Archive for the ‘Organisation’ Category

If you are a follower of my blogs you will know that I am always advocating you should delegate whenever you can, to someone responsible and that can do a good job. Well yet again Jade Pluck has written a blog summarising a presentation I did for Women In Business West Kent – so it would be just rude not to guest her on my blog! Over the next few weeks I will go into more detail to help you set some goals or aims for your life and your business but this should get you thinking.

Tips on Goal Setting

Following on from our Dec session Working from Home we couldn’t resist but get Denise Molloy back again to talk to us on goal setting a perfect subject for January.

It was another interactive and very informative session and I think we all came away with something we could action when looking at our goals for 2012 – mine was when setting your goals, look at your key strengths  and for me this meant being organised, so I am re-evaluating my goals to incorporate this.

To all of you that came I would love to know what you took away from Denise’s session.

So here is a taster of what Denise shared, and don’t forget if you need help setting your goals do get in contact with Denise now.

• First and for most when setting your “goals” use a word that means something to you, for example goals might sound to formal how about saying achievements, already this is making you want to look at them and re-evaluate them!
• Share your goals with someone, this can be a friend, business partner or anyone that is supportive of you and your business, this then makes you accountable to someone and you will more likely achieve them.
• Just because you write them does not mean they can’t be changed – they are your goals/achievements after all.
• If your still struggling to set your goals for 2012 don’t forget they came be in more areas than just your business – do you have any personal goals around staying fit and healthy or perhaps you want to build your confidence by meeting new people? I think the key thing to remember is they are about you and when you look back over 2012 how proud will you be if you achieve all your goals.

Do you want to “Get your year in gear” then sign up to Denise’s workshop on 1^st Feb, please don’t worry if you can’t make this date Denise will be running more in due course, it is exceptional value at just £35, for more details click the link above.

I’m a member of the Women In Business, West Kent Group and I was recently asked to present on ‘Working from home’. It was a great evening where we shared challenges and ideas with a stark realisation of the common issues home workers face. Jade Pluck, the group’s social media guru, wrote a post and she has agreed that I can guest her on my blog.  I hope the  ideas help you to work more effectively from home.

We had one of our members Denise Molloy speak to us re Working from Home, this is a subject which plays an important part to most of our members, and what a fantastic session it was. I think we all got one or two things off our chest about the trials we face when working from home and you know what they say “a problem shared is a problem halved” and I think was the case.

So what did I take away from the session; well the most important thing when you are working by yourself is to have a Board of Directors, these could be people such as:

• People who you can talk to and who are supportive of your business and you
• Having someone you are accountable to therefore achieving the goals you have put in place
• Partner with people/associates who have the strengths you don’t

We also discussed what our “driver” is, now most of us have set up our business as we are passionate about it which is great and you can really tell the enthusiasm when we talk about what we do, but we all need to think what we want to get out of it, is it a better work life balance or to earn a bigger income to help support your family – whatever it is really stay focused to make sure you get their (don’t forget your Board of Directors if you get stuck).

When it comes to self-management make sure you

• Play to your strengths
• Structure your day
• Maximise your time (doing what is most important at this point in time)
• Manage your activity
• Balance your energy

So how can you make sure you are using your time effectively, quite simply look at this A – E model below:

A – Tasks that must get done, allocate time for them

B – Be good to do

C – Could do if nothing better

D – Delegate

E – Eliminate

In conclusion I think we all took away something that was beneficial to us, for me it’s what I am going to eliminate from my to do list.

Emma Cox took away from the session:

• Surround yourself with supportive people
• Have a buddy
• Know your inspiration for working
• Check your passion – do you enjoy what you do? If not, do something else.
• Recognise your drivers and arrange your business around them.

What did you take away from it?

One last tip,Denise suggested a great book: Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath

If you would like to speak to Denise then please do get in contact with her here.

Written by Jade Pluck of Virtually Anywhere

Denise is running two morning workshops in January to help

‘Get Your Year into Gear’

Thurs 12 January in Tonbridge and Wednesday 18 January in Maidstone.

Full details to follow soon but each date will be restricted to 12 people so if you want to be the first to know make sure you sign up for her newsletter here.

In my last blog I asked what makes you procrastinate, defined as putting off doing things needlessly. I suggested looking at the benefits of doing something and the consequences of not doing it as a way prioritising your time.

So what stopped me writing my blog last week?

I didn’t do a blog as my VA Lauren, who normally posts it on WordPress, is away so I didn’t have my normal deadline. But when all is said and done, writing is not my favourite activity. I like to be in front of people, to listen and interact. I prefer to be with people than write so that’s what I did and I had no one to be accountable to but myself.  But I recognise the merits of blogging in my business so I know I need to knuckle down and write. Once I get immersed into it I’m fine!

So here are 5 key tips to get you and me going on tasks that may not be our favourite activity!

• Firstly, make sure you are the only one who has to do the task – delegate what you can so you  spend time on what only you can do
• Know how long the task should take you and schedule time in your diary to get it done
• If you answer to no one but yourself, find yourself an accountability buddy with whom you can agree  deadlines, someone who you know will chase you up!
• Consider the task as you would an important prospect so you don’t put it off or reschedule
• Focus all your energy of getting that task completed in the time you allocated

Denise Molloy is a business and personal performance coach who works with small business owners to be more productive and profitable. Find out more about how she can support you and your business here

Well, my daughter is just starting her second year at uni, and one thing that never fails to excite her is buying stationery and getting her desk primed to see action! At least, that’s why I hope she is getting it organised and not just to look pretty! Although, it’s important to remember that just seeing a tidy organised desk does put you in the right frame of mind to get cracking.

Back to basics!

There is nothing worse than not being able to find the one thing you need to get started. Some of you will be saying – but I love to work in organised chaos. That’s fine if it works for you, but make sure you are not losing valuable time looking for what you need to get going.

Disorganisation can also be the source of that feeling of overwhelm – it makes things look and feel worse than they actually are. So take some time to revamp your ‘desk admin’ to ensure your workstation is a good place to work.

Here are some back to basic tips to help make your work space inviting (all the better for dodging procrastination and avoidance!)

• Take a look at everything on your desk – does it need to be there?
• What should you have to hand that will save time?
• Do you need an in-tray or file so others are confident you will see what they place on your desk? (Think about renaming it Action Tray!)
• Be clear on what is it you are “actioning” today so the pile doesn’t look daunting
• Check your screen is at the right height and distance to avoid an aching neck and eye strain
• Make sure your lighting is right
• Avoid trailing wires that are unsightly and can be a hazard
• Have a number of pens – that work!
• Finally, have a picture of someone or something that is your source of motivation to achieve

I did say it was back to basics but it really does make a difference! Once your work space is right for you, it is easier to make time to plan the action needed to move your business forward.

Denise Molloy is a business and personal performance coach who works with small business owners to be more productive and profitable. Find out more about how she can support you and your business here. Even better, meet Denise at her Step Up Forum Launch at the Royal Wells Hotel on 28 September 6-8pm.