Improve My Business

When looking at how to make your business (or your life) better, look at whether you’re really doing your best, trying your hardest, or… whether you’re “phoning it in” - saying you’re trying when you’re not (not really, anyway) or doing things that sabotage your efforts because ‘it’s too much bother’ to do it right or ‘too difficult/no benefit’ to doing it better.

I’ve noticed this in my business lately.  I’m working to ensure that my business continues to grow in the coming year, and was surprised to see that I’ve been slacking off in some areas - doing the very things I preach to others not to do:

• I’ve disappeared down a few rabbit holes courtesy of Twitter or Facebook - I click on one interesting link, then another, and presto change-o!  I’ve lost 45 mins of my day.
• I make excuses for people - before I’ve even called them.  “They’re probably too busy.”  “It’s too late/too early/lunchtime and they probably won’t be there”.  Etc., etc., etc.  Shame on me.
• I spend time culling e-mails - too much time.  I want to get my inbox below 200, so I’ll read things that really could wait, just to hit an arbitrary number so I can ‘reach my goal’.  What goal?  It’s not real… and cost me some time that should have been spent (on calling up contacts?)

This goes to personal time as well.  I was in a mastermind group where we were just meeting each other, and had to list two business and one personal goal - I  kidded that “Business goal #2 is to reach level 68 in FarmVille…” - how much time do you spend on Facebook, or watching TV, or doing other ‘mindless’ stuff?  Once you get past the initial 30-60 mins of relaxing/zoning, how much more time do you really need to spend on it?

I’ve been seeing a lot of posts about picking some words as guideposts for the year - if you’re not familiar with the concept, here are some creative posts from Michael Bungay Stanier who chose 11, and Chris Brogan who’s got 3, (and the single word chosen by 300 words a day, as 3 were too many to focus on for them) to give you an idea of the words and why they were selected…

All of which got me thinking - what would my words be?  What guideposts would I benefit from focusing on for 2011?  What would  help me be a better business person, as well as a better human?  And it came down to the old list that we were taught as kids — God, family, others.  If I truly work on being a better person, on making better decisions based on this triage, wouldn’t that make me a better business person also?  Someone you’d delight in working with?  Someone who you know would treat you ethically, and with respect?

Sometimes I think we overthink things.

Sometimes “out with the old, in with the new” has no value.

Here are two timely articles from Inc. magazine:

One on what to do if you lose your computer; and a more generic page on computer security - both with the time to read…