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 [Guest blog] Use Your Peak Time!

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When you own your own business, it’s discouraging to feel like you “aren’t doing it right.” A client recently told me:

“Today I didn’t have client calls but I struggled so much the first few hours of the day that really it was just time wasted. If I don’t have calls in the morning, I may as well not go to the office until after lunch…as soon as afternoon hits I am way focused. What do you think about client calls only until 1PM and then the afternoon is office time?”

There’s a simple three-step solution to making decisions like the one my client faced.

1. The first step towards adjusting your schedule to one that works for you is to become aware of your peak (when you are most alert and productive) and trough times (when you are least productive).

2. The next step is to create a menu of those tasks and projects that can go into those peak and trough times. [link to full blog]

For example, projects that require your strongest focus, motivation, and energy should be scheduled during your peak time. Tasks that require less brainpower, like filing, clearing your desk, or some email processing, could be checked off during your trough times.

3. Last, take advantage of as many peak times each week as possible by arranging your tasks into the appropriate time slots. When you plug tasks into your calendar with an awareness of “best times,” you’ll begin to create a new routine around scheduling. One tip I use for scheduling is to color code my tasks on my to-do list, purple to schedule in the morning and blue for afternoon.

I get it – it can be hard to leave a task undone and move it to the next day. What helps me push through that “undone” discomfort is a reminder that in the long run, when I match the task with the appropriate time of day, it typically takes me half the time.

Matching tasks to the right time of day is just one way you can gain more time each day. If you want to tweak how you schedule your peak and trough times, we can discuss in our next session!

Lisa Crilley Mallis MA, COC, ACC  

Helping service-based microbusiness owners eliminate day-to-day busyness. ImpactiveStrategies.com  

5 Speaker Prep Tips for In-Person Events

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After two years of virtual events, even very experienced speakers may have forgotten how to navigate speaking at a live event.

Including this girl.

Having knocked out my first 4 in-person gigs, here are my top 5 tips with details about how to get back in the saddle!

Tip #1: Micro-manage in-person events.

Tip #2: Deliver full presentation, no matter what.

Tip #3: Set your criteria for speaking for free (and stick to them!).

Tip #4: Practice, practice, practice your offer! 

Tip #5: Be mindful of your need for approval.

100% Open Rate, Lesson 2 (an email program I love)

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If you read Lesson 1, you know the lesson is to get started imperfectly.

Lesson 2 is about getting started simply.

And one of the biggest barriers to simplicity these days is technology.

Let’s go back to my client who had just 1 person on her list. Once she made the decision to start sending emails, the next hurdle was: which program to use?

To dip a toe into the overwhelming number of options, do a quick search for “email sending programs.” You will see endless ads and articles that “narrow” down to the top 23 options (ugh).

In the spirit of true simplicity, I’m going to narrow it down to 1 for you.

The program I recommend is Constant Contact.

Yes, I know, it’s kind of old school, but here is why I recommend it:

  1. Customer Service. Seriously, I shouldn’t even write #2 or #3, because this is SO huge. While there are free programs out there like MailMonkey and SendPurple (names have been changed) – the sheer time and frustration you’ll spend on trying to figure out the answers on your own or dig through community forums to get answers… believe me, the $10-20 a month is worth it.
  2. Simple Tech. So easy to build an email, add your contacts, send an email. Years ago, a 70-year-old client of mine who was not super tech-savvy built and sent her first email within an hour (with the help of their outstanding customer service).
  3. Scalable. Start simple with email. Then if you want to add a landing page? Constant Contact can do that. Event marketing? Social media marketing? Integrations with other programs? Yep, CC can do that too.

This is a very specific example, of course. For whatever you’re trying to accomplish right now, here is a quick-start approach to simplifying:

  • What is the goal or project?
  • What are all the things getting in the way? (brainstorm)
  • Regardless of what you’ve done in the past and all of the barriers, what is the SIMPLEST way to reach the goal? In particular, consider how to make it technologically easiest.
  • What is the first step? When will you take it?

100% Open Rate, Lesson 1

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My client got a 100% open rate the very first time she sent an email to her list.

WOW. How did she do that?

Well… she only had 1 person on her list.

So – surprise! The open rate isn’t the lesson.

The lesson came in an earlier conversation after she said to me, “I’ll start keeping in touch with my list once it’s bigger.”

To which I replied, “Start now. Build the habit and systems. Create a container to put great people who want the gift of your content and resources into.”

Too often the pursuit of perfect, polished, ready, or even just “good enough”, derails getting started.

But the truth is, it’s the trying, the trial and error, actually putting yourself out there and DOING IT, that gets you the result you want.

So send the emails before you have a big list… and you will grow your list.

Do the speaking inquiries before your presentation is perfect… and you will get great at speaking.

Record that video before you fully understand how it fits into your strategy… and you will get comfortable in front of the camera and attract a following.

My client will likely never get a 100% open rate again, but she embraced the lesson of getting started imperfectly.

Lesson from a Pile of Rocks

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It’s surprising what a pile of rocks can teach you.

I was dusting my office the other day and discovered several bags of beach rocks I’d collected, but hadn’t yet incorporated into a display I have in my office.

The display is for my favorite rocks. (don’t laugh at me – I LOVE collecting rocks)

As I added to my display, I started to run out of space and realized I was going to have to trade out some of the old rocks to make room for the new (better, more beautiful) ones. Which got me thinking…

The same thing happens in business. In the early years, you start “collecting” opportunities, systems and strategies, and they are great at the moment. But as time goes on, you find better opportunities.

And things start to get crowded.

So you find yourself having to either cram everything in, OR make some tough decisions to leave behind things that early on were perfect, but now… just aren’t good enough.

Do you really have to leave things behind?

Yes. Absolutely.

Because they’re crowding out new and better opportunities.

I’m wondering – as you read this, did anything pop into your mind? Maybe a decision you’ve been wrestling with about leaving something behind?

3 Unusual Perspectives on Priorities and Time

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Am I the only one having trouble fitting it all in? 

I committed to working less, I set my goals, I prioritized, and STILL I have to keep a vigilant eye on my time management. 

I figure I’m not alone, so here are three resources for you. The first two are TED talks that shake up your assumptions about procrastination and creativity. The last one has a slightly lower viewership, but has perspectives my clients find valuable. 

1. Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator 

2. The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers 

3. Breaking the “One More Thing” Habit 

Share your favorite time management solutions, please!