Sandra P. Martini
Proven Time Management & Productivity Techniques for Entrepreneurs
My friends are always amazed at how much I accomplish and
frequently ask "How do you get so much done?". I normally
just shrug it off, but the question has been coming so much
lately that I decided to share my top productivity
techniques.
1. Use lists.
I am a huge proponent of lists -- it's actually pretty
compulsive. :-)
I make daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly and annual
lists. 90 percent of my lists come straight from my
marketing plan -- I find that having a detailed marketing
plan allows me to plan for all aspects of my business. I
can gauge my income, expenses, projects, etc. all from this
one plan.
My monthly, quarterly and annual "lists" are in the form of
a 2' x 3' wall calendar. It's simple to avoid
doublebooking something or overcommiting myself when I can
easily glance up and see what I've got going on -- it's
also a great way to stay focused!
If you simply "show up" and see what happens day by day,
you are dealing with "stuff" that happens rather than the
strategic items that push your business forward. "Stuff"
happens and I have time each day when I deal with it, but
99% of the time it doesn't throw me off schedule since I've
allotted some time for things that come up.
I create my weekly list each Sunday and my daily lists are
written at the end of each day for the following day. This
allows my subconscious to "process" while I'm making
dinner, reading or relaxing in the evenings. Making these
lists is such a part of my "scripting" process that I no
longer even think about it. I just do it. And, while I've
given substantial sums of money to Franklin Covey over the
years, I've found that a yellow pad or simple notebook
serves me best and that's what I currently use.
2. Visualize and script your days.
I've advocated the book PsychoCybernetics by Maxwell Maltz
before and will do so again. It's not the easiest or
funnest book you'll ever read, but if you apply his
visualization and scripting techniques, you'll be amazed at
the difference in your productivity.
Research studies have been done with Olympic athletes where
they close their eyes and visualize performing in their
event -- from the start of the gun to crossing the finish
line. The results? The athletes who visualized winning
over and over in their minds' eyes often won in reality.
Our subconscious doesn't know the difference between real
and imagined. While they were visualizing performing,
their muscles and heart rate were firing as if they were
actually in the event.
Scripting your days also tells your subconscious to work on
"x" before you've even had a chance to consciously think
about it. I can tell you what I'm working on during any
time of the day. For example, I write every morning. It's
not a matter of "I don't feel like it today" or "I don't
know what to write". I sit down and I write. Period.
This is scripted into my day such that it's become a
routine and my mind knows that this is what it's doing at a
certain time each day. As a result, the words come.
The benefit?
Creating lists allows you to cross things off. It's such a
great feeling to look at your list and see all the
checkmarks next to what you've done. If I do something
that wasn't originally planned for, I write it on the list.
This keeps me in check with what I take on during the day
in relation to my original plans.
The act of scripting your day forces you to visualize what
you will be working on. This does two things: 1/ creates a
sense of deja vu when you are actually doing the work as
your mind has thought about it previously; remember, the
mind can not differentiate between actual and imagined and
2/ allows your mind to work in the background on a certain
project or task as you focus on something else.
Now's your chance. You can think "This won't work for me"
or "I can't do this in my business" -- this works in *any*
business and will work for *anyone*. To think otherwise is
just another excuse.
Techniques 3, 4 and 5 will come next week. Until then,
remember that it takes 21 days to create a routine. Stick
with it and watch your productivity skyrocket.
----------------------------------------------------
Author & Entrepreneur, Sandra Martini teaches small
business owners how to create more success in their
business while maintaining their sanity and having fun.
Are you a virtual assistant or consultant who's working day
and night in your business and still wondering where the
money is? If so, check out http://www.VAGuideToMoney.com .
