How to Wipe Out Overwhelm

by Alicia M Forest, MBA
Multiple Streams Queen & Coach

How often do you find yourself in this scenario?

It's Monday morning and you're all geared up for a productive week ahead. You've got your to-do list (massive as it is) at the ready and you sit down at your desk to start checking things off.

As you begin to read down your list, you start to feel something in your gut. It's not a physical pain necessarily, just a feeling of something heavy starting to grow. You ignore it and continue reading your list, making stars next to the things that seem to be the most important to get done that day.

But the more you do this, the heavier that feeling gets, until it starts creeping up to your shoulders and finally settles in your head. All that enthusiasm you had when you first sat down is gone and the only thing you feel now is utter and complete overwhelm.

Sound familar? I've been there, too, so I understand.

And it's not that all the tasks on your list aren't wonderful and/or doable. There are simply too many of them - and they all seem important right now - to expect that you can accomplish them all in the hours you have to work in any single day.

So what happens? You do a little of this, a little of that, and you really never complete a single project!

But you don't have to let another week pass without really accomplishing anything. Simply create a Priority Card.

A Priority Card will help you organize all your tasks in a way that will SHOW you every day what you should focus on. There are a lot of details that will threaten to take your mind off your priorities (this is where a virtual assistant can be of immense value), but those details are not necessarily what will move you forward in your business. To do that, you need to consistently focus on completing the projects that will move your business ahead big-time.

You can create a system for helping you focus on your priorities in a number of ways, but I'm going to give you mine. I only work about 8-10 hours a week on my business, so adjust your own plan accordingly.

At the beginning of each week, I choose 3 to 5 projects with looming deadlines (self-imposed as they may be) from my master task list (which really is so massive that I write it on a 8.5 x 14 legal pad). For example, at the moment, I am working on a bonus offering for a colleague's product, the Client Abundance Coaching Cafe membership, and a new website design.

On a colored index card, I write down those projects and prop the card in a standing clip holder, right in front of my computer screen. When I start to feel that sense of overwhelm, or when I find myself getting distracted by new ideas or other tasks (all of which seem important), I remind myself to look at my Priority Card and focus only on what's written there.

Once I started using my Priority Card, my own business growth lept forward ten times faster than when I was doing a little of this and a little of that, working on a dozen things, but taking much too long to actually complete just one project.

Know you won't be able to stick to this process 100% of the time, but even 80% will help you make dramatic strides in your business growth. You'll actually finish the projects you set out to do, and you'll not only feel great about doing so, you'll be inspired to do it again, and again, and again. Once you make this shift, you've learned the secret to wiping out overwhelm for yourself and your business!

Alicia M Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Queen & Coach^(TM) teaches self-employed professionals how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create wild abundance in your business, visit www.ClientAbundance.com

Your 5 Step Plan to Turn Your To Do List into a Ta-Da! List

by Shawn Driscoll

You've got big dreams and you know you've got what it takes to achieve them. You're eager to roll up your sleeves and start producing massive results. The problem is, no matter how hard you work, not much seems to get accomplished.

In fact, your To-Do list is a mile long and growing. You're constantly busy yet you get to the end of the week before you get to the end of your list. Important things fall through the cracks. And you're starting to feel frustrated, drained and overwhelmed.

You wonder how you'll ever achieve your big goals when you can't seem to dig yourself out from under this avalanche of tasks and 'have to do's'.

It's time for a To Do list Makeover. Let's turn that time and energy sucking list of "To Do's" into "Ta Da's!" you can smile about.

So what's a Ta Da! List?

A Ta-Da! list is results focused. It's a list of high payoff tasks, that when completed have massive impact on your level of energy, results and success. Completing items on your Ta-Da! List produces results that energizes and focuses you.

By contrast, a To Do List is a never ending list of everything you think you should be doing. Not all items are created equal--some are simple items to get done, others take major effort. A To Do list is full of busy work that feels heavy and draining.

Here is a 5 step plan to tame that To Do list:

Step #1: Focus on Your Top 3 Priorities.

Every Ta-Da! List requires a clear focus. At the top of every list you make, start with your 3 most important projects or priorities. Don't let your high payoff tasks get buried within a mile long list of 'this and that'. Clearly focus on the 3 priorities that must get done, no matter what else happens. Let this focus your actions.

Step #2: Start Dumping.

Filter your To Do List for things you can DUMP. Your first reaction is going to be "There's nothing I can dump!" But take an honest look. If everything is equally important then nothing really is.

What items on your list fall in the 'great idea' category but have very little payoff if you do them? What items have absolutely no consequence if you DON'T do them? (I ask myself: Is NOT doing this of Cosmic Significance?) What items are "shoulds" that you keep procrastinating on because they aren't aligned with your top priorities? Cross them off and be done with it.

Step #3: Delegate. Delegate. Delegate.

Identify anything and everything that you can DELEGATE to someone else (involve a family member, hire it done, give it to a team member, ask a friend or barter with someone to get it done). Retire the superhero cape and be honest: Does this task need ME AND ONLY ME to get it done? Is this something that someone else could help me accomplish? Once you're clear on who else can do the task, hand it off. If you're concerned it won't get done to your standards, set a 'check in' date to review progress and provide input. But commit to letting someone else handle it to completion.

Step #4: Defer anything that can wait.

Take another spin through your list. If there's anything on your list that doesn't have to be completed within the next 7 days, defer it. Put these tasks in your calendar for a future time. Just knowing you've created a time and space for them will free you up to focus on other, more important, priorities.

Step #5: Time Block the rest.

All that should be left on your list are those items that (a) must be done by you and only you, (b) are linked to a top priority item and (c) must be done within 1 to 7 days. Now block time in your calendar to complete them so that you know they will get done.

One of the biggest mistakes we make with our To Do lists is keeping them separate from our calendar. You end up with a 'to do' list the length of your forearm and a calendar filled up with commitments that aren't even on the list. That leaves you with no time to complete the items, skyrocketing your level of overwhelm and stress.

That's it. 5 simple steps to create your Ta-Da! List. I challenge you to test this process for the next 30 days. See how much more focused and productive you are. Oh, and get ready to take your bow!

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This article may be reproduced, in its entirety, along with the following information:

© 2006, Shawn Driscoll, Succeed Coaching & Development. This article is provided courtesy of Shawn Driscoll, Career Success Coach and owner of www.succeedcoaching.com. Professionals: upgrade your work life today! We provide products and services to help you succeed at work, in business and in life. Sign up to receive your free Success Wise ezine--and get success tips, inspiration, and resources to skyrocket your success--at www.succeedcoaching.com.

10 Tips for More Effective Time Management

by Rachel Reeves

1.	Record how you currently spend you time to give you an idea of how you can utilize your time more effectively.
2.	Use the time log to help identify what time of the day is your "prime time" so that you can plan those more important tasks around this time.
3.	Plan Your Work. Work Your Plan!
4.	Set a bit of time aside each evening to plan for the next day, you might;
	Check you diary to see what is coming up. Get your things together for that meeting you will be attending, or the presentation you will be giving the next day. Plan what you would like to achieve for the day and allocate times to achieve those items. Think of it this way; that small amount of time you spend this evening will go a long way towards you feeling more in control for tomorrow.
5.	A question to ask yourself when you start something is "Why am I doing this right now". This will help for you to not waste your time, or another persons time. If you are procrastinating then it will help get you back on track.
6.	Minimise the amount of times you handle each piece of paper as much as possible. Try to handle a piece of paper once only.
7.	Don't be afraid to delegate. Delegate wisely and whenever possible. Refocus that time on more important tasks such as planning, brainstorming, goal setting etc. If it is for your own business take into consideration how much extra profit you could be making for your business for every hour you are not dealing with these tasks.
8.	Identify your high-payoff items. By 'high-payoff items' I don't just mean profitable in dollar amounts, I am also referring to growing your relationships and fulfilling your spiritual needs. These are just as important to you, if not more so, as they will ultimately assist you in feeling more fulfilled and happier in life - isn't this what we are all working towards?
9.	Set goals and sub-goals. Make sure you reward yourself for your big achievements. This reward can be through purchasing something you have been saving up to buy, or a vacation, or maybe an extra day off to do something you love. No matter how much you enjoy running your business everyone needs a much deserved RNR (Rest and Relaxation) day every now and again.
10.	Work from a prioritised action list. This can be either an electronic one, or a handwritten priority list. There are plenty of electronic priority lists online and you can usually download a trial version to test whether it works for you.
© 2008 Rachel Reeves, Proactive Admin Services. Rachel boasts 10 years Administrative Support, Financial Services and Executive Support experience. She offers her abilities globally through her Virtual Assistant business, Proactive Admin Services ( www.proactiveadminservices.com ).

How Much is Your Time Worth?

One of the most common excuses that business owners use when explaining why they don’t use a virtual assistant is, “It costs too much.”

At a US average of $30 to $50 per hour, it may look that way at first glance. Believe it or not, you are most likely to be saving yourself money even if the hourly rate seems scary. There are a lot of factors that contribute to a financial savings, but lets focus on your time.

Just what is ‘your’ time worth? What is your hourly rate? And how many hours are you spending on administrative tasks that aren’t bringing in more business? Multiply the two and this is what it’s costing you to do those tasks. But wait, now add on the revenue that you could have been generating by using those hours for income generating tasks. This gives you a more complete picture of just how much ‘doing it yourself’ may be costing you. I bet it’s much more than what it would have cost you to have a virtual assistant do it, isn’t it?

So before you tell yourself you can’t afford a virtual assistant, seriously ask yourself “What’s my time worth?”

Is it a Recession?

With gas prices above $4.00 a gallon most everywhere, higher food prices and a seriously depressed real estate market, all the signs point to a recession. It’s going to require some serious tightening of belts and innovative thinking to keep businesses alive during the down economy. This is when being willing to adjust your old ways and incorporate new ideas can pay off. For example, if the cost of commuting to the office is financially painful, who says you need an office? Today’s technology makes it entirely possible for many businesses to be run without an actual office. Save not only the gas money, but the overhead of renting office space by utilizing e-mail, the internet and virtual assistance. Kick the office to the curb and go virtual!