Bermuda Here I Come…
April 23, 2007
After a busy week doing heaps of projects for my clients, booking new people into the schedule for blog packages and being a guest expert on a teleseminar for the Association of Web Entrepreneurs, I’ve come to the conclusion that I need a week away to work in a new location, re-focus and re-energize.
So… I’m headed to Bermuda! (Side note for my friend Tiffany, I promise I’ll avoid the Triangle at all costs!)
As always, it will be a working vacation and I do plan on getting a lot done both for my clients as well as for own business development. There are some info-products that I want to map out and a few new services that I want set the groundwork for.
I wanted to pose the question of: what do you do when you need to re-focus? Do you travel? Find a quiet place in your home? Take a spa day? What is that you do to re-focus, re-energize and get re-aligned?
E-Mail Etiquette
April 13, 2007
When it comes to communication in my type of business, e-mail is number one. My clients and I e-mail back and forth, colleagues and I e-mail back and forth and the list continues from there. I always find it interesting how people use e-mail. Generally speaking, most people do not know that there is an unwritten list of rules when it comes to e-mail etiquette.
One of these rules includes deleting e-mails that do not require a response. Tim Sanders, author of “The Likeability Factor” wrote this on his blog:
“One of my basic rules of email is to let the thread (the back and forths) stop. Don’t get in the last word, even if it is “thanks”.
DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?
You are working on a spreadsheet (and consulting paper) and your Outlook envelope starts to flash and you stop what you are doing to check your email. A coworker replied, “thx” on their crack berry — you had emailed them a report yesterday. You peck hard on the delete button, sigh, and toggle back to the spreadsheet.”
I think there are many things to discuss when it comes to e-mail etiquette but this is a biggie. I truly believe that if everyone ceased with these types of e-mails, we’d all have less e-mails in our inbox and less interruptions.
Be sure to read the rest of Tim’s blog entry on the ‘thank you e-mail etiquette’ as well as his first post on e-mail etiquette. Thank you Tim for the reminder!
Technorati Tags: Tim Sanders, e-mail etiquette, The Likeability Factor, e-mail, e-mail issues
Five Things to Do to Be Successful
April 11, 2007
Just finished reading Lyle Lachmuth’s (Creative Careers Unleashed) blog entry on the 5 things he does to be successful. At the end, he put it out there that anyone could blog about it too so, never one to back down from a ’survey’ type blog entry, here I am!
The idea is to blog about the five things I do to be successful. In no particular order, here they are:
1. Communicate - In my business, success is solely dependent on my communication with my clients. Due to the fact that I am their sole point of contact for all things administration, they need to be able to reach me to know that their work is being done. Not only that, it makes for a much better working relationship.
2. Take Personal Time - I truly believe that to be successful, you need to take out some time to spend on yourself. Go for a walk, take a yoga class, head to the spa, go to the gym, whatever helps you relax and enjoy time spent with you. Spend time also with your friends and family sharing good memories and good laughs. I find that planning at least one day on the weekend that is completely computer free helps.
3. Focus - To be successful, you truly need to have focus. You need to be able to sit down at your desk (or wherever) and get through your to-do list. You also need to have focus when it comes to working ON your business as well as IN the business. I find that I have key hours each day when I do my best work. When I hit this stride time, I focus in and get through a lot of work at once.
4. Have Passion - I wake up every day looking forward to work. I love coming to my computer and sifting through the previous day’s emails. It makes me feel good to see what I have on the horizon as well as what I have accomplished. When you have passion for what you do, it’ll never feel like work and you’ll absolutely love every minute of your work life. Also, it’ll make you work harder and get more determined to be super successful.
5. Stay Organized - When you’re organized in your business, nothing will upset your success. When I say ’stay organized’, I mean keep your files organized, keep your accounting up-to-date, plan your to-do lists and delegate wisely. By staying organized, you’ll be a better business person for yourself and your team.
Your turn! What makes you successful?