Productivity for Women in Business

Be Productive this Summer

2009-06-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

Why is it that when summer arrives business slows down, networks stop meeting, work attendance decreases, business development activities grind to a halt – and yet we still have budgets, goals and targets to achieve? How do you handle the ‘unproductive’ attitude that summer brings? How can you juggle vacation schedules? Historically, summer may have been a time for you to take it easy, do the minimum amount of activity while you focus on what you will achieve when fall comes around…not this year. Decide to make this your most productive summer ever, here are some strategies that will help you do that and continually grow your business all year round.

Take advantage of the weather. Use the longer hours of daylight savings to conduct meetings later in the day, take advantage of warmer conditions and meet people at outdoor venues and cafes, meet clients for lunch where you will enjoy lighter food and warm sunshine.

Review your business plan. Make a two-hour appointment with yourself to review all the actions in your business plan – including your cash flows and targets – and spend time determining what you need to achieve your goals for this financial year. Your business plan should not be hiding in your bottom draw or collecting dust on a shelf, it is a living document that can be reviewed regularly – make summer your time to determine your next steps.

Revisit your marketing plan. What plan you ask? If you don’t have one, now is the time to sit and write one. If you need help there is an abundance of talented consultants who can assist you build a customised plan for your business. If you already have one, review your progress, determine what actions need to be taken and schedule time during the summer to complete those tasks.

Conduct a six-month business review. Spend two hours reviewing your business achievements for the past six months. Ask yourself these 11 questions:
1. How would I rate the past six months’ business performance (1-10 with 10 being the highest)?
2. Did I achieve my financial goals each month?
3. If not, why not?
4. If not, what do I need to do differently in the next six months to meet my annual budget or plan?
5. If I did meet these targets (congratulations to you), were they big enough?
6. Have I conducted staff reviews with my team? If not, why not? And when?
7. If so, have I rewarded my team adequately?
8. Do I need to invest more in my team or personal development?
9. Is my marketing plan on track? If not, why not?
10. If not, what activities do I need to conduct to implement more marketing strategies?
11. Have I done sufficient networking to grow my business or my connections? If not, why not?

When you have completed these questions, create a series of tasks, actions or projects to implement some of your strategies to help you really achieve all your targets for the next six months.

Invest in your personal development. Have you been meaning to read the latest business book? Is there a summit you could attend? Is there an online program you have wanted to complete? Is there a web seminar that you’ve wanted to register for? This is a great time of year to invest in yourself, refresh your memory and learn a new skill. Summer is conducive to learning.

Conduct a summer clean. Just like a spring clean, but during the summer months. Your summer clean could include:
v Clearing, deleting or filing those read emails in your inbox.
v Unsubscribing from all those newsletters that you don’t read.
v Allocating one hour to get your paper filing up to date (if you have more than one hour’s worth, do one hour per week until it is all complete).
v Throwing out unwanted, unread journals that you have been ‘meaning’ to read, but haven’t and won’t.
v Reviewing your ‘tasks’ on your to-do list or in your Outlook file and removing those tasks that simply won’t be completed.
v Spending 15 minutes cleaning the top of your desk, removing unnecessary stationery, putting away files, cleaning the dust off your family photo, throwing away empty water bottles and wiping down your computer keyboard and screen. A clean and clear desk will help you be more productive any time of year!
v Entering details into your contact management system of the business card pile that is gathering dust on your desk.

Hold a team development activity. If you manage a team of people, allocate some time to meet for lunch at an outdoor café; take three hours and visit the local zoo as a team (work out which animal best represents each member of your team...only joking!); meet early for a game of golf or tennis before work; bring food to share for lunch and conduct a meeting in your local park. Spend time listening to your team, their challenges and achievements. Plan your next six months and how you will achieve the targets for the whole team. Use the warmer weather to conduct outdoor versions of activities you normally conduct indoors.

Conduct focus groups. Invite a select number of key clients to your office and ask them about your business, their expectations and experiences, and how you can better serve them. Collate the results and seek your team’s input on how to action them.

Implement a product or service trial. This is the perfect time of year to try a new product or introduce a new service to your customers. Map a plan, seek team involvement and watch your customers’ reactions.

Book a ‘tele-coffee’ with your clients. What is a ‘tele-coffee’? It is where you both make a coffee and meet by teleconference. It is a more productive way of meeting (and avoids time wasted in travel).

Visit a new networking group. Many networking groups don’t meet during the summer, but those who are serious about building their businesses are still networking and still making valuable connections. Find out which groups are meeting and plan to attend at least two new groups this summer. This is the perfect time to develop new relationships and valuable connections.

To continually grow your business you do need to be mindful of the seasons but don’t slow down in summer – get more productive. Use this time to get a head start on all those fall meetings you can conduct when people return from vacation, ensure plans are in place to achieve your annual results, tidy your work environment so you are not distracted by clutter, and experiment with new products, focus groups and new networking opportunities. Embrace the warmer weather for outdoor meetings and events and enjoy all that summer brings for your business growth.

Neen James, CSP MBA, is an International Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps people rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker and author, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice (Aussie accent), sense of fun and common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Subscribe to Neen’s monthly ezine at http://neenjames.com

Listen to Neen's interview on Productivity with Marilyn Russell from BenFM

2009-05-05T10:54:00.000-07:00

What a fun time I had with the fabulously cool Marilyn Russell from BenFM on her show 'Women of the Week' - listen here: http://957benfm.com/WOTW/tabid/110/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/1513/Australian-for-Cool-Chick--Meet-Neen-James.aspx

Productivity: Coffee is the new lunch

2009-03-21T08:52:00.001-07:00

Great article from The Glass Hammer: The Glass Hammer - http://www.theglasshammer.com/

How to productively build your brand on zero budget

2009-03-09T05:11:00.001-07:00

In our current economic situation now is a great time to productivity invest in yourself without spending a lot of money. This month choose three activities you can begin working on to build or increase your personal brand:

Define your personal brand – what do you want the world to remember about you?

Practice a great handshake – you only have 7 seconds to make a first impression. In those 7 seconds people assess your age, income, marital status and education level – in 7 seconds!

Create an email signature – include your contact information and a quote about you.

Change your voicemail monthly – have you listened to your voicemail lately? If not, try it.

Set up social media profiles – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo – there are so many choices and you simply need to invest 15 minutes per day to do this.

Create e-introductions on email for your network – make introductions for others in your network via email. Help them build their business and resources while you build a brand of being the ‘go-to’ connector.

Give one referral away every day – who will you recommend today? I believe the more you give out the more it comes back to you 10 fold! It works, try it out.

Write one thank you note every week – there are so many reasons to thank people but few people take the time to do this, it will make you more memorable.

Invite someone to a networking event with you – help them expand their network while you get to increase yours too.

Invite a potential connection for coffee – well this costs money… but not much. Coffee is a much less expensive option than lunch or dinner and can be more productive too!

Conduct a tele-coffee (this is where you make a coffee, and I make a coffee and we talk on the telephone!) I do tele-cocktails on Fridays! These take no more than 15 minutes and they are very productive!

Follow up after networking events – did you know less than 1% of people follow up? Be part of that 1% today.

Ask your network for help – reach out, you will be so glad you did. People want to help you but maybe they don’t know what you need? Choose to reach out to one person today.

Comment on discussion boards/websites – share your opinion and expertise with the world, they want to hear from you.

Start your own blog – go to www.blogger.com and set up in 5 minutes!

Ask others to promote you – be brave, you are fabulous – tell others and they will spread the word!

Never leave the house in sweats – this is a MAJOR sin – don’t do it – it kills your brand! Ensure you have one fabulous outfit for all your errands.

Wear great shoes –shoes communicate a message about you – what message are you sending to the world with your shoe choices?

Walk with great posture – back straight and head held high – face the world with a smile.

Speak in positive language only – refuse to buy into the negativity right now, in every conversation speak only in positive words.

Join a non-profit Board – giving back in your community will increase your brand and your network and feels great too!

Donate your time - give to a cause you are passionate about i.e. read at your local school, volunteer at a soup kitchen, visit aged care facilities where you live, and offer to shop for someone – there are so many people who could use your time and talents.

Create your own language – have a favourite word and use it often, mine is ‘fabulous’. What is a word you use often that people remember you by?

Invest in your personal development – study online, read journals, attend a seminar, choose to do something to build your skills and knowledge today.

Read one book per month – set a goal and switch off the TV – books will expand your mind and make great conversational topics.

Seek out a mentor – check out mentoring programs within your company and online for great resources: www.neenjames.com

Subscribe to Ezines and online journals (just like this one!)

Publish articles online & in your local papers and journals – go to www.ezinearticle.com and publish today (for free!). If you are knowledgeable about any topic the world needs to hear from you.

Barter your services for others – if you can’t afford a service but you have talents, offer to share your time and expertise with someone else.

Be your authentic self – you are fabulous – let others see you. This is the best way to build your personal brand. Turn up as yourself 100% of the time, people want to know you, they want to help you and they enjoy your brand.

Choose the activities today that you can implement without spending money to productivity build your brand.

Neen James, MBA is an International Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps people rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker and author, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice (Aussie accent), sense of fun and common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more and subscribe to Neen’s free monthly ezine at http://www.neenjames.com

35 Ideas to Promote yourself without spending a dollar!

2009-01-12T09:57:00.001-08:00

Our personal brand is one of our most important assets. Make 2009 the year you decide to promote yourself in a way that is positive and makes you memorable. Here are 35 ideas that won't cost you a cent! Try them today:

1. Define your personal brand.
2. Practice a great handshake.
3. Create an email signature.
4. Change your voicemail monthly.
5. Write one thank you note every week.
6. Follow up after networking events.
7. Ask others to promote you.
8. Conduct a wardrobe audit.
9. Never leave the house in sweats.
10. Wear one fabulous outfit.
11. Wear great shoes.
12. Walk with great posture.
13. Join a non-profit Board.
14. Donate your time for a cause you are passionate about.
15. Set up social media profiles.
16. Create a LinkedIn profile.
17. Start a Facebook page.
18. Create e-introductions for your network.
19. Comment on discussion boards/websites.
20. Start your own blog.
21. Speak in positive language only.
22. Create your own language.
23. Invest in your personal development.
24. Read one book per month.
25. Seek out a mentor.
26. Subscribe to Ezines and online journals.
27. Publish articles online.
28. Submit articles to your local papers/chamber newsletters/magazines.
29. Ask your network for help.
30. Invite someone to a network event with you.
31. Invite a potential connection for coffee.
32. Conduct a tele-coffee or tele-cocktail.
33. Give one referral away every day.
34. Barter your services for others.
35. Be your authentic self.

Neen James, MBA is an International Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate educator, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice (Aussie accent), sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more and subscribe to Neen’s free monthly ezine at http://www.neenjames.com

Decide to make 2009 Your Most Productive Year ever

2009-01-05T05:46:00.000-08:00

Be Productive in Your Lunch Hour!

2008-12-18T02:10:00.001-08:00

With so many responsibilities and obligations our lunch hours (or nowadays, lunch minutes) are usually filled with an enormous ‘to do’ list. Decide this year will be different. If you want to enjoy your lunch break, feel empowered and contribute to your wellbeing, there are multiple things you and try and watch your productivity and daily satisfaction increase!

Reach out – decide to use this time to catch up with a friend, invite a new client to lunch, investigate a local charity and get involved or call a family member.

Get out – enjoy the gorgeous weather, take your lunch to a park, visit a local museum, window shop for someone special in your life, or try a new café. Invest a few minutes outside so that you can remove yourself from your environment and then clear your head, it helps you get more done in the afternoon!

Work out – many people claim they don’t have time to exercise but invest in yourself and your health by spending your lunch break taking a walk or try a new class at a gym close to your office. Use the middle of the day to increase your energy and watch your afternoon energy sky rocket.

Clean out – if you decide to stay in your office during your lunch break decide to clean up your computer and sort your electronic files, delete old unnecessary emails, clear off your desk and wipe down all surfaces. Use this time to clean up and you will feel lighter and more organized for the rest of the day… and week!

Chill out – lunch breaks are designed in the middle of the day to enjoy a few moments to replenish your body and energy. Use this time to laugh with a colleague, do a yoga class, sit in the sun and take in some vitamin D, experiment by trying a new food, breathe deeply, do a yoga class or take a walk.

By applying these 5 strategies you will feel empowered each day to meet every challenge and your personal productivity will skyrocket!

Neen James, MBA is an International Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps women to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more at http://www.neenjames.com/

Productive Networking - check out the world leaders

2008-12-04T08:57:00.000-08:00

G'Day

Recently I was privledged to be listed by Networlding as one of the World's leading Networkers amongst famous networkers including Robyn Henderson, Iven Misner and Scott Allen. Pretty cool!

I think you would enjoy the resources on this website: http://www.networldingblog.com/?p=143

Check it out as a productive way to increase your network,

Productivity: Bring people to you

2008-09-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

Last night I hosted another highly successful Shoes and Champagne at my local shoe boutique - If the Shoe Fits. With 20+ women gathered for this private sale all drinking champagne, eating sushi and trying on stylish shoes I was reminded about one of the reasons I host these events.

Having productive relationships sometimes means bringing people to you. One contact, one event, one group of fabulous women. I invite a combination of women friends, colleagues, neighbors and it becomes a party. Everyone meets someone new, buys the latest season shoes and has a night out.

If you want to be more productive, organize a group event, have fun and make the most of your time, focus your attention and watch your energy soar.

Neen named top 101 Women to Watch by WE Magazine for Women

2008-09-18T03:47:00.001-07:00

G'Day

A special thanks to WE Magazine for their exciting article on 101 women bloggers to watch.

Find out more about the great work they do and read the article at http://wemagazineforwomen.com/101-women-bloggers-to-watch-fall-2008/

Productivity: Create a packing list

2008-09-18T03:47:00.000-07:00

G'Day ladies

I was speaking to one of my clients who is an executive at QVC and she was telling me about the enormous amount of travel she does (and often without alot of warning). It was taking her quite some time to get organized and she didn't want to forget anything important. I shared with her my productivity tips for traveling executives but we also decided she should make a checklist so that each time she travels she knows exactly what to take - it worked! She now knows exactly how much time it will take to pack, great ready and out the door.

You could do this too. If you travel regularly, create a checklist of all the things you want to take and make sure you have them in your bag and ready to go. At the end of each trip check if you missed anything and need to add it to your trip and voila - you are now more productive!

Productivity: To Mentor or mentee .. this is the question?

2008-09-15T07:31:00.000-07:00

Whenever I get the chance to interview amazing women on how they achieved their success, I am often delighted to hear many of them have role models or mentors. This has been a huge part of my career as I sought out mentors from an early age. Mentors can have a significant impact on you personally and can escalate your career. The selection of a good mentor requires good research and willingness to ‘check out’ lots of people before you decide. Here are my strategies on how to find a good mentor.

Decide what area you want help with – examine your life and determine if you want help with your career or your health or your relationships. When you know the area you want to focus on you can then begin searching for a mentor.

Investigate top performers in your industry – if you want to find a career mentor, find out who are the experts in the field of expertise you want to develop.

Find out where your role models hang out – check out networks, industry events and conferences to watch out for potential mentors. Spend time watching the people in the room and make note of anyone who stands out and has the ‘presence’ you are looking for.

Investigate official mentoring programs – many organisations now have internal mentoring programs you can become a part of. If you work for yourself you can also investigate Government areas that have established mentoring programs also.

Select the mentor – when you find the person you believe would be suitable, spend some time watching them in action. Ask to go along to a presentation or meeting with them or ask if you can spend a “day in the life of” them and watch what they do.

Ask others opinion of your selected mentor – when you have chosen someone, ask around to find out what you can about their achievements, beliefs, values and way of operating. This will give you insight into them before you approach them about mentoring you.

Approach the selected mentor – phone them or make an appointment to see them. Advise them why you want to meet and schedule time. This is an important step in the process so you can show them you respect their time and you are committed to dong the right thing.

Have an agenda – when you meet have an outline of what you would like to discuss. Your agenda should include why you want them to mentor you, how long it is for and what you hope to gain during that time. If they agree to mentor you, you can then work out how you can also support them.

Set up an agreement – if you both decide to proceed, set up an agreement with guidelines for timeframe, contact boundaries, full honesty etc.

Fulfil your mentee commitments – always turn up to meetings prepared, always complete any assignments or tasks given to you from your mentor and always look for opportunities to support your mentor.

Once you determine who you would like to be your mentor there a few guidelines listed below to help you maximise your time with you mentor.

Have a written agreement. Put your mentoring agreement in writing by outlining each person’s responsibilities and commitments.

Set a time limit. Limit your formal mentoring relationship to six months. This gives you a timeframe within which to achieve your goals and learnings.

Meet monthly. Make a regular time (that is convenient for your mentor) for a one-hour meeting each month. Plan to meet in a location that suits your mentor, whether it is his or her office, favourite coffee shop or some other place they suggest.

Set an agenda for each meeting. Keep an ongoing list of things you would like to discuss with your mentor as issues arise throughout the month. Let your mentor know what you would like to discuss, what challenges you have been facing and what questions you have a few days in advance. If you can’t meet in person, book a teleconference and run the meeting in the same way as you would if you were face-to-face.

Do your homework. Your mentor might give you activities to try or challenges for the next month – always complete these tasks and report back on your success.

Promote your mentor to others. Always take the opportunity to let others know about your mentor’s skills, achievements and successes.

Thank your mentor with the gift of service. Being a good mentee is all about serving your mentor to create opportunities through which you can draw from their experience – offer to assist them with a project, help out in their business unit, drive them to an event or take them to the airport.

Do your homework on your mentor. Find out what your mentor likes to listen to, what books they read, which movies they enjoy and details about their family. This helps you to find areas of common ground where you can deepen your relationship and also thank them in ways that are important to them.

Maintain confidentiality. Keep discussions between you and your mentor private. Never disclose details of your discussions with others.

Avoid contacting your mentor outside of agreed times. If you agree to meet once a month, save your discussions for this meeting. If you do need to contact them outside of this time, use email so that you don’t interrupt their daily activities.

Try to outdo your mentor. Learn from their experiences but always try and develop your own work that is even better than your mentor’s. If you are successful, you could share your new ideas with them and add value by improving their business.

Make time in time – find opportunities to support your mentor and also debrief conversations. If they are driving for long periods of time, keep them company (either face to face or on the phone), if they are flying interstate for the day, go with them and use the uninterrupted time on the plane to gain wisdom and assistance.

Never ask your mentor “What can I do for you?” – always be creative and find ways to assist them without being asked. Offer to do some data entry in their office, offer to pick them up from the airport instead of them taking a cab, and offer to help recruit staff for their business – find ways to help them without expecting anything in return.

When I chose to become a professional speaker I sought out the most talented Australian speaker I could find. He was accomplished, fantastic presenter, had won many client and industry awards and ran a profitable speaking business. I asked him to mentor me and for six months - I followed him everywhere. I went to client meetings, sold books for him at the back of the room when he presented, helped him on projects, worked in his office, paid for interstate flights to get uninterrupted discussions during travel time. Spending time with him accelerated my speaking career in an astronomical way, helped me form valuable relationships and also lead to my next exciting career move. I was a dedicated mentee and would do anything to serve and learn.

When you invest your time in being a committed mentee you will be rewarded with accelerated experiences from your mentor. You will avoid mistakes they may have made, learn about the industry, meet great people, form valuable relationships and then be able to mentor someone in your future.

To find out more about how you can find a mentor, be a dedicated mentee or be a great mentor yourself – you will find many tips in ‘How to Achieve Amazing Things in Your Work Life’ CD Pack with workbook. You can order this online at www.neenjames.com for only $99.00 - or check out my 'Stiletto Mentoring Program' www.neenjames.com

Neen James, MBA, is a Productivity Expert: by looking at how women spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps women to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Check out www.neenjames.com

Tune into 98.1 WOGL, The Philadephia Agenda, this Sunday with Brad Segall and neen James

2008-07-15T18:08:00.001-07:00

I am excited to announce that I will be featured on 98.1 WOGL, The Philadelphia Agenda with Brad Segall this Sunday, July 20 between 6am – 7am! During the show I will provide a variety of productivity tips including how to be productive in a recession, in the summer and even at the airport! In addition, I will be sharing inside productivity secrets from my latest book, Secrets of Super Productivity.

We hope you can tune-in for this wonderful show. If you happen to miss the show, check www.neenjames.com for an audio file of my interview.

Build Your Productive Connections using LinkedIn

2008-06-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

There are many online social networking sites available to you to increase your network. One of my favourites is LinkedIn. It is predominately a professional site that is used primarily for business connections unlike other sites that are more fun and informal including Facebook and Myspace.com

If you want to increase your network, boost your productivity and develop your business you can achieve this by getting familiar with LinkedIn (LI) and using this in your everyday interactions.

Set it up – if you are not already on LI, log onto www.linkedin.com and create a free account. Take the time to create a profile for others to view then you are all set up. This is like your online resume.

Spend 15 minutes per day – when you initially set up your account, dedicate 15 minutes per day for 2 weeks to get your profile established, learn the different functionality of the site and invite others to be connected to you.

Expand your network – you can easily build an online ‘rolodex’ by inviting people you want to be connected to can help increase your network. This invitation is emailed to them and they can accept your request.

Use Outlook – LI has the ability to search your outlook contacts against those people in LI, use this facility to quickly build your connections.

Reach out – LI is a fantastic tool to reach out to previous employees or business connections you have enjoyed working with previously.

Use the search facility – if you want to find out if someone is already a user simply use the search function on your home page, type in their name and the system will advise you if they are linked. If so, you can send them an invitation to join your network.

Ask others to introduce you – LI gives you the ability to see your connection’s network so if there is someone you have wanted to meet, you can ask your direct connection to make an introduction for you.

Connect others - Many people frequently ask me to make introductions to people in my network and I am happy to make a ‘warm’ introduction for them. LI is an easy way to do this.

Break the ice – LI is an easy way to find out information about someone before you contact them and also gives you conversation topics when you do connect. You might notice they serve on a Board you are interested in or studied at a school you also attended. You can find common ground in some profiles.

Showcase your connections – LI shows the people and companies you are associated with and helps other see who you have done business with.

Collect testimonials – LI is an effective way to collect testimonials from those in your network. These are then displayed on your profile. It might take someone weeks (or months) to write a testimonial for you on their company letterhead however inviting them to provide a brief testimonial for you on LI is efficient and quick for them. I have found 99% of people I ask to do this are happy to do it.

Provide testimonials – when you have established a network of people make sure you also provide testimonials. It is a nice surprise for people to receive an unsolicitored testimonial from you in their email inbox. Once you create the testimonial it sends an email to the person asking if they want to show the testimonial on their site. I do this regularly and always get a great response from people. Quite often when you write a testimonial for someone they kindly reciprocate too.

Be a subject matter expert – there is a section of LI that allows people to ask questions, you can provide your expertise to those questions and position yourself as a SME.

Review history – LI is an informative research tool if you want to investigate someone’s history of work or college related activities. i.e. Alumni or Boards of Directors they serve on.

Announce news – provide information of case wins, publish press releases and share your good news with your network using LI.

Up to date – most people are more likely to keep their LI profile up to date when they change roles or companies (however they may not send you their new email or company information) – LI is up often more up to date.

Research tool – use LI to pose a question to selected people in your network for research. I use this frequently and people take the time to respond as it appears as an email in their inbox and allows them to provide a quick response.

Dinner dates – if you are going to be in a city on business you can notify people in your network and reconnect with them for a coffee or meal.

Increased web presence – although you may already have your own website, LI provides another opportunity for people to access information about you and also increases your search in Google.

Invest – LI allows you to grow your connections before you need them. If you find yourself looking for a new job; having an established network allows you to reach out to them when you need it.

Introduce yourself – occasionally you may see someone you have wanted to connect with that is connected to someone in your network. You might like to reach out to that person directly via LI and ask them to be connected to you.

LinkedIn is a great business tool. It requires an investment of your time to establish it and maintain it but once you begin using it you will find it can greatly increase your opportunities for connections, new business and building stronger relationships – so log on now!

Neen James, MBA, is an International Productivity Expert: by looking at how women they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps women to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice (Aussie accent), sense of fun and common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more and subscribe to Neen’s free monthly e-zine at http://neenjames.com

Productivity: Increase your energy

2008-06-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

G'Day Ladies

Having spent the last week in San Diego (gorgeous city) I was reminded about how important it is to manage your energy if you really want to accelerate your productivity.

I was away with a client as part of the ASTD International Conference and Exposition and I made a personal commitment that I would exercise every single morning while I was away. I am pleased to say I exercised 4 days out of 5 (but the last day I was wiped and had to pack etc). Being on the West Coast but trying to keep East Coast time was a great strategy for me. I got up early, went walking, running, checked out the local area, did Yoga and stretching and felt so much better for it.

If you find yourself traveling for work make a personal commitment that you will exercise while you are away. This simple promise helped me to stay on task, keep my healthier focus and I am sure allowed me to support my client in a much more productive way because I had energy through the whole day.

What do you do that helps increase your energy? I would love to hear from you,

Productivity Challenge: Move that baggage

2008-05-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

G'Day everyone,

We all have baggage or things that weigh us down. For some of us it is our past, our weight, our project load or even family committments. Something I have found very freeing lately is to admit the baggage to someone else and apply a plan to achieve a solution. If you want to increase your mental productivity, try getting rid of the baggage.

I found Delia Dorn's lastest newsletter really effective in doing this. She outlined a great process to help achieve a goal but outlining the objective, listing the rewards, detailing the consequences and obstacles then creating a solutions and actions plan. I sat down and did it - I feel great.

You can check out Delia's newsletter and subscribe at: http://formhealthyhabits.com/default.aspx

Email Productivity Tip: Check this out

2008-05-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

One of my Aussie mates read my latest ezine with tips on how to be more productive with email and she sent this note along:

"I use a CRM for my kate@triberesearch.com.au email which is great for a team environment and I can access when I am not in the office, but it doesn’t deal with html email very well and doesn’t have the “review later” functionality that Outlook has.

Therefore you only want real work emails going to it. So we set up a bunch of generic email addresses that are collected at 1 computer in Outlook and directed to various relevant sub-folders - ask, news, info, workshops, mail, etc. I can then sit down once a week and read the newsletters of interest in 1 sitting when I want to and I am not even aware of them coming in the rest of the time. I also have the emails of several groups that I am a member of going to the Outlook and they are forwarded to me by my team if they consider I need to action them quickly. Oh, I also have personal ones going to a separate Outlook like you suggest."

Thanks Kate from Tribe Research - you are the best for sharing.

How to make your email more productive

2008-04-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

As I travel around the country I am constantly fascinated by my client’s addiction to their email. Email was a tool originally designed to help boost our productivity in the workplace but unfortunately it has become a productivity killer. Whether you check it on your laptop or your blackberry, email now takes a huge portion of your daily correspondence time. To help boost your productivity and get control of your email try these simple strategies.

Avoid answering email first thing in the morning – the first thirty minutes of each day should be spent reviewing your strategy for the day and planning how you will achieve your goals. While you can scan your email first thing, please don’t respond immediately. Spend more time on strategy than email and you will achieve your bigger goals.

Use Color coding – most email programs allow you to designate colours to individuals. This ensures when you first review your email you can see who the emails are from easily and allows you to direct your attention to the most important people first.

Drag and drop – did you know you can drag an email from your inbox and drop it into your Contacts to create a new contact or drag it into your Tasks to create a new Task. This simple but effective strategy will also help you reduce your inbox clutter.

Unsubscribe – if you are receiving emails to online information you no longer review or read, take the time to unsubscribe. Yes this takes more time initially but will help you to reduce your inbox volume allowing you to read and review only those emails you want to receive.

Use Out of Office – if you are going to be out of the office for more than 6 hours, use this facility to educate those who email you. They will automatically receive an email advising them you are away.

Invest in Spam Filters – tighten your email security by investing in spam filters that will reduce the junk mail you receive.

Keep them short – keep your reply and responses short. If your reply is going to take substantial time, book a phone conversation or meeting with someone to answer appropriately.
Write in action language – use proactive, action language in your emails causing your readers to take action.

Use an email signature – set up a rule in your email system to always send your contact information at the footer of your email. This signature could contain your postal address, phone contact numbers and something about you and your business. This assists those you send your emails to and is free promotion for you each email you forward.

Be polite – email still requires a greeting and sign off. Take a few extra moments to greet your reader and sign off too.

Turn on spell checker – don’t allow poor grammar or spelling to be a misrepresentation of you and your skills. Set up your email to automatically spell check before any email is sent.

Turn off noises – remove any bells, whistles or chimes attached to your email. Don’t be distracted each time your email is received. Reduce distraction and eliminate chimes or sounds.

Use names in email – in the body text of an email advise each person why you sent them the email and the action they need to take. Teach people around you to read your emails looking specifically for their names and the actions you need them to take.

Delete – don’t be scared to delete emails. Once you have actioned it, file it or delete it. Keep your inbox clear.

Avoid BCC – try to avoid the use of blind carbon copy. If you have something to say to someone on email ensure that those who are copied need to be copied.

Avoid FYI – make a personal promise not to send any “FYI” or For Your Information emails. Only forward emails with specific instructions to people on what is required of them and why you are sending it through. Sending FYI emails is lazy.

Avoid jokes – don’t send joke emails, chain letters or cute PowerPoint presentations around the office. Don’t waste other’s time with these types of emails, our inboxes are so full already. Be considerate and avoid sending joke emails.

Stop pressing Send/Receive – get your finger off the button! Stop constantly pressing this button to check if you have any incoming emails. Avoid the temptation and spend time actioning the email you already have.

Watch your tone – be aware that the receiver doesn’t have the benefit of hearing your voice when they receive your email. Make sure it can’t be misunderstood.

Size does matter – be aware of the size of the attachments you are forwarding with your email. Be considerate to others and minimize file size when sending.

Spend 15 minutes – spend 15 minutes per day sorting your email. Take this time to file actioned emails, forward emails to others or delete emails. Daily discipline of your email inbox will allow you to remain focussed and less overwhelmed by email.

Maintain personal and work accounts – keep two email addresses. Only allow yourself to check work email during work time and set up a separate account to check your personal emails in your personal time.

Email is a powerful communication tool when used effectively it will help you boost your productivity. Promise yourself you will start looking at your emails differently today, apply these strategies and get back some of the time you are spending on email each day.

Neen James, MBA, is an International Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Subscribe to Neen’s free monthly ezine at http://www.neenjames.com/

A Productive Conference attendance .. and some fun too

2008-02-15T06:24:00.000-08:00

G'day,

Today I am in San Francisco, what a beautiful city!

While planning to attend this professional industry conference in San Francisco I decided to make the most of my time in this fabulous city and fly in one day earlier than the conference. I have always flown in and out of this beautiful place but not had the chance to explore it. To make my time here more productive I did the following things:

1. Reached out to a colleague who previously lived in the city and asked for her recommendations of 'tourist' things to do.

2.Invested one day exploring the city based on her list of recommendations and had a great time, rode the cable car, drank Irish coffees at Buena Vista, drove across the Golden Gate bridge and wandered around Sausalito!

3.Contacted other conference attendees I had never met before the meeting to make arrangements to connect at the event.

4. Reached out to people I knew were attending the conference and planned to share meals with them over the series of days here. It is always great to reconnect with friends and collegues and catch up face to face at events like this.

5. Identified which sessions I would attend (and which sessions I would skip) by reviewing the program online first.

6. Wrote to the speakers of the sessions before the event introducing myself, advising them I would like to connect at the conference ... and have already enjoyed making new connections.

7. Brought stamped stationery with me to the conference so I have already started my follow up from the people I have met.

So often we fly in and out of conferences without exploring the city, connecting with new people and reconnecting with friends. You can make every conference attendance productive by investing one hour planning before each trip and taking your follow up tools with you. So today I am off to enjoy more of San Francisco!

Pro-Networking: Internal Networking Strategies for Women

2008-01-30T08:50:00.001-08:00

Although there are any number of different women's networking groups and events you can attend, some of the best networking will occur within your organization. To build your reputation internally and understand “who’s who in the zoo” it is worth investing time to get to know the people around you. Try these suggestions to boost your internal networking skills.

Arrange a Lunchtime self-development session. Determine a topic your colleagues would be interested in, simply invite someone into your organization to give a brief presentation allowing time for questions and answers. You don’t need to pay this person; they may be an internal expert you invite. Choose someone who is an expert in their topic area. When organizing the meeting, set up the agenda so that there is time when people arrive to meet each other, allow 20 minutes for the presentation, 10 minutes for questions and a few minutes at the end to continue chatting to co-workers.

Organize a lunchtime sports team. This is a great way to build teamwork internally and also get to know people from other areas within the organization. Put up a notice or send an email asking for interested parties and then form a team i.e. basketball, football, tennis team are all fun and easy to organize. Find a park or gym close to the office you can use and set a regular time and day each week to meet. This is a great way to also get fresh air and exercise while networking. You might even like to get everyone to contribute some funds and organize team t-shirts to wear, your organization may even have some you can use!

Hold a quarterly breakfast forum and invite the CEO. Make an appointment with your CEO’s Executive Assistant and advise them you would like to invite the CEO to a quarterly breakfast where they can meet the team and also answer questions they might have. Once you get approval from the EA, book the next quarter’s date and find a suitable venue. Each person pays for their own breakfast so it doesn’t cost the company any money. Make arrangements with a café close to the office or in-house catering if you have it, and start at 7.30 and finish by 8.45. This allows people to meet, ask the CEO questions and get involved in discussions.

Seek or start a mentor program. Identify people you would like to learn from within the organization and approach them about being mentored for 6 months. If your organization already has a mentoring program, sign up and get involved.

Get involved in a charity. Select a deserving charity and organize events within the company to raise money for them. Your company may already have a chosen charity, if so; invite someone from the organization to update your colleagues on suggestions of how you can help. This can be a fun way to help others and also help you get to know those you work with.

Hold a ‘brown bag’ seminar at lunchtime. Invite everyone to bring their own lunch; you can invite a speaker to provide information to the team. The topics might be relevant to them for outside life i.e. health, fitness, family or some way to add value to the people you work with. The topics can come from your colleagues – ask them for suggestions. You can hold these on a monthly basis and allow time within the agenda to meet at least two other people from other departments. Advertise it on the notice boards, email and in the bathrooms (you would be surprised how many people read information in the bathrooms).

Organize cross-function team events. Get to know other teams within the business by hosting a morning tea and asking the other team to explain what they do within the business and the challenges they face, and then you do the same. This is a great way to find about others and also share what you are working on.

Start a book club. Find a few women who are interested in similar books to you, set yourself a book to read every two months. If it is a local author, invite them to join you at one of your meetings to explain more about the book and why it was written. Most authors love to meet their readers. When you get together, chat about what you learned from the book, what your opinions are on the writing style and what you liked most about the book.

Get in a project team. Seek opportunities to work on projects within your team and with other departments. Ensure you have your manager’s permission to be involved. This is a great way to network and learn from others.

Write for the company newsletter. Offer to provide articles or updates for the internal newsletter. This is a great way to work with the production team (who are often volunteers looking for content for the newsletter).

Provide your business card to co-workers. When you meet someone from another department always offer your card. This will give them your contact information if they want to contact you again.

Make the most of getting to know those you work with, take time to learn what they do and how you can work together to achieve your goals.

Productivity: How to get through airport Security

2007-12-11T04:38:00.000-08:00

My business takes me across the US and beyond most weeks and a regular part of every week is getting through the airport security line. Here are a few tips to help you make your time waiting more productive:

Print boarding passes out at home - avoid the long lines at the airport check in by printing out the boarding pass up to 24 hours before your flight. You can check your seat, change it if necessary and then print it out at home.

Get ID quickly - before I get out of my car or taxi I find my photo ID and my boarding pass and have them in my hands for the security agent the moment I meet them.

Get organized in your car or taxi - before I leave my car, rental car shuttle or taxi I pull out of my bag my laptop and toiletries bag. This way I don't have to open the bag again in the security line and I am ready and waiting to be processed.

Choose wisely - find an outfit you can wear every time you travel with minimum zips, buttons or catches that will allow you to move smoothly through the line without feeling like you are as you pass through the security sensor.

Wear socks or pantyhose - don't allow your feet to touch the floor of the airport and think about wearing some protection on your feet when you have to remove your shoes.

Choose your shoes well - find slip on type shoes that will allow you to quickly remove them before the security sensor and place them on when they have been x-rayed. Don't waste time feeling awkward trying to do up laces, zippers on boots or straps on sandals.

Minimize jewellery - find jewellery that won't set off the sensors, wear the same items each time you travel so it is one less thing you need to remove in the security line.

Ziploc only - make sure every possible gel, liquid and cream is in this bag. Save yourself time by complying with this rule to avoid bag checks and more wasted time waiting in lines.

Smile - understand these people are trying to do their jobs to keep us all safe, make their lives easier and your trip more pleasant by smiling at them and greeting them whenever you can.

Take reading material - some lines are very long at certain times in the day and times through the year. Be prepared to wait and take a book or magazine to help you pass the time. This is a great opportunity on catching up on all those journals you have been 'meaning to read'.

Apply these simple guidelines today and your next trip through security at the airport will be more productive.

Be Productive: Get Your Home Ready for the Holidays

2007-11-19T04:44:00.000-08:00

The excitement of the holidays is now upon us and it is during this time we often feel like we have more on our ‘to do’ list than there are hours in the day! A common area of stress for many people is getting our homes ready for the holidays. Working in partnership with a fantastic service, like Harmony Clean can help save you time, help you relax and also give you peace of mind.

Harmony Clean www.harmonyclean.com is about healthy home cleaning, naturally. They provide a complete, customized maid service (as regularly as needed) with caring, trained staff that are bonded and insured. Recently I interviewed Vicki Brown, one of the founders of this unique company and asked her how we could get our homes ready for the holidays. Here are several strategies we decided would help get your home ready this holiday season.

Make a holiday ‘to do’ list – include on your list the activities you want to complete at home, the activities you want to outsource and your shopping ‘to do’ list.

Book a special one time clean – if you know you have company coming, a party or a gathering of people; consider hiring the experts to clean your home from top to bottom. This will also make it easier for you to maintain during the holiday period.

Pay attention to bathrooms – these areas of your home will get significant traffic during this busy time, keep these areas clean by placing cleaning products in each room so that you can quickly wipe the counter tops, clean the shower doors and wipe down other areas. I like Shaklee products (recently endorsed on the Oprah show) that are environmentally and people friendly - http://www.shaklee.net/formhealthyhabits/

Change bed linens – it is great at night to snuggle up into flannel sheet sets. Allocate time to change over all the linens in each room. Do it all on the same day as it makes it easier to remember when they all need to be changed again.

Attend to your guest room – allocate 60 minutes to clean, tidy, dust and clean out closet space in your guest room. This is a great time of year for unexpected visitors so make sure your guest room is ready for anyone that might drop in for a visit or stay over after a meal.

Dust your baseboards – this is a great time of year to pay attention to all the areas in your home you don’t normally clean. Vacuum these areas or wipe them free of all dust, this will also help your heating system function better.

Clean lights and chandeliers – some our lights might be covered in dust and cobwebs so ask the cleaning service to spend time on these fixtures. It is worth allocating someone else to do this time consuming task.

Wipe down kitchen cabinetry – ask your cleaning service to attend to this area. If you are cleaning your own home, spend time wiping down each cabinet and pay attention to the base boards.

Allocate time to decorate – make an appointment with yourself (and recruit your family to help if you can) to sort and hang your holiday decorations. This can be a fun way to spend time with those you care about. If you don’t have any family living close by, recruit a few friends to help you, put on a few drinks and turn it into a holiday catch up.

Make an appointment with yourself to shop online – instead of spending time in stores, determine how many gifts and items you can buy online (from the comfort of your own home). You might also end up spending less money as you won’t be distracted by the other items in store.

Outsource your linens – take your table cloths, matching serviettes and any other linens you might need for your holidays, to your local dry cleaner and ask them to press them, this will save you time. You may even consider giving them to a local ironing service instead.

Polish your silver – if you have special dishes, utensils or items that you don’t use year round but want to use during the holidays, make time to sit down and polish or clean these items. You could also make this a fun activity and ask your family or friends to help you while you talk about fun memories of years past.

Research your recipe books – pull out all the relevant recipe books that you want to use and mark the recipes you will be making. Sit down in one place, in one sitting and make a list of every ingredient you are going to need for your special meal. This will prevent multiple trips to the store (or multiple orders online).

Purchase fresh flowers – these add a special touch to your home during this busy time; they create beauty and will be appreciated by those around you. You can have special holiday arrangements delivered by many companies, I like www.1800flowers.com

Find your serving platters – search your pantry, your cupboards and your basement for all those large platters you like to use during the holidays. It may take time to find them, clean them and then decide which food will be displayed on which platter. I always place them all on the counter top the day of the event so I know which platters are going to be used.

Use party hire – a senior executive I spoke to recently says she simply phones the party hire store and tells them how many people she has coming for a meal and they deliver the cutlery, crockery, linens, candles and extra seats and tables she requires. She rinses off the crockery and they come and pick it all up – no cleaning, no fuss. Can you reach out to your local party hire store and see if they provide this service?

Get your groceries delivered – order your groceries online from your favourite supermarket and have them delivered to your home. For a small tip to the delivery person, you will save so much time and it also means you won’t have to carry them indoors during the cold weather.

Order your main ingredients – if you like to have a ham or turkey on the holiday table, now is the time to place your order for those items and any special order pies you might want. Search out your local farmers market or local produce store.

Use caterers – if you don’t enjoy cooking or you don’t have time, consider hiring someone to help you with the food preparation. Many stores have great pre-cooked meals now and many of them will do special catering, just ask your favourite food store.

Get help – during this busy season there are many services that can help you feel less stressed and give you more time. Consider online shopping services, personal chefs, and dry cleaners, cleaning services, flower delivery and local school children. You might be able to recruit local neighbourhood school children to help you with the many chores you need to get done. I offer to pay my neighbours to help me achieve my ‘to do’ list.

The holiday season is for enjoying with friends and family, it is not meant to be a stressful, busy time. This year decide you are going to stop trying to do it all and get help where ever you can.

Neen James is an International Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice (Aussie accent), sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more and subscribe to Neen’s free monthly ezine at http://neenjames.com

Vicki Brown is one of the founders of Harmony Clean. Harmony Clean is committed to healthy home cleaning, naturally. Their full customised, complete maid service is available weekly, biweekly or monthly. They use top quality HEPA and multi-filtration vacuums and they are fully bonded and insured. Harmony Clean’s team are caring and well trained and they guarantee satisfaction 100% of the time. Find out more and book your next special clean at www.harmonyclean.com

Pro-Networking: Creating Great Connections

2007-08-17T08:56:00.001-07:00

There are any number of different networking groups and events you could choose to attend. To make your networking more productive, it’s worth investing effort in identifying and sampling groups that look like they might suit your personal and business needs – here’s how:

Choose the network. Decide what you’re looking for from a networking group and ask around. Find out what groups are available and ask for recommendations and opinions from people you respect.

Contact the network. Phone the organiser of the group or event and ask questions such as these to help you decide whether this is a good place to invest your time.

§ What types of people attend this event?
§ What industries are represented at this event?
§ How long has it been established?
§ What three words best describe this group?
§ Is there an opportunity to promote my business?
§ Does this network have membership?
§ If so, how does it work? What does it cost?

Commit to the events. When you do find a network you enjoy, schedule the time to attend and become one of the regulars. This is a great way to establish connections with people as well as to let others get to know you.

Get involved. Volunteer to help – serving on a committee or helping with an event is a great way to get to know people: help on registration, collect business cards, offer to be the MC or help to arrange an event.

Always carry your business card. That means both in and out of business hours – even at social and sporting events; you never know when someone may need your services. Ladies, it is a good idea to keep a supply of business cards in all of your handbags while gentlemen, you may like to keep a supply in all your coat jackets.

Never hand out cards with incorrect or crossed out information. It is not professional. Information crossed out may give the appearance that you are disorganized or don’t have attention to detail. Business cards are not expensive to print and you should ensure each one you hand out is an ideal representation of you and your business.

Keep a good supply of cards. Don’t allow yourself to be in a position where you can’t give someone your card. Be aware of your stock and reorder before you get too low.

Ask for a business card. When you have met someone and had conversation ask, “May I have your card?” Always ask for their card first. Once you have received it then ask, “May I give you my card?” Don’t always assume that they will want your card. It is more polite to give it to them after they have said yes.

Ask permission. If you want to write details on someone’s card (while you are still with them) always ask, “Do you mind if I make a note on the back of you card?” Some people invest substantial money in their cards and asking this question demonstrates your respect.

Write notes to yourself. When you have finished a conversation with someone, take a moment to write something about him or her on the back of his or her card. This will help jog your memory when you contact them after the event.

After each networking event I gather all the cards I have collected and put a rubber band around them together with note to remind myself of which event I met these people at. I place the pile of cards on my laptop keyboard so I that I action them the next day. Some people invest in contact management systems, and many of them are good, however you can still establish an effective contact system using basic tools such as a business card holder and Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes.

Schedule follow up time. Whenever I book a networking event into my schedule I always book another 30-minute appointment with myself for the day after the event to follow up with the organisers and the people I meet.
Send handwritten cards. I handwrite thank you cards for those people I made a real connection with. I thank them for the time we spent, for the information they gave me or acknowledge some other connection that we made. Receiving a hand written card in the mail is so unusual and personal that it delivers with it a powerful impression, far stronger than a quick email might.

Book a 20-minute coffee. If you have connected with someone at an event and you want to know more about them and their business, make an appointment with them for a 20-minute coffee. Twenty minutes is an easy appointment for most people to fit into their schedule. It indicates that you value their time and shows that you are genuine about wanting to find out more about them. When you contact them you might say, “I’d like to invite you for a 20-minute coffee so I can find out more about what you do, what day is most suitable for you?” Make sure you honour the 20-minutes. At the 20-minute mark I always stop the meeting and say, “I promised it would only take 20-minutes so thank you for your time”. At this point the person you are with is able to choose whether they want to end the meeting or continue.

Send a thank you to the event organiser. Take the time to thank the organisers of the event, let them know why you found it valuable and include your business card in the envelope. There is a lot of time and energy that goes into organising events and people appreciate you taking the time to acknowledge that.

Women: Become a Sales Superstar: Get in the Know

2007-08-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

To succeed in sales you need to be in the “know”

We are all in sales. We all selling in every role we have. Whether you are in sales, marketing, home business, looking after your kids, dentist, athlete or whatever your chosen field is – you sell. When you are “selling an idea” or pitching a business proposal or offering a product or service – it is all selling. You can choose to avoid it or be good at it. Have you ever met natural sales people and admired them? Have you wondered how they do it? It is simple – you just need to be in the “know”.

Know your style – how do you like to work? Do you work with a team, do you work for a manager, or do you work alone? Determine how you work best or how you need to work, and design a sales process just for you.

Know your personality – are you outgoing? Are you shy? Are you confident? Are you reluctant to meet new people? If you are an extrovert sales may seem a bit easier to you but I believe that the introverts who are exceptional at building relationships with people, are some of the best sales people I know.

Know what energises you – do you work best inspired by others, do you like recognition, do you like to set goals and achieve them. However you like to work you can use this same formula to boost your sales. If you like recognition but work alone, you will need to find someone who you can share your sales achievements with.

Know how to network – this is one of the most important skills in any business. Learn how to network in opportunities that are suitable for your business. If you want to find out more on how to do this you can read my latest book with other master networkers called “Network or Perish”.

Know your commitment – how much time can you allocate to selling as part of your role. If you run a home based business or work for yourself, I imagine you would be “selling” constantly to educate others on what you do and generate your next project or income opportunity. If you work with a sales team you may be required to bring in monthly targets. Make a note of how much of your time you need to spend in a sales mindset.

Know your weekly sales target – if you are part of a sales team, this will be easy as managers provide you with monthly figures. If you don’t have this target – create it. Look at your annual income or targets you want to achieve, divide it by twelve for a monthly figure then simply divide it by four – easy – now you have your weekly target. Place this target somewhere you can see it each day to remind you of what you need to achieve. Take 10 minutes each week to review how you went against your sales goal.

Know your strike rate – if you have to make sales calls (either on the phone or in person) keep a track for two weeks to determine how many calls you made and how many translated into sales opportunities. Some of you may have products or services with long sales cycles (for example in some businesses the sales cycle can be several months) but you will get a feel for your success rate. You might find out of 10 appointments you have 5 turn into sales – your strike rate is 50%. Now you need to make 20 appointments to achieve 10 sales in a week.

Know your team – if you work alone, build a virtual team. Your virtual team might include accountant, personal assistant, bookkeeper, mentor, web designer – you get the idea. Know the talents of those around you and learn from them. Outsource expertise areas to allow you to focus on selling. Know whom your team is connected with and how they might benefit from your product or service. Know how they like to work and ensure your sales processes support that.

Know how to ask for the sale – so many people I observe forget to ask for the sale. Don’t be scared of asking people if they want to buy. Find language that suits your style and just ask. It could be as simple as “Would you like to proceed with this? If so, when should we deliver it for you?” – don’t forget to ask for the business.

Know why people buy from you – understand what needs your product fulfils in people’s lives. Do you sell services that make people feel better about themselves; do you sell products that make people’s lives easier? What reasons do people have for buying from you? You could conduct surveys or hold focus groups to ask your customers what they think. Once you know this information it will assist your marketing and sales efforts.

Know how to thank your customers for their business – find out what your customers enjoy i.e. outdoor activities, entertainment, cooking – what are their interests? When you thank them for their business include something that reflects this. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Simply send a thank you card with an article inside they would be interested in. This shows you know your customers well and you think of them after the sale has occurred. Whenever I speak or train a new female client I always send a box of flowers the following day to their office. This shows them I appreciate the opportunity to work with them and their team.

Know how to generate referrals for your business – a good way to do this is develop advocates for your product. Find people who are willing to promote you to their customers or provide testimonials for you – this is very powerful marketing tool and makes your sale process really easy!

Know “no” is not the end of the sale – some people say no to a sale because they have more questions or are not completely satisfied they require the product. Don’t let no be the final word. Have a series of questions or statements you can make to help fully understand why someone doesn’t buy from you. Don’t be put off by the word no – don’t take it personally.

Know how to negotiate – this skill is essential if you are serious about selling. Learn the skill, get some training or observe and expert and ask lots of questions. Negotiation is a key part of any sale – no matter how large or small - get good at it.

Know how to make your service tangible – if you sell a service i.e. coaching, image consultation or something that doesn’t have a product your client can touch or feel – make it tangible for them. Simple ways to do this include business cards, brochure, website, a free analysis or one hour consultation, a manual, testimonials from previous clients, a CD or book on your topic of expertise. There are many ways to make it tangible – get creative.

Know more than your competitors – we all have competitors. Understand how what you are offering is different or better than your competitors. Be able to explain the differences to your clients. Know what your competitors are also offering so you can provide an educated and balanced opinion about how your products are different.

Selling is a great skill – you can develop it or improve it – make the decision to boost your sales by applying these strategies to your business.

How to boost your communication skills and be more approachable

2007-07-05T06:30:00.001-07:00

How to boost your communication skills and be more approachable

For some people I meet they are not naturally outgoing or friendly and yet their role requires them to be constantly managing and leading people. Here are a few strategies you can apply to help boost your communication skills and make others feel so pleased they have met you.

Smile – this obvious gesture can not be underestimated. Not only does this exercise your face but it will make those around you feel more comfortable.

Be positive – choose to be in a good mood (even if you are not). Your role is to choose a good frame of mind and that will reflect on those around you.

Make others welcome – use language and phrases that make people pleased they decided to spend time with you. I like sentences like “I am so glad you are here”, “I am so pleased you made it”, “thank you for coming”, “it is great to see you”. All of these words should become part of your daily language.

Eye contact – look people in the eye when you meet them. People appreciate your complete attention and focus, stop what you are doing and make an eye to eye connection with the person in front of you.

Make them important – ensure the person you are talking to feels like they are the most important person you have spoken to all day. You can achieve this by standing still, looking them in the eye, smiling and listening to them.

Listen intently – focus on the words of the person in front of you, stop yourself from being distracted and try and understand not only their words, but the meaning and tone of the words they use.

Nod frequently – show someone you are listening by frequently nodding and acknowledging you are involved in the conversation.

Stand straight – face the person you are meeting straight on. Show them you are interested by giving them you undivided attention.

Be the hostess – when you see one person standing alone, go and introduce yourself and help introduce them to others. People like to be included.

Ask questions – the best conversationalists I know constantly ask questions. Create a list of questions you can use when you meet someone. I like these questions:

What do you do?
Where do you work?
How long does it take you to get from home to work?
What do you like to do in your spare time?

Take a genuine interest in people when you ask them questions and listen to their responses.

Watch others – if there are people you meet that are great communicators, watch them and learn from them. Follow them around a room and watch how they treat others and try those behaviours too.

Be authentic – turn up as yourself 100% of the time be you and others will appreciate it. If you don’t like you, then work on making the changes that you are happy with.

Stop – don’t rush from one person to the next. Stop and have a quality connection with a few people, you will enjoy communicating with people more this way.

Dress well – people make assumptions about you in 7 seconds. In that time they assess your age, income, marital status, education and interests… in 7 seconds! Make that first impression even more powerful by paying close attention to your personal appearance. Don’t forget your hair style, jewellery choices, and fabric of your clothing, shoes and skin maintenance. If you look good you feel good – very simple!

Thank someone each day – I make a point of telling someone how much I appreciate them every day. I use hand written thank you notes, email, phone calls, flowers and brownies. Decide to do this daily and you will build stronger relationships and you will feel better too.

Gratitude daily – each morning before you get out of bed remind yourself of what you are grateful for. This will set up your day in the right frame of mind and will help you in your communications all day.

Ask for help – if you know your communication skills aren’t where you want them to be, ask for others help, feedback and suggestions for enhancement. People want to help you and feel honoured you asked.

One thing – choose one thing to work on and do it constantly. By adding a new item each month you will have transformed your communication skills within a year.

Investing in yourself and building your communication skills and making yourself more approachable has many personal and business implications. Start today.

Productivity travel tips for Women: How to be a productive Road Warrior

2007-07-02T10:00:00.001-07:00

You have seen them, they all look alike, the regular ‘road warrior’ with their determined expression, wrinkle proof suit and pulling a beaten up carry on bag…whether you travel a little or a lot with your company there are many ways you can boost your personal productivity when you travel. These before, during and after strategies will help you maximise your time, limit your stress and overall increase your travel productivity.

Before You Travel

Buy the tools – you wouldn’t build a house without the right tools, travel is no different. To be a productive traveler you want to ensure you have a variety of tools to assist the comfort and productivity of your trip. Tools to consider purchasing are quality luggage, Ipod, noise cancelling earphones, soft briefcase and GPS system.

20-22 inch Carry On expandable luggage – I like Briggs and Riley, it is durable, light weight, expandable, self healing and well made. Check out www.briggsandriley.com. These are allowed in the US and other countries as carry on baggage. When you are buying luggage look for features such as pull along, strong wheels, stability foot on the bottom (in case it gets too heavy), external zippers (to hold travel documentation and the Ziploc toiletry bag) and also make sure the pop up handle is a ‘one pull’ action.

IPOD or MP3 – this is not a luxury, this is a requirement for any travel. I have a created a selection of play lists, including one with very relaxing music so that when it is time to sleep I can turn to this group and fall asleep.

Noise cancelling earphones – these are a little bit of a luxury, but I wouldn’t travel anywhere without them. My husband previously flew many long international flights and he turned me onto this great invention. I prefer the Sony small ear bud type and take them where ever I go www.sony.com

Briefcase – I like a soft tote briefcase that allows me to include personal and work related items. My favourite is from Coakley Business Class (sorry guys these are just for women) and they are the best travel briefcase I have ever found (and you can use it everyday!) www.coakleybusinessclass.com. For the gentleman, try the soft Samsonite one, it has great suspension in the shoulder strap. When looking for a brief case also make sure it has the feature to be able to slide it over your carry on luggage (many have a soft strap or a zippered section to allow you to do this).

GPS (Global Positioning System) – this was the best gift I ever got! They are now getting smaller and smaller and are perfect to plug into your rental car when you arrive in another city. Also when we were in Italy last year we downloaded the European maps and it was great fun to get around tiny little towns. I have named mine ‘Bella’ – she keeps me company when I am driving late at night or in a city where I don’t know my way.

Consider clothing – When you are regularly on the road I suggest a few strategies to help make your life easier for both packing and arriving looking together.

Travel Outfit – Create your own travel outfit, yes it can be the same every time. Mine is a pair of black pants, black top (I have a short sleeve one for summer and a long sleeve one for cooler months), pantyhose and a pair of black patent leather flat slip on shoes. I wear the same silver jewellery with it all and I know when I arrive at the security line I don’t have to remove anything (except my shoes) – that is why pantyhose (or socks) are good when you have to take off your shoes. The fabric of this outfit doesn’t crease and is comfortable (which makes a huge different on those long flights).

Airport shoes – think about the quality and make of the shoes you wear to the airport. I suggest slip ons of some description so you are not awkwardly trying to tie up laces or straps. Also ensure they are comfortable and well made as you often have to walk long distances between gates or to the parking area.

Carry a pashmina – for the ladies, I recommend you invest in a dark coloured pashmina that has many uses. On the plane it is a great blanket (and so many airlines in the US don’t supply pillows and blankets). When I rent a car it becomes a booster seat for me (he he). When I have to sit on an airport floor (yes I have done that living here in the US) it is great to place on the floor … oh and yes I can wear it if I need to keep warm.

Jewellery – wearing the same silver jewellery when I travel I know I can wear it the next day and I can walk through the screening area without having to remove it. It simplifies the process and speeds up the line.

Belts – if possible, don’t wear an outfit that requires a belt as it is only one more item of clothing you have to remove at the airport line.

Productive Packing – there are many opinions on what to pack and I find the most productive way for me is having a series of pre-packed bags. This includes luggage, carry on plane survival kit, brief case, make up and toiletry bags.

Pre-packed luggage contents includes:
v Ziploc toiletry bag
v Underwear
v First aid items (band aids, safety pins and head ache tablets)
v Make up bag
v Gym gear
v Clothes brush (I have a long haired cat and her fur seems to make its way across the world with me)
v Book of interest
v Cell Phone charger
v Laptop power pack
v Stamped stationery (note cards and envelopes)

Carry on plane survival kit contents include:
v Ipod
v Noise cancelling earphones
v Spare battery for noise cancelling earphones
v Lip balm
v Eye mask (for those long flights)
v Pen
v Eye drops
v Travel size toothbrush and toothpaste
v Breath mints

Make up kit – ladies if you travel alot I suggest you buy a full set of make up and make up brushes and tools and keep them in a separate make up bag so you never have to go looking for something and you never forget something on your trips.

Ziploc Toiletry Bag contents include travel sized:
v Decanted shower gel
v Skin care
v Hair care products
v Travel sized perfume or aftershave (most brands now supply a smaller size compliant with airline safety standards)
v Toothpaste
v Spare contact lenses

Many department stores and pharmacies carry a range of travel sized products. I was fascinated when I was in Sephoria in Times Square recently that the merchandising near the payment counter had changed significantly and provided 50+ choices of regular band products in travel sized convenient containers.

Plastic helps – My friend Camille was an airline goddess for many years and gave me this great tip, using the plastic you receive from your dry cleaners around your clothes helps avoid creases.

Duplicate copies – to be more productive (and for a few extra dollars) consider investing in duplicates of everything you travel with. If you are a regular traveler, having a pre-packed bag will allow you to leave with minimum notice and save time and stress before any trip. On your list of items to buy you could include:
v Toiletries available in travel size
v Brushes – make up brushes, hair brushes or combs
v Cell phone charger
v Laptop power pack
v Make up
v Stamps and stationery
v Spare items i.e. pantyhose, clothing brush.

Choose your seat – I like to sit in an aisle seat so I can get in and out and I don’t feel cramped by others. For longer flights (especially the red eye), my friend Shawn books the window seat so you can lean against the window to sleep, choose your seat wisely. If you have an option of an exit row choose this seat as it gives you more leg room. You may like to check out www.seatguru.com – it is a great website to see exactly what your seat will be on most major airlines.

Pre-print your boarding pass – whenever possible go online 24 hours before you fly and select your seat and print your boarding pass. This will save you time in the long lines at the airport check in and also help you find the seat you want.

Join airline clubs – if you fly frequently to same cities join the airline programs of those major airlines so you can also gather frequent flyer miles for all your travels. You may be able to use them for a fun trip with those you care for later on.

Join airline lounges – if you fly with the same carrier regularly to invest in a membership for that lounge so you have a quiet place to snack, get changed or to catch up on reading. I noticed in Australia this was a great use of money and well worth it however in the US the gates and lounges are so spread out and there are so many options to travel with different airlines this hasn’t been a worthwhile investment for me here, however if you fly the same airline every time it might be worth it for you.

Create a one page itinerary – create a one page template that includes your confirmation codes of all flight details, hotel and rental car information. Include on this template all your frequent flyer clubs and associations also so that if you arrive and they haven’t included this in your booking you can quickly get credit for your travel.

During Your Travel

Allow extra 30 minutes – add at least 30 minutes onto any amount of time you think it will take you to get to the airport or park. This additional time will save you stress if you are stuck in traffic, can’t find a car space or the security line is longer than you expected. If you have pre-packed a book or magazine you can use that 30 minutes to read or to connect with a friend or client.

Know the Parking Garage – if you regularly travel on the same airline, know the shuttle system or design of the car park so you can get in and out quickly.

Take your ticket – when you receive a parking receipt/ticket on your arrival place it in the same compartment of your bag or briefcase so you know where to find it upon your return.

Write the parking space on your ticket – in the US the parking garages are so big that I always write the colour and space on my parking receipt so that when I arrive back after a few days away (often late at night), I can quickly find my car and not waste time wandering around the parking garage.

Ground transport notice – when you enter an airport, notice where the taxis, rental car shuttles or parking garages are. This will save you time when you return and allow you to quickly make your way to the next place.

Regular rental – Use the same rental company each time you travel will also boost your productivity because you will expect a certain standard each time you fly. You might also consider joining their frequent customer program too. I like using Enterprise because they are affordable and also each time you arrive they look so happy to see you and they pay attention to small details including water bottles in the car and also pre-printed local lists of radio stations and areas of interest.

Play music – by creating different play lists on your IPOD you will enjoy your travel more if you can listen to music and block out the noise around you. This is effective in the airport lounge, at the gate and on the plane. You might also like to include a CD in your packing checklist for the rental car.

Getting through security – there are several tips to help you get through the line faster:

v Wear an outfit that doesn’t require any removal of items or have any metal.
v Place your cell phone and keys into your briefcase or purse before entering the security line.
v Keep your Ziploc bag of toiletries in an outside zippered compartment for quick access.
v Get your laptop out of your briefcase before you reach your place in line.
v Place your laptop, shoes and toiletries in one container on the security screen belt.
v Keep your boarding pass and photo identification in your hands.

Check in or carry on – I always carry on luggage (up to a five day business trip), I have learnt to pack well and have invested in a minimum number of outfits. I think there is so much time wasted waiting for luggage (not to mention the concern it may not arrive with you!) wherever possible try and carry on luggage for your business travel.

Laptop … or not – if your trip doesn’t require you to take your laptop, leave it at home. It is one less thing to juggle through security and some laptops add significant weight to your briefcase. Leave it behind if you can. If you have to take it with you consider buying a smaller, light weight model one that is easy to use and you can balance in small places. You do pay more for smaller, lighter models but it is money well spent.

Keep a reading file – as you collect articles, newspapers or journals you want to read, take them with you when you travel. Each week I receive the Philadelphia Business Journal and I take it with me on the plane to read and enjoy. It is a paper that keeps my interest and small enough it doesn’t crowd the person beside me.

Buy bottled water – part of my routine as soon as I get through the security line is to head to the nearest store to buy 2 bottles of water. During the flight it is essential to drink water to keep you hydrated, two bottles allows me to drink before the plane arrives (has been helpful when there are large delays) and during the flight.

Eat healthy – many airlines don’t supply quality food on board so try to find healthy solutions within the airport to satisfy your hunger. You may also like to buy something to eat on board for longer flights so you are snacking on healthy items. I like to travel with a bag of almonds and pecans so that I always have a yummy (and healthy) snack available. AS you are flying from the same airport each week, become familiar with the food offerings inside the terminal so you can quickly find something you enjoy eating.

Hotel routine – no matter what time I arrive at a new hotel I have the same routine. I open my suitcase, remove my suit and hang it on a hanger. If it has gathered small creases in the travel I take it into the bathroom, hang it up and turn on the hot shower to create a ‘steam room effect’ and this removes any creases. Now for my Australian readers who are experiencing a drought right now that seems very wasteful so you may want to hang these clothes while you are showering the next day to avoid water waste. You might like to take this opportunity to iron your clothes instead. I then plug in my laptop, set up my cell phone charger, set my alarm and pull out the documents or reading for the next day. By having the same routine each time you will be productive and not forget important details (and you save time in the morning also).

Exercise – if you don’t have a gym in the hotel consider either taking a walk outside at the beginning of your day or exercising in your room. I often place a towel on the floor and then do a series of stretches, yoga, sit ups and push ups. You can establish a routine especially for travel that doesn’t require any equipment i.e. push ups, sit ups, squats and any yoga.

Call a client – you often have down time in the airport so it is a great time to reconnect with a client or colleague. I use this time to touch base with important people in my life and it becomes part of my business development time.

Be strategic – time in hotel rooms can be lonely or unproductive so I use this time to design new products, review my business plan, catch up on reading and design new models or programs for my business. Some of my best ideas have come while sitting in my hotel room – use this time for strategy and thought space instead of turning on the TV to keep your company.

Stay connected – when you arrive at your location notify someone important to you. I like to call my husband when I have arrived in my hotel so he knows I am safe and sound and I get to hear his voice. Calling your family or friend is a great way for you to keep connected on the road.

Write thank you notes – because I carry stamped stationery with me when I travel, I use the flight home to write notes to people I met during my trip. When I arrive my next destination I post them. It is a great way to reconnect with people after you have met them and is a productive use of flight time.

After Your Travel

Know the quickest route home – understand the quickest and least traffic congested way to get out of the airport so you can be home with those you care for in the smallest amount of time. Where I live there are 2 major ways home and if you take the wrong one at some particular times during the day it can add up to an hour to your ride home (not so much fun after a long flight) so know which ways are best at different times during the day.

Unpack quickly – if you arrive home early enough, unpack your bag, refill any necessary toiletry items and allocate clothes for washing or dry cleaning.

Refill and replace – update any items in your ‘pre-packed’ toiletries or luggage that need attention to save you time for future trips. Note any additional items you may have forgotten on this trip and place them in your luggage so you don’t forget them next time.

Debrief your trip – recall any items you missed, notice things that you enjoyed or frustrated you and make the changes that are within your control. Each time you travel you may learn something new that will help you save time or save you frustration for your next travel experience.

Thank your team – if you have an assistant, let them know what went well about the trip and any enhancements you would like to make for your next trip. Thank your travel agent for the trip planning and also let them know if something didn’t go well and discuss how to fix it for the next trip. Thank your client for the opportunity to work with them. If you experienced great service at some point in the trip take the time to email or write a thank you note to that organisation. The simple art of thanking people is often overlooked but is one of the most powerful things you can do to boost your productivity and make someone else’s day!

Gather your receipts – there is so much paperwork collected on trips including boarding passes, rental agreements, and food and hotel receipts. Keep this in a central place when you travel (I take a clear plastic folder for this very purpose each time I travel). When you arrive home quickly sort through the paper, action business cards and file any receipts or keep them aside for your clients. Process all your paper within 24 hours.

Action business cards – if you have met new people during your productive trip take the time to now action those cards. You might like to write a ‘nice to meet you’ note, scan them and add them to your database and write a note for any follow up action required. Following this process diligently each time you travel will avoid piles of business cards gathering on your desk (reminding you of action you haven’t taken!)

Be grateful – if you are travelling for business it means you have a successful job that is supporting you and your family. Stop hating it and start enjoying it. Giving thanks for the opportunity to see new places, meet new people and share your experience is a privilege.

Change your language around travel, enjoy it, embrace it and you will be more productive! Next time you see another road warrior smile at them and let them know you understand. You can be more productive every time you travel by applying these before, during and after you travel strategies… now where am I off to tomorrow?

Productivity: How to use email productively

2007-01-18T03:59:00.000-08:00

I believe that email was originally designed to help us become more productive, but in talking to many clients it seems to now take up so much time, attention and energy that we are ‘unproductive’ with our email systems.

Here are a few quick tips to help you use email in a more productive way:

Use “Out of Office” facility – if you are unable to respond to emails or you will be out of your office for a long period of time, leave an “out of office” auto responder on your email system. This helps you manage other’s expectations and gives you more time to respond to people.

Don’t copy everyone on your email – only send the email to the relevant people who will action it. If you have multiple people on an email distribution, list their name within the text of the email and what is required of them and by when. People will appreciate your direct approach and this will clearly communicate why you sent the email to them.

Get off electronic lists – if you are subscribing to ezines you never read or on lists you don’t want to be on, unsubscribe and get off the lists so you can eliminate some of the messages in your inbox that you won’t read.

Think and write in bullet points – keep sentences short and to the point. Don’t use email to create long paragraphs or criticise people’s performance. Ask others who communicate with you to keep their emails short also.

Always use a greeting – take the time to greet your contact in email just like you do in person. Some people also like to use emotion icons eg. :) – These can help add tone to your message.

Learn the functionality of email – spend time finding out what facilities are available within your system to maximise your use of email.

Colour code your emails – use the functionality of colour coding incoming emails so at a glace you can see who in your inbox is important and who you need to respond to first.

Only check your email 2-3 times per day – so much time is wasted responding to emails throughout the day, focus your energy on checking and responding only 3 times a day, once when you start your day, after lunch then one hour before you leave your office. This will ensure you can handle important communication in a timely manner.

Delete once actioned – don’t let emails stay in your inbox, this is not your task list. Once actioned, delete them. If you need to take action from the email, book time to complete the task and then delete it.

Productivity: How to Make This Your Most Productive Year Ever

2007-01-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

Each year we start the year thinking about our goals, our job, our health, all the ‘new’ routines and commitments we make to ourself to make this our best year yet… but two weeks into January all our planning and resolution goes out the window! You can make this your best year ever by applying some of these simple ideas (and re-reading this article each year to keep you on track).

Make a date. Make time in your schedule to find a quiet, comfortable location to set your goals. I spend a morning at my favourite cafe in January every year to review my goals and set new ones for the year ahead.

No more New Year’s Resolutions! Instead, focus on creating realistic goals for all areas of your life – I call these your top 5.

Take five. Create five categories for which to set goals: physical, educational, spiritual, financial, and relational. By setting goals for each of these areas of your life, you will be taking a balanced approach and not neglecting any important aspects of your life.

Write it. You must write your goals down – it makes them more powerful. Use positive language – words like “I will” and “I am” – this will help you to feel as though you have already achieved your goals and to change your behaviors accordingly, for example, “I am going to the gym three times per week”. Make sure you allocate a specific timeframe for the completion of each goal, for example, “By the beginning of March, I am going to the gym three times per week”. Now, identify a reward for achieving each goal – don’t just make a list of rewards, relate a specific reward to the achievement of a specific goal. This will inspire you even more toward the achievement of your goal. And finally, list the possible obstacles that will get in the way of you achieving each goal, and how you will overcome these. This will help you to pre-empt the things that might go wrong and immediately swing into action with your solution, rather than giving up on your goal.

Review constantly. I have been told that the difference between a millionaire and a billionaire is that a billionaire reads their goals twice a day. Simple really. I keep a copy of my goals in several locations around my house (on the bathroom mirror, on the printer, outside the shower screen, on the fridge, on my bedside table and in my wallet), which makes it easy for me to see my goals and be reminded of what I am working towards several times a day.

Use it or lose it! I recently read – people who spend a thousand dollars or more each year on their personal development will increase their business by 20 percent. Read more books, attend workshops, find a new networking group, listen to tapes or CDs in your car, do online courses or enrol at college or university. Keep your brain active.

Make time. Eliminate time-robbers from your day – make a list of all the things you do that rob you of your time, such as watching too much TV, running errands inefficiently, checking and responding to your email too often, making long phone calls, waiting in traffic and even other people. Focus on controlling your time – organising your day efficiently and getting rid of the things in your life that are not a high priority.

Create a paperless desk. Remove all paperwork from your desk: establish files for your projects; reference folders for information you need to access regularly; a reading file for articles, reports, journals and FYI documents; and a daily-file for administrative, miscellaneous and day-specific tasks, and keep these on shelves or in drawers.

Out of sight, out of mind. Remove your in-tray from your desk or get rid of it all together if you can! Keep it out of sight so the contents don’t distract you and so that people don’t drop new items into it without you noticing.

Hang a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign. If you have an actual office with a door, this one is easy. But many workplaces today are open plan and it’s difficult to alert people to the fact that you don’t wish to be interrupted – but there are ways around it. I know one workplace where each person has an item (in this case, a toy frog) which when placed on top of their computer means that they are not available – that they are trying to concentrate on something. When the frog comes down, everyone knows they are available again. With the agreement of everyone in the team, this system works particularly well for an open plan environment. Another technique is to use headphones – when people see you have headphones on they know you are not tuned-in to what’s happening around you – you don’t even have to be listening to anything if you find that too distracting – just put your headphones on to signal your ‘do not disturb’ request.

Book a daily meeting with yourself. Block-out the first 60-minutes in your calendar every day. Treat it as a standing commitment and protect it from being eaten into by other people’s meeting requests. Overtime, people will learn that you are not available until a certain time (which will vary depending on when you schedule your 60-minutes) and they’ll work around you.

Unplug. Schedule one TV-free night each week. Switch off the set and instead listen to your favourite music, play a board or card game, read a book, enjoy a quiet meal by candle light (alone or with someone whose company you love), go on a date or soak in a bath. Start being aware of your television viewing habits and make a point of only watching programs that you truly enjoy and stop wasting precious time in front of the TV.

Manage your reading. Create a reading file and put it in your briefcase. If you don’t already have one, start a reading file and carry it with you on your way home. You can get through a surprising amount of reading while on public transport to and from work and while waiting in queues.

VIPs Only. Surround yourself with VIPs (Very Inspiring People) and eliminate VDPs (Very Draining People). Spending more time with VIPs will inspire, motivate and invigorate you. Minimise your time with the VDPs in your life. It can be difficult to make the switch – be strict with yourself and you’ll reap the rewards of being among the VIP crowd.

Where are you going next? Plan your next vacation, even if you’re already on one! Block-out your vactions and short breaks at the beginning of each year. By scheduling and planning for your holidays in advance you’ll not only have something to look forward to but you’ll have a much better chance of avoiding the usual pre-holiday stress which comes with trying to complete everything before you go – and much less chance of neglecting to take those much-needed breaks.

Find a mentor. When you identify the person you believe would be a suitable mentor, spend some time watching them in action. Ask around to find out what other people’s opinion of your chosen mentor are and find out all you can about their achievements, beliefs, values and way of operating. This will give you insight into them before you approach them about mentoring you.

Leave a detailed message. Whether it is voicemail or with the person who does answer the phone. Make sure you include the time and date you called, a brief mention of what you are calling about and how and when they can contact you. If you are going to be difficult to catch or have scheduled some time during which you won’t be taking phone calls yourself, by leaving a contact time you can avoid a frustrating game of ‘phone tag’.

Schedule email time. Email messages popping into your inbox all day long can be an enormous distraction, particularly if your email is set to alert you every time new mail arrives. To check in on your emails and respond to them as they arrive not only distracts you from whatever tasks or projects you are working on but can rob you of an entire day, responding to other people’s needs while your own are neglected. Schedule a couple or a few times each day to check and respond to emails rather than constantly looking-in on your inbox or being bounced there by your email program with every new message.

Your signature. Use your email program to create an email signature block that will automatically attach to all of your outgoing messages; it’s a little like an email letterhead. It saves you the effort of including your contact information every time and brings a professional touch to your communications. You might simply include your name, business name, contact details and website or you might also include a sentence or two about your business, a special promotion you are running with a link to your website, or even a favourite funny or inspirational quote.

Spelll chceck. Email makes each one of us an instant author – and, that’s not necessarily a good thing! Always, always re-read your emails before you send them to make sure they make sense and to fix any spelling or grammatical errors. I recommend you set your email to automatically spell-check every message before it is sent. And if you need a second opinion to check for clarity, tone or correctness, ask a colleague to look over it for you. It might be inconsequential to you, but a poorly worded email that conveys the wrong tone and is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors can destroy your creditability and relationships.

Spring clean. Schedule time to clean out your email regularly, once a month should be enough to keep you on top of it. Empty your deleted items and any unnecessary sent items, and go through any completed project or task folders and ensure that anything you are keeping is essential to your records. Cleaning out your email will ensure you are managing your email files and disk space effectively.

Set up systems. When using filing cabinets, decide how you will allocate your space to make it easiest to locate your files: for example, rather than mixing all your files together you might decide to keep current customer files in one drawer and potential customer files and marketing information in a separate drawer, or you might choose to store current projects in one drawer and research and reference information in another, or you might decide to file everything in alphabetical order – you get the idea – look at the type of files you have and decide how to logically divide them into categories. Then, label the front of each drawer with the type of files it contains.

Colour it. Use colour coding to further systemise your files and to enable you to identify different types of files at a glance. Choose a range of coloured manila folders and allocate a different colour to use for different file types: for example, blue for customer files, purple for staff files, pink for project files and so on. Make a reference list of what each colour represents until you are familiar with your system.

Create a confidence journal. As women, we don’t all feel confident every day and sometimes it helps to take note of our feelings and how situations affect us. By writing down how you feel each day in a confidence journal you can track your responses to situations and also identify areas of your like you might need some help with. Just do this for 30 days and then spend an hour at the end of the month assessing where you find your confidence gets shaken and then determine strategies to help you overcome that in future.

Choose to be amazing! It’s as simple as making a commitment to yourself every morning that you will have an amazing day. Remember, life is not a dress rehearsal – we only get one performance, so let’s give it our best!

Neen is an International Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps women to rocket-charge their productivity and networking performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate educator, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more and subscribe to Neen’s free monthly ezine at http://neenjames.com