Every now and then you get handed a slow week – usually the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, but sometimes you’ll get a quiet week other times during the year.  Maybe you’ve officially taken the whole week off – which is great!  However if you’re like most business owners, you’re ‘working’ this week, you’ve just planned it to be slow.

Slow doesn’t have to mean unproductive though – here are a few ideas of what to focus on to make sure it’s a great slow week and not just…well, slow!

Finish your planning

Planning is a four letter word for most entrepreneurs – it runs counter to your instincts…and for most of us it’s just not any fun.  But if you want to succeed, you need to at least go through a planning process.  It doesn’t have to be complicated – try this:

Identify your top 5 priorities for the next year…if you could get these 5 things done / achieved / etc. you’d make it a great year!

Identify at least 2 or 3 key targets you want to hit – usually one of them is revenue, but it could also be profits, number of new clients, some sort of quality metric.  The key is to make sure it’s something easy to measure and it’s a valid, important measure of your business success.

Finally – with the above in mind, identify the top 5 (or so) things you need to get done in the next 90 days.  What will move the ball forward?  What’s achievable?  Be specific and layout at least a framework of how you’ll do what you’d do.

Make a list of people to contact

Your long term success is also going to be driven by the company you keep…and if you don’t make time to stay in touch, you’ll lose out on a lot of opportunities. 

Make a top 20 list of business (and some personal) contacts who are likely to either refer you business or be a great contact for you in some other way.  Once you’ve got a good list, make a commitment to meet with someone on the list at least weekly.  Relationships only get built when you spend quality time with people.

Take a nap!

It’s a slow week, take some time and give yourself permission to relax a little bit.  Seriously…when was the last time you took a nap (and being sick doesn’t count).  You’ll be amazed at how good you’ll feel after a quality nap.

Clean off your desk

There have been tons of studies that prove that clutter on your desk, in your office causes stress…and with that stress you’re going to be a lot less productive.  Don’t believe me?  Try doing a great cleanup job on your desk…and let me know if you don’t feel way better about what you’re doing afterwards. 

My experience is that it’s like a weight coming off your shoulders…one that you didn’t know you were carrying!

Hang out with family and friends

This one’s obvious – the reason you planned a ‘slow’ week in the first place was to build in some time to relax, but if you’re like most business owners, life often gets in the way of your plans.  An important email comes in, you get some phone calls you have to handle, you just remembered a commitment that had to be done…before you know it the week’s up and you didn’t spend any time with those most important to you.

Don’t let that happen.  On your slow week…make sure you build in hard stops and walls for your business activities…and give yourself some quality time away.

What are the most important things you do on a slow week?  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below, especially if you’re just relaxing around this week!

Shawn Kinkade   Kansas City Business Coach

Photo by Arvee5.0

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The world is moving faster every single day.  In fact if you want to keep up with it, you need to start developing some super powers…super productivity skills just to keep up!  Everybody faces different arch enemies – for some it’s the dreaded interruptions, for others it’s that evil villain technology…for most it’s dealing with a lack of discipline or organization!.

Whatever’s holding you back, there’s no time like the present to start fighting back – you can develop productivity skills and habits and you can get better at efficiency and effectiveness.

Check out the 15 ideas below, put on your tights and pick at least one or two ideas to try out this week!

Know what’s important.

Are you really clear on the activities you do that add the most value to your business? Are you really clear on the top 5 things you need to get done in the next 90 days? If your answer is yes to the above, then you should only be spending time on those most important things. If your answer is no – then you are wasting time…probably a lot of time and until you get clear on what’s important you’re not productive!

Own your time – you’re in charge!

Simple idea but not implemented very often. You get to pick when you want to work on email and respond to phone calls…there is no law that says you need to respond right away and as long as you set expectations – you can respond within 12 or even 24 hours and people won’t blink an eye. The point is – check your messages at a point that’s convenient for you and take charge of your time.

Use systems…automate where you can.

Anything that you do repetitively, every week or every month is a candidate for automation. It will take some time (and maybe some money) up front to figure out how to implement the system, but you will save time (likely a lot of time) every week or month after that.

Take care of yourself.

Just like you need to take your car in for oil changes and regular maintenance, you have to take care of yourself if you really want to be productive and effective.  Make it a priority to take care of yourself and you’ll start finding more energy and more focus.  You might even consider taking ‘summer hours’.

Kill interruptions.

Does your phone make noise when  you get an email or a text?  Does your computer say ‘You’ve got mail’ (or the equivalent) when you get email?  Are you getting notifications from Facebook, Twitter or other Social Media?  Then you’re killing your productivity with self created interruptions.  Turn off all notifications and see how much more you get done (seriously – try it).

Use chunks of quiet time.

It can take up to 20 minutes to recover from an interruption – and nothing interrupts you more than a co-worker asking you a question or just stopping by to chat.  Take a suggestion from Jason Fried (founder of software company 37 Signals) and establish quiet times – he recommends ‘No Talk Thursdays’ but find whatever works best for you.

Don’t work long hours.

You’ve got a huge amount to do – so the tendency is to just buckle down and work long hours to get it done.  However lots of studies have shown that your work drops off dramatically after about 8 hours in a day, not to mention the toll that you take on the next day by burning the candle at both ends.  Challenge yourself to cut the work day off at a reasonable time.  Who needs sleep?  You do!

Work when you’re working.

Of course the corollary to “Don’t work long hours” is to actually spend your work hours on work!  That means no trolling the internet, no long water cooler discussions…save that for a clear break time or for after work.

Stop trying to multi-task.

I’ve said it before (along with lots of other people) – multi-tasking doesn’t work.  You end up spending a lot more time on each thing you’re doing than if you just stayed focused on one thing at a time – studies show you’re 40% less productive!  It’s a big change, but make a serious effort to start focusing on one thing at a time and you’ll find yourself getting more done!

Get stuff out of your head.

People can’t remember more than 6 up to maybe 10 things at any one time.  So if you’re using your head to remember your to do list, you are forgetting things…which means it won’t get done.  You’re also wasting a lot of brainpower on trying to remember things.  Find a system that works for you that allows you to get important things out of your head an in a place where you will be sure to work on it later.

Put it on a calendar.

You are 75% more likely to get something done if it’s scheduled on a calendar as opposed to just on a to do list.  When you take the time to think about when something needs to get done and how long it will take by putting it on your calendar, you’ll also have a much more realistic view of how much you’re doing and you’re less likely to overcommit.  This may be the most important thing I can recommend in terms of an easy change!  * Really Important Tip!!!

Cultivate an action bias – what’s your strategic next action?

Train yourself to always ask the question “What’s the next step to take to get this done?” and then scheduling that step.  Having a bias towards action means you’ll spend a lot less time stuck on what to do next.

Touch stuff once.

One of the great time wasters we all face is email.  It’s common practice to open an email, read it quickly and then save it to work on it later.  Start using the 3D approach to managing email – if it takes 2 minutes or less then Do it, if it takes more than that then either Delegate it to someone else or Defer it (schedule it as an activity for yourself).  You’ll spend a lot less time in your inbox and a lot more time getting things done.

Eat that frog!

Procrastination is bad news when it comes to productivity.  Brian Tracy coined the phrase ‘Eat That Frog!’ as a way to illustrate the importance of dealing with your most important (and most difficult) task (your frog) first thing every day.  When you eat that frog, you’re clearing out the big important stuff first – and you’ll build up a lot of momentum for the rest of the day.

Give yourself a deadline.

Have you ever noticed how much you get done the week before you’re going on vacation?  You’re in the zone, you’re on a tear, you can’t be stopped!  That’s because you’ve got a deadline that you can’t afford and don’t want to miss.  Use that same principle other times and give yourself deadlines on tasks to create that same sense of urgency.  Share it with somebody else (A Peer Group Advisory Board perhaps?) to help hold you accountable.

There are lots of other ideas for being more productive – I didn’t even talk about all of the apps and cool technology out there that can help you get things done, but this is a good start.  Now it’s your turn – share your best idea or the idea here that you want to try in the comments below.  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Shawn Kinkade   Kansas City Business Coach

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Apparently a lot of small business owners are not familiar with ‘The Cloud’ – at least when it comes to Cloud Computing as a technology solution for their business.  According to a recent survey (May of 2011) done by the Small Business Authority, only 29% of small business owners are familiar with the term Cloud Computing.

Only 29%!  There’s a huge opportunity right now, both for qualified vendors who can supply great cloud based solutions, but more importantly for small business owners who can leverage Cloud based technology to cut costs and do more with less!

What is Cloud Computing?  In a nutshell, it’s the ability to interact with data or applications that are centrally hosted on the internet (or in ‘the cloud’).  The reality is that you’re likely dealing with a lot of cloud based stuff today and you didn’t know it – when you get a movie from Netflix Instant Streaming, you’re pulling down data / content from the cloud.  It’s available in a lot of different ways (your computer, an iPad, your TV etc.) but it’s all tied back to your account.

Here’s a handy graphic that I pulled out of the wikipedia cloud computing entry  Other examples of cloud based services include SalesForce CRM, Dropbox (free file sharing and back-up), the whole suite of Google Apps and other stuff you’re probably already using like Quickbooks (online version) or Pandora (music).

There are a lot of benefits that cloud computing will immediately bring to a small business owner (and that’s not counting specific applications or functionality that might apply especially to your industry).  Here are just a few:

• Everyone has access to the same data (no more passing spreadsheet versions around)
• Data is automatically backed up…without expensive hardware costs
• Everyone can get to the important data or applications even if they’re not in the office
• You can collaborate a lot easier and do it remotely (w/ clients, vendors, employees)
• Solutions are a lot less expensive (in general) – especially when it comes to up front capital

It’s not all sunshine and roses – you do have to figure out how the changes will impact your workflow.  Your processes will change and there will be impact…mostly positive, but change is still change.  Additionally, just like everything else, there are good solutions and not so good solutions out there and you have to figure out what works for you.  However if you can get past that initial hump – you will cut your costs and start doing more using the cloud.

As an example, Aspire just cut over to Google for email and access to the Google business suite of apps.  My friend Joe Tierney at Umzuzu helped up migrate our email to a Gmail hosted platform…which means that we can now access all email from any device (laptop, desktop, phone, iPad) and we’re always working on the same set of emails.  Additionally we get the benefits of Gmail functionality…priority inbox, better search and new stuff over time.  Finally – I no longer need to worry about backing up my Outlook files – which I wasn’t doing a very good job of anyway. 

Overall I can already tell this is going to save me several hours a week because it enables a more efficient process for how I work.  And in today’s crazy world – that’s worth an awful lot!

Are you leveraging the cloud?  If not – why not?  I’d love to hear you thoughts in the comments below.

Shawn Kinkade  Kansas City Business Coach

Great cloud photo by fifkins

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A friend of mine does a really cool thing every summer.  Once his kids are officially out of school he starts ‘Summer Hours’ for his business.  Basically he takes every Friday off during the summer – primarily so he can spend it with his kids, but also so he can recharge and attack his next big thing with inspiration and energy!

In his particular case, summer works out well, both for him personally, but also for his industry where his clients and prospects tend to be harder to reach due to travel, vacations and kids being out of school. 

In my case, I could potentially do a variation of summer hours but a better idea might be when things naturally slow down during the winter holidays (basically the time between Thanksgiving and the end of the year).  Taking a big chunk of that as time off wouldn’t cost much in missed opportunities and would give me a great chance to breathe and look at the big picture!

What about you – do you have Summer Hours?

Right now I’m imagining a lot of you reading this are thinking…”What world do you live in?  I can’t find the time to go to lunch and I’m lucky to see my family at the end of the day, much less take a whole day off every week during the summer!”

Realistically for most business owners a full day off during the summer isn’t practical, but it is a great future goal to shoot for.  In my friend’s case, he has employees who aren’t taking Fridays off, so work is still getting done and he’s making money on his day off.  That sounds like a pretty smart move to me!

In fact, the process of pulling yourself away from the day to day…even if it’s for a brief period, would help you establish the precedent that you don’t personally have to be involved in every single transaction, activity and minute of your business.

Try this:  Figure out a block of time (at least a few hours every couple of weeks) that you can claim as your summer hours.  Maybe it’s every other Friday afternoon, maybe it’s coming in late on Monday mornings…or maybe it’s being home by 4:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays so you can get a glimpse of your kids! 

Whatever you think you could make work, block it out on your calendar and then make sure actually shut all the work stuff down and use the time for you.  You’ll be better prepared to handle the stresses of owning a business, you’ll be more creative, more relaxed and overall you’ll get just as much done as you would if you tied yourself to the desk for that same period of time.  Studies have shown that productivity drops dramatically as you get around 40 hours of work per week…making all that over time not terribly useful (and really stressful).

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Summer Hours – share them in the comments below.

Inspiring Summer Hours Photo by Bethan

Shawn Kinkade  Kansas City Business Coach

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As a business owner, there will come a day when you’re just flat out tired.  You don’t want to get out of bed, and if you do get out of bed, you don’t want to do much.  All in all, you’re struggling.

Assuming it’s not some form of the flu, you’re probably feeling overwhelmed or just worn down.  You need to find a way to recharge and get back your motivation – it’s likely only a temporary setback for your business, but if it continues it could turn into a big deal.  Unfortunately it’s not as simple as ‘willing’ yourself to get excited again – however there are some things you can do to turn things around.

When you find yourself struggling with apathy or just not applying the kind of energy and focus you’d like to have, try one of these ideas:

1. Clear the calendar and unplug

Typically a big part of the problem is overscheduling…you have almost every minute of the day accounted for with meetings or critical / urgent tasks and at the end of the day you have a pile of follow-up items and to do list stuff that apparently needs to happen in the evening or over the weekend.  A few weeks like that and you will start wearing thin very quickly!

A better approach?  Build in some white space into your calendar and give yourself some real time off.  By white space, I mean build in time between meetings that will let you recover and prepare for the next thing.  Equally important, carve out a day (or at least a 1/2 day) every so often…at least monthly and just block it off the schedule completely.  Make it an unplugged day and try to use it for something fun.  If you just have too much to do, then block it off and use it as dedicated, focused time on very clear tasks (maintenance, follow-up…things that have a clear beginning and end).  You won’t get quite the same lift from using that time for work, but it’s better than nothing.

2. Get Organized – clean up your space!

This one may sound a little more trivial, but I guarantee it will make you feel better.  Find some aspect of your business that’s just out of control messy.  It could be your desk or your office, maybe it’s your schedule / plan of things you need to do.  Whatever it is, find a block of time where you will be uninterrupted and really straighten up that one corner of your world.

You will find a great burst of energy and satisfaction from getting things organized and piles of clutter taken care of.  Remember, don’t try to do everything, just pick one tangible area to address and work it to completion.  Assuming that goes well, pick another area in a week or two and work that area!  Not only will you get the initial burst of energy, but you will be more productive with an organized work space and process!

3. Get Focused – Start doing less

This one is definitely easier said than done, but part of what’s ailing you is that you are trying to do too many things at once.  There will come times when you just have a lot going on and your schedule is driving you with dates and commitments that don’t give you any choices, but when that starts putting you into a state of overwhelm, you need to find a way to deal with it.

The best way to deal with it is to prioritize.  Review your calendar for the next 2 or 3 weeks and take a hard look at what’s really important for your long term success.  What can you get rid of?  What can you say ‘no’ to?  Odds are at first glance your answer will be that everything is important…and it probably is, but if you absolutely had to cut 20% of your activities, what would you cut?

Once you’ve got some things in mind – figure out how to defer, delegate or just get rid of them…and take action.  Maybe you can move some things back a few weeks (or months) without it being the end of the world.  Maybe you can pass it off to someone else…or maybe you just need to make the tough call and let someone know that you can’t do something.  There’s no hard and fast answer – but you will be more effective and get more done if you can start doing less!

4. Build Momentum – get some small wins

People are wired for instant gratification.  A big part of motivation is a tangible sense of progress, and when you’re working on several big things that don’t move very fast you will quickly lose your motivation due to a perceived lack of progress.

However you can turn that around by including a lot of small wins into your mix of things that you’re working on.  If your goals are to write a book, triple the size of your business and expand operations to 3 additional states – it’s going to take a while to reach the achievement stage.  Instead find some small goals, or even interim milestones that you can knock out in the next couple of weeks.  By constantly achieving, you will build up momentum and energy.

What things have helped you get back into the saddle and regain your focus and energy?  I’d love to hear some other ideas – share them in the comments below.

Shawn Kinkade  Kansas City Business Coach

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