Create a Do-Not-Do List

Do you find yourself struggling to get everything on your to-do list completed every day? Do you have a difficult time maintaining focus on one issue at a time until it is completed? Do you consistently carry several of your to-do’s over to the next day? Don’t fill badly, you are not alone. Many individuals find themselves struggling to get everything done each day. It’s almost become accepted that you can’t get it all done in a day. And for some reason that you do, you feel guilty because you are all caught up.

The problem isn’t what’s on your to-do list; the problem is everything else around you going on at the same time. It’s the e-mails, phone calls, voice mails, drop in questions, meetings, etc. It’s all the distractions that are keeping you from completing your tasks. It is those not planned for issues that keep you distracted enough to keep you from getting your items done.

So, how do you fix this issue? It’s simple. You need to start looking at each and everything that you do in a day and recognize those things that little or no value for you and your business. You should ask yourself three questions: (1) As a business owner, should I be doing this task? (2) Can I delegate this task to someone else? (3) Should this task be done at all? Once you have determined that you shouldn’t be doing these certain tasks, write them down on your do-not-do list. Make sure you remind yourself that as a business owner, this isn’t something that I should be doing

Just as you have created a to-do list, you must also create a do-not-do list. This list should contain all of the tasks and situations that are distracting you from your projects at hand. Every time you complete a to-do list also complete a similar not-to-do list. If you just add one new item to your to-do list, then add one new item to your not-to-do list that could keep you from completing the task in a timely manner. Keep these lists side by side. Keep them visible to you. Every time you look at one list, look at the other. They should become parallel with each other.

I’m not saying you should never read your e-mail, take phone calls, listen to voicemail or return calls to clients. I’m just stating that while you are on a mission to get this particular task at hand completed, focus on the task, not the million other things going on around you. It’s just as important to unlearn bad habits as it is to acquire new ones. It will be difficult at first but as you begin to see you are actually completing your tasks much quicker, you will gain momentum. It is amazing to me what we can actually accomplish when we really want to. Keeping all the distractions at a distance, or better yet, handing them off to someone else, is the key to completion.

So, go ahead and give it a try. Start your do-not-do list today and let’s see how successful you become with completing your tasks.

Now That The "Big Game" has Come and Gone, What's Next?

Today marks the 60th day since Super Bowl XLV came and vanished in North Texas. It was a very interesting week. Thousands of visitors crept into our area at the same time we experienced some of the worst winter weather we have seen in years. Two winter storms, back to back, all but crippled the entire area during Super Bowl week. But still, after all of that, six major cities involved with the big game boasted an increase from sales tax revenues for the month of February. Fort Worth, which played host to the Pittsburgh Steelers during that week, collected $6.9 million in sales tax revenue, a 4 percent increase over the same month last year. Many small business also have reported that they experienced a much larger than normal increase in sales during the same time period. Considering all that occurred during the “super week” turned out to be a very positive experience for many.

For many business owners in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the events leading up to and surrounding the 2011 Super Bowl created an influx of sales and revenue during the fourth quarter of 2010 and the first quarter of 2011. But for these owners, just as it was for the Packers and Steelers, it takes four quarters to come out on top.

Now that the Big Game has come and gone, business owners must begin to develop a strategy for the remainder of 2011. A strong first quarter can get a business moving in the right direction, but without a strategic business plan, owners can start to lose focus, miss opportunities, adopt bad habits, get in comfort zones and make excuses. All of which will negatively impact the owner’s business.

The Growth Coach of Fort Worth is developing a game plan for business owners to succeed and grow their businesses for the full four quarters by focusing on:

• Leveraging marketing
• Keep customers and attracting new ones
• Increasing the average transaction size
• Increasing the frequency of purchase
• Saying ‘no’ to bad business prospects

Increased sales and revenue in the first quarter look great on paper, but like the Super Bowl, businesses are judged by the culmination of four quarters.

If you would be interested in learning more how a “coach” can help you improve your game plan, give The Growth Coach of Fort Worth a call.