Join me the last Tuesday of each month for a lunch hour teleclass series. Get practical tips and resources to implement immediately in your business. Included is a 30 minute coaching session with an attendee. Register Here
NEW Monthly Lunch Hour Teleclass Series Begins Tomorrow
I’ve recently heard from quite a few leaders and entrepreneurs who’ve said they would really enjoy having a class once a month on a particular topic. with other leaders and entrepreneurs to share struggles, ideas, tips and resources. So, I’ve created the “Lunch Hour Teleclass Series” which begins (tomorrow) Wednesday, August 30th from 12-1:30 pm EST. This series will run the last Wednesday of every month and include a teaching session and discussion, led by me, around a topic that’s relevant to leaders and entrepreneurs. It will also include a 30-minute coaching session with someone on the call on an issue relevant to their business.
The first topic: “GET INTO ACTION-8 SIMPLE STEPS TO OVERCOME PROCRASTINATION IN YOUR LIFE AND BUSINESS
If you are looking to significantly grow your business, reach your goals and maintain better work/life balance, this call is for you! Each workshop will also include a 30 minute coaching session with an attendee regarding a current challenge in their business.
Register NOW for this not to be missed opportunity to:
- Improve your skills
- Learn from other entrepreneurs
- GROW your business with practical tips and resources that you will take away and be able to implement IMMEDIATELY!
I would like to organically grow this series as it unfolds, to be sure to cover the kind of topics and discussions that are meaningful and relevant to the people on the call-so it will be VERY interactive. I so hope you can join us tomorrow!!
Do The Thing You Fear The Most…
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do. Eleanor Roosevelt
I have always been moved (and motivated) by this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt. And this quote was much on my mind last week when I had the opportunity to go waterskiing for the first time in over ten years! And in the salt water no less! I had learned to waterski in a lake when I was a child, then didn’t do much after I was in my twenties. I think I’ve been twice in the last 30 years. When I had mentioned early last week to a friend who owns a boat and often water ski’s , that in my 50th year, I had on my list to water ski again, he called me on Sunday (a beautiful day) and said, “this is the day-get ready”.
I was excited, but also VERY nervous and scared. While this was really something I wanted to do, all of the sudden, my stomach got a bit tight, my palms started to feel a bit sweaty, I got a very serious look on my face, according to my eight year old, and I started to think of all the things that might happen if I actually tried it. I might really hurt myself, an old knee injury might reappear, my back hadn’t been so great recently, I might get tripped up on a lobster pot. I wear contact lenses and had to take them out in case I took a big spill and that made me feel even more vulnerable.
The negative-worse-case-scenario-thinking went on and on and on…. This is how many of us react when we come face to face with our fears, even when it’s something we really want, or know is best for us. Whether it’s deciding to finally quit our corporate job and start our own business, or making that fifth sales call on a potentially big client who’s turned you down four previous times, or maybe it’s asking for help on how to become a better leader for our organization, or finally realizing in order to grow your business, you need to ask for some support and guidance to help you finally make the move.
In my experience of coaching clients for over ten years, have found that most fear comes from the fear of failure: loss of income, job, relationship, self-esteem, confidence etc. As I sat on the boat contemplating whether I was actually going to water ski, I thought about all the big, hairy audacious goals I had asked of my clients, requesting they face their fears, take action and make the huge strides in their businesses and personal lives that they wanted. My job is asking people to do the thing they fear the most…because you know you’re onto something really good when you get to people’s fears. So there I was standing on the dock, wondering if I should get in the boat, or give up my water skiing notion.
I decided to use the Greek’s “burn the boats” theory, when the Greek’s came ashore for a battle, they burned their boats upon arrival, so they would be stranded on the island and it insured their confidence in winning the battle. I left my contact lenses ashore, donned my wetsuit and life jacket and jumped in the boat where we headed out beyond the lobster pots, jumped in the water with my skis on with my kids shouting, “Mama, just say, ‘I think I can, I think I can’ and you will.” I jumped in the water and got up on the first try. It was exhilarating! We made one big loop then I motioned to take me in, where I dropped the rope. That’s when I thought of one of my other favorite quotes:
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage” Anais Nin
Where can you expand your life? What fears can you make friends with today, in order to gain strength, courage and confidence? Remember, you must do the thing you fear the most… If this particular post resonates with you and you would like help and support in creating a plan of action for your business or personal life, please feel free to contact me at 207.767.2634 or at mandy@mandyschumaker.com.
5 Proven Tips To Increase Your Productivity
Did you know the average person spends 2.1 hours in distraction every day? 2.1 hours!! And that every 11 minutes, we get distracted at work by e-mail, Facebook, texting etc? And were you aware that it takes 25 minutes for each of us to refocus our minds and get back to the task at hand after we’ve been pulled off?
It’s no wonder many times we feel like we aren’t getting anything done or can’t get traction on a project, report or idea…because we can’t…we’re distracted.
I have found this in my own business, constantly checking e-mail to see what just came in, or checking Twitter or Facebook and losing an hour and a half looking at various blogs and websites. It’s not that Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites aren’t helpful or interesting, they certainly are, and they have their usefulness, but not when they get in the way of staying focused on doing business. In a world full of distraction, it’s so important to stay focused in our businesses and organizations so we can innovate and implement.
I hear from clients all the time, “I really wish I could be more efficient”, or “Gee, I can’t seem to stay focused on anything’, or “I’ve been trying to get to that idea for months”. We now live in a culture where our brains are constantly on the go, there is little if no downtime for us to just be.
There are however, things we can do for ourselves that help us increase our productivity, stay focused and feel more in control of our work lives.
1-Work in 90 minute cycles
New research has shown that working in 90 minute cycles increases productivity. When you schedule your day (preferable the night before), schedule several 90 minute increments when you can focus on one task or project. Turn off your e-mail, Facebook, Twitter etc. set an alarm for 90 minutes and work uninterrupted until the alarm goes off. When the 90 minutes are up, take a quick break, go for a walk, or get a drink of water.
2-Make ONE to do list
This is from David Allen bestseller, Getting Things Done. Make one to-do list putting everything you need to get done for the day on it. This includes things from your work and personal life. Make sure you schedule your most difficult or important tasks during the time of day when you are at your best. If you are a morning person, schedule them in the morning, if you are an evening person, schedule them then.
3-Get enough sleep
It’s a fairly well known fact that Americans do not get enough sleep. When you don’t get enough sleep, it can greatly impact your productivity. If you are someone who doesn’t get enough sleep, try this experiment. For two weeks, schedule yourself for eight hours of sleep a night. At the end of two weeks assess: how you feel, what you’ve accomplished and your overall general well-being. Do you notice a significant difference?
4-Schedule periods of unstimulated time
I have a client who last weekend decided to turn off all electronics for the whole weekend. No I-Phone, I-Pad, TV-nothing. This is a guy who is constantly “plugged in”. He spent the weekend doing things with his family, exercising and reading, and relaxing. He reported by Monday, he felt so much more refreshed, relaxed and really ready to return to work. It’s important to schedule unstimulated time during the day or week. Try it-you may be surprised how it positively impacts your productivity.
5-Move your body
Find some time everyday to move your body. Workouts at a gym, walking at lunch, walking or riding your bike to work, meditating, or just doing some stretches before going to bed. Anything that gets you to move your body everyday will help improve your productivity.
The best news about productivity is, we are in total control of influencing whether we are increasing our decreasing our productivity. I invite you to try these five tips for the next couple of weeks and see if it makes a difference in your business! If you’d like some help and support in your efforts, feel free to contact me at 207-653-6977 or mandy@mandyschumaker.com for a complimentary session.
Related articles
- Seven Powerful Meditation and Focusing Techniques (thesimpledollar.com)
- Success, Unplugged (davidrisley.com)
- Focus – The Second Key to Success (bloggingtips.com)
Protected: Personal Power Teleclass
What Does “Doing Better” Really Mean?
This time of year, I love reading some of the great commencement speeches given by writers, politicians, poets, journalists, etc. Many of them are so inspirational and motivating. Anyone in leadership should really take the time to read some of these speeches, as they remind us of the possibilities, innovation and future ideas of our organizations and businesses.
This year, Anna Quindlen‘s commencement speech at Grinnell College was fabulous. Quindlen, author and columnist at Newsweek, spoke to graduates about a variety of things from the economy, to facing fear, to being real. But the thing that struck me the most was her reference to the traditional belief of parents who want their children to “do better” than they had. Many believe that just isn’t going to happen for this next generation.
While Generation Y‘s are not looking for the SUV’s and McMansions of the 80’s, Quindlen points out that perhaps this is a moment to consider what “doing better” really means and she does a fine job of redefining it.
As Quindlen so eloquently stated, …
If you are part of the first generation of Americans who genuinely see race and ethnicity as attributes, not stereotypes, will you not have done better than we did? If you are part of the first generation of Americans with a clear understanding that gay men and lesbians are entitled to be full citizens of this country with all its rights, will you not have done better than we did? If you are part of the first generation of Americans who assume women merit full equality instead of grudging acceptance, will you not have done better than we did? And on a more personal level, if you are part of the generation that ditches the 80-hour work week, and returns to a sane investment in your professional life, the first generation in which young women no longer agonize over how to balance work and family, and young men stop thinking they will balance work and family by getting married, won’t you have done better than we did?
See the video below to hear Part I of the speech. Let me know your thoughts and how it changes your perception of “doing better”. You can catch Part II at https://youtu.be/RkBKcxOdqJo