Multitasking Is Not Cool!

June 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There was a time that I thought being able to do two or three different things at the same time was a great skill to have. On a phone call with a client while updating a spreadsheet with data while watching (more like listening) to Oprah give away goodies to her audience….  Can you imagine? That used to be me.

Inc.com published an article by Lou Dubois recently, and shares several ways to organize your business using Google.  Organizing all the goodness you come up with when creating can be hard to keep track of.  When creating, multitasking will cut down on your creative power by clogging up your head with too much good stuff. (Probably some bad stuff too!)

I learned back in November of 2010 to download often.  (MTH2010)  Downloading often (doing a data dump of your head) and using Google to hold the information for you as described in the article is genius! Not only will you avoid clogging up your brain, but your office won’t be clogged up with paper and debris from your brainstorming session.

“At any given moment, your brain can hold no more than 5 to 9 items at once in short-term memory, as Merrill notes in the book. As you need more space (when multitasking) and try to remember more, your brain pushes items into long-term memory, until they are needed again. That process is far from foolproof.”

So stop…slow down and refresh. Release all that goodness you’ve come up with today so you avoid overwhelm and watered down ideas!

Until next time…

Aspire!

Filed Under: Business Development, Business Skills, Time Management Tagged With: , , ,

Create a Framework for your New Planning Business

February 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When building your wedding planning business, it’s important to make time for administrative work. Creating a framework for this work will make it easier to implement and get done.  Problem is, there’s so much to do, it may be difficult to see the big picture.  I have three simple steps to get you started.

When a new planner begins coaching with me, one of the first things we do is create an organization chart. This helps to paint a nicely compacted picture of all the different things that need to be done in her business.  We include all the positions/job titles in a traditional, small business and then we add the tasks that would be completed by each position.

Now, because you are flying solo (for now), your name will appear in every single section on this org chart.  I know…sounds like a lot of work…but realistically, you ARE the person who needs to do it all.  At least in the beginning.

The good news is, documenting it in this way helps to give you focus and clarity on what you need to do as a new business owner.

The second thing we do is to create a schedule of everything that needs to be done in a typical week. Blocking out chunks of time for similar tasks gives you the flexibility you need to work “on” and “in” your business which is just as important as doing “client” work.  For some new planners, this means including a regular 9 to 5 job.  Let’s face it, more than likely, you are starting your business by building it during evenings and weekends.  I don’t like to call it “part time” because if you are as ambitious as I think you are, building your wedding planning business is a 30-40+ hour per week job.  There’s nothing part time about that!  This schedule will also help you to make sure nothing is missed and that you stay on track with the goals you’ve set for your new business.

And finally, the third important first step in creating the framework of your new planning business is to create your business plan outline. Not ice I didn’t say, create your business plan.  It’s sounds so daunting and a little scary, I know.  Notice I said, “create your business plan outline”, not “write your business plan”.  Creating a formal business plan can be a long process.  I worked on mine for almost a year before I felt ready to launch my business.  But starting by creating an outline will give you the framework for a comprehensive and more traditional business plan, which is very important for any business.

Now?  The REAL work begins.  You have a framework for your business and now it’s time to put a plan into place.

What else are you struggling with in your business?  Have you setup your systems for when you get that first lead?  Join me on the next Before the Bride Q&A call and let’s talk about it.

You DO want to be ready BEFORE that first bride calls, don’t you?

The Before the Bride Business Planning System is a 10 step program developed to help wedding planners start their businesses the right way…to become business owners and not just hobbyists.  It comes complete with step by step exercises, worksheets and audio files to guide you in building a planning business that’s ready to accept new brides.  To get it, visit the services page at AspiretoPlan.com.

Filed Under: Business Development, Operations, Time Management Tagged With: , , , , , ,

A Cure for Procrastination?

July 12, 2010 By 1 Comment

I’m guilty of it.  I think most of us have been at one point or another in our lives.   And as we get older, it seems to get worse.

I wasn’t a fan of “lists” for organizing and getting things done in my personal life…I did it all day for my clients.  I didn’t want to see another list when I got home.  Now?  I swear by them!  I even schedule time in my day to create them.  Making these lists is just one way I’ve been about to “curb” (not yet “cure”) my procrastination habit.

But what’s been most successful for me is that I just made up my mind that I needed to stop the madness and start to get things done…no more excuses.  Easier said than done, right?  Here’s how I tricked myself…

I typed up these words; printed them onto cardstock and they are now on the walls of my office:

-Vacation?  Shopping?  Naps in the hammock?  Tackle the to-do list to make more time for what you WANT to do!

-Stop keeping all your awesomeness to yourself!  Get things done so you can share your gifts!

-Want more raving fan testimonials?  Then, GET MOVING and GET THEIR WORK DONE! 

Try it!  And let me know if it works!

Until next time…

Aspire to Plan!!

Filed Under: Business Development, Time Management

Organizing Your To Do List

January 28, 2010 By 1 Comment

Many times, when we sit down at our desks to begin the process of organizing our day and write out our “to do” lists, and we think about all the tasks we want to get done over and above our normal workflow, overwhelm sets in. Happens to me all the time. You too, huh?

The solution is very simple…break things down based on priority and the time it takes to do them. Tackling the most urgent, least time consuming tasks first will clear your mind and free you up to tackle those more pressing tasks.

Sounds easy, right?

Let me show you…

Here is a list of things I’d like to get done next week:
1. Create subject outline for newsletter and blog posts for March
2. Send welcome packets via email to potential clients
3. Finish writing chapter 5 of book (shhhh…Yes, I’m writing a book!)
4. Purge office of 2009 magazines, articles and other non-essential paper
5. Prepare for client coaching calls
6. Review/revise notes for Feb. 22nd speaking engagement
7. Book hotel and car for Vegas and Atlanta
8. Build draft of new ATP website
9. Finish services, FAQ and contact pages for SMW website
10. Finish interview questions for featured February and March featured teleclass guests

I use an Excel worksheet to do this (because I just LOVE Excel!) and I can sort my tasks when I’m done based on how I label them in the spreadsheet. I try to limit myself to no more than 10 tasks a week. Any more than that will interfere with my regularly scheduled work like client coaching, email, marketing, etc.

First I label each one with an A = Must be done this week; or B = Should be done this week but can be moved to an A next week.
I’ve designated 6 items above as A’s; #2, #3, #4, #5, #7, #10; and the rest are B’s. Next I enter how long each task should take in minutes.

This is an estimate and is often something I don’t spend a lot of time on. Just throw a time length on it and move on.

Next, I sort the list by priority and time and voila! (I built in a cool macro to do this.) Now I have a nicely sorted list of tasks and a roadmap to get it done. I usually print this on Sunday night and write in my notes for the resources/people/tools I’ll need to finish the task.

After that, its easy. Just do all of the A’s with the shortest task time first, and so on.

What tools do you use to organize your daily or weekly tasks? If you’d like a blank copy of my worksheet, email me and I’ll send it to you!

Until next time…

Filed Under: Business Skills, Time Management

Planning One Day At a Time

January 5, 2010 By 3 Comments

Make a date with yourself today to sit down and create a schedule for the next week. I dare you! Set aside some time to sit down and “schedule” what you are going to do for the next 7 days. No, really…I mean it. Here’s why…

We sometimes wake up each day and take the day as it comes. When this happens and we don’t plan how our day is going to play out; whatever happens from one minute to the next is really related to someone else’s agenda, right? Why not take control of your day and carve out time to do those things that YOU want to get done? This way you aren’t bound by each issue that comes your way.

Now don’t get me wrong…there will certainly be instances where you will need to take a break from your agenda and attend to something or someone outside of your planned task…I get that. If you are a stay at home parent, your 3 year old that wants a bandaid for his “ow-wee” isn’t going to understand that you have to finish writing a blog post by 2pm…NOT gonna happen! But wouldn’t you feel more comfortable knowing that you have a plan to stay on track even with these kinds of necessary interruptions? You’ll know exactly where to begin again because you’ll have a schedule!

I use a set schedule each day to work on my business. Mondays are business development days. I only work on those things that build or enhance my business. Things like writing articles and blog posts, finding and researching speaking engagements, setting up conference calls, etc.

Tuesday’s and Thursday’s are usually marketing and networking days. Wednesday’, Friday’s and Saturday’s are for client and vendor meetings. Now of course, this schedule is flexible when it needs to be but I’ve setup boundaries that I really try to stick to. It helps to keep me on track and helps to educate others on how I operate my business.

Now on each of those days, I always work in some social media time. Can’t go a day without touching base with my virtual friends! But I’m very careful because 30 minutes can turn into 3 hours very easily.

Now go do it! Spend the next 30 minutes or so writing down everything you want to get accomplished today and tomorrow. Oh what the hey…Go ahead and map out your whole week!

I DOUBLE dare ya!

Until next time…

Aspire to Plan!

Filed Under: Business Skills, Time Management