Time Management and Productivity Blog: April 2012

Networking Tips #28 It's Not Who You Are ...

I am an accountant...

... it's what you do and who you do it for.

If you're lost for words when it comes to introducing yourself to people or standing up and delivering your 60 seconds, try this as part of your introduction, your one minute, your elevator pitch at network meetings or when asked "What do you do?"

Rather than say "I'm an Accountant" (people will have instantly associate you with their impression of an accountant) - say:
"I help people increase their bottom line by ..." or
"I enable people to keep more of their money ... "

Think about what you do and craft it into one carefully worded sentence. You'll need to put some thought into this and practice it. It's not something that tends to trip easily off the tongue. What is the benefit that you bring to your clients? What problem is it that you solve? Try it out in a few different ways until you come up with something you feel comfortable with.

If you've captured the person's interest enough to find out more, the response you want is "How do you do that?"

Follow this up with "I work with people who ... " or "I'm looking for people who ..." - here you can get more specific about your ideal client.

(Photo credit: david anderson : da-photography)

Who, What, Where, When, Why and How

I keep six honest serving-men
They taught me all I knew;
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

(From The Elephants Child by Rudyard Kipling)

As well as being the Five W's (and one H) of journalism these are also useful questions to consider when delegating tasks.

What is the task being delegated?
Why is this task important?
When does this need to be done by?
How will it be done?
Where will it be done?
Who is going to do this task?

Miss out clarifying one of these questions and it's likely something will be misunderstood or it will result in a different and unwanted outcome.

Philippe Packu - Five Ws and One H - Template #1 (Photo credit: IPhilVeryGood)

Webcast: Strategies For Success Proven Tips To Tame Your Email Inbox

You can't avoid the fact that more and more communication is done by email. Hundreds of emails land in our inboxes every day. If you don't deal with it effectively, productivity drops and you'll be wasting your precious time and effort.

Listen to this Thought Leadership Live webinar and find out how to take control of your email.

View here or click this link to view on BrightTalk:
http://www.brighttalk.com/r/c9D

Related posts:

Find Time To Study

When I was working full time and studying for my Open University degree course, I needed to find the time to study in between working during the day.

Whether you're working full or part time and you studying for either work related or personal reasons - here are a few ideas to help you find time to study.

Commit to your study time - you have a goal, this is a short-term commitment which will result in achieving the qualifications you need to take you further. Understand your motivation and reasons for doing this - to improve your career, to get a job, to change jobs ...

Set out a timetable when you can slot periods of study into your normal day.
30 minutes at the beginning of the day
30 minutes in a lunch break
1-2 hours in the evening
1/2 a day or a few hours at the weekends

The evening is usually when I was able to do most of my study. After all - most of us collapse in front of the TV in the evening and although you may have had a busy day at work you can manage a couple of hours.

You may also choose to take a half day every week or even a full day once or twice a month when you can dedicate your time to studying.

Plan your study time across the weeks and months before any exam - avoid cramming it in to the last minute just because you've been too busy. Little and often.

Study in short bursts of activity along the following lines.

Plan what you're going to study
Preview the work for this session
Work/Study for 20-30 minutes
Take a 5 minute stretch/refresh break
Repeat the work/break sequence for 1-2 hours
Review what you've been studying in the last hour

Get into the right mindset for studying. You won't be able to concentrate if your mind is on other things. Get these out of the way first or worry about them later, so you can focus on your studying.

Use mind-maps to take notes during your study. This way you have a colourful image of the study material - on one or two sheets for each module that are easier to read and review than pages of notes.

Use key cards - write down the key points on postcards. You can use these to test yourself in those quiet moments during the day, on your daily commute, waiting for a meeting.

Review what you've learnt regularly. The more you review, the more you retain as it moves into long term memory. At the end of each day review all you've worked on during the day. At the end of the week review all you've worked on during the week.

Find somewhere that's conducive to study - your office, the kitchen table, a cafe, library - wherever gives you undisturbed time with minimal distractions.

Avoid being a stressed out study bunny. Make time for rest and relaxation - a social life, exercise and fun also needs to part of the plan!

Detail of a desk after studying. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Escape From The Home Office

When your home is your office, sometimes you can go just a little stir crazy - especially if the only conversation you have is with your children and if they're under 5 that's probably fairly limited.

Here are a few ways for you to escape and get a breath of fresh air.

Work away from home every now and then. This can often give you a different perspective and new ideas.

Simply relocate to your nearest cafe for an hour or two or half a day if you can manage it. Hotels often have quiet lounge areas with or without wifi (rarely free). My favourite office away from home is a local hotel with decent coffee, handy power outlets and a great view.

Find a hot-desking area. Several companies offer hot-desking to home workers. Either on a permanent or temporary basis. These are either co-working areas, business units aimed at startups and sole traders or even companies with spare meeting room space.

OK - so that's all very well but what about the children? If they're under school age you can't take them with you or if you do they're likely to run amok, so:

Find a friend with whom you can share childcare. There are so many businesses being run by mums that you're bound to know someone who is in a similar situation to you. Swap childcare every now and then, so you both get a chance to either work away from home or to have some child free time.

Alternatively ask a friend or relative (many people are lucky to have obliging grandparents close by who are only too happy to spend time with the grandchildren.

Book the baby-sitter - they're not just there for those evenings out, some are available and happy to help during the day too.

Look at regular childcare - while they may not be in full-time childcare or you can't afford or don't want to use childcare full time, perhaps one day a week or two half days would give you the break you need.

Find a creche - several gyms now have creches onsite so you can leave your little ones there while you exercise but why not spend some of that time either working or having a bit of me time.

April Newsletter: Get Rid Of Your Clutter

This time of year is a great time to have a clearout and I've started on mine.

Whether you want to make better use of the space you have, enjoy a fresh new look or get more organised.

Ready ...

- decide on what you want to achieve. Perhaps just clearing space, feeling less overwhelmed or even selling a few unwanted items for some extra cash.

- Set a timeframe in which to get this done. It might take a few weeks, or even a few months but little and often will get you there ... "

Read the full article: 'Get Rid Of Your Clutter' in April's newsletter - here.

Register for the free monthly newsletter and get additional tips, information and resources to help grow your business and improve your work life balance direct to your inbox once a month - www.clareevans.co.uk.

Acceptable Use Of A Mobile Phone?

A coffee shop in Norwich is refusing to serve customers who are on their mobile phone, because they're not paying attention when ordering.

Quite right too. To me it's just downright rude to be holding a conversation on your phone but pretty much ignoring the person standing or sitting in front of you. Are we really too busy or too self-important to be able to stop for a few seconds and give the person we're with the attention they deserve?

It does work the other way too - I've been in shops where staff are too busy talking on their mobile phones (or chatting to other staff) to deal with a customer (don't get me started on that one).

We've got used to mobile phones ruling our lives these days and they've become an integral part of our busy lives but that's no excuse for giving them more importance than they really deserve or for rude behaviour.

Loud phone conversations when you're on the train - yes, it's a great way to use your time but does everyone else around you really need to hear your conversation. I've listened in to some fascinating conversations but it's frustrating when you can't hear the other end of a particularly interesting 'gossip'!

Even ruder is when a diner interrupts their conversation to answer their phone. Unless you really are expecting that really important business deal or awaiting a critical piece of news - switch your phone off or at least on to silent and if you really are expecting an important call which can't wait - let the person know.

What is good phone etiquette? Have you experienced rude phone behaviour and what do you think is acceptable?

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Computer Phone Scam - A Cautionary Tale

Now the chances are that if you're reading this blog you're reasonably tech-savvy or you've come here because you've experienced a similar problem. Every day, unsuspecting people are still getting caught out by the computer phone scam that's been running for years.

A person calls you up and claims they've had a report your PC is running slowly (whose doesn't?) and they can sort this out for you. They'll address you by name, so have your details from somewhere and are likely to be calling from abroad (usually India), although they'll have a reassuringly English name.

In some cases the caller claims to be a Microsoft Certified Partner or is calling on behalf of Microsoft or has been passed information about your computer - or something similar. The Microsoft Certified Partner reference is good to establish credibility even though it may be completely bogus.

They will offer to check your PC for free::

They'll ask you to download a file from their website. This is remote access software (probably sneakily including a virus with it to 'prove' your machine is infected).

They may just get you to view an event log (eventvwr) showing errors, most of which are actually pretty meaningless and perfectly normal for most computers.

[NEVER allow anyone else to access your computer remotely who you don't trust or know is authorised to do so.]

At this point - having established the 'problems' with your machine - they do of course have the solution, they may even throw in a few words to convince you that your machine is outdated, invalid, at risk etc. Of course they can fix all your problems, improve the speed of your machine etc, etc ... for a fee. They will then persuade you to part with your cash in exchange for their 'maintenance' software/service.

DON'T!

If you haven't already heard warning bells and hung up - at any point you're asked to hand over your credit card details, do so NOW!

While some of these companies are only trying to get business for their software support services, it's probably totally inappropriate and unnecessary for the majority of users and you're likely to end up paying £200 for the privilege.

Microsoft will NEVER get a third-party to contact you. Report the company to Microsoft.

Download a reputable Spyware program to check your machine for keyboard tracking software or something even more malicious. AdAware is good and there's a free version - it may conflict with your existing virus software.

If you do get caught out and realise your mistake:

Contact your credit card company to cancel the transaction or at least to lodge a dispute. You may or may not get your money back.
Remove any software they've installed - Control Panel >Add/Remove programs. Get a tech savy friend or relative to help.
Check your computer for viruses and malware (malicious programmes).

You may be wise enough not to fall for this but make sure your friends and family members aware. It can be easy to get caught out.

If you have the time - get as much information about them - company name, website, phone numbers and report them to http://www.actionfraud.org.uk

Image: jannoon028 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Book Review: ... and death came third

The title is based on the premis that people are more afraid of speaking in public than dying. Strange but true.

Before I started my own business I would probably have rather experienced death than been subjected to speaking in front of a room full of strangers.

However, as with most things in life - practice makes perfect - or at least makes for a less scary experience and a few useful tips can make all the difference.

This book is an essential read for anyone in business. This one has been on my bookshelf for many years and was a great resource when I was first starting out. It alleviated many of my own fears around networking and public speaking.

Whether you currently use networking and/or public speaking as part of your business strategy or if you're thinking about either of these, then you'll find plenty of information and tips in the various tools and techniques in this book.

It focuses on the importance of building relationships with the people you meet - in either of those situations - rather than delivering a slick sales pitch.

Get Your Own Copy Today " ... and death came third" by Andy Lopata and Peter Roper

Time Tip: Five Minutes Fast

One time trick I use is to set one or two of my clocks five minutes fast.

Now despite being a time management coach, I don't wear a watch and haven't done for years but there are enough time pieces around me that make it unnecessary. The only time I have a watch with me is when I travel.

The clock in my kitchen is set five minutes fast. It's the nearest one to my most frequently used exit door, so I know that if I leave when it says it's time to leave that I've still got five minutes in hand.

The clock in my car is also set five minutes fast (actually I think it's now about six minutes fast). It means that when I'm worrying about whether I'm going to arrive on time - I've got those extra few minutes in hand.

It's a simple ploy. You're not trying to trick yourself into thinking the time is later than it is (after all you set it fast in the first place), it's just another useful tool and it works, as long as you work to the 'displayed time', not the actual time.

Crimond clock, with 61 minutes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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