business owner your greatest talent is leadership and vision. Be sure that you’re leveraging your team and their talent to accomplish all of the goals ahead of you. Entrepreneurs can be reluctant to hand over the reins to projects – but it’s worth it to free up more time and mental capacity. Finally, for those staff members who are doing a great job be sure to give credit where it’s due. Compensation, benefits, and time off can be a great way for a business owner to retain talent and ensure that you’re able to be as focused as possible!

Please share with your colleagues & staff.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

Organize By Priority

Organize By Priority

A time management skill to help you be more productive

Start the new New Year off on the right foot and get in the habit of organizing and prioritizing your day. You will become more productive. This is a proven simple way to save time, be organized, and increase productivity.

Before leaving the office for the day, or first thing the next morning, make a list of everything that needs to be done. Next, prioritize your list.

Give each one an A, B, C, D, or E priority mark.

A – Must be done first – very important. Serious consequences if you do not get it done. Often this is a task you don’t want to do and have procrastinated to get done. Think about the sense of accomplishment you will have once it is complete. In addition, you get to check it off your list.

B – A ‘should do’ task with mild consequences. (Never do a B task before A tasks are done)

C – Nice to do, but no consequences whether you do it or not. Has little or no effect on your work life. (Most people spend half of their time here)

D – Something you can delegate. This frees up your time to work on the A tasks.

E – Eliminate all together and it makes absolutely no difference. It may have been a higher priority task previously but is no longer important.

Remember, not everything has to be done today. However, if you have several A tasks, give them a priority too. A1, A2, A3, etc… A1 being the most important and the task you should tackle first.

Practice discipline and start working on your A tasks right away.

We would love to hear your comments. Please contact us today!

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Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor, and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.