Posted by: Troy White
February 25, 2010
Issue #872

Getting More Done in Less Time

Fellow Business-Builder,

March is here … and the first quarter of the year near toast. YIKES!

If you’re like me, there are some major goals you have planned for the year …

… And to think that we’re almost 25% through the year scares me.

Time to get busy.

Some of the things I have personally found that work best for me to get myself in “the productive zone:”

• E-mail control. It never seems to end with e-mail. From the spam, to the people who e-mail you 14 times a day, to the endless barrage of pitches. And it can eat up your entire day.
  • Shut off your alarm that notifies you every time an e-mail comes in
  • Check your e-mail on pre-set schedules (two or three times a day is ideal, at most). Funny thing about taking a vacation: You realize how much crap you get and how unimportant almost all of it is. You can easily check e-mail once a day if disciplined, even less if inclined. I am tempted to outsource all e-mail – but haven’t taken the plunge yet.
  • Purge relentlessly. Delete requests that are a waste of your time (or outsource them to someone who can politely turf them).
  • Remind clients that you only check e-mail once or twice a day, so they don’t expect immediate replies.
  • To really give yourself a wakeup call: Mark off a check every single time you look at your e-mail. Nothing fancy, just a simple yellow pad of paper will do. Every time you look at your e-mail, make a check. Do this for a week – and then add it up! If you want a rude awakening as to how far you have fallen for the trap – DO THIS.

If you calculate even two minutes per time you check (which is completely underestimated – it is much more likely five – ten minutes every time) … you just gained back an hour of your day.

1 hour a day is 30 work days a year
you just gained back!

• Remove yourself from the grunt work. This one is not easy for most to rid yourself of (myself included). Over the past eight years in business, I have gotten quite used to multi-tasking and doing many things I needed done, but knew were better managed by someone else. Even e-mail is grunt work if you are managing it all. But, thanks to www.odesk.com, I have managed to find some exceptional people to take a load off my shoulders and manage things I should not be spending my time on. Things like:
  • Blog posts and formatting
  • Social networking sites management
  • Posting articles on sites like Facebook and Linked in
  • Building Web pages
  • Submitting articles to e-zine directories
  • Graphic design
  • Answering incoming requests from potential clients
  • Scheduling teleseminars with experts – making sure the promotional e-mails go out on schedule
  • Setting up appointments
  • Getting links back to your sites
  • Pulling sales reports
  • Marketing and customer research
  • Basic features and benefits compilation
  • Researching product or service alternatives
  • Finding potential joint venture partners
  • Contacting potential joint venture partners

… To name just a few things that could be best left to others.

Expect nothing but the best from the people you do hire … and pay very close attention to everything that they do (better: Get your best person to inspect everything they do). I am fortunate to have found a fabulous VA that manages the others for me … you need to find one of those! It certainly has made my life easier.

“It’s what we give up that makes us wealthy”

• Get highly disciplined at execution. Getting more marketing done – and more profitable results from the marketing you do – is a major part of achieving your goals in 2010. Some interesting stats from the US Small Business Administration:
  • The average business allocates 2% of revenues to marketing
  • 1-800 Flowers = 28%
  • Adobe = 33%
  • Microsoft = 21%
  • P&G = 50% of first-year revenues from new products

The average business lasts for six years.

The above average businesses listed above have lasted FAR longer than that, and make billions of dollars in revenues every single quarter of the year.

So marketing, and lots of it, is absolutely KEY.

Develop systems you can use for new marketing campaigns. Templates that make it easier for your support teams.

Find ways to cut your timelines in half. Not an easy task at face value but definitely attainable with the right systems in place.

The ONLY way you will meet your big goals for the year is to do two, three even ten times as much marketing as you used to do. And make sure you re-invest a significant % of revenues back into more marketing.

“Perfectionism will destroy opportunity
faster than opportunity will come to you”

• Start working in time chunks. Set aside two – four uninterrupted hours every single day for your projects. Most people will start a project and deal with interruptions as they come through the door, or e-mail, or phone. WRONG! You are now a time-chunker – and people around you need to understand this is the way you now work. Get used to this way of working and you will accomplish amazing things.
  • Use a timer. I can get more done in three hours with a timer keeping me focused than a three-day span without a timer. There is something magical about working against the clock to get your creative juices flowing and amazing productivity happening. Set it for 30 – 60 minutes and do NOT let yourself get distracted during that time. When the timer goes off, grab a glass of water or take a bathroom break. Then get RIGHT back to the next time chunk.
  • Put a sign on your door if you are in an environment where people might disturb you.
  • Get away from the office for one day a week. I have a great restaurant near me. Wireless Internet, great coffee, excellent food, and a perfect environment for getting the creative juices flowing.
  • Make sure you have someone dealing with calls (I have my ringer shut off 24/7 anyhow) or e-mails while you are focused. You do not want distractions while making money being productive.
  • Have a nice healthy meal before you start, have some water and a coffee (if that is what gets your creative juices flowing).
  • These time chunks are ALL about making you money – nothing should be allowed to get in the way.

Which means you have to focus
on massive productivity.

Speaking of getting things done …

… How about them Olympic Athletes! Those guys and gals know how to get things done … and win medals. I wanted to share this article with you as the world is watching what is happening in Vancouver, and sometimes the best stories are the most unusual ones.

These Olympic stars should have never "made it"…

The Olympics are upon us, and the world stage has descended on Vancouver, BC, Canada.

The excitement is high, and the athletes are in their final stages of competition.

Much of it is between their ears.

When they have the right mindset, anything is possible. They have visualized winning an Olympic medal since they were a child, and they have played it thousands of times before with eyes closed.

Back in 1988, I was fortunate to be living in Calgary where the Olympics were held.

I even worked at the bottom of the ski jumps during the Olympics, slinging chicken burgers. I didn’t last at that kind of job long (I didn’t play well with crappy bosses), but I was there during the Olympics and got to partake in the festivities and excitement.

Do you remember Eddie The Eagle? Or the Jamaican Bobsledders?

They all made their debut in front of the world, here in Calgary.

And the lessons I learned from them have propelled me forward in business, hopefully they can for you too.

Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards was a sensation!

… 20 pounds heavier than any of his competitors

… No funding

… No decent ski jumping equipment (he had to wear six layers of socks to make his boots fit)

… Extremely short-sighted (even though when skiing they fogged to such an extent that he could not see)

… Living temporarily in a Finnish mental hospital due to lack of funds … Scared of jumping from the 200+ foot jumps

… Edwards first represented Great Britain at the 1987 World Championships, and was ranked 55th in the world and this performance qualified him, as the sole British applicant, for the 1988 Winter Olympics ski jumping competition

Not exactly the favorite to win!

He didn’t …

… He finished last in both the 70 m and 90 m events.

But that didn’t stop him from winning over the crowds (even getting personally mentioned in the closing ceremonies of the Olympics, an Olympic first).

The worse he did, the more popular he became.

He quickly became a media celebrity and appeared on talk shows worldwide, even appearing on the Johnny Carson Show during the Games.

Eddie is JUST LIKE every successful entrepreneur I know.

They have taken far more than their share of bumps and bruises.

They don’t come from money … they had to find it themselves and struggle to keep it.

They are willing to do whatever the hell it takes to make their dream a reality.

And they NEVER let excuses get in the way. (20 pounds overweight, short-sighted, crappy equipment, broke, scared: Enough to drive away most people from even bothering to try … not Eddie. Not the entrepreneurs I know either).

His latest?

He was chosen as a torchbearer in the relay for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

One of the worst (if not the worst) athletes in the ‘88 games, yet the most famous.

How do you practice bobsledding in Jamaica?

As with Eddie the Eagle, the Jamaican Bobsled team made international headlines in Calgary during the ‘88 winter games as well.

They had no snow to practice on, but they had sand!

Two Americans traveling in Jamaica saw a pushcart derby taking place in the sand. Realizing that pushcarts were very similar to bobsleds … an idea was born and the Jamaican Bobsled team was formed.

Consisting of military personnel, a railway engineer, and some fast sprinters, this mish-mash collection of athletes went on to inspire the world.

The entire idea of bobsledding in a tropical location like Jamaica was enough to cause some laughter, but just as much admiration for their motivation to compete.

They did not finish because they lost control of the sled and crashed during one of their four runs.

Rather than doing what most would do then, they actually got out of their sled and walked with it to the finish line to roaring applause from the crowd.

The great and late John Candy played the team coach in a movie ("Cool Runnings") inspired by the Jamaican Bobsled Team. Great laughs to be had there!

They came back to compete in the 1992 Olympics, but finished poorly.

Which motivated them, yet again, to compete in the ‘94 Olympics in Norway. There, they stunned the critics and placed 14th in the world, ahead of the US, Russia, France and Italy.

Next?

Gold.

In 2000, they won a Gold Medal at the World Push Bobsled Championships.

Not bad for a team without snow to practice on!

Unfortunately, they failed to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics …

… But they taught me an incredible lesson.

Success in life and in business is NOT always about being first.

It’s especially not about always trying to be first right out of the gate.

Both Eddie the Eagle and The Jamaican Bobsled team had many things going against them.

As do most entrepreneurs.

But they were willing to battle their inner demons and outside critics … and just knew that they would ultimately prove people wrong.

Which they did.

The entrepreneurs I know are as
pigheaded as these guys …
and it is that stubbornness that drives us all
to great levels of success.

So while watching the Olympics, remember the stories of Eddie the Eagle and The Jamaican Bobsled team.

Think about what they had to go through to get into the Olympics, and then to become worldwide sensations by LOSING.

In business, you do not always have to be first in your market.

Revenues are not indicative of your success. Being driven to be different is.

No matter what happens around you, and when things seem down, it is then that you must push yourself harder to break through to your next level of success.

Then the next.

And the next.

You are the only one that matters
in your race for success.

Hold fast to your own Olympic dreams and keep on pushing yourself to greater and greater heights.

The ride is a blast … and I look forward to being there with you.

To your success,

Troy White
Editor, Small Business Mastery
Supplement to THE TOTAL PACKAGE

Looking for resources related to this article? Try some of these.

Looking for more of Troy’s articles? Check these out.

Looking for past issues of The Total Package? Click here for our archives.

A Final Note:

If you have specific subjects you would like addressed, or have any comments on what you have seen here, please submit a comment below and I will see how I can help.

"Now is the time to fix the next 10 years" — Jim Rohn

Want to share or reprint this article? Feel free. Just give us full attribution and a link to our Home Page when you do.

Attribution Statement: This article was first published in The Total Package. To sign-up to receive your own FREE subscription to The Total Package and claim four FREE money making e-books go to www.makepeacetotalpackage.com.

---

9 Comments »

1. Comment by Walter Daniels — February 25, 2010 @ 1:22 pm

   Your examples of those who might be considered insane, are dead on for entrepreneurs. There’s an old joke that goes like this.
   A wage/hour inspector goes into a business and inspects all the wage and hour records. Stunned, he finds one person working for $0.50/hour. He storms into the owners office, and demands to know who is paid the illegal low wage. The owner answers. “The Moron.”
   More enraged by the “slur,” he demands to speak to the “moron.” The owner answers. “You are.”
   No matter how you slice it, the lowest paid worker, based on actual hours and wages, is usually the owner. Even with automation, because there are some things you cannot, and should not automate, the owner still does the most work. You can delegate, but if you don’t have a plan, delegation doesn’t work.
   If you don’t automate carefully, you become the highest paid employee, not the owner. As owner, you must set the brand, and define the business. No one else can, or should.
   You, hopefully, earn lots of money for all the time spent planning,

2. Comment by Ghazal Alvi — February 25, 2010 @ 2:09 pm

   Nice post Troy, very inspirational!

   I agree with you “You are the only one that matters in your race for success.”

   Keep up the good work.

3. Comment by Troy White — February 25, 2010 @ 2:56 pm

   Thanks. You are very much correct in that. Entrepreneurs running fast growing businesses are usually the lowest paid on the team.

   Ultimately, with effective delegation and one key person in charge at the top, you can pull yourself away from day-to-day operations and let others run the show.

   Entrepreneurs are usually great at idea creation and the initial stages of building a business - then are usually better off handing it off to others who are experts in managing and massive implementation. That gives the entrepreneur the opportunity to do what they do best - create.

   We all want to aim to be like a friend of mine. Owns an airplane parts manufacturing company. High end, high priced airplane parts.

   He started as a machinest, found the best at that, outsourced it, found an incredible manager, gave him a significant part of the company - now the owner shows up once a YEAR (just enough to annoy everyone who really matters, he says).

   Makes a VERY healthy living by working one day a year, and staying out of everyones way.

   Not a bad way to go!

   Troy

4. Comment by Dean Kennedy — February 25, 2010 @ 4:57 pm

   Thanks Troy … great post, entertaining and educational, no wonder I love reading your posts so much.

   It’s interesting what you say in your comment about entrepreneurs and idea creation — and then a need to hand things off. My sister and I had the same conversation last night about how I’m best suited to my business, so I’ve gotta do more of that hand-off than I do now. I think I would do very well following the “stay out of everyone’s way” philosophy at times. Great brain food, thanks.

   Dean

5. Comment by Troy White — February 26, 2010 @ 12:38 am

   Hi Dean,

   Thanks for the kind words.

   It is not an easy thing to do for most of us. We love to hold on to our business.

   Handing over the reins to someone else is not something easy to do.

   But, once you do, new opportunities start opening up to use more of our inner creatives.

   Nothing more fun for most of us than coming up with new marketing ideas, new business ideas, etc.

   It gets even more fun when we create the big picture ideas, start the implementation process, then hand it off to more competent project managers.

   There are lots of people out there who LOVE to manage every intricate detail on a project… it usually isn’t the entrepreneur in the picture!

   Something for us all to aim for - that idea of showing up once a year like my friend… gold in my eyes.

   Thanks for sharing. Troy

6. Comment by John Anderson — February 26, 2010 @ 1:07 am

   Thanks Troy - I love the idea of having a V.A to manage my V’A’s etc.

   I will take that on.

   Thanks for such a thoughtful article.

   John

7. Comment by Robin — February 27, 2010 @ 12:05 am

   Good stuff! I’ve tried simply “not looking at email” though, and it doesn’t work for me. I go bonkers. Finally I tried analyzing this instead: why do I feel compelled to look at email *now*? Finally, I realized it was because I needed a break. So now, I just take a break instead. I get up and walk or do something else for awhile, or even give myself permission to simply zone out with a cup of tea. Afterwards I feel refreshed and can keep going. oDesk looks good…thanks for the pointer!!!!

8. Comment by Chuck @ Vegan Business Owner — February 27, 2010 @ 3:11 pm

   Since you’re talking about success and stubbornness, I want to suggest the book “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell. It’s his best work, IMO, and it will change how you think about success forever.

   Oh, it includes a section on Canadian hockey you’ll appreciate.

   Chuck

9. Comment by Troy White — March 1, 2010 @ 10:58 am

   Thanks Chuck for the book recommendation. Will check it out - especially now that us Canucks have the Gold! The US almost took it away from us… what an incredible game it was.
   Troy