"One
of the biggest time wasters is inadequate
blocking and planning of activities. Planning
takes minutes and saves hours."
~Teresia LaRocque MCC
Fireside Chat - a personal
note from Teresia & Sonia
Hello Sassy and Savvy
Women!
Did you know that most
women aren't even aware of where their time
is going each week? For those of us who
are self-employed, that can be a recipe
for disaster.
Last month, we shared some of our favorite
ways to manage time so that you move through
the day with focused intention instead of
reacting to everything that comes at you.
We asked you to put a container around your
business so that it doesn't bleed over into
the rest of your life, and we reminded you
that you're running the show - you get to
call the shots.
Now that you've reclaimed your crown as
the master of your universe, it's time to
be sure that you are using your time in
ways that meet all of your biggest priorities.
There's only one way to make that happen
- effective planning and scheduling.
If you find yourself rolling your eyes,
thinking about all of the time management
practices you've tried before, we can assure
you that this one's different. It's simple,
it's fast, and it makes things a lot easier.
Want to know more? Read on!
Don't miss this
month's "Savvy
Conversation," a *fre'e* conference
call that will help you learn and adopt
new perspectives about your work hours.
JOIN US and other like-minded professional
women on Thursday, June 21st at 8 AM PST
to dig into the details of how to build
a thriving business that lets you soar.
Click here
for more details, and to register!
Your Sassy Catalysts
Teresia LaRocque & Sonia Stringer
SassyandSavvyWomen.com
In this issue:
feature
article
Break It Down - 4 critical
activities to increase your bottom line
and get more results with less effort.
Whether you commit to working 20 hours a week
or 40, you must use this time VERY wisely
if you want to be sure that you meet all of
your priorities. So we're going to make it
simple for you and share our formula for success.
To ensure the success and growth of your
business, you must divide your time among
four main areas:
- 1. Money-Making
Activities (60%+)
Anything that directly contributes to your
bottom line is a money-making activity.
It could be selling your product or services,
generating referrals, or following up on
leads. It could be marketing, building alliances,
networking, or advertising.
- 2. Planning,
Preparation and Strategizing Time (up to
20%)
This is the time that no one budgets for,
but when it comes to being the CEO of your
business, this time can be the most important.
This is the time you spend "evolving
your business." After all, it takes
time to mastermind with colleagues, get
business coaching, and create systems to
make the business run more smoothly. It
takes time to evaluate what's working in
your business and where you need to make
changes. But when? If you're going to be
the CEO of your business, be sure to set
aside up time for planning, preparation
(includes preparation for your money making
activities) and strategizing.
- 3. Super Service
and Support (10%)
This includes any time when you provide
assistance or extra value to your customers
or staff members. When you budget time for
super service, you give yourself a chance
to really stand out. Whether that means
over-delivering a product or service, checking
in with clients, or coaching your team to
perform even better, this is a crucial aspect
of your business.
- 4. Administrative
Activities (10% or less)
The day-to-day details of running a business
- paperwork, invoicing, accounting, errands,
etc. - are certainly essential, but they
should not be a priority. This is where
most people get bogged down and lose a tremendous
amount of time. Budget time for administrative
activities, but whenever possible, hire
them out. (If you need help with this, take
another look at our newsletter on hiring
an assistant, and the hiring e-book,
Building
a Hire Vision: How to Find, Hire and Empower
Exceptional People.) If you are spending
more then %10 on administrative activities,
then it is time to hire some help!
Depending on your industry or role, these
percentages can look quite different, but
these general guidelines work for most entrepreneurs.
Take a moment to adjust them to suit your
needs. What feels right to you?
This isn't an exact science, and who follows
it to a T anyway? This simply serves as
a guideline on how to block out time.
Most people eventually come to see that
they spend way too much time on administrative
tasks - and they're shocked to see how little
time goes to making money. Perfectionists
often see too much time going into planning
and prep - but do they spend any time getting
support for the business? No! (remember
what we said on our last savvy conversation
call "Perfectionism isn't profitable"
- are you spending too much time making
things perfect?)
When you schedule your work week with specific
hours allotted to these four areas, you
accomplish two things:
- 1. You make sure every side of your business
gets regular, focused attention.
- 2. You devote chunks of time to specific
objectives instead of bouncing around like
a ping-pong ball. This focused time is far
more productive than occasionally touching
on something.
As we've worked with this system and supported
clients who use it, we've developed a few
pointers to help you get started:
- 1. Declare at least one day a week for
your personal life (and nothing but!). It's
fine to work hard, but you can only continue
if you make time to recuperate.
- 2. Handle your e-mail and voicemail only
once or twice a day (if possible), and prioritize
your responses. Let your assistant help
with these messages whenever possible.
The other thing to remember when planning
out your week is to follow your own natural
rhythms. If you know you slow down in late
afternoon, take that time to do admin work.
If you're bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on
Monday mornings, use that time for money-making
or strategizing. You get the idea. Just
be sure that you do book in money-making
time - and you protect it fiercely. Your
business depends on it.
A
Sassy Breakthrough -Paula Wilson
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Another Sassy Breakthrough!
A few years ago, I was completely lost
in my business. I had been taught to
put the business first - always - so
I was making myself available to clients
seven days a week, at all hours of the
day. When the phone rang, I answered
it. When an e-mail came, I responded.
I was overwhelmed, ineffective and scattered,
but I felt like I had to do everything
right away or it would slip through
the cracks. Let me tell you, this strategy
was running me right into the ground!
I was always in turmoil, and always
feeling like I never did quite enough.
One day I got an e-mail about the Sassy
and Savvy calls, so I decided to listen
in. I had heard some of these concepts
before, but when someone remarked, "Hey,
who wants to work with someone who's
in a frenzy all the time?" - I
really got it. I finally understood
that carefully managed time is a critical
component of any successful business.
I finished that call and headed straight
to the office supply store for a calendar
that really suited my needs - a big
one with plenty of writing space. Then
I went home, sharpened my pencil, and
got to work. The first thing I did was
block out every Sunday for time with
my family. Then I scheduled every upcoming
game and event for my children. That
felt good. These were my priorities,
and I was finally setting up my life
in a way that honored them.
When I took a step back, it was easy
to see where my business could fit into
my life instead of dominating it. I
set up store hours, bought a laptop,
and started to change my relationship
to my work. It took a little while to
make the shift, but I've been working
at it for a year now and my life feels
radically different. Instead of daily
panic sessions, I don't worry about
things so much - it's all on the calendar.
It don't lie in bed thinking about my
To Do list for the next day; I know
it's on the calendar.
I used to feel like no matter how hard
I worked, it was never enough. I felt
guilty about taking time away from my
family, and during family time I felt
guilty for ignoring my business. I couldn't
win! Now that everything is planned
out ahead of time, I know for certain
that I am meeting all of my priorities
and responsibilities. For the first
time, I feel like I own this business
- it doesn't own me. And that feels
amazing!
Paula Wilson
www.BlessingsAbound.myarbonne.com
Women empowering
women! Be an inspiration to other women
and share your own Sassy Breakthrough!
If you've experienced some inspiring successes
and you'd like to be profiled in the Sassy
and Savvy Newsletter, we want to talk
to you! Have you had a win in dealing
with your tolerations, raising your standards,
setting boundaries, send an e-mail with
a brief description of your breakthrough
to stories@sassyandsavvywomen.com,
and we'll be in touch!
|
Savvy
Steps: Hitch up your pantyhose and get moving!
- 1. Determine your highest priorities,
both personally and professionally, and
schedule them in first.
- 2. Decide on how many hours you want to
work each week.
- 3. Using our percentages as a guideline,
determine how many hours you need to spend
per week in each area: money-making activities,
administration, service and support, and
strategizing.
- 4. Block out time on your calendar for
each of these areas.
Featured
Tools & Resources
 Are
you spending more then %10 of your time
on administrative activities? If so it is
time to get some help.
Check out our Building a Hire Vision ebook
to gain the tools to guide you through the
hiring process in the easiest, fastest and
most efficient way possible.
How to avoid the most common - and expensive
- business mistake (one that even the smartest
professionals make)
Hiring the wrong person can destroy your
business. Learn how to save yourself the
time, expense and headache of another bad
hire!
Find out more and purchase here.
 Double
or Triple Your Income While Playing in Your
Comfort Zone
Want an additional resource to help manage
your time?
Want to spend more of your day doing what
you love - and be paid well for it?
We want that for you too! Learn how to
build a foundation for a thriving business
that's based on your own natural abilities,
your Comfort Zone. The Double
or Triple Your Income program includes
audio recordings and an ebook with notes
and action exercises designed to help you
implement the concepts and step up to the
next level of professional satisfaction
and success. To learn more about this product
and to get your copy today, please click
here.
Thursday Mastermind
calls
Thursday Mastermind calls. Every Thursday
at 9:00am PST/12:00pm ET is your time to get
Sassy and Savvy support, either through the
Savvy Conversation (8am) or the Savvy Mastermind
Group (9am). Dial-in#: 712-432-3900 Passcode:
5077473. Make this a regular part of your
professional development. Click here
to register.
Savvy
Conversation - June 21st at 8am PT/11am ET
If you'd like to get coached, and experience
the momentum of other like-minded women
who are embracing powerful time management
tools and strategies join us on June
21st at 8:00am PST/11:00am ET. Click
here
to register.
Watch for more upcoming developments from
the Sassy and Savvy Women! We are building
one amazing community, full of top-notch resources
and high-caliber guidance for the self-employed
woman.
And we're hard at work on our powerful
new book: Sassy
and Savvy Self-Employed Women: The Ultimate
Guide to Leverage Your Business and Love
Your Life. If you'd like to preview
a chapter, click here!
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