Six Sigma Blogs

One of the biggest mistakes people make is spending too much time looking for the big opportunity or the perfect timing to do something. The over-used axiom “Patience is a virtue” is irrefutable. But it is equally true that “he who hesitates is lost”. Seize the opportunity.

Patience and procrastination are cousins that look a whole lot alike and when people get them confused valuable time and opportunities are lost.

Patience is taking a well-calculated risk. Procrastination is avoiding risk.

Patience is learning what to do. Procrastination is learning what to do and not using what you learned.

Patience says, “This will be done by_____.” Procrastination says, “Eh…sooner or later.”

There are dozens of tips and techniques for overcoming procrastination and seizing opportunities. Here are three:

1. Take full advantage of momentum.

Building momentum is a lot easier when you first think of an idea or start on a task. Create some small steps that you can take immediately. These steps will help you measure your progress.

2. Create sense of last minute urgency.

Most people tend to finish a task at the very last minute. Haven’t you ever noticed that? Why does this happen? It happens because a task will expand to the time allotted for it.

A person can have two months to do something and finish it in two days. Of course it’s the last two days before it’s due! Last minute urgency creates an incredible amount of energy and drive.

3. Worry Less.

In the “Fog of Worry”, Earl Nightingale provided a good breakdown of what worries most people:

*40% of the things you worry about will never happen.

*8% of your worries are about real and legitimate concerns.

In other words, 92% of your worrying is a complete waste of time.

In closing, here’s one last thing to keep in mind:

Keep in mind that opportunities don’t disappear they simply move on to next recipient. An opportunity that comes your way is probably an opportunity that someone else procrastinated or passed on. If you pass up on a good opportunity someone else will capitalize on it.

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Although the problem of procrastination is a common one, it is not something that should be accepted. It can have some surprising long term impacts on our lives. Of course, it is something that can be overcome by individuals who are ready to make a change. With a few tips and suggestions, anyone can learn to get more work done on a regular basis.

Some may be able to overcome this issue more easily than others. The causes of this unwanted character trait will be various, and figuring out how to deal with this should take top priority. A few simple steps in the right direction can be very important for successfully kicking this habit for good.

A common problem is putting off things until late in the day. It is during the late afternoon time period that we find ourselves tired and impatient after a long day of work. Take note of this and schedule the more important tasks earlier in the day. We tend to get more done in the mornings and early afternoon, as most of us have more energy. It will be easier to put things off in the evening, so take care of business earlier.

Taking the time to plan things out can also be beneficial. Many procrastinate between projects or tasks while trying to figure out what to do next. Having a clear game plan can be great for staying on course. Knowing what is next can be key in quickly transitioning between things instead of wasting time while contemplating your next move.

Learning to deal with distractions is almost always a necessity. Anything that serves to break a person’s concentration will need to be dealt with when possible. Chatting with a co-worker or surfing the internet are common ways of procrastinating, even when they are not intentional. Take steps to remove things of this nature when possible in an effort to stay focused.

Many find that they sit around thinking about a task, which is a common way of simply putting it off. Sure, a bit of preparation is needed occasionally, but more often than not this is just another small thing that sabotages a person’s time. Try not to think more than what is necessary and simply get started. Taking that first leap into a project is probably the hardest step.

The problem with procrastination is that it is a habit that has likely been developing for years. Overcoming this habit can be tough, and small steps may be in order. Most problems of this nature will not be broken in a single day, so be sure to make steady progress everyday. With a bit of patience and hard work, most will find it possible to get more work out with their time.

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Our daily tasks are normally a mixture of hard and simple tasks. Different people handle these tasks differently with the majority opting to lay off the hard tasks until later. However, those who have a strong will strive to complete such tasks immediately hence avoid procrastinating. For perfect time management and efficiency in production, one has to take measures to overcome procrastination.

The main need for people to avoid procrastinating is to maintain their productivity levels. The condition manifests in different ways hence it is good to understand it better in order to take the correct measures. For instance, a person with four or five tasks to handle in a day might opt to start with the simpler ones. The other ones will be pushed back and at the end of the day such, a person will find that they remain undone. In most of these cases, the remaining work is usually the most important one.

For some people, the situation is a bit different since they start working on the tasks then midway through they become bored. This creates a window for one to search for other tasks such as surfing the internet looking for information, doing the months travel expenses or even getting more coffee. This can greatly affect your time management meaning that you need to extend your working hours until late in order to catch up.

So how can one overcome procrastination? There are many ways you can handle this problem. However, all these fall into two main categories. These are acute solutions and preventive solutions. Acute solutions are those that help you start doing things now while preventive solutions are those that help you avoid getting into such a situation in future.

If your problem lies in avoiding doing things, a good solution is to start doing. You can start anywhere but you should note that the first steps will be very hard. When you get started, there will be various issues, which will keep you moving until you finish.

Acute solutions are usually very helpful in dealing with individual cases and therefore they do not present the best long-lasting solution. It is better to seek for ways that boost confidence increasing productivity. This means taking preventive measures that minimize the occurrence of such situations in future.

Although most people postpone hard tasks all the time, most still remember when they used to handle very many tasks in one day. During such times productivity was high and so was the courage to handle new and unfamiliar tasks. To understand this better, you can compare it to surfing. Total productivity leaves you feeling like you are on top of the wave while reduced productivity makes you feel like you are behind the wave.

The best preventive measure that will protect you from compromising situations is starting early. This way you can stay on top of the wave all the time hence avoid procrastinating. With all this in mind, it is clear that you do not need a very special time management system in order to overcome procrastination

Looking for an easy yet truly effective tips on overcoming procrastination ? Get the exclusive low down instantly in our time management overview.

We all want to get control of our time. We want to feel good about how we spend it. The best way to get control of your time is to figure out what your Time Wasters are. One way to do this is to make a list. Some ideas of things that might be stealing your time might be:

Doing repetitive tasks that always seem to need to be done but add no value. An example of this might be email. Another example might be looking for your glasses. Look at each activity. Does it need to be done and is it adding value?

Doing things you do not like to do. Why is this a bad idea? Usually, those tasks you do not like, you tend not to be good at. the beauty of life is there is usually someone who actually likes doing what you don’t like to do. Find them and delegate to them. Trade time with them, pay them - anything to get away from doing what you are not well suited at.

Not planning often slows things down and creates inefficiency. Often a few minutes spent planning and organizing pays huge returns in getting the job done more quickly.

Making mistakes costs time. The time to do it again is often more than doing it right the first time. Be careful.

Scraps of paper are often one of the worst time wasters. They get lost, they get repeated, they get disorganized. The person who created the post it note created a huge amount of time waste for many people. Get a bound notebook to keep your lists and notes.

Computer games and TV can kill hours of unproductive time. Imagine what you could have accomplished in the hours you have spent in from of a screen. Screens often waste time.

Look at the time wasters in your life and devise a plan for controlling them all. I have many more tips on how to get control of your time in my book and on my blog.

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categories: time management,procrastination,organization

There’s a saying, “Selling is a numbers game” so the M.U.D. marketing method might be familiar to you…

This marketing strategy is based on the idea, “If you throw enough ‘mud’ on the wall, some of it will stick and you’ll make money.”

Disguised as a quick and easy method, M.U.D. Marketing finds people who are eager for your product or service. Among new business owners, this tops the list of favorite marketing strategies.

On the very surface, the M.U.D. methods appears to have an approach where business owners don’t have to waste resources research target markets and just sell to everyone while awaiting profits.

M.U.D. marketing makes you “look” busy but not productive. You produce very little results for your time, effort and money.

Think about it. You have a pile of mud right next to you. Let’s make it a big pile. You grab a handful and start throwing it at the wall.

Looking at the wall, what did you hit? Without knowing your target you continue to sling even more mud.

With so much mud, you could spend quite a bit of time before you use all the mud. Then you learn that the target was the plaque over the coffee center. You only hit that a few times.

The true meaning of M.U.D is Market Un-Determined or Marketing Un-Defined.

Both words spell out disaster for your business.

What if you took the time to find the target on that wall? Your results would be much different wouldn’t they?

Taking the time to research and identify your target market may seem like it’s going to take longer before you see results. In reality, it speeds up the process of achieving your goal…profitable business. You’ll see those results with reduce effort and time.

To identify your Target Market, ask yourself these questions:

1. What is the problem your product or service solves?

2. What benefit will the client enjoy?

3. Who is the person with this problem?

4. What does that person look like? Male or Female or Both Stay at home mom or power executives. Are they baby boomers or students? Where do they hang out? What hobbies do they enjoy doing? etc.

Create a picture of your ideal consumer in great description.

M.U.D. marketing keeps you knocking your brains out trying to sell to a gazillion people when only a limited number really want what you offer. Is it any wonder you feel frustrated with your efforts.

If you feel stuck, stop practicing M.U.D. marketing and wasting valuable resources such as time.

If you continue trying to sell to everyone, you will end up selling to no one. And think of the cleaning bills to get that mess out of the carpet and off the wallpaper.

Time management really is a problem for a lot of entrepreneurs. They have so much they do themselves ” everything from the mundane to the important and it can simply overwhelm you.

Make the most of your business hours, using these 7 fast time management tips to help you manage your business day:

1. Create an action list that goes one step further.

Make a task list for that day. You can do this the night before or first thing in the morning. Prioritize the tasks by categorizing things that are essential and things that can wait. Then, rank those actions by numbering them in order of importance.

2. Bundle your tasks.

You can bundle certain chores together. For example, set aside a time block to return and make all your calls will help you avoid task jumping

3. Bundle your tasks.

Do like activities at the same time: answer all your calls, return all emails, do all your web work. Avoid task jumping that eats up time you could use for more productive efforts.

4. Just do it.

If you work at home with small children, include them in your plan. You can care for your children and operate your business if write the kids into your task list.

5. Bring a file or notebook along to take advantage of time gaps.

If you have your file with you, you can make notes or plan while you wait for an appointment. You can punch out a quick thank-you note to a customer on your laptop or blackberry, or even update the status of all your current projects.

6. Carry work with you to take advantage of time gaps.

Bring materials with you. If you need to wait 10 minutes before an appointment, you can punch out a quick thank-you note to a customer on your laptop, or even just update the status of all your current projects.

7. Give yourself a break.

Superman is just a comic book figure. Hes not real. And hes not you. No one can run wide open from daybreak to dusk. Breaks are critical to your success. Include down time in your time management strategy. Lean back in your chair and close your eyes. Prop your feet up for 5 minutes. Recharge your batteries, and you’ll be amazed at how much more you’ll get done.

Time management in reality is activity management. How you manage your activities makes all the difference.

The 80-20 Rule of Pareto states that 20% of what you do will make 80% of your results. This goes against traditional time management layouts.

The 80-20 Rule or Pareto’s Principle was discovered by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. He noticed a natural imbalance that greatly affects everything in this world… your life… your business… everyday.

He noted that 20% of the world’s population enjoyed 80% of the wealth but soon discovered this law of nature appears everywhere.

Just think…. only 20% of what you do produces your desired results… the other 80%… may not count for much… waste of your time and efforts.

A Simple Time Management Strategy

Identifying and focusing on activities that are important to you and identifying and removing unnecessary activities - this is the definition of time management.

Traditional Time Management focuses on cramming and adding stuff into your day. It feeds the employee mentality need to always appear busy working hard at one’s ‘real’ job. Not a good idea for the solopreneur.

When a business experiences success, the owner starts drowning in the Multiplicity of Stuff Syndrome. The solopreneur really feels the effects of this syndrome. Not only are they the CEO (chief executive officer) of their business… they are also Chief Everything Officer.

They end up spending the bulk of their day on the 80% that does not produce results or profits.

Divide All Your Activities Into Four Activity Zones

- high-profit activities - high-reward activities - low/no profit activities - low/no reward activities

With high-profit/high-reward activities, devote 20% of your time- Work ON your business.

Devote 80% of your time to the low-no profit/low-no reward activities - Working IN your business

Following this strategy enables you to continue growing your business profits while dealing with day to day stuff of running your business.

How can 20% add to increased productivity and less work hours for your business? 20% can make momentous impact towards the success you want to achieve.

Try These Five Strategies to Help You Increase Your Productivity

1. Attain Organization

People loose about 7 hours each week due to disorganization. Organize your office into productive environment. As a business owner, you can create your work environment. It’s critical toward your long term success to work in an environment which supports you.

2. Create time synergy

Some people are night owls other are early bird. When you know which type you are, you can schedule your task and projects more effectively around your energy cycle.

3. Go Into Super Focus Mode

Limit access to yourself… turn off the phone, email and twitter. No interruptions. Set a timer and stay 100% focused on the task at hand. Group your tasks in bunches. Return emails and phone calls at the same time. Do all your writing in chunks, dedicate certain days for project, etc.

4. Take Care of Yourself

Self neglect can cause tension on any business through increased stress and strain. Keep personal health a priority as it is effective in good business management.

5. Relax and refresh

Sometimes when you feel overwhelm and pressure, take a brain break. Let your mind wander for a few minutes. Taking a quick break almost always leads to a boost in productivity.

Choose one strategy at a time to complete, take time, assess, and have flexibility and realism to projected goals.