Play along with me:  Quick!  You have to hop a plane to Europe tonight….do you know where your passport is?  Are you sure?  Listen to this story about my poor friend – I felt terrible for him!

Over the past few years more and more restaurants have been including calorie & nutritional information on their menus.  Sometimes that info is helpful, but sometimes it’s just plain wrong.

Like at IHOP.

Does anyone go to IHOP to count calories?! I don’t.  Even when perhaps I should, I don’t. But here’s what I learned from their menu recently:

Their insanely delicious Strawberry Stuffed French Toast? 1420-1850 calories!  Can’t order that….

Let’s move on to their Scrambles (eggs & hash browns, plus cheese and veggies)….1500 calories! Yikes!

That is information that I simply do not want.  I don’t want to know that my breakfast alone will account for an entire day’s worth of calories!  Why?  Because then I’d have to make my decisions differently.

Which made me wonder, what if I could hand my clients an equivalent to this menu?  But instead of calories, what if I could reveal what some of our activities cost us in lost time? And energy? For example:

Dumping a project on assistant without clear direction, had to rework it - 42 minutes

Got pulled into non income-generating tasks by not planning for the day - 33 minutes

Searching for that electronic document from last month’s meeting - 16 minutes

Reading through irrelevant  email forwards throughout the day – 24 minutes

Skipped lunch and hit a wall about 2:30, drifted into internet lala land – 19 minutes

Allowed Talks-Too-Much-Tom ramble on and on about the World Series game – 15 minutes

Waited until late day to begin new project & felt drained, taking a lot longer than it would have otherwise - 55 minutes

These seemingly little distractions add up to over 3.5 hours WASTED away! In other words, managing these potential time sucks, could help us GAIN an extra two or more hours of time, every day! It may help you to identify the “calories” of the distractions in your workday. And how about writing them down, in a place where you will see them every day, allowing that awareness to help steer you in the right direction?

It’s worth a try.  Especially considering that I was convinced to order two scrambled eggs and a side of fruit instead of that Strawberry Stuffed French toast.  That, my friends, is no small feat!

Do you ever wonder if you’re on purpose with your work?

Perhaps as you’re creating something new in your business, you just wish there was a bright, flashing sign that said:

“Yes, this is the exact direction to be heading and you’re on your way to success!”

Or maybe even a helping of: 

“Stop right NOW! This could be a good idea, but now is not the time – don’t waste another minute!”

In the move to take my passion for organizing and time management online, I have been in constant question, strongly wondering if this is really the “right” direction to take my business. Am I doing it because it’s the thing to do? Just because not doing it would be missing the boat?  No one wants to miss the boat!  Certainly not me. 

And yes, I realize that if I’m going to mention that I’ve been dragging my feet on something that I am now officially and publicly (drumroll please) a-productivity-expert-who-has-been-procrastinating.  Which makes it kind of important to get to the bottom of things.

I had been noticing that I was putting off certain activities because there was just something uncomfortable about this whole arena online.  I didn’t know whether this discomfort was because selling products online is new territory for me, or that it’s absolutely not the best use of my time and talents, or maybe the learning curve was feeling too steep. So I asked myself: What’s holding me back from moving forward? WHY am I procrastinating here? 

My typical approach when I am hitting a roadblock, (which is how I was viewing my obvious display of procrastination), is to just get into action and keep pressing forward, (you know, versus silently contemplating), but in this case I made an exception.

And guess what? I had a complete epiphany and have felt so much more motivated and “light” –  if that even makes sense. At the risk of letting you inside my head, I’m going to share what I discovered, in case you’re in the same boat.  (Don’t miss the boat!)

Here’s what I learned:

I’m enamored with Frank Kern, Adam Urbanski, Tellman Knudson and other killer internet-marketing rock stars.  I love their stuff.  So, implementing their methods seemed like a real no-brainer. I’ve been building my opt-in list for nearly a year, but between you and me, I never tapped it. Ridiculous? Perhaps. 

But here’s my issue (enter Epiphany):

I don’t want to run email marketing campaigns.

I know how much I can’t stand getting dripped on – even when it’s incredibly valuable info!  Not only that, but I usually filter such email messages to a junk folder, and I teach my clients to do the same thing!

So that’s what was making me uncomfortable. I don’t want to be an internet marketer! (Again, I adore the people out there doing it, it’s just not for me).

So I discovered what the stinkin’ roadblock was! Yay for silent contemplation!

Of course I’ll continue blogging, tweeting, reading and supporting others’ blogs – all the other intelligent moves which don’t involve constant emailing of my list!

Could I be making a mistake by simply staying comfortable, versus following what the experts are saying.  Definitely.   But for me, movement is better than sitting stagnant like I was, just making excuses.

When we’re procrastinating, it’s important to ask why we’re procrastinating, and to really listen for that answer. Either move forward or let it go, because sitting on stuff obviously doesn’t get us anywhere. For me, discovering my real hang-up was what enabled me to deal with it, and press forward in a way that worked. Now I see that flashing sign: “Yes, you’re on the right path – keep progressing!”

Aaaaaahhh!  Hear that?  That’s me taking a big sigh of relief!

I am having an incredibly productive afternoon, and figured I’d share my secret, since it’s no secret that I am easily distracted and often find it difficult to focus when I have high level thinking to do.

Drum roll please, because this is a great productivity tip I want you to practice… I am at the LIBRARY right now.

It’s quiet, air conditioned, has comfortable desks, and all around, is a space that helps me get more done. If you come to the library for an hour or more, and feel unproductive, I just don’t know what else to tell you!

I’m guessing you’ll agree that our environment plays an important role in our productivity, so what’s your environment like? Here’s my quick list of signs you know it’s time to work at the library, at least one day a week. 

• Desktop is disorganized and covered in piles of paper
• The Chatty Cathys in your office are, well, chatty, and therefore distracting
• You hop from reading a book to shuffling through mail to writing a newsletter with no progress
• Your home office provides a desk, but it’s in a shared space that serves more than one purpose
• You’re getting bored easily, with the same ol’ same ol’
• You feel drained when you walk into your office
• You can get great work done at times when the phone isn’t ringing off the hook

I know several professionals, including incredibly successful CEOs, who make regular library pit stops in their week. Just schedule a couple hours, maybe once or twice a week, and accomplish more, at your local library. Are you skeptical?  Try it out and watch your productivity soar! Woo hoo!

Having a mission statement – or a true connection to a larger purpose for our work – enhances our productivity like nothing else can….not even that latte you might be craving!  Experiencing a strong feeling of purpose in our work absolutely provides the kick-in-the-butt motivation that is so necessary to performing at an optimum level.

Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz talk about the power of connecting to a higher purpose in their recent article published by the Harvard Business Review, The Making of a Corporate Athlete.  Loehr & Schwartz explain that this is a key piece to dramatically improving work performance.

I have absolutely encountered this disconnect with some of my overwhelmed clients.  In such cases, they are not attached to or engaged with the nourishing purpose behind their work, they have concluded they are in need of time management consulting, and they find themselves referred to me.

Working together to help my clients rediscover the connection between their (sometimes forgotten) passion and their day-to-day challenges provides the time management results they are seeking, but it also creates happier & more productive entrepreneurs!

If you enjoy the Loehr/Schwartz article mentioned above, be sure to check out their book, The Power of Full Engagement.  It’s a great resource!

Long before I was born, Dylan was singing about how topsy-turvy the world was getting, and he invited writers and critics to prophesize with their pens.  Which is exactly what many of us are doing now – I just never expected to be a part of it!

The historic shift of technology and economy we’re now facing reminds me of something I shared with a client last week.  I cannot find the source of this quote, so if you know it, please comment below.

Life is change.
Growth is optional.
Choose wisely.

Small business marketing expert and author Tim Andren made a fantastic post this week on this subject, Your world will never be the same.  Check it out and feel free to let us know what you thought of it!

Today, one of my clients – an incredibly motivated, idea driven entrepreneur- emailed me asking for help. He explained that he recently met an awesome woman, and although he was quite smitten, he has some concerns over this new development.

Seems he isn’t getting as much done as he normally would! 

He has noticed that with all the time he is spending with his new flame – not to mention the mental and emotional space she’s occupying – he just isn’t as productive as usual. “Jen,” he wrote, “seriously, any tips you have to help me with this, explain because I just don’t know what to do.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing this “problem,”  listen closely to some expert productivity advice from yours truly:

Love is what life is all about, so dive in with both feet and ENJOY it!  Do not for a second allow thoughts of what you “should” (such a bad word) be doing, ruin the oh-so incredible feeling of falling in love. In most cases, work can wait, but time does not.

And that was what I shared with him.

I also reminded him that we are usually our own worst critics, and what we define as 100% for ourselves is likely 120% to others!  

Bottom line:  worst case, you’re likely doing just fine.  Even if in your mind, you don’t think so. Like Paul and John said so simply: all you need is love.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I got fired last week – by my doctor.

It was one of those experiences I never expected to have, actually. 

I realize that as entrepreneurs – including doctors in private practice – we can find ourselves in the situation where a client’s needs exceed what we are willing or able to provide, and sometimes we must sever the provider-client relationship. This can be due to many reasons, including an incompatibility in skills, unrealistic expectations, or even just a simple personality conflict. Whatever the reason, it is sometimes necessary.

As a result, I actually guide my clients to adopt the practice of “firing” a client when it is appropriate. To be a truly productive entrepreneur, you must invoke the 80-20 rule and focus on the clients you can best serve, and dispense with those who need assistance outside of your core specialty and/or consistently take up significantly more of your time with no additional profits. For an entertainingly written lesson on the 80-20 rule, order a copy of Tim Ferriss’ book from our “resources” tab above.

We’ve all faced such a situation, and successful entrepreneurs utilize their patience and communication skills to help the client discover and ultimately agree with a parting of ways. When you invest the time and effort to help a client see this as a win-win, they’ll often appreciate your assessment and still think highly of you. You may even receive future referrals from them. I’ve seen it happen!

While I was already aware that an effective “break-up” conversation is key to avoiding further issues with the client, it wasn’t until I got fired that I realized just how important it truly is.

Last week when my orthopedic surgeon diagnosed my shattered wrist and impatiently gave me 5 minutes to decide between getting a cast or scheduling surgery for the next morning, I was not expecting him to fire me 6 hours later.

Feeling very uncertain, I chose the surgery and scheduled it for 7AM the next day.  However, after speaking with two colleagues that evening, I understood that I should at least get a second opinion before proceeding. I called Dr. A’s office and asked the answering service to page him for me.
When Dr. A called a few minutes later, I explained my uncertainty and that I would seek a second opinion before proceeding with the surgery. If the second opinion agreed that surgery was the better option, I would reschedule my surgery with Dr. A for later this week.

“You’re cancelling?!” he asked. “No. If you’re cancelling tomorrow’s surgery then you’ll need to find another provider. We’re done.”

First, I was stunned. Then, I was relieved! He’s clearly not the right doctor for me.  And I fully support his right to cease providing service to me since we are not a good match. And actually, I am thankful to him for his response to my needs.

I needed a skilled and trusted surgeon who also could understand my uncertainty, offer expert guidance on my reluctance regarding surgery, and perhaps even appreciate the responsibility I was taking for my own health by seeking a second opinion. He chose not to offer that, and he wasn’t exactly smooth with the “break-up” conversation. While I am now glad that he fired me, he certainly won’t be receiving any referrals from me in the future.

My lesson? That the “break-up” conversation is key. I’m am now even more committed that any client who is not a good match for my services be treated with respect, kindness, and empathy. Regardless of future referral potential! : )