Time Flies!

Happy Friday!    That was a short week...or was it?  Is it just me, or does Labor Day always feels like Sunday again?   Funny thing about time.  We distort our sense of it depending on what we are doing and how we feel about it.   Let's examine how 60 minutes "feels";   On the treadmill...with no music.   On the beach...and no kids.   In traffic...late for an important meeting.   Taking a nap...after 60 minutes on the treadmill.   There are some things we do where time flies...and others, not so much.  Joy makes time transitory, brief, fleeting.  Dread makes time feel like our enemy.    That list that you are facing is likely filled with more dread than joy.  More drudgery than ecstasy. How do I know?  You never have to schedule and fight to finish something you love to do.   I make myself finish all my business chores before I can go play golf.  I wrestle with procrastination, scheduling conflicts and spontaneous distractions just like everyone else.  Funny thing, when it is time for golf the only thing that can stop me is a thunderstorm.  Not rain, not a backup on the first tee and not my mediocre golf game...nothing.   But anything can stop me from reading my 400 page continuing education manual and testing for my licensing renewals.  Just the other day, on page 12 of that manual, I came up with my   Top 10 Things That Keep Me From Doing Important Work I Hate:   Emails...something more important might come up! Phone calls...heaven forbid someone has to leave me a message! Text...that doesn't count as a conversation...we're just texting! My wife...it would be insensitive for me not to ask about her workout, plus she really looks great when she comes home from the gym!  MSN homepage...they really make me want to know what Kim and Kanye are doing!  What's a click or two? Getting the mail...going to the box is great exercise, plus I have a fetish for reading junk mail and coupons.  Mondays are the best! The Cobert Report...not a huge fan, but when Natalie laughs outloud, I have to know what was funny!  A segment is 10 minutes...tops! Instagram... I follow my kids and sometimes hit the "explore" button.  The world is full of really interesting people who are willing to put ALL their pictures up! PGA.com...they send me alerts when there is a tournament with updates and scores.  Rory is playing better since his break-up with Wozniacki and the Fed Ex cup race is tightening up right before the Tour Championship...which is held in Atlanta.  I have my tickets ready! The Sun...rainy days and Monday always get me down, but when the sun is out...nature calls.  More like the golf clubs call, email...and text.  It would be rude not to answer! On the surface, this list seems trivial and frivolous - except #4, of course.  But these are the types of things that keep me (and you!) from doing important work.  All the prioritizing, scheduling and blocking out of time means nothing if you don't sit down and do it.   Buckle down...and do it!   Suck it up...and do it!   You get the point.    I remind myself that since I am not on the PGA tour that golf is a privilege.  A hobby made possible by me doing my real work.  I am the Rory Mcllroy of sales (you expected me to say Tiger Woods...didn't you?) so whatever it takes to stay #1 I have to be willing to do.   The fun things I love and the arduous things I hate.  If I do them or don't do them, time will wait for no one, because...   Time Flies!   Until Monday, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

It Ain't Sexy...!

It Ain't Sexy...!

What do the following people have in common?   Rachel Welch, Pam Grier, Lynda Carter (yes... Wonder Woman), Jane Kennedy...hey, I am an 80's guy!... Mila Kunis, Sophia Vergara and Eva Mendes?   Ok, for the ladies...Ryan Gosling, Shemar Moore (for Natalie), Chris Hemsworth, Mark Walhberg, and Enrique Iglesias?  Ok. most of these were for Natalie!   In a word...sexy!   What do the following things have in common?   Time management, scheduling, prioritization, and delegation. The are all things you have to do to get things done in your business.   Would you call them sexy?   "No?"...Not so fast!   There is a line in the movie The Firm where Tom Cruise's character is talking to Ed Harris with the FBI about bringing down the mob. Tom tells Ed that he has them dead to rights...not on murder racketeering or money laundering, but on invoice overbilling and tax fraud.  Ed's character says sarcastically, "Oh, that's exciting".  Tom's response,   "It ain't sexy, but its got teeth!"   The list you made yesterday is not sexy but when you finish all that you are facing, it will take a big bite out of that elephant we keep referring to!   Effective time management and getting things done...not sexy, but it has teeth!   Back to your list...   You have schedule them.  The day by day chart is just to give you a visual...a plan to drive your tactical approach.  Use your "high" energy days to get the high value and deadline items completed. Use days like Friday to get the fast and easy things done to end the week strong and Saturday to put a few hours in between chores and family events.   "The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." Stephen Covey

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Items that have the most value Items that have timelines Items that have deadlines Items that are hardest on your list Things that are easiest on your list Open items

Next, we have to review the finite possibilities of your daily schedule.  For example, if you are using Monday to complete items with the most value, then you have to look at an hour by hour schedule.  Work your blocks of time around what you have to do to keep revenue flowing with your normal activities, but work in the required tasks in the 'Task Block".    "A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time." Annie Dillard

9:00am 10:00am 11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm Work Block Work Block Task Block Task Block Work Block Work Block Work Block Work Block Task Block Task Block Task Black Task Block

This is a simple process to whittle down your big "to do" list...to done.  There is nothing like the satisfaction of having something that once loomed over your head, marked as complete.    To start something is to flirt with success...to schedule it is to court success...finishing... It Ain't Sexy...But It's Got Teeth!   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Check Marks the Spot!

The last several weeks, I have been conducting seminars and webinars preparing agents for the Annual Election Period where millions of seniors will make healthcare decisions.   The season lasts only 7 weeks and it takes about that long for an agent to get ready for it...certifications, tests, mandatory face to face sessions...the list feels endless.   I have had several hundred agents attend my last sessions and the #1 question for many of them, especially those that are new to the fray,   "Brandon, will all of this be worth it?'   I understand and sympathize with the question... why endure all of this for just 7 weeks of frenetic activity...dare I say chaos?  Easy...the financial opportunity is great.   That is the elephant in the room.  No one wants to turn their back on chaos when there is opportunity "hidden" in its midst.  The #2 question is,   "Ok, how am I suppose to do all of this and make a living at the same time?"   How do you eat an elephant (you had to know that was coming)?  Conventional wisdom says one bite at a time.  I want to revise that...take each bite strategically.    When you have competing priorities or a long list of things to do you, have to make a series of choices.  They should not be random choices, or based on doing things you like to do first or putting off the things that you hate to do.  Let me give you some food for thought (the eating theme continues!);   Make a complete list of all the things you have to do.  Look at that list and ask yourself the following questions;   Which things have the most value once completed? In sales, things that make money should get to the top of the list by default. Revenue generating activities are always a high priority.  Things that put you in the position to make money are equally as important.  Getting a certification that allows you to earn another $50,000 a year is high value.    What are the hardest things to do on your list (time and effort)? Do not use the difficulty factor as an excuse not to do the arduous tasks.  It should be used to prioritize them or give them dedicated blocks of time to complete. There are some things that allow for multitasking...not these things...these items require focus to complete.   What are the easiest things to do on your list (time and effort)? Can you finish 2-3 things on your list in a hour and "knock them out"?  These items are a chance to win "quick" victories of progress. You can juggle these easy activities and multitask to get more done.    What items have timelines?  There are some items on your list that "crack the whip" and keep you on time with specific actions required.  Webinars with dates, online training, etc.  They can't be done on your timetable but must be scheduled...or missed.   What items have deadlines? These are the "hard stops" that drive most of us.  We procrastinate until the last minute looms.  Most deadlines in business have windows of 30 or 60 days.  Manageable, if you begin early and work progressively.   If you wait until the end and scramble to get things done, this will only exacerbate the chaos.   Look at that list again.  It may still look daunting but you have at least "triaged" it to provide a hierarchal view that allows you do to "first things first"...you are building the foundation of an accomplishment strategy.  Tomorrow we will review how to attack this segmented list and work it down until...    Check Marks the Spot!   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Organized Chaos!

It was the 70's.  I was in middle school, and at lunchtime a crowd of kids gathered round as one of the nerdy kids (I have some nerve!), Steve, pulled a block out of his pocket.   It was full of mixed up colors and had the ability to twist and turn as you contorted your hands to control it.   He began moving the colors swiftly, left to right then right to left.  He stuck his tongue out for dramatic effect.  In about a minute, he made a couple of feverish twists and turns and then dropped the block of plastic on the table...   All the colors were lined up.   He passed the block around and people quickly got frustrated as they could easily get one row of colors lined up, but the moment they moved it...they lost what was gained.  People were cussing (I said it was middle school!) and passing it on to the next person to prove they weren't dumb.    Even the teachers tried to do it...no success.   The next week, more people came to school with the little block puzzle.  At the end of the month, almost every student had one...the school had to ban them during class!   By months end, there were still only a handful of people that could complete the puzzle... yes, I was one of them.  The elite group of us began competing for speed, while others were just trying to figure it out.    We even sold the "secrets" for $.50...yes, a lot of people bought them!   Rubik's Cube.    Over 500 million of these things are floating around.  A phenomenon?  An obsession?  A Cube of Chaos?  A metaphor for life?   My friend Steve had given me the secrets that first day.  He even let me take the cube home. It was frustrating and exasperating, even with the secrets.  It felt like an impossible puzzle to solve.  I can still hear him now.  Some of what he told me might help you with the Rubik's Cube of life...the "chaos" you are facing;   You have to see the big picture.  Steve said the goal is not to get one row or one side, but to solve the entire cube.  When people are first handed the puzzle, they rush to get a row or one color complete.  People love the idea of progress, but if the first steps aren't leading them to the desired outcome...they are missteps.   You have to make moves with the end in mind.  Your strategy and tactics have to be designed knowing that chaos is the order of the day and that unexpected things happen.  Sure, you may have a row of things lined up, but it's the "random" color in the corner that you have to get in the right place.    You can't be afraid of how you look while you are doing it.  In the midst of chaos, you can't worry about looking cool, calm and collected.  It is when you are unsure of yourself and the steps you are taking that you might look awkard for a while...until it all comes together!   You can't be afraid to make mistakes.  In the twist and turns of life, we will not always get things right.  Steve said, "If the color you need is not in the right place, you will have to "undo" the damage and go back to the last place where everything was right...and keep going".  It's not over...you can still do it.   You have to get help when you need it.  There are times when you need a template, a guide...the "secrets" to getting through the chaos.  Seek the advice of people who seem to be "calm and collected" and have been through what you are dealing with.  Books, webinars, seminars and 1:1 coaching is the fastest way to make it through.   The next few days I am going to focus on helping you get organized.  Many of the sales people I work with are gearing up for the Annual Election Period, where over 50 million people will be making decisions.  It lasts for about 7 weeks and is frenetic to say the least.   The key to keeping your sanity and making some money is turning that Rubik's Cube of a mess into...   Organized Chaos!   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!