There is a LOT of time being a’wasted.
A LOT o’ time.

Time spent being self-indulgent… taking our emotional temperatures nearly every single hour, which then determines what we DO, or whether we follow the plan.

Time spent pleasing people… meeting people with no agenda, taking meetings we KNOW will be a waste of our time, but — not wanting to be rude — we accept them anyway.

Time spent doing “all the things” that the business books tell us to do, DESPITE wondering if they’ll really add anything to our business or lives. (P.S. If they WORKED, you wouldn’t have to wonder about them anymore.)

Time spent chasing clients. (P.S. They may just NOT be that interested in you. Let ’em go. They’ll either feel your absence and come back… or not.)

Time spent waiting… on a response, on inspiration, on the stars to align. (You know, procrastinating.)

Time spent doing God knows what.

And do you KNOW what gets left OFF the agenda on ANY day with wasted time?????? The MOST IMPORTANT STUFF:

Selling. (Which, by the way, our next LIVE training will be about my own DAILY selling plan… what I do, when, how… and how you may replicate it in a way that feels great to you. Tuesday, January 23rd 11 AM EST. At least then, you’ll have a whole SLEW of DAILY selling activities to choose from.)

Messaging. Call it empire building or taking new ground, or use the term marketing. Whatever. But this often gets left off. As an aside, people ALWAYS ask me HOW I message every day, but rarely ever ask me WHY. That’s revealing. They get the WHY, but don’t think they have TIME to do it. Hogwash.)

Following up.

In other words, ALL the stuff that moves the income needle in your business gets pushed aside… because of how we manage TIME. (Which is a misnomer, of course. We can’t manage time, we can only manage ourselves.)

Challenge: Where can you be MORE ruthless than ever before about your time? What is one time waster you’ll KICK OUT OF THE OFFICE today?

P.S. Reading this, but STILL not a part of Women Who WOW? Wondering if it’s for you? Email me. Or check us out at Womenwhowow.com. OR take it from one of our most recent members, hailing all the way from Canada, a yoga instructor:

“Lastly, I’ve been much more excited about sharing on social media and have already been journalling more, posting more and better content with greater ease, and I’ve experienced a much better level of connection with my current students and have reached new people through facebook, even in just a few days!”

The post The Indisputable Link Between Time & Success appeared first on b. michelle pippin.

Entrepreneurs from all over the world share a common battle cry:  FREEDOM!! We want to earn enough money to fund our chosen lifestyle, and we don’t want to be ankle-chained to our desks in order to do it.  In other words, we have the audacity to want it all:  money freedom, time freedom, location freedom.  We want life, success, money, and fame… and we want it on OUR terms.

What separates us from the average cubicle-dweller is this:  We’re ruthlessly, unapologetically and courageously creating this freedom each and every day.  We believe it’s possible.  For us.  We’re freedom fighters… each in our own office… working towards a reality that most would say lives only in fiction.

And yet… our everyday reality is this: we have SO MUCH to do. WAY more than the person with a J-O-B.   We’re creating content, massaging media relationships, managing employees, and driving our own agendas.  Serving clients, checking emails, responding to prospects, seeing patients, and working on proposals.   While ALL entrepreneurs desire time and money freedom, I’ve met a very precious few that actually CREATE it….  make it happen… really ACHIEVE this freedom.

In this article, I’m highlighting a few world class entrepreneurs — 13 — that do just that… they walk the productivity talk… that have achieved THEIR version of success… making more money and having more time to enjoy it.   But before we get there, let me just say that most entrepreneurs still struggle with TIME.

They’re hustling as hard as they can today, hoping that ONE DAY they can create some time freedom.  They’re burning the candle at both ends everyday, hoping that ONE DAY they can begin outsourcing.  They’re apologizing to their kids for never being around, giving up their todays… counting on ONE DAY being able to live according to their own priorities.  

Call me a cynic, but I don’t believe in ONE DAY.  You want to GROW your business in the way you want to MAINTAIN your business.  So this whole idea of working nonstop while my kids’ childhood flies by in hopes of ONE DAY being present in my own home again?  No thanks.   If you GROW your business without “pause” and without boundaries and without a life, that is EXACTLY what will be required to maintain your business.

I’ve written almost 30 articles about my own TIME HACKING tips — born of necessity — and developed over time as I navigated full-time motherhood, active wife-hood, and my unwavering, always increasing desire to KICK SOME MAJOR BUTT in my business.  I’ve long been considered maniacal about my time, and for good reason:  If work didn’t get accomplished during my (short) work week, it threatened family time…. which was unacceptable.

So I learned to be absurdly productive.  And so can you.   Here’s where to start:

Create Boundaries.

Regardless of where YOU land within the political debates about “building walls” — some of those who most adamantly and loudly oppose  “building a wall” live, ironically, in gated communities —  walls around your time are absolutely necessary to be most productive, regardless of who opposes them.  

Here are my three main rules around boundaries:

• Only put up a fence you’re willing to defend.  i.e. Don’t pretend to have a time boundary and then never enforce it. Start small, create a small boundary and then ruthlessly — unapologetically — defend it.
• Start with what’s off limits.   Rather than doing some huge time/schedule overhaul, just start with what’s completely off limits.  Boundaries are so effective, they’re addicting.  Create one or two… defend them and then watch what happens.  What hours will your clients, employees, partners NEVER have access to?
• Respecting YOUR boundaries isn’t their job.  Do not expect anyone else to respect your boundaries if YOU don’t respect your boundaries.   Forget that… they don’t have to respect your boundaries to abide by them. This isn’t the wild, wild west, where someone comes in and takes what is yours.  Time boundaries are yours to set, yours to defend, and cannot be breached without YOUR permission.

One of my favorite authors and entrepreneurs EVER is Mike Michalowicz.  (If you haven’t read The Pumpkin Plan, you’re missing out.)  In an article you should read soon, Mike gives the following advice AGAINST being available all the time to your clients:

Mike Michalowicz

“Being available all the time for your customers may sound great initially. “Always at your service” sounds nice to both the new entrepreneur and the customers. But in reality, it is only a matter of time before it will force you to become a glorified slave to your business. It forces you to live in constant anxiety!  The key to business success is not becoming a slave to the work. Rather, it is taking the time to refresh and recharge. You must take a break, and by doing that, you will end up providing a much greater service to your clients.” – Mike Michalowicz

Avoid the Trap of Perfection.

I love those people who email me about a typo in the 7th paragraph of a blog post.  To them, I say,  “Um… I think you missed the point, friend.”   These are the same people who blog once a quarter because they’re aiming for perfection.

Photo from michaelhyatt.com

This isn’t a hall pass to be sloppy or unprofessional.  In fact, one of the entrepreneurs I MOST associate with excellence is Michael Hyatt.  I love his blog, his podcast, his family-oriented approach to his business.  And he agrees, saying “Perfection is the mother of procrastination.”  To everyone in constant planning mode, and there are many, Hyatt goes on to say “Excessive planning can become a fancy way to procrastinate.”  Absolutely!  You cannot not be profitable or productive while procrastinating.

Don’t Wait to Be Inspired.

We’re all adults here, right?  Good.  Then, the time for taking your emotional temperature all day, figuring out what you FEEL like doing is over.  You have a business to run, whether you feel like it or not.  You have a blog to write, whether you feel like it or not.  You have clients to create, customers to serve, whether you are running high on inspiration or not.  DO WHAT YOU KNOW YOU SHOULD DO, REGARDLESS OF HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT DOING IT.

Stephen King

I call this adulting, and while I’ve never had an actual conversation with the man, I’d say Stephen King agrees.   Here’s  how he separates amateurs from the rest of us:

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” – Stephen King

Schedule Start and Stop Times for All of your Work.

Everyone sets start times for meetings, for appointments, for phone calls, etc. BUT, very few actually schedule WHEN things should END.  Dan Kennedy reminds us that our tasks will “expand to fill the time we’ve allotted to the task.”  (NOTE: in this case, I’m ad libbing his quote. I’ve read so much of this man, it was hard to track down the actual quote. Forgive me and then buy this book for more.)

Bottom line: Have a start AND end time for everything you’re planning into your day.  If you ALLOW writing a blog post to take FOUR HOURS,  it will take 4 hours.  If you give it LESS time, you’ll be surprised at how efficient you are writing against the clock.  Same thing for those dreadful coffee dates. If you INSIST on having them, give them 30 – 45 minutes tops.  Otherwise, a simple “coffee date” will eat up your entire morning.

Kat Loterzo

To stay on this topic of SCHEDULING for OPTIMUM productivity, I need to introduce you to a woman I met myself only recently. If you haven’t heard of Kat Loterzo, you need to know her.  She’s a ballsy entrepreneur who simply RAGES against the entrepreneurial machine.  (Since you’re reading MY blog, I must assume you’re not easily offended.  If you are, skip Kat’s site.) Anyway, Kat has a 25-minute productivity formula that she summarizes like this:

Step 1:  Set a timer for 25 minutes.

Step 2: Do the f*ing work for 25 minutes.

Brilliantly simple, right?  In Chapter 4 of her book on the 25-Minute Productivity Secret she lives by, she gives a list of things you can get done in 25 minutes…. as long as you’re doing the f’ing work during those 25 minutes and not being interrupted with distractions.

Focus Your Efforts.

I want to stay with the whole scheduling thing and remind you AGAIN to block your time.  Do NOT try to handle everything all at once.  Block out time for communicating with your team.  Block out time to create content for your business. Block out time to SELL and create new clients.  Block it out, so you can be UBER-focused during that time.  Multitasking is out.  Focused-tasking is in.

Tony Robbins

“One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.” – Tony Robbins

Focus. Don’t dabble your way through the day.  Direct your focus.  Knock something out in a set period of time, and then move on.

Have a system/ritual.

Steve Chandler

I have only learned to love systems very recently.  Typically, I rebel against anything that tries to box me in.  But, as Steve Chandler says, “Only the disciplined are free.”  So, having a productivity ritual is CRITICAL to your success.   The “rituals” of the uber successful have a few things in common:

1. They wake up early.
2. They have a morning routine that includes exercise and some quiet time.
3. They do the most important work before distractions are allowed into their day.
4. They have a system or an ORDER for how their day will run.

Tony Jantsch

Take it from the success behind Duct Tape Marketing fame: “Turns out the most productive individuals all have one thing in common and that’s a system.” — Tony Jantsch.

Use What You Have.

Anita Campbell

Please, please, please stop searching for the next greatest app to keep you organized, productive and successful. THIS is an inside job, folks.   Plus, haven’t you already spent TONS of money on new “gadgets” to keep you on task and productive?   Great. Start there.  Use what you already have to their fullest use.  ONLY THEN consider adding to your collection.

“If you don’t make time to actively work with outside consultants and providers, or learn to use the subscription tools you pay for, you just end up wasting money and being disappointed with the results.” — Anita Campbell

Jim Rohn

The late, great Jim Rohn agrees: “Start from wherever you are and with whatever you’ve got.” – Jim Rohm

Outsource Whatever You Can.

The Magical “O” word:  outsourcing.  Few of us outsource effectively.  In my experience, we as entrepreneurs struggle mightily with “handing off” even the most basic of tasks.   We can’t find the right people. (Are you paying too little to attract quality?)  Or, we don’t know what to outsource.  Or, we don’t think we have the money to outsource YET.

Hogwash.  Outsource SOMETHING starting now.  Start small.  Only when you free yourself from the basic stuff can you LEVERAGE your talent, expertise and time into the empire I know you are imagining.   Don’t just listen to me.  Here are two more crazy successful ‘trees you could learn from:

Steve Strauss

“You should be using your time to grow your business, not mailing packages or whatever, and if you are doing the latter then it’s time to hire some help, get an intern, outsource, or do whatever else it is you need to do to get the help you need.”  — Steve Strauss

Ivanka Trump

“Hiring great people is almost the most important thing you can do as a leader because they enable you to scale, and they create better leverage for you and your time,” Trump explains. “To the extent that I can hire people to do things that either I’m not good at or that aren’t good uses of my time, that’s time very well spent.”  — Ivanka Trump

The post 13 World Class Entrepreneurs Share Their Top Productivity Hacks appeared first on b. michelle pippin.

Time hacking is so much more than just “time management.”  As I stated in a recent BizWomen.com article, our goal shouldn’t be “managing” time, but harnessing it, leveraging it and multiplying our ROIT.  So far on our own blog, we’ve covered the rules of time hacking, and a time hacking secret we’ve ALL used, but far too infrequently.   Today, we’ll cover the 5-step process to time hacking like a #boss.

Step One:  Create Absolute Clarity About What You Want.

This is so cliche, I really wanted to leave it out… trust me.  I HATE being cliche.  BUT, in this case, just because it’s cliche doesn’t meant it’s not also critically important.   Here’s a common conversation I have with physicians, attorneys, coaches, and other self-bossers:

THEM:  I need to get more clients. (or patients, or members.) 
ME:  Really?  Do you want more clients, more appointments, more time in the office? OR Do you really just want more profit? 
THEM:  Well, don’t I need more patients to get more profit? 

Nope.  Not always.  In fact, a lot of my work with clients involves getting MORE of the most profitable clients / patients so they can see LESS overall patients/members/ clients.

In order to be MOST productive, you must first get really clear about what you really want… not what you THINK you need to ENDURE in order to get what you really want.   So, step one: get crystal clear on what you (really, really) want.

Step Two: Know the Right Things  To Do

Now that you know what you want, you need to make a list of what it will take to get there.  It is entirely impossible to be a time-hacker if you are choosing your tasks indiscriminately.   So, make a (short) list of what you’re currently doing that is moving you closer to your goals.  Keep doing those things and — of course —  keep measuring their effectiveness to be sure they continue to work.  Eliminate those things you’re doing that aren’t moving the needle in your business.   And, whenever you try something new… a new social media platform, a new group, a new commercial… measure results and respond accordingly.

I used to speak quite a bit to Christian women and couples and TIME was a common topic. My slogan was always the same: You’ll never have time to do everything, but you’ll always have the time to do everything important. 

The same is true in business. ALWAYS do the RIGHT things instead of trying to do ALL things.   Cut the least effective tasks you’re currently doing and then make room to do MORE of what’s working.

Step Three:  If It’s Important, Schedule It.

To do lists are great.  I love them.  But, to time hack like a boss you’ve got to take EACH TASK on your list and give it a DATE to be completed as well as a START TIME and an END TIME.  In short, schedule it.   You already schedule your commitments to other people… your appointments with clients, your kids orthodontist appointments, your weekly massage. Well, you need to also schedule everything ELSE that is important.   If it’s important, schedule it.  Period.

Step Four:  Protect your Time As If It’s Your Most Valuable Asset… Because It Is.

What good is it to schedule your time if you’re not willing to PROTECT your time and your schedule?  Let’s be honest for a minute.  EACH of us is plagued by our own personalized posse of time gremlins.  For me, these time gremlins include  (but are certainly not limited to) orthodontist appointments, sick kids, mending broken hearts, and the constant errand running kids require. =)  For you, your posse of time gremlins — also personalized —  will look different from mine.

Either way,  we need to protect our schedule by protecting our environment.  Eliminate distractions.  Figure out how to put your phone on  “do not disturb” so you aren’t tempted to accept incoming, but unscheduled, calls.  Plan meetings with your employees, so they do not have un-bridled access to you.  Turn off notifications on your computer.  Let your family and your friends know your work schedule and plan social calls and visits for NON-work hours.

If you are unwilling to RUTHLESSLY protect your time — WITHOUT APOLOGY — you will never be as productive, nor as profitable, as you can be.

Step Five:  Stack Your Efforts, Always.

When I was young, my family and I would stay — with my mom’s sisters and all of their kids — in a little wooden cabin in Manteo, NC.  The owner of this house was an eccentric couple and whenever they’d visit with us, I got a memorable lesson in what it must have been  like to grow up in the Great Depression.

This woman cut all paper towels in half, washed them, rung them out and then hung them up to dry…. ready for multiple uses.  She cut an oreo cookie into THIRDS and offered it to my brother and two cousins as an afternoon snack.  She thawed the freezer every night and did something — I have NO idea what — with the water.  You get the point.

Well, we need to do something similar with our time.  We need to become fanatical about getting multiple uses out of each of our efforts.  Transcribe recorded calls into written products.  Re-purpose past content.  (Example: In the new WOW membership, we’ll be unveiling an “archive of the week,” taking parts of paid WOW programs and digging deep into them each week, allowing members untold dollars of additional benefits, but allowing me to re-purpose what’s already been created!) Instead of simply answering emails from non-clients, turn questions into blog posts and allow your whole tribe to benefit.

Look at next week… and get curious about the different and multiple uses you can create out of what’s already on your schedule.  In cycling speak, you’re looking to get more miles out of each foot stroke.

Keep me posted on your time hacking progress!!

xo

The post 5 Steps to Time Hacking Like A #Boss appeared first on b. michelle pippin.

I’ll never forget the first friend of mine to have a baby.   Her name was Carrie,we were young and she was married to a man that I love with all my heart to this day.  Carrie — now tragically deceased — was the first to post a comment on this blog and I miss her terribly… mainly missing the years we spent out of touch prior to her passing.

But back then, I’ll never forget pulling in to her apartment complex with a Honda Prelude full of groceries, a baby in a baby carrier, a diaper bag and a purse.  She started unloading that car faster than I could walk around to help.  I asked, “Hey… let me get something.” But she said, “Oh this is nothing.  I’ve got momma hands now.”

That she did.  When the demands on her grew, so too did her capacity…. even to the extent of growing magic arms.

The same thing happens to us… right before we go on vacation.  Think back to the last time you were getting ready to go on vacation… not the vacation itself… spend a moment thinking about the 3 work days PRIOR to your departure.

You were an extreme productivity guru in action, weren’t you?!

You had a list — a daunting to do list —  of stuff that had to be done in order for you to be able to take off…. and enjoy yourself.  The list was overwhelming, but your deadline (vacation day!) was closing in on you quickly.  With no time to bemoan your overwhelm, not a minute to waste on creative procrastination strategies, a magical thing happened… you started knocking out that list like the productivity wizard you are.  Every minute counted.  You hit mute when the phone rang.  You forbid and eliminated distractions.  Interruptions were met with a polite, “I don’t have a moment to spare right now.” response.  Your focus was laser-like.  Your breaks were small (but mighty).

And you felt amazing… not JUST because you were getting closer to landing on the shores of Jamaica ‘mon… but because you were so friggin’ accomplished.   You felt good about how you had performed and achieved at work.  And THIS “day before vacation mojo” is an extreme productivity secret you can — and should — employ far more often than you are now.

You see, you already know how to be extremely productive… how to get far more done in far less time.  And, you’ve already proven to yourself that it is possible.  Over the next several TIME HACKING posts, I’m going to share a few ways — in paint by numbers simplicity —  to build this extreme productivity secret into your business on a far more regular basis.

For now, what eye opening realizations have you had about your OWN ability to be an uber-effective time hacker?  Tell us a story, post a tip, or encourage each other in the posts below.

The post Time Hacking: The EXTREME Productivity Secret We’ve ALL used, but way too infrequently appeared first on b. michelle pippin.

“I just don’t have any time to  _________________.”

Fill in the blank with one of the following, or with your choice of business development habits you’re NOT doing:   Blog.  Network.  Speak.  Do a tele-seminar.  Create a new bait offer for your website.

A lack of time is the #1 Excuse for business failure.  And it’s so incredibly fixable.  Here are three truths to keep in mind regarding your time:

Truth #1: Time is the ultimate equalizer.

You, me, Oprah, Trump, and whoever you’re looking up to in the entrepreneurial world are all blessed with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.   The big names in your industry do not get MORE time allotted to them than  you or I do.  None of us can steal time, borrow time, nor buy time.  No matter how famous — or how humble — we each have the same 24 hours per day.

So, stop complaining. You have the same time as everyone else.  It’s how you plan it, protect it, leverage it that counts. And these three actions are available to each of us.  More on that in a minute.

Truth #2: Time will always expose your (real) beliefs & values.

There’s a saying, “Show me your checkbook and I’ll show you your values.” I disagree.  Show me your CALENDAR and I’ll show you your values.  What is blocked off and protected regularly?  Exercise? Vacations?  Writing time?  Devotions?  Bible study?  Girls night? Date night?  Family time?

The other side of that coin is this:  What do you SAY you value, but never block out time to do?  What do you say is important, but “never have time for?”  Marketing? Following up with referrals?  Being of amazing service to clients? Attending that mastermind?  Sitting down for coffee with a friend?

Time — how you plan it, how you protect it, how you spend it — will ultimately reveal more about you than any forensic digging could ever expose.   Sure, you could  keep complaining about how you never have time for _______________, but the timing excuse is a very revealing one.   Let’s keep going.

Truth #3:  No one can ever rob you of your time.

Sure, others can waste our time… but only with our permission — if not our invitation.   Tough truth to hear, indeed, but it is up to us to ruthlessly manage our ONLY non-renewable resource in business… our time.

Do you keep getting interrupted by clients, employees or colleagues?  Work someplace else.  End the open door policy.  Be visibly busy.  REQUIRE appointments with agendas given in advance.  Have a  patented response to “Do you have a minute?” (Suggestion: Not right now.  Can you email me what you have on your mind, and I’ll get back to you soon.) Just a few suggestions.

Do you continue to be distracted by non-work responsibilities?  Housework? Phone calls from friends?  I get it. (Except the housework stuff. My Mister would give ANYTHING for the dishes to distract me from my business.)  Here are a few suggestions to help: Change WHERE you work.  Set office hours…. and announce them to your friends.  Don’t answer their call and send a text saying, “I’m working right now.  Can I call you when I’m done? I close up shop at 3 PM on Wednesdays.”

Super sneaky trick for us MOMpreneurs who hate being interrupted but also need (and want) to be available to our kids?  Try this:  On your iPhone, set up “favorite numbers” and then put your phone on “do not disturb” mode.  ONLY your favorites (your kids, your parents, the school, whoever) will  be able to get through.

We’re going DEEP into TIME HACKING (TM) over the next few weeks. But, the key takeaways for today are simple:

1. YOU are in control…. to a much larger degree than  you’re exercising right now.

2. When you PLAN, PROTECT, and the LEVERAGE your time, not only will you make more money, you’ll enjoy your business more, have more time off to enjoy your success, feel a whole lot less frustrated and stressed and — simply — LOVE being a self-bossed again.

We’ll soon host a free TIME HACKING event… but until then, have a “look see” at some of our previous posts on the topic of TIME.

How to construct a SUCCESSFUL Day In Your Business. 

How to Save Time and Make More Money. 

4 Not So Obvious Ways to Take Back Your Time.

The post The #1 Excuse for Business Failure appeared first on b. michelle pippin.