Working From Home And Being Productive

Working from home is great but it doesn't suit everyone.  You need to be reasonably disciplined when working from home to avoid the temptation of other things around you.  Morning TV suddenly seems enthralling, that DIY project needs finishing, just another cup of coffee before I get started ...

It's less of a problem when you're focused and know where you're going, as you're motivated to get on with it.  Organise your day to enjoy the flexibility of working from home and running your own business while still being productive.

If you thrive on having other people around you, you might find it more difficult and more isolating.  You may be better finding a shared workspace where you can feel as if you're in the office. Hot desking and co-working offer shared working environments with flexibility. Technology can give you the tools to be able to work from anywhere.

For home workers - I often recommend going somewhere else to work.  A change of environment can help to stimulate ideas and productivity.  I recently mentioned I'd travelled up to London for a meeting - I got soooo much work done on the train journey.  I also regularly go to a local hotel, where I can combine a meeting with spending a couple of hours working - away from the phone and email.  Again - it's a great way of getting things done and catching up.

For office based business, I also recommend finding somewhere else to work, so you can get away from the office distractions, find a quiet place to work. This could be a meeting room, an office on another floor, a local coffee shop (although Starbucks tends to be noisy - headphones helps) or even working from home for the day.

A change of environment can be good whether your usual working environment is at home or in an office.

For anyone running their own business you need to take 'time out'.  Setting aside time to catch-up or think more strategically about where you're going and reviewing progress and results.  I'd suggesting booking out at least a half-day a month for that important "me" business time.  Also regularly scheduling times in the week for catch-up, so that you keep on top of things and avoid a backlog - often easier said than done if you're busy, even worse when you're disorganised.

Avoid information overload by dealing with it at source.  Stop it arriving in the first place, manage it when it does and understand that not every single piece of information that passes across your desk or through your  computer needs to be read or actioned.

Plan on working five days, four days or even three days a week and then organise your work accordingly.

Maximize Your Networking Time

Yet again I've been out networking quite a bit this week.  Getting back, one of my priorities is to make sure I send a personal email out to everyone I met, following up on the initial brief discussion we might have had and reconnecting with people I've already met, sending them info they requested or that might be useful to them or passing on a useful contact.

Networking is a favoured marketing tactic for many small business owners but I'm always surprised by how few people follow up afterwards.  This time, out of the 40 or so people I met, I received 3 emails that same afternoon and a couple the following day - mostly just adding me to their mailing list or sending me a list of the services they provide.

The rest of them ... nothing.

In all - I probably met nearly 60 people during the course of the week and less than 10% of them have taken the trouble to follow up.

What a waste of time and effort.  So, not everyone is going to be a potential business prospect and not everyone will appreciate being 'spammed' as a new contact on your mailing list but you can at least start building a relationship that lasts more than a few minutes spent exchanging business cards.

Telegraph: Business - "Time to be smarter in business"

"A busy schedule can leave you rushed off your feet at work ..."

Read the rest of the article at the Telegraph Online.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/technology/smartthinking/6408167/Time-to-be-smarter-in-business.html

Do You Take A Lunch Break?

According to a recent survey by the Spar store group - workers are taking even shorter lunch breaks.

Due to the recession, workers are taking an average of 35 minutes for lunch with many taking less than 20 minutes for their break, if they're not skipping lunch altogether.

Not only are companies benefiting from the extra half hour or more from their employees but this will only add to the stress and pressure in the long term.

Having worked in the corporate world for many years, I know what it's like to only take as long as you need to grab a sandwich and carry on working while eating it at your desk!  Sometimes it's a because you've just got too much to do, sometimes it's because you don't want to be seen taking a 'long' lunch break.

Frequent breaks are necessary to maintain productivity and keep working efficiently. Not only do you need time to refuel and that means more than 5 minutes to grab a sandwich but taking a break will get the energy levels going again.  If you've been working really hard and running on adrenalin, you need the time to relax.

Not only do you need to make sure you take your lunch break but take regular breaks throughout the day - you'll feel better for it and work more productively.

If you're struggling to fit everything into the time you have available, look at ways of working smarter.

Enjoy your lunch.

Top Tip For Working With Journalists

One tip I was given several years ago, at one of Joanne Mallon's workshops that I've never forgotten, was "If a journalist contacts you respond immediately".

Journalists are nearly always working to tight deadlines (maybe they could use some time management!) - they need something submitted within a few hours or a couple of days if you're lucky, so be ready to respond.  If they leave you a message or send you an email - get back to them as soon as you can or they'll have moved on to the next available person and your opportunity will have been lost.

Magazines are often planning what goes into print two or three months in advance, so you many be responding in the Summer to something that goes in to the Winter editions.  I've recently submitted an article which won't be out until December, even though the deadline was two weeks ago.  Newspapers often print more quickly - especially if they're looking for comment on current news.

I get called every couple of months and I'll always call them straight back or if they email me and there's a contact number, I'll call them rather than just reply by email.  It's resulted in many of my articles being published in national publications.  Not all of them always make it - copy changes and articles get dropped but the opportunity is there if you take it.

Following Up

Networking is about getting to know people, making contacts and building relationships. Once you've made contact, that's only the start. It's not a one-touch, one-way process. It's something that will develop over time.

Many people go to networking meetings - just gather up the business cards, put them into a pile, may or may not add them to their mailing/spamming list but that's probably the last contact they have until they meet them at the next meeting.

So, in order to make your networking more effective,

DO ...
... send a personal message, talk about something you discussed when you met or something they mentioned, share some useful information.
... arrange to meet up and find out more about each other's business and what you can do to help.

DON'T ...
... send a generic message to every attendee - with a sales pitch.
... add everyone to your mailing list by default without asking first or giving them the option to subscribe or unsubscribe.

Network, connect and re-connect ... often.

Finding Followers On Twitter

One of my Twitter followers recently asked me how to find new people to follow.

Here's a few of the ways I find them.

• Check your own followers followers - you might either find someone you already know but didn't know was on Twitter or come across someone interesting to follow.

• Check out sites like MrTweet, WeFollow if you're interested in a specific area or business.

• Look at Twitterholic and find other Tweeters in your location - town, city, area, country. Great if you're focusing on a particular location.
  

• Look at your Twitterstream - you'll see snippets of conversations with people you're not yet following. If they have something interesting to say, check out their Twitter profile and follow them.

• Check out the #followfriday tweets from your followers - who are they following and recommending.
  

Personally I'd say DON'T autofollow - you may end up following people you really have no interest or connection with or those who are just interested in numbers or have one-way traffic.

AVOID the 'get more followers' or 'find hundreds of followers' schemes - for me, they're the equivalent of junk mail. You'll get lots but how useful or interesting will it really be?

Starting A Business In Your Spare Time - Working 5 to 9

Amanda Vlahakis from Truly Ace pointed out this useful document from Enterprise Nation in her blog on the Home Worker Parents network.

Starting your own 5 to 9 business is a great way of achieving a level of independence away from a regular, full-time job but there are things to watch.

You need to be pretty motivated and a self-starter to not only have a full-time job but also run your own part-time business.

Here are a few additional tips:

• Chose something you're passionate about but be wary of turning a hobby into a business, it can take some of the enjoyment out of it.

• Be aware of what you're able to achieve in the time available. Have a clear plan of what you want your business to look like and who your clients and customers are. Is this something that fits within the 5 to 9 timeframe?

• List out all the tasks you need to do and allocate them into the available time. Only pick the things that are going to make a real difference to the business.

• While you'll take longer to get where you want to be than if you were working full-time on your business, you can still make great progress if you work steadily and consistently towards your goal. Little and often.

• Get others involved in your business to spread the load. Depending on the nature of your business you might be able to delegate some of the workload so that your 5 to 9 business is still being worked on while you're working on your 9 - 5 job.

• Don't end up burning the candle at both ends - you'll just end up stressed and exhausted. Planning is key.

• Have a good support network around you - family and friends may not always be the most supportive but get them on your side. You don't necessarily need their approval, just their support.

• Network with like-minded people to create your own support network with business knowledge and skills.

Take a look at Mums In Biz and get help slotting a business into the time you have available - particularly for Mums who want to run a business and work round their family.

Start with a simple One Page Plan - email me for a free copy.

Increasing Your Team's Productivity

Good feedback from today's time management workshop that I've been running at a local business.

One of the benefits of having in-house sessions, tailored to their business is that, not only do they get to discuss specific issues but they can learn from their colleagues and understand more about the impact their behaviour has on the way they all use their time.

If each of your team is wasting an hour or two a day being distracted and interrupted, think of the impact that has on their productivity ... and your bottom line.

Mums In Biz on Working Lunch

If you're following me on Twitter you may have seen that Mums In Biz appeared on Working Lunch yesterday. It was quicker than expected so I didn't get much notice and have a chance to let people know.

However if you want to take a peek at Nicky Chisholm of Mums In Biz, in action at her recent seminar, you can view it on BBC iPlayer for the next 7 days.
Working Lunch

Nicky's slot doesn't appear until 22 minutes in. There are some great bites with some of the other Mums businesses there - especially Galia from ChocChick. You can catch a fleeting glimpse of me at the back of the room - the BBC team had left before my afternoon slot and you can also see the Time Management For Dummies book poster in the background if you look carefully.

How Not To Cold Call ...

It may be a sign of the times but I'm getting more and more cold calls these days. Some of these are just people looking to sign me up to a business directory or to sell their SEO skills and get my business to page 1 on Google but just recently I've taken calls from two organisations who are trying to sell me their services.

As with most of these calls, they're not upfront about what it is they actually have to offer until they've been through their 'spiel' or they go through what appears to be a great opportunity for me but is actually just a thinly veiled offer to lure me in to what they're really interested in selling me.

One person started - injected a few questions along the way but was patently not listening to or interested in my answers before he carried on with the rest of his script, not bothering to adjust it to what information he'd just been given. I was counting the number of times he said "That's fantastic" in response to my answers (with poorly masked insincerity) as he wasn't really listening, it was just a way of interjecting something into the conversation before he moved on. It took him fifteen minutes before he got to the point i.e. what he was actually selling. This particular company has called me on a weekly basis for the past few weeks and each time speaks to me as if it's the first time they've called. I'm pretty sure I've spoken to the same person at least twice and requested again that they remove me from their list. Wonder how long before the next call.

Today's caller went on for almost twenty-six minutes without stopping - he did ask a couple of questions. I said I wasn't really interested when he finally got to the crunch point after fifteen minutes but he just carried on and repeated the benefits several times, emphasising what a great deal they were offering. I also had the classic "Hold on, I'll just talk to my manager to see if we can do a better deal for you"!

Suppressing the laughter, I sometimes keep listening out of a sense of amusement to see just how the pitch is going to unwind and how long they'll take to get to the point and if I can work out what it is they're actually trying to sell me before they say it and whether they've established if I'm likely to be the slightest bit interested.

Sadly - there seems to be one all too frequent sales 'technique' where the approach is - launch into sales pitch, talk for at least fifteen minutes before revealing the 'solid gold, not to be missed, this week only' offer, ask occasional questions, make suitable 'listening' noises, don't let the customer interrupt, stick to the script no matter what, rinse, repeat until customer gives in and agree to a sale or hangs up on you.

Now, I'm no cold calling/telesales expert and like many people would probably rather have my teeth pulled than make cold calls but I think I'd prefer to establish a) if this is a good time to talk, b) are they likely to be interested in what I have to offer before waffling on for fifteen minutes, wasting not only my time but theirs.

At least I'm learning what NOT to do.

March Newsletter - What Makes Good Customer Service?

Whether you're on the receiving end or the one providing it, good customer service can make a difference to the relationship you have with your customer and clients.

Large companies can hide behind their large, global image and we don't necessarily expect 'great customer service'.

How often have you phoned up a customer help line only to be met with a voice response system, where you have to press a series of numbers before you finally get put through or end up on a help desk where they don't understand your problem or they're so busy reading from a script they're not actually listening to what you're saying.

Customer services help desks around the country must have to put up with disgruntled, dissatisfied and irate customers all the time but if they remain calm, polite, are helpful and do what they can to really listen and resolve the problem, they're likely to end up with a problem resolved and a happy customer.

For me, good customer service comes to the fore when something goes wrong ...


Read the rest of the article and get your free copy of this month's newsletter, just sign up on my website and you'll also receive free tips, advice, information and news on how to improve your time management and your business and personal life.

How I Use Twitter

People use Twitter in many different ways - I thought it might be useful to let you know how I use Twitter, so you know what to expect.

I primarily use Twitter to follow people in my network and to let people know what I'm up to. That doesn't always mean I'll be telling you when I'm off to make a cup of coffee or what I'm having for lunch. Yes, that does happen occasionally but I like to have brief conversations with people, to respond to other people's Tweets, to pass on information, to send out occasional time tips and to let you know when my latest newsletter is out, when I've got a teleclass or workshop on and when I get an article posted.

I'll try to be useful, informative and interesting and if you send me a message or ask me a question then I'll respond either publicly or privately and I'll happily point you in the right direction if I don't have the answer.

I do use Twitterfeed to feed posts from my blogs as it saves time reposting or duplicating material and I'm all for that.

If you follow me I will always check out your Twitter profile to find out more about you and what you do. So, it helps to have a bio on your profile, your full name and a website link, as I'll often click on those if I want to find out more. I'll probably send you a direct message, shortly after you start following me. I don't auto-DM, so if you get a message from me, I've sent it personally, even if it is a brief introductory message.

I don't auto-follow and I may or may not follow you back. It often depends on if I know you, if you know someone I know, what you do, what your interests are, how many followers you have and the type of tweets. Having thousands of followers or only having one way traffic in your tweets is unlikely to make me want to follow you. However, I have wide and varied interests, so I'll often follow someone unusual or a bit different or just for fun.

If you'd like to find out more then Follow Me and see what happens.

February Newsletter - Other People's Deadlines

It's been that time of year when accountants, book-keepers and anyone involved in Tax has been busily working away to meet the January 31st deadline.

For various reasons, people leave things to the last minute and in the worst instance will turn up with a carrier bag full of receipts and expect a complete set of accounts within a matter of days!

It's a common theme that I've encountered, been on the receiving end of and seen happening in many different industries, not just at tax-year end. Other people imposing their deadlines on you.

They may be your client or customer but the fact that they need a particular piece of work completed by some unrealistic date isn't your problem it's theirs. Don't make it yours.

To read the rest of the article and get your free copy of this month's newsletter, just sign up on my website and you'll also receive free tips, advice, information and news on how to improve your time management for your business and personal life.

Are You Tweeting Yet?

You may or may not have heard of the latest phenomenon to hit the web. It's called Twitter and it's been popping up all over the place on TV and Radio with the likes of Stephen Fry and Jonathan Ross now tweeting.

While the original purpose may have been to let people know "What Are You Doing?", most people aren't really that interested in what you had for breakfast, that you're helping the kids with their homework or that you're just off to do some shopping but they might be interested in your expertise, they could have an answer to your question and you might just find out how to do ... well, just about anything. You only have to ask.

Twitter messages are limited to 140 characters, so it's like sending a text message but via the web. You can send a message to all your Followers (people who have signed up to receive your Tweets - as Twitter messages are called), reply to a Tweet (@) by including the Tweeter's name eg. @clareevans or send a direct message (d) that only that person will receive.

I love the quick and easy way that Twitter works. You can get a whole wealth of information in just 140 characters. For me, it's a great way to keep in touch with my contacts and wider network and to connect with people on a more regular basis than I would if I spent my time emailing or phoning them.

There are several people I recommend you follow if you're new to Twitter. @markshaw has plenty of links to useful info and often Re-Tweets (RT) things he finds. @NikkiPilkington has a whole blog on "Twitter for Business" and @grahamjones also has lots of useful info on Twitter.

On the international side there is @ProBlogger @chrisbrogan and @mashable - are just a few of several, prolific online media marketing people. Dozens more I could mention as well as the Celeb Tweeters and other more obscure people who are fun to follow, if you've got the time.

Connect with your contacts, connect with your customers and clients. Have different Twitter accounts for different, focused tweets (use Twhirl to manage multiple accounts).

BUT - plan your Twitter Time along with your other marketing/business time, so you don't find your day disappearing in a stream of Twitter chat! Use tools like Twitterfeed, Tweetdeck or Twhirl to manage your 'stream' so that you can filter your Tweets into useful groups.

Follow me on Twitter.

Bacon, Eggs and Juggling.

I was at my monthly Chamber breakfast this morning and apart from the fact that it's the best breakfast in town, it's also a great motivational start to the day, even though it's the end of the week. This morning was no exception - a great talk from Rob Hughes. Well, not so much of a talk, as a lesson in how to juggle but delivered in such a way that, while we may not have been juggling by the end of the session, we were at least a few steps further along in the process, with the potential to actually master the art if we decided to apply the few tips and tricks we learnt.

It's all in the throwing rather than the catching and about not allowing the logical left-side of the brain to take over from the free-flowing creativity of the right-brain. It's a great way to exercise both sides of the brain. So, I've dug out my trainee juggling balls and this year, I will learn to juggle.

Now what was it? Throw, throw, catch, catch ...

A Green Alternative To Business Travel

I was phoned up the other day by the City Car Club, trying to flog me their services having got my name and number from a local business directory (something that happens more and more these days). Now living outside of Brighton, I'm unlikely to use them, as I'd need to drive in to town in order to collect one (OK, I could use the bus and I do occasionally).

Have you ever used one or something similar?

Apparently it works out cheaper than a taxi, so if you live and work in and around a town where the scheme operates, it probably makes sense once you've registered as a member.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7723313.stm

November Newsletter - Don't Be A Lone Ranger

My latest newsletter is just out. This month's main article is about setting up your own support team.

As a nation we’re probably not good at asking for help when we need it. This becomes even more of a problem when you’re very busy or when you work for yourself. There’s a tendency to take on more and more. To a certain extent you don’t have a huge amount of budget to spend on extra staff when you first get started but this doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself.

Just because you work for yourself, doesn’t mean that you’re working on your own. Create your own support team. You’ll already have a few people that are an important part of your ‘team’.

If you want to read the rest of the newsletter, just sign up on my website and you'll receive the latest issue and free Power Time Tips.

Delegating All Those Pesky Tasks

Isn't it about time you had a virtual assistant to handle all those pesky tasks that take up your precious time and energy? Surely you should be spending your time and energy doing the things that are going to be more valuable. Don't delay hire a virtual assistant today!

What's On Your Business Card?

Having got back from a day's seminar and networking opportunity yesterday - I returned with a number of business cards. Now you'd think that the idea of a business card is to provide your details in one easy to read format. Have a thought when you get your business card designed and printed.

Readable print. I'm not yet in need of reading glasses although I'm starting to find I need longer arms these days but some of the print is so teeny, weeny on some of these business cards that you need a good light and a magnifying glass to read it.

Contrasting colours. While you might think that shiny silver looks good, light coloured writing on silver doesn't - again, I need to get out the reading glasses and angle it just right so I can read the letters and numbers. The same applies to light colours or where there's not much contrast between the text and background - it's difficult to read.

Photos. If you're going to have a photo on your business card, there's no harm in smiling. I think a passport-like blank stare isn't a good look, although at least it does serve as a prompt for when you next meet the person.

I like to write on the back of business cards - notes, comments, when we met - but glossy surfaces make this difficult to do - I've noticed this on my own cards. Worth considering when I next get them printed.

The Importance Of Google

Since my book came out, people often ask me how I managed to get my book published and how I managed to get into the Dummies brand. In fact I've just given a talk this morning to my local Chamber on the whole book publishing process.

Well, it was pretty much down to Google. A few years ago, I attended a PR course and there are two things that have stuck with me from that course:

1) Journalists like to take the easy option and when up against a deadline to produce an article or do research, where do they go? Google.

2) If they contact you - get back to them immediately.

I'm often contacted by journalists - for the last couple of years I probably get half a dozen calls each year. How do they find me? They search for time management expert/coach and my name comes up on Google - either my website or my Ecademy profile. So they contact me and of course, I get back to them as soon as I receive their email or pick up their phone message, if I'm not able to answer it at the time.

When Wiley publishing were looking to commission the UK Edition of their Time Management book they googled and found me, read my articles and sent me an email to see if I might be interested in writing the book. The result of that initial contact is now up on Amazon and hopefully hitting the bookshelves soon.

Now, I'm no SEO expert and I've learnt an awful lot from many of the SEO experts I have in my network. My website is not necessarily going to win any prizes and there's always room for improvement but it's been enough to get me noticed and after all that's what's important.

I had a call yesterday morning from another journalist - she's calling me back on Monday for input into an article she's writing for December.

I was called in July by a journalist writing an article for BT Upload magazine - I'm in October's edition.

If you have an area of expertise - write articles, be seen, get noticed and Google is definitely going to help.

Now You See It, Now You Don't

My website appears to be suffering from hiccups at the moment.

Normal service will be resumed once I or my hosting company, work out what's going on but in the meantime, if you need to contact me for anything - you can do so via Linked In, Facebook or Ecademy.

How Much Is Your Time Worth? - August Newsletter

My latest newsletter is just out. This month's main article is about looking at how much your time is worth and why this is important. Also news on my book publication.

Whether you work for someone else or work for yourself the amount of time you spend working is worth something. Either your employer pays you for the hours you work or charges your time out at a particular rate or you charge your clients for the work you do. Would you be inclined to fritter it away on things that add no value if you knew what it was costing you? ...

If you want to find out about the importance of your hourly rate, then read the rest of the newsletter, just sign up on my website and you'll receive the latest issue and free Power Time Tips.

Good Time Management

Like most people I hate sitting in traffic jams at the best of times and the coast road, between where I live and Brighton, is notorious for doubling the time of your journey at peak time, so knowing that the network meeting I was attending was due to finish just as the after work rush hour started, I took my laptop with me and instead of getting frustrated sitting in traffic, went down to the Marina, plugged in, powered up and sat working for a couple of hours.

Not only a quieter, less distracting space but I cleared a batch of updating that I'd been putting off for a while as a lower priority task and then only took twenty minutes to get back home once the traffic had cleared.

Think about better ways to use your time with a little forward planning.

An Expert Interview - Time Management

Yesterday I did another audio interview with one of my coaching colleagues as an expert on the subject of time management.

You can listen to this interview (and any of the others that he's giving away), by signing up for the free giveaway on his website - http://goalsandachievementsgiveaway.co.uk/

You'll get to hear not only my top tips for managing your time more effectively but my dulcet tones, slightly fuzzy on the sound but the content is what matters and you can get more of the same with my free monthly newsletter.

www.clareevans.co.uk

Blogging - What's it all about?

Having just attended the Brighton Chamber Training session on blogging I not only have just added my blog to my website - finally, but was thinking about the reason people blog - or rather why I blog.

When I started up my own business I found I had a knack for writing. For years - many people had commented that they enjoyed my writing - which at that time was mainly limited to letters, postcards or emails home, when I was away travelling. One of the first things I did when starting up my business was to create a newsletter. The blog was started from wanting to continue the 'chat' element from my newsletter about what I was up to each month, as well as passing on tips and advice on more time-related topics or just business in general.

It's certainly evolved and not only do I have this blog but also a more focused M.A.D. Moments blog - which gets updated every Monday and may eventually get merged into this one, two personal interest blogs and one for Financial Advisers which is more business focused and specific in content.

If you're thinking about blogging, ask yourself these questions:

What do you want from/for your blog - who's going to read it, what do you want to say?

How and how often are you going to blog - separate blog, part of your website, several blogs on different topics, daily, weekly blog?

Blogs are easy to create, so don't let that stop you. Blog frequently, play, practice, adapt and once you've found your feet, tell people about it, share your blog and share your comments.

Oh, and of course - if your blog is important to you personally or your business, set aside time to blog regularly.

Peacehaven Home And Business Showcase

I'm just back from attending the first Peacehaven Home and Business Showcase organised by the local Chamber, of which I'm a member. Taking place in not the most salubrious of surroundings of the Meridian Centre, which is currently undergoing refurbishment for the soon to be re-opened Co-op supermarket.

The Chamber team had put a lot of work into this first event and it showed. Although we could have done with a few more visitors, there was plenty to inform and even entertain throughout the day and with one lucky winner getting a signed copy of my book (when it's released) I managed to attract a fair number of subscribers. There were almost 30 stands at the show and a series of seminars throughout the day to attract people in. Visitors seemed to vary from passers-by wondering what was going on to existing clients who'd been invited along by their provider.

I spent alot of time talking, standing and handing out leaflets and sweets (always popular) but had a great and productive day and needed this evening's yoga session to unwind and take the weight off my feet.

Following Up

My latest newsletter is just out. This month's main article is about how to arrive on time for your meetings.

It’s all very well going to meeting but you’re unlikely to be able to turn up, sit in, listen and then go home without needing some form of follow up.

Don’t go to a meeting and then forget all about it as soon as you leave the room or get back to the office. If the meeting was productive, will have come away with a number of actions.

After the meeting follow-up with everyone you’ve met by either sending them an email or phone them within a couple of days of the meeting.

- if you'd like to read more of the June issue, just sign up on my website and you'll also receive free Power Time Tips.

Technology - Slave Or Master

We’re surrounded by technology 24 hours a day. Mobile phones mean that we can be contactable wherever we are day or night. Laptops are great, now they allow us to be able to work anywhere, when we’re not in the office, while travelling and at home.

However, there’s a downside to all this technology and being constantly contactable. Firstly if it goes wrong you’re stuck. How do you carry on if the technology fails? Secondly, being constantly around technology means that we can never get away from it or we feel a reluctance to let it go or switch it off – hence we end up taking it with us … just in case.

How many of you were still working over the Bank Holiday weekend? Did you feel that the technology meant you couldn't really take time out - or did you manage to switch off the phone and shut-down the computer. How many people take their mobile phone, PDA or laptop with them when they go away on holiday? Perhaps your business is so critical that you can’t possibly be out of contact for one minute.

What would happen if you left your mobile phone at home or on your desk or even switched off while you went to a meeting? I recently read that top execs don't have a problem with being unavailable and switching off their phones - it's the one's that are out to impress or want to feel important that feel the need to be permanently contactable.

Would it really matter if you didn’t answer that email as soon as it arrives in your inbox or respond to a phone call. OK, I appreciate that in some instances you need to respond promptly in order not to lose business or to provide your clients with the service they expect but does it mean you're no longer in control of your time?

Technology is great for making lives easier and for saving time but make sure that you’re not totally dependent on it or if you are that you have a process or system in place to handle things if you’re without it for a while. Don't become a slave to technology. Learn to make the most of the tools you have to save you time and money, not to add to your stress and waste your time, when you can't get them to work or things go wrong.

Use technology as a tool, don't become it's slave.

Late or Early?

The topic of my latest newsletter was about arriving on time for meetings.

I'm sure most people endeavour to arrive on time - after all we're business professionals and it wouldn't do to turn up late and keep clients or prospective customers waiting but there's so much that can go wrong and things being what they are, it will. I've been ultra-conscious having just written about not being late - it wouldn't do for me to turn up late now would it! So much so that I've been arriving ridiculously early - I'd feel so bad if I did arrive late.

How often have you arrived just in the nick of time? You make it but just by the skin of your teeth, stressed and flustered having negotiated yet another traffic jam on the M25 or every traffic light being against you, slow traffic (especially caravans and tractors) on single lane roads, roadworks and detours.

Plan to arrive early - not just in the nick of time. Planning is good and essential to using your time effectively but when you plan things too closely you don't leave any slack time for when something unexpected comes up. Knowing a route well, gives you a better chance of estimating travel time but also makes it easier to leave things to the last minute, then when you discover they're digging up the road again and the traffic is backed up all along the coast road and you're going to be late. Fortunately, I can walk fast or know a short-cut or am lucky to find a parking space quickly but my 20 minute journey can easily become 40 minutes or longer with road works and traffic thrown into the mix.

- Aim to arrive at least 10 minutes early or 30 minutes if it's a longer journey.
- Get things ready before you leave - don't rush out of the door, grabbing things as you go.
- Leave extra time to allow for delays.
- Catch an earlier bus or train.
- Allow time for parking.
- Phone ahead if you know you're going to be delayed or late.

Better to arrive early rather than late and if you are early - it's not wasted time. Take a book, newspaper or your laptop with you so you can do some work while you wait. I managed to read a whole book on my recent journey up to London. I left plenty of time to get to the station - as I said, I've been so conscious about arriving early that I was there about 30 minutes before the train was due to leave. I had an hour to read on the train and while I sat waiting for my meeting and although it was a packed late train back home - I'd all but finished the book by the time I got back to Brighton.

If you expect other people to turn up on time for you - make sure you turn up on time for them. Have as much respect for someone else's time as you would expect them to have for yours.

Hurrah! Finished at last.

Well, that was certainly a greater challenge than I thought it was going to be. I've just spent most of the Bank Holiday weekend and today finishing off the final few chapters of my book. Despite the sunshine outside and the temptation to do something else - I had a deadline to meet. I did manage brief bursts of other activities but the book was my main focus.

My perfectionist tendencies came to the fore as I tried to get everything just right, added another paragraph here and there, thought of something else to say, went back and tweaked a previous chapter, until finally I was happy and sent it off - one chapter at a time over the past five months.

There'll be more to come in a few weeks - it's just off to be edited, so I have no idea what to expect and whether it will have the equivalent of red marker pen all over it.

All very exciting.

Are You Easily Distracted?

My latest newsletter is just out. This month's main article is about dealing with distractions.

I doubt you could get through a day without being distracted in one way or another by something. Either externally – by the phone, email and other people or internally – by your thoughts or a change in focus, particularly if you’re working on something that is either difficult or doesn’t really hold your interest. We’re only human and we’re easily bored and it’s too easy to let these distractions interrupt the flow.

- if you'd like to read more of the April issue, just sign up on my website and you'll also receive free Time-saving Tips.

Old School Networking

I went to a networking meeting today and was treated to a fine display of old school networking. You know the kind, where you ask the question "What do you do?" and you get whammed with a sales pitch. This didn't happen just once but several times.

There were also people busily moving from one person to another, checking out their name badges, thinking "Do I want to talk to this person" or more likely (can I sell to this person), having a brief conversation, handing out their business card and then moving on. Admittedly there were a lot of new people there so perhaps they've not learnt the etiquette of networking or the reality of good networking habits.

Right at the end someone I hadn't met at all, was rushing round, shoving their sales material in front of everyone in case they missed out. "Hi, this is me, give me a call, bye"

It was a shame because there was a nice buzz about the place but if that's what I'm going to be subjected to at each meeting - either I won't go or I need to brush up on my diversionary tactics.

Get More From Your Meetings

My latest newsletter is just out. This month's main article is about getting more out of your meetings.

Meetings can be a great excuse to waste time and yet another frustration in an already busy day. While meetings can be a good way of communicating and discussing new opportunities, they can also be an unproductive use of several people’s time.

Before you arrange or attend a meeting, decide whether it’s the most effective use of everybody’s time? Could the information be better communicated by email or with a phone call or report? The purpose and outcome of the meeting should balance the input of time and effort by all those involved.

- if you'd like to read more of the March issue, just sign up on my website and you'll also receive free Time Tips.

Is Email Ruining Your Life?

Are you deluged with email?

It's becoming a big problem these days. So much so that there's a Money Programme special tonight on BBC2 at 7.00pm - Email Is Ruining My Life.

Apparently:

two million emails are sent every second; 62 per cent of us check work emails when we're at home or on holiday; and in the UK, a third of office workers suffer from "email stress". It's pretty obvious that the technology is hugely beneficial to the workforce, but paperless communication needs to be controlled (rather than having it control us).

Is email a problem for you? Do you waste time on your emails rather than actually getting on with more important work? Are you checking your email constantly throughout the day?

• My first bit of advice is to switch off the email alert so that it's not pinging or flashing at you every time an email comes into your inbox.

• Set the mailbox options to only check for new messages periodically. That way, there's less distraction wondering what's come in during the last five minutes.

• Only check your emails two or three times a day. Unless you need to respond instantly to customers as soon as an email hits your inbox (unlikely), you really only need to check your inbox a couple of times a day, morning and afternoon. Do it AFTER you've achieved your first important task of the day. That way you're less likely to get distracted early on in the day.

• Create folders and filters to organise your incoming mail - automatically sort mail into the appropriate folder by subject or sender as it comes in, so you can easily see what's important and what's not.

• When you do check emails - set aside a specific time to do this - 15-20 minutes at a time. Don't jump straight in and start responding to the first one. Take a few minutes to sort them into urgent/action, non-urgent and reading. If you can't deal with an email straight away, schedule time to deal with it later.

Plan your time for emails in the same way you plan the rest of your time and it doesn't have to ruin your life!

If you miss the programme you can always read more tips on managing your email on my website.

Ecademy Celebrates 10 Years

Last night I made one of my rare visits to London to meet up with people at the Ecademy 10th Birthday Celebrations at the Selfridges Hotel. Over 500 people were crammed into a pretty small area. Trying to match names to faces and faces to names. Most people were wandering round the room glass or bottle in hand glancing at about chest height to read people's name badges before then connecting with the face and seeing if they recognised them.

It was a great opportunity to meet up with people I've been connected with online but never actually met in person as well as some familiar faces who I have met before. Not only do people not necessarily look like their photos but you forget about the height thing. You have no idea of a person's height, so it's surprising when someone you thought was short turns out to be tall and someone who you'd got in your mind as being tall is actually quite short.

Even when you have a photo - you still form a picture in your mind of what the person actually looks like and sounds like. When you meet them in real life the reality is different. After all, you're talking to a real life person and not a 2D snapshot of them.

If you spend time networking online - exchanging messages or even talking on the phone isn't the same make sure you meet up with people in real life too. It makes a big difference.

Easing Back Into Work

If you're easing yourself back into work after a long break over Christmas you might be finding it hard to get focused.

You've only got three days this week, so spend a few minutes thinking about what you need to get done in this time. Don't overload yourself, after all, it's a short week.

Write a list, sort it in order of priority with the important things to be done first and then plan when you're going to get these things done. Actually plan the time out in your day. What are your main goals for this year - what do you need to get done this month to Kick Start the year? People you usually deal with may still be on holiday this week, so it's a good time to clear the decks, plan for the year and set yourself up for the coming year.

Get the email backlog cleared but don't spend all day on it. Spend the first few minutes doing a quick scan of your Inbox. Quickly delete all the spam and things you don't need to read. Pick out and flag the emails you need to respond to and if they're Important - set aside time to respond or do them first. Read my article on clearing your mail backlog.

Unless you've started with great enthusiasm, fully refreshed after your time off - you're unlikely to be hitting the ground running and be able to launch yourself straight into a full day's work. Tackle your action list in chunks. Set mini-targets and spend just thirty minutes on the first task. If you finish it in that time, move on to the next one. Every couple of hours take a break or go and do something different.

Make sure you do one thing that will 'grow' your business each day.
Make sure you do one thing each day for yourself.

If you've had a busy Christmas with the usual activity of friends and family, don't end up at the end of the next three days worn out and exhausted. Ease yourself back in gently. If you're still in holiday mode - decide just to work for half a day or a couple of hours.

If you've planned out what needs to be done, you can be more effective by doing two or three things well rather than trying to do several things half-heartedly.

No Shows And Missed Meetings

Now I know that life gets in the way sometimes and we can't always allow for the unexpected but it always amazes me (perhaps it shouldn't any more) that people will take the time and effort to book, register or sign-up for meetings, seminars and workshops and then just not turn up. Sometimes these events are free, sometimes people have paid upfront.

Is it just disorganisation, poor planning or over commitment? What gets in your way to make you miss an appointment, you've committed to?

If you've agreed to be there - there's an expectation that you will turn up. If you have to change your plans, call the person at the first and earliest opportunity to let them know, so they can make other arrangements, change bookings or make adjustments.

If you're always saying yes to things and then not turning up or letting people down at the last minute, start being more realistic with your time. Don't over commit yourself - make a tentative arrangement and then confirm nearer the time but agree this upfront, so that the other person isn't left in doubt.

Don't say yes when what you actually mean is probably not. You'll become known as being unreliable.

There's no excuse for not turning up and not letting someone know?

Dragon's Den - Concentrate

I only got back in time to see the last 15 minutes of Dragon's Den tonight but the timing was perfect. A familiar face appeared on screen. Mark Champkins with his Concentrate products. Poo pooed by most of the Dragons, who quickly opted out - Mark finally picked up his investment from Peter Jones after a hard battle over percentages. Another Dragon who saw the potential in the person rather the business.

In 2004 - I was involved in the NESTA Graduate Pioneer Programme. A training programme to enable graduates to learn about getting started in business and allowing them to apply for grants to get them started. Mark was one of several graduates I worked with and it's great to see him with some of the ideas that he developed all those years ago.

Concentrate - Design For Education Products for helping children to concentrate better in lessons - something he was passionate about then and is obviously still passionate about now. You can find out all about his products and how Concentrate got started on the website. You might even have seen the products in the press - he's certainly been getting some publicity since winning his NESTA award in 2006.

I wish him all the best and will certainly be checking in to see how things are doing.

Email virus hoaxes/chain emails

Do you suffer from well intentioned people who forward you hoax emails? They sound convincing which is what makes people forward them on but 99.99999% of the time it's just another hoax/chain email, there is no such virus, Bill Gates really isn't going to give you thousands of pounds/dollars.

How do I know?

First give away - the bit that says "Forward this email to all your friends, family, everyone you know." Yep - that'll just clog up the mail system. ANY email that says that, is guaranteed to be a hoax or just a classic chain email.

Second give away - the fact that some apparently reputable source (CNN, Microsoft, AOL and McAfee) have 'verified' this as being serious (yeah right). "My friend is a lawyer/works for XYZ and said this was real".

Think about it - I could write an email right now and add in a few verified sources, quote a few press articles and it would mean nothing.

If you think there might 'just' be a grain of truth (there rarely is) check out http://www.breakthechain.org or http://www.snopes.com.

It will tell you all the hoaxes that are out there, how long they've been around and variations. This one's been doing the rounds since 2002.

Or if you're really concerned, then read warning page - http://www.virtualsalt.com/warning.htm

Valid viruses will come as an attachment in an email - usually a zip file. McAfee is constantly updating their data file, so if you've got up-to-date virus software - you have got virus software haven't you? - you're pretty safe.


P.S. By all means forward THIS blog to all your friends, so that less people get taken in by these hoax/chain emails.

Busy Being Busy

If you're working long hours, there's probably a chance you're working on 'busy stuff' rather than the 'productive stuff' or perhaps just taking on too much at once. I always get concerned when people say they're working 60-65 hours (or more) a week, whether they're running their own business or not. Particularly if the rest of their life is suffering as a result and it's not what they really want to be doing.

If you love what you do and your partner, family and friends are happy for you to spend the majority of your waking hours working, that's one thing. Working long hours for a short burst of time or for a specific longer-term goal, is sometimes necessary but if you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel and every week consists of long hours, your health and social life is suffering as a result, then perhaps it's time to start looking at how you can work smarter not harder.

I once had a client who loved his job - went in early every day (about 6.30) and often worked late and over weekends, he was the only person who the quote "Nobody on his deathbed ever said, I wish I had spent more time at the office" might not have applied.

However, even he realised that his health was suffering - he was overweight, as he had a terrible diet, never made time to exercise, he had a limited social life and not surprisingly no girlfriend. A few months later, he'd reduced his working hours quite considerably - still enjoyed his job, taken his first holiday in years, lost weight, had a girlfriend (and is now married) and had got a more balanced life as a result.

If you feel you've got too much on your plate, take a look at the important priorities in your life. What do you really need to focus your time and energy on and what can you let go? How can you work smarter and not harder?

Give me a call to find out.

Watch What You Say

I just came across this quote and thought it was appropriate, not just to the spoken word but here on the internet - particularly in the world of blogs and discussion groups where words - whether written in jest or not, can be open to a whole world of different interpretation when they land in someone else's inbox or on the computer screen.

"Know that a word suddenly shot from the tongue is like an arrow shot from the bow. Son, that arrow won't turn back on its way; you must damn the torrent at its source." - Rumi

I see it time and time again in the online world. Discussions getting heated because someone said something that someone else didn't agree with or took the wrong way.

Don't jump to conclusions, just because you've read something that presses your buttons, particularly if you don't know the sender or the personalities involved. Re-read the text but take a different viewpoint. How would you read and interpret this message if it was written by a friend?

Remember that tone, feelings and the more subtle aspects of humour are difficult to convey in the written word. The same sentence read with different intonation and emphasis can be interpreted completely differently.

That said - if you have the habit of putting your foot in it it's worth spending a few minutes to think before you speak. At least take time to read what you've said before you hit send or be prepared to deal with the effect should the arrow find a different 'target' from what was intended.

Improve Your Reading Speed

My latest newsletter is just out. This month's main article is how to improve your reading speed. Here's a snippet.

If you spend a lot of your time reading – emails, research, internet, business books, magazines, newspapers, novels etc. then you can certainly improve your reading efficiency by learning a few tips and techniques to speed things up. The average reading speed is around 200 words per minute (wpm) but speeds of nearer 1000 wpm are possible with a little practice.

- if you'd like a free copy of the September issue, let me know and I'll be happy to send it to you.

The Death Of The Body Shop

Dame Anita Roddick died earlier this evening from a brain haemorrhage at the age of only 64.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6988343.stm

She has been a real inspiration to many entrepreneurs who start up their kitchen table businesses. She built a multi-billion dollar, global company that set the ground rules in green, ethical business and laid the foundation for others to follow. I read her biography - Body and Soul a few years ago.

I remember shopping in the Body Shop in Chichester in the early days when she'd just got started. The products came in the same bottles with the same green labels that we're so familiar with the emphasis on natural. Even then the core focus of the business was on organic, natural products well before all the other companies jumped on the green and ethical bandwagon. She expanded her business with fairtrade and sourcing products from around the world but also not exploiting the communities from which these came.

Somehow the Body Shop was never quite the same when she handed over control to L'Oreal.

More Spam Than Monty Python

Well, it seems to be raining spam at the moment. Someone has obviously got hold of my online email addresses and I'm being inundated with the standard spam messages every day. Annoying but unfortunately a fact of life in these days of the internet and email addresses.

It's all basically 'selling' the same stuff although it's interesting to see the new approach that spammers take every few months. The latest seems to be validating your login id to some spurious site - Wine Lovers and Cat Lovers spring to mind. None of which I've subscribed too, although it's sometimes difficult to remember what I've signed up with.

I've also had a few recent emails supposedly from Paypal with the title 'Protect Your Identity' - just the usual phishing emails. While the more obvious 'medical' spam and emails from Banks you've never heard of is easy to recognise and ignore, some of the less obvious one's may be leading you to sites which will download malware which could enable your computer to be used to send out further spam.

Just make sure your virus and firewall software is up-to-date.

Passwords, passwords ...

If you're anything like me you will have dozens of passwords and userids for different directories, sites, accounts etc. How do you keep track of them all?

One simple way is to create a Word document or Notepad file and list all the sites, userids, passwords and associated email address.

Of course you DON'T list the full password! List it in coded form, so that only you actually know what the full password is.

Password protect the file itself for reading, editing and saving.

It's always good to use a variety of passwords for different types of sites, never use one password for everything. A mix of letters and numbers are best.

Don't use your year of birth, house number or other obvious dates/numbers. Also don't use easy to guess passwords - like names of children, pets, partner etc.

Make sure that you have a copy of your password document/file somewhere safe. When my hard drive crashed - my own password document was invaluable in getting back online to all the sites I use as all the cookies to sites I regularly use were also gone.

BHCC - Sustainability

Tonight's talk from the Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce was on sustainability. Actually nothing I hadn't heard, wasn't aware of or don't do already but at least it's raising awareness in the business world of not only becoming more environmentally aware but saving money into the bargain.

Involve your staff in the discussion - not only will they then be more likely to buy into what you're trying to achieve but they'll come up with their own ideas.

Easy saves for your business premises to reduce resources are:

• Reduce the temperature of the office by just one degree and save an average of 10% of your heating bills.
• Don't heat or light empty offices - save 50% on your bill.
• Get staff to 'switch-off' lights when not in use.

• Fix leaking pipes and taps - save hundreds of litres a year.
• Install water-saving devices in cisterns - save 3 litres every flush.
• Make sure taps are properly turned off.

• Flat pack boxes and other waste to reduce disposal/collection costs.
• Reduce waste bins required and frequency of collection.
• Don't print emails.
• Re-use scrap paper.
• Print double-sided.
• Use recycled paper products.
• Recycle waste - paper, glass, cans, card, organic waste.

For longer-term results or when changing or updating equipment - try some of the following.

• Replace lighting with compact fluorescent tubes or low wattage bulbs.
• Install flush controls on toilet cisterns.
• Replace taps with sensor or push spray taps.
• Install waterless urinals.
• Ask your suppliers for reusable packaging.
• Use Fairtrade products.
  
• Install proper insulation.
• Use energy efficient appliances.
• Implement home-working - less commuting.
• Encourage use of public transport.
• Install energy saving equipment for heating and lighting.
  

Even if you don't work in an office and work from home, many of these can still apply to your home office.

If you'd like to find out more and get some great tips, information and advice on Greening your Business join my eco-friendly Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Club on Ecademy.

Get your Sustainable Business Checklist from Sally Lever's Downshifting site.

BHCC - State of the Nation

The first of what's planned to be an annual event by the Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce. An opportunity for discussion and debate on business in Brighton & Hove, the economy and the challenges facing the city and a chance to ask questions and maybe even get answers.

The Speakers and Panel consisted of:

Tony Mernagh - Chief Exec, Business Forum. How the city sits economically compared to the rest of the South-East and the UK in terms of population, wages and housing.

Alan McCarthy - Chief Exec, Brighton & Hove City Council. The challenges facing the city in terms of employment, where to live and how to service the population.

Derek Maddison - Manager, Churchill Square. Plans for developing the main shopping area in Brighton, given the space available as well as the age of the site.

Julie Stanford - President, B&H Chamber of Commerce. What this means to the businesses in the city.

The Public Sector employs 27% of the workforce in Brighton, Tourism, not surprisingly 20%, Business and Finance 26% and the Creative Industry 15%. Only 4% of businesses are involved in Manufacturing. More surprising is that 85% of business have less than ten employees. Wages are however the lowest in the UK and South-East, possibly because of the high amount of tourism, seasonal workers and traditional low page jobs associated with hotels, restaurants and bars of which there are plenty. The population is likely to increase by 33,000 in the next couple of decades but jobs will not increase by the same amount.

Affordable housing is a big issue around the country and not just in Brighton where the controversial plans to build two tower blocks at either end of the city has had residents in uproar. There's a need for housing - there are more residents in the Brighton area than workers (many workers commuting to the nearby metropolis of London - or they just don't work). Of course being a pretty built-up area there's a limited amount of land available on which to build. This is the reason for some of the more controversial plans up for debate. You can get an awful lot more homes in the same space if you go upwards. Average house prices are over 40% more than the average for the rest of the UK and considering the low wage there's a need for affordable housing - also part of these plans.

A few facts and figures that create a better understanding of the challenges of living in a large, growing city which needs jobs, housing and an economy to support it.

What Would You Do If Your Computer Died?

Well, mine just did! It went 'ping' on Monday morning, before I'd even got started on planning out the week.

I'm guessing the hard drive just gave up, as I couldn't get the PC to restart and after several attempts trying different things, realised that this could be serious but hoped that it was recoverable.

I took it down to the local PC Repair shop - handily, just down the road and they said 'worst case' it would need a reformat but they'd save the data first, so I left them to it.

Several hours later after having heard nothing and hoping that I'd be getting it back at the end of the day, I called. They were just starting work on it and would leave the back-up running overnight.

Next morning and after three hours of effort - they'd given up. It was pretty terminal and the only solution was a new hard drive! :( So, a few more hours later, my laptop was returned with the operating system but not much else.

Fortunately, I have got a backup of the data - unfortunately it's only from mid May, so I've lost a few weeks work ... but better than nothing. I've also got the entire C: drive backed up from the beginning of the year - again not current but better than nothing. I'd set up a weekly data backup but it wasn't working and I hadn't managed to sort out why and of course you never think it's going to happen.

If you lost your computer - what would the impact be to you and your business? How would you function? What would you need to keep going?

• Make sure you backup your data regularly - not just the documents you use but also your mail files, calendar etc.
• Sync up with a PDA/Blackberry/Mobile Phone - for your calendar, contacts and email.
• Have an online mail system - at least you can temporarily access your email. Most local libraries offer free internet access.
  
• Keep a note of userids/pswds somewhere - in coded form obviously.
  

It's an ideal opportunity to declutter the hard disk and get rid of all those programmes you rarely use but I don't recommend it.

The older your computer is - the more likely it is to happen. Of course, we all know we should take regular back-ups but how many of us actually do?

Don't get caught out.

Better Business Focus - June 2007

My article on Limiting Beliefs has been published in the June edition of Better Business Focus.

You can get the latest version and sign-up for a free trial on the Bizezia website.

Read some of my other articles on Time Management on my website.

Website Stats And SEO

Having created my website over three years ago, I've been carefully watching the stats of how many people visit my site, where they come from and which pages are of most interest and of course I want people to go away having either registered for my newsletter or to have downloaded some of my resources. If someone contacts me for a coaching enquiry that's a bonus.

Today I hit a new high for unique visitors to my site. It's gradually been increasing over the last few months and has certainly doubled from the visits I was getting last year. I'm no SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) expert but I have a vast resource of tips and information available to me through my Ecademy network and I've picked up on a few ideas that I've applied to my site. Particularly around the area of keywords. SEO can be a bit of a black art with thousands of pounds being spent on getting company sites to No. 1 on Google with various guarantees for positioning. All it takes is one wrong move or a change to the algorithm and you're off the radar. It's not necessarily the number of visitors or the number of links to your site - it's about what happens when people get there. Are you converting those hits to business?

I'm happy to take advice but I'm not about to change the whole look and feel of my site just to please the search engines. It's generally agreed that a user friendly, readable website geared for the human visitor not the robots and spiders is more likely to achieve it's aim, at least for the genuine visitor. I'll keep tweaking and changing, adding and modifying to see what effect it has and keep those stats rising.

As the Tipping Point mentions, it only takes a small, simple change to result in a big difference.

You can do this in many areas of your business, especially the marketing. If the message doesn't get across the first time, try something else. Do some research within your target group. Make sure you can measure your effort in some way so you can see what works and what doesn't.


Join my business network on Ecademy. Get a free 30 day Networker Pass try it for yourself – just click here.<

Breakfast With A Difference

I've got out of the habit of going to breakfast networking meetings. Like many others, I find the regimented structure of BNI meetings and their pressure on referrals too much and not in line with the way I work.

I happily give referrals to and from my network but I do it in a much more natural way. If people want an accountant or book-keeper then I can happily recommend two or three to them. That way they can chose one that suits them.

However, the Brighton Chamber of Commerce has recently started holding regular breakfast meetings and I'd heard good things about them from the last chamber meeting I went to, so I thought it was about time I made a visit. They take place at Carluccio's one of the many new eaters that have opened up around the new Library in the town centre (sorry city centre). It's certainly a step up from the usual cooked breakfast that gets presented along with a tepid cup of coffee at the usual hotel venues. Freshly squeezed orange juice and a selection of danish and croissants to start us off, while people stand around and catch up with old contacts and meet new members.

The coffee was thick enough to stand your spoon up in and strong enough to strip paint and ensure I'd be awake for the rest of the day. Good, proper, Italian coffee. After we'd all got settled at tables there was then a steady stream of breakfast plates that came out and more coffee (or tea) if you wanted it. Decently cooked, scrambled egg or a slice of toasted bread, mushrooms - not the usual wet soggy mass and tomato. Slow to appear but worth the wait. The only downside was that the venue was so noisy you actually had difficult holding a conversation with the person sat next to you. There was a short presentation from one of the Chamber members and now that O2 are sponsoring the events, one lucky member went away with a new mobile phone. She did have the largest business card of all of us, so that could be a good trick for next time.

Definitely worth a visit and at least you don't have to get up every week if you want to attend.

At Last!

... back in the land of the living, or at least back online. I've been without an Internet connection since Tuesday morning when I was switched over to my new ISP, no warning and no indication of the new connection info I'd need as and when it did get connected.

I resorted to the local library on Tuesday afternoon just to check email (useful free service) and managed to check emails yesterday at the Money Marketing Live Event up in London. Finally this morning, after a lengthy call with my new ISPs Support Line (why do they always charge extortionate amounts for this), I was able to establish some sort of connection through a modem. Still can't get my wireless router working.

So, I'm back. I've missed whiling away the hours browsing through blogs but it has at least meant that I've been less distracted by email and the internet and been able to get on with other things! Unfortunately, all those website and blog updates I was going to do this week will now need to be done over the weekend.

Fortunately, my business isn't too email critical although I do like to respond to emails the same day and I've not been able to do that. I certainly haven't missed all the spam though.

So, if you want to get more done - get rid of your internet connection (at least temporarily).

Money Marketing Live 2007 - Olympia

More fun that I thought possible.

Not only did I get a chance to meet up and chat to a few people from my Ecademy network but I got an even better understanding of what IFAs have to face with recent changes and review of their industry. The challenges of running a successful business while dealing with compliance, certification and clients.

I sat in on the IFA Business Model Panel Debate and David Scarlett's presentation. Both really useful in understanding the challenges to IFAs and their business. It was also useful to talk to some of the many providers exhibiting at the event and understand what they have to offer to IFAs, and more importantly ... what they don't offer in terms of business support and personal development

A very worthwhile day out.

Join my business network on Ecademy. Get a free 30 day Networker Pass try it for yourself – just click here.

Better Business Focus - April 2007

My article on Handling Paperwork is being used in the April edition of Better Business Focus.

If you're interested in an internet-based monthly magazine that is personalised to your firm, underlining your credentials as a specialist business adviser. It will strengthen your clients’ confidence in your firm and demonstrate that you are a progressive and innovative organisation, willing to go that extra mile…

You can get the latest version and sign-up for a free trial on the Bizezia website.

Read some of my past articles on Time Management.

What Are Your Top Time Wasters?

Often things that end up wasting our time are because we're being reactive rather than proactive with our time.

We have a tendency to react to every phone call, email or interruption that comes along as it arrives, which results in a fragmented day.

Better to be proactive and decide how you want to spend your time rather than have others decide for you.

It's also about setting boundaries and expectations - both with yourself and with your clients. Are your clients really expecting an instantaneous response to an email or is that the expectation you've set for yourself. Emails are rarely that important and given the unreliablility of email systems or over-zealousness of spam filters it can take a few hours for an email to get through to it's destination. Yes, 90% of them arrive almost instantaneously but there's always those that don't. Set yourself a realistic timeframe in which to respond - whether to phone calls or emails.

Set a boundary around your time. If you're busy or need some uninterrupted time - allow calls to go through to voicemail and respond as soon as you can. If you frequently get interrupted by colleagues - learn to say 'no'. That classic question "Have you got a minute" - which a) has already distracted you and b) never really is a minute.

If you work in an office - close the door and tell staff and colleagues that if the door's closed you're not to be disturbed. You can even stick a "please do not disturb" sign on the door just to get the message across. If you work in an open plan office you can still try something similar - I used to put a sign up at my desk - the equivalent of the do not disturb sign.

Book a meeting room if you need some quiet time or work from home - you can get a lot more done. If you work from your own home office and still get bothered by interruptions - go elsewhere. Take a pile of paperwork, research material or your laptop to somewhere where you can't be tracked down or interrupted - hotels often have an area where you sit undisturbed for a few hours with a coffee.

Organise you day so that you can deal with emails, phone calls and meetings in chunks of time. Plan your own time into your diary in the same way you plan meetings.

If email or the internet is a big time waster for you - take a look at my articles on these two particular topics or send me an email and I can send them to you.

March Newsletter

Out now.

In this week's main topic - find out how to communicate more effectively by email. You might think you know what you’ve said, but have you?

Plus:

• What Is Coaching?
• Recommended Reading
• Fun Website Clip
• This Month’s Quote

Get free weekly Time Tips - just register HERE.

What Is Coaching?

Find out more about Coaching and what it could do for you.

• A special free 4-page report showing you:
• What it is
• The role of a life coach
• How it works
• What to expect

Just click HERE to automatically request your free report.

Get It Backed Up

My laptop has been playing up for a while. It's four years old so could be considered technologically obsolete - although in reality it's still pretty high spec. Like most people who probably assume or hope it will never happen to them, I back up my data occasionally but I did think - what if the worst happened and I lost everything? One of my readers contacted me after my last newsletter with some advice and suggestions.

Hard disk drives aren't that expensive these days as with most technology, they get bigger and bigger and cheaper and cheaper. Should the worst happen, I now have my data backed up on a regular basis and at the press of a button. Working in the world of technology for many years it all very familiar - full backups, incremental, differential. Most devices are plug and play, so you don't need a science degree to set it up. Plug it in, follow the instructions and it will install itself. It's also possible to sign-up for online backups for a monthly fee.

Think of the impact if you were unable to access any of your data or were without your computer for any length of time. Your client details, documentation, contact information etc. How would your business continue to function? What would you need to keep going?

Western Digital - 250GB External Hard Drive

It's Not Me ..!

Judging by the number of 'Mail Delivery' emails I've been receiving over the last few days, it looks as if someone is using my site addressed to send out spam. I’ve got used to the usual spam messages coming through on a regular basis and most of these get filtered out by various spam filters but this time my web address has been 'spoofed'.

It seems to be an inevitable part of having a presence on the web that at some point your web address will either be on the receiving end of endless spam or become the apparent deliverer of spam. I can only hope that they’ll move on but I've been getting a steady stream over the last few days. If anyone bothers to look at the header they'll see it hasn't really come from me but I would imagine it's just another annoying piece of spam ending in their inbox. I'm just hoping that most people these days have spam filters set up, so the majority won’t have got through but to anyone else ... I can only apologise.

What Are Your Goals for 2007?

So how has this year been going for you?

There are only six more weeks until the end of the year (where has it gone?). Now is a good time to take a step back and look at what you’ve achieved this year and think about what you’d like to achieve next year.

I’ll have more for you on this later but to get you thinking – why not get a head start by creating your own Goals Report, which you can pick up from my website or by clicking this link.

Free Goals Report

You'll get a customised report for your top three goals. Your current Wheel of Life and top tips to help you achieve your goal. You'll also have an opportunity for some free email feedback on your goals.

Don't delay - set your goals for 2007 now.

The Speed Of Email

These days most people rely on email to carry out their business and communicate more readily but you shouldn't assume that emails will arrive in the other person's Inbox seconds or minutes after they've been sent.

Sometimes there can be a good hour or two delay and the person may not be around to respond at the speed or in the time that you'd like. It depends on the ISP, route taken, time of day, email settings, temperature of the ether, climatic conditions :) ... etc. Servers crash, connections go down - while the majority of emails will get through safely, emails can go astray and never reach their destination. They may get filtered out by over enthusiastic spam filters, blocked by an ISP, mislaid or just lost in the volume of emails that people receive (on average 100 a day).

You can use the 'request read receipt' option when you send an email but again that doesn't always guarantee delivery - some people have this switched off or if it's set to autorespond - they may have received it in their Inbox but that doesn't necessarily mean that they've read it.

If it's really urgent, pick up the phone. Don't rely solely on email to deliver your message.

EHZ Business Meeting

A lovely sunny day and such is the stress and strain of working from home that I'd arranged to meet up with my business partner for our weekly discussion ... on the seafront at Ovingdean. Here we are busy at work!

Combined with some exercise as we'd both cycled from different directions to meet half-way.

Ahhh - it's a hard life! :)

EHZ - Making Work A Great Place To Be

Grey suits and faces.

I was at a network meeting the other week - my third breakfast meeting of the week. Looking around the assorted people gathered around the room I was surprised and slightly perturbed by the 'greyness' of some of them. Not just pale but actually looking grey and incredibly unhealthy. As if "Night of the Living Dead" had become transposed to the grey, wet breakfast meeting. Now that the weather has warmed up there's a blinding array of lily-white legs and arms peeking out from shorts and t-shirts.

Spending too much time cooped up in their offices working away in air-conditioned environments or just not getting out into the fresh air. It doesn't take much sunshine to feel the benefit and I'm the last person to encourage baking under a hot midday sun. I'll start turning nicely pink in just a few minutes. People spend too much time at work as it is and are then too tired to do anything at the end of the day except collapse exhausted in front of the TV. No wonder obesity and stress related illnesses are rising.

You might be tied to your desk during the day but you can still take time out at lunchtime or even at the end of the day to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine. I'm lucky enough to work from home so I can be pretty flexible around my working times and will happily take a break in the garden or go out for a walk or run in the sunshine.

Taking a break is good for you and getting away from your desk - even if it's just for half an hour is even better. With the weather finally warming up and a hot summer on the way, even if you do work in an office - make a point of getting out to enjoy some sunshine. Take a walk round the block, down to the shops, out to a nearby park or green area. Get out at the end of the day to get some exercise or just sit out on a summer evening.

Increase the amount of time you spend outside in fresh air and natural daylight and you'll feel better for it and look a lot less grey now summer has arrived.

Don't Just Sit There

I took part in my first business Exhibition today, not as an attendee but actually exhibiting. It was disappointingly slow and not a lot of people coming through but it was my first experience of this type of event, so it was useful from that viewpoint. I also met up with a few familiar faces and had time to talk to other exhibitors.

I was watching some of them and wondering how their experience might differ from mine. In the same way that you can't just sit in your office waiting for the phone to ring, you can't just sit at a stand and not interact with the people walking past. Some people appeared to be doing their best to totally ignore anyone that showed an interest in what they had to offer. Given the lack of visitors you would have thought they would have been eager to engage them in conversation.

I'd booked up several months ago. I'd spent all week preparing. I'd taken the trouble to get out of bed early, set up my tables, laid out all my information and 'free stuff', so what purpose is there in sitting behind the stand, doing your best to ignore the people walking past, not engaging people in even the merest snippet of conversation. Even just a smile and making eye contact can make a difference and draw someone to take a closer look.

I noticed one person on the stand opposite just make a polite comment to two people walking past their stand which made them pause, take another look and then have a brief conversation before walking away with some literature. Other people had a variety of different strategies - offering a freebie or discount, literature to pick up, a free quiz, goodies to take away. All ideas for the next event but what is clear and what won't work ... is just sitting there.

The real work starts now - following up with the new contacts, adding them to my newsletter and keeping in touch at regular intervals. Don't make the mistake of going to an event and then not bother to get in touch or follow-up with people afterwards. It doesn't take a lot, just a quick email - something is definitely better than nothing ... and don't leave it too long.

So, even though it was a long, slow day - I got at least 30 new contacts, most of those were interested in my newsletter and I've got some good follow-up from the workshop I ran too.

I think the bowl of sweets helped! :)

Networking - End to End

I started today up with the birds. Well, probably even earlier as I didn't sleep well and ended up reading for an hour or so, some time around 2am, trying to persuade my brain to settle back into sleep. Early morning breakfast meeting and returning home as most people were still on their way into work to start their working day.

Later in the day, just as people are returning home at the end of their day, I'm off into town again for another network meeting.

Such is the variety of your working hours when you work for yourself. You may not work a regular 9-5, but there's the opportunity to go for a walk, read the paper and do the sudoku over an extended lunch break, to make up for the fact that the start and end to my day was far longer than when I was working for someone else.

Now to enjoy what's left of the evening!

Write It Down

Something I often suggest to my clients is to keep a journal and write in it every morning. Or if they're dealing with a particularly difficult problem to write it down. Get everything out on paper. The issue, your feelings, whatever is coming up for you at the time. Get it out of your head and write it down.

It can take some of the emotional sting out of it by seeing it in writing or finding the words to express what you feel.

It can help get it into perspective. Sometimes just writing it down can help you feel that maybe it's not that bad.

If you're dealing with a problem, getting it all out of your head can then leave space for the subconscious to get to work and come up with a solution.

If you are having a communication problem with someone - work, family or partner. Write down what you feel. What is it that you would like to say to them?

Give it a try. Get a notebook or journal and each morning or in a quiet time, just start to write. Don't worry about spelling, neatness, grammar - just write as it comes.

There is a book by Julia Cameron called The Artists Way and in it she describes something called the Morning Pages. You write these every morning, as soon as you get up - before you do anything else. Write three pages of whatever comes to mind. It literally is a brain dump or a 'stream of consciousness'. Anything goes and it doesn't matter what you're writing as no-one is going to read it and you don't read it once it's done - at least not for a while. The interesting stuff comes afterwards once you've unblocked your creativity.

Working From Home

If you work from home, do you find it isolating? Did you escape from the corporate world and start out on your own because you wanted a better lifestyle and the freedom and flexibility of working on your own? Are you now finding that you miss the office banter and a chat over coffee or at the water cooler?

More and more of us are working from home - which is great in one respect but it isn't all it's cracked up to be. Here are a few ways to avoid 'cabin fever' as part of your work routine.

• Join an online networking group - this is great but it doesn't always take the place of face-to-face human contact.
• Attend local networking events - these are a good way to meet people and even develop a support system around your business.
• Start up your own network group and meet for a social coffee, lunch or evening drink.
• Use Skype and Messenger 'chat' functions to interact with others but use it in the same way you would take a break from work - don't get sucked in for hours!

And, of course, don't forget to go out and have fun with your partner, friends and family at the end of a working day or at the end of the week.

Wouldn't it be great to have an environment where we can work on our businesses but get the benefits of a community, without the office politics. Here in the UK we have business centres, incubators for science/technology groups, where different businesses share an office and facilities but these can be an expensive solution. Something smaller and more low key would be ideal.

What ideas would you like to see for the work from home business?

The Power of Networking

Networking is a misunderstood craft that is essential to anyone working on their own in business. There are hundreds ... thousands of business networking groups that meet at all times of the day and night - from early morning breakfast groups to evening business presentations, from coffee mornings to lunch time gatherings.

If your idea of networking is a bunch of suits standing round discussing the finer details of their business or people rapidly moving round a room exchanging business cards telling you what they do and how would you like to pay, then yes, this can be what happens but it's not effective networking.

Networking is about building business relationships. Getting to know someone and their business so if the opportunity arises you know when you might use their services and how to refer them to other people. Ethical networking works on the basis of giving without necessarily expecting to receive in return. In fact, these days I rarely turn up at a 'network' meeting with the expectation of doing business but hoping to connect with some new people.

I've just done a double stint of networking, starting with an early morning breakfast meeting and ending with a social, informal networking group. Both very different but both small and friendly and definitely more along the lines of ethical networking. In fact the reason they both worked was people there understood what networking was about and were happy to just enjoy the conversation which, actually rarely came round to business.

A few tips to improve your networking:

• You don't have to go a meeting with the intention of meeting everyone there but do at least aim to speak to half a dozen people - depending on time and numbers.
• If you get a list of attendees before the meeting, plan who you'd like to talk to.
• Practice what you want to say about who you are and what you do so it sounds natural.
• Don't just spend time talking to the people you already know. Ask them to introduce you to someone else in the room.
• Take business cards with you so if you do want to exchange details you can - ask for theirs first before handing over yours.
• Listen more than you talk ... two ears, one mouth!
• Be professional - dress and act the part. Match the impression you want to give and in a way that reflects your business.
• Have a few standard open-ended questions that you can use to start conversations if you get stuck.
• Network regularly - not just when you're looking for new business. Relationships take time to build. You many not see the results for many months or even years.
• Don't just focus on the business, find out more about them on a social level.
• If you say you'll follow up then do so and do it the same day or the following day at the latest!

If you're going to go to the expense, effort and spend your time at a meeting, then at least do more than consign the business cards and contacts you do collect, to the back of a drawer, never to see the light of day. Start building the relationship when you get back to your office.