I'm Moving...well, I already have moved....

It's Official.

I am streamlining all my social media sites to get de-cluttered.  This has been a feat of growth for me as I have been procrastinating about it for a long time.

So here is what has happened in the last few months:

• I moved my social media post scheduler to a different platform
• I figured out how to consolidate my various email & Google accounts
• I created a new & in-sync blog on my website (Blog 2.0)

So what does this mean?

Yes:  I will still be blogging regularly

No:  I will no longer be blogging here - the new blog is on my website 

Yes:  You can still find me on Twitter @linxcoach

Yes:  You can still find me on LinkedIn

Yes:  You can find me on Facebook & I am becoming a little more active there now as well

Why did I do all this?

I have a few projects in the works that will be launching in the next few weeks and then over the course of the next few months so I needed to make space (in my head, in my networks) for clarity and solid easy processes...that means not skipping around to a million different sites to get work done. (I know this was a huge problem because I would end up chasing shiny objects aka online shopping/reading/listening instead of getting down to work - it was easy to do).

I feel more confident.  I feel de-cluttered.  I feel that you will have a better experience with me on the new Blog.

I want to thank you for being with me here since 2011 or even earlier.  

See you soon!  Posts are already live over at the new place.

The Difference Between Excellent & Perfect

The difference in time it takes you to get from excellent to perfect is a waste of your precious time. Period.

The difference in money it takes to get from excellent to perfect is a waste of money that could be better invested elsewhere.

The difference in what your customers see from excellent to perfect is invisible.

From the quote, and even from your own work, you can see it takes such a lot of hard work to get to excellent.  When everyone tends to interpret perfect in their own way, how will you ever succeed at reaching perfection? (Somewhere in here is the law of diminishing returns)

How are you calculating the wasted time & money that is spent on making a minute move from excellent to perfect that the most important people won’t even know exists?  And if do invest this time & money, how are you going to justify the upcharge to your customers?

Right Thing at the Right Time

How do you focus on getting the right things done at the right time?  

This seems to be more of an art than a science.   Right things and right times are as different as we are in each of our roles.  With the rapid pace of change, and the ongoing flexes that happen in our lives and our businesses, knowing when to do what can sometimes be a challenge.  Here are a few tips that could help you with this:

1. eat that frog:  do the big, ugly stuff first - it gets it done…and usually its the stuff you keep putting off
2. plan at least 1 fun thing a day:  fun has a different meaning for everyone - it could be planning 10 minutes of extra surfing time on Facebook or Twitter, or it could be an ice-cream treat at the end of a long series of meetings.
3. know what is making you money right now - this changes just like the seasons do - who is buying what and in which quantities changes - set your sites on marketing to the ones doing the buying next so that you can ‘prime the pump’ as they say.
4. know when you are most productive:  some people are more productive in the early morning, some late afternoon, some are night owls….put your most creative tasks into those timeframes - you will get them done and build momentum for the rest of your work.
5. step away:  from your desk, from the phone, from anything that is connected and find some fresh air…then breathe in and out, perhaps adding in a stretch or two.  This will help you focus on what you are next going to tackle.

The Mañana Effect

Mañana means tomorrow in Spanish.

When I hear Mañana, I think of my lazy vacations in Mexico, relaxing in the sun, drinks with lots fruit, fresh seafood and of course the beach.  What could be further from getting things done than that image?

This time of year tends to lend itself to putting things off until the Summer is over and the school year kicks back in.  How do you eliminate the ‘mañana effect’? (also known as Summertime Procrastinators Dilemma)

For yourself:

• develop and try to stick to a Summer work routine - by doing this, you can build in some flex time for fun stuff
• set 2-3 small goals for each week and then write “DONE” all over them when you have completed them - feels good & you can look back later and see how productive you were (and can be again).
• be more flexible with your schedule - starting a little earlier instead of staying late, putting in some extra time on the rainy days
• DO the Work!!  or delegate it and follow up on what you expect.

For your team:

• have more frequent & much shorter update meetings to help everyone stay on track
• take a lunch break outside together - have fun playing outdoor games or even simply blowing bubbles - be kids again & let loose
• schedule some extra time off in the Summer months, working through this together as a team - perhaps just an extra afternoon off or a later start time once each month can be a reward for eliminating the mañana effect

For your current clients/future clients:

• book the rest of the Summer meetings now - if you have a schedule of implementation to follow with them, they will be less inclined to cancel or not book the appointments later
• let them know that your Summer is filling up, time to get on the calendar is now, giving them only 2 or 3 options from which to choose will help eliminate procrastination
• take the appointments somewhere fun or interesting, not just in the office or their boardroom - get outside at a cafe, or bring a summer treat to the meeting….it will relax the atmosphere just a little & perhaps change the outcome a lot.

If you have tips for eliminating the ‘mañana effect’….please share!