Tag Archives: Business

Double Your Productivity: Three Simple Steps

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If time is one of the main reasons why you have not accomplished some of your New Year’s resolutions, help is here. With no time to waste (pun intended), let’s examine three ways in which 2022 can be different.

Learn to delegate. At work, consider delegating projects and tasks. Match the task with the person who can do it the best…provided you are comfortable in asking for help. You now have time  to focus on parts of the projects you excel at. Refrain from trying to control their actions. Be confident the team around you can do an exceptional job, even if their methods are different. Fostering a team spirit allows everyone be part of the success. The better you are, the less everyone feels the need to turn to you for everything. At home, delegating chores teaches children responsibility, enables them to feel like an integral part of the family, and enjoy the feelings of pride and confidence for a job well done. You now have more time to enjoy with family, and practice self care. Relax, exercise, pray, and meditate, all contribute to helping you relieves stress, and recharge energy. 

Affirmation: I will let go of the need to do and be everything. Taking time to rest fuels my creativity and stamina.

Self-Reflection Questions:
Do I ask others for help?
How can I delegate some of my current responsibilities?
Do I arrange my schedule so I have time for myself?

List Making. Our days quickly become full of tasks. Priorities are often incredibly fluid, forcing us to constantly reevaluate what we must—and can—accomplish before the end of the day. Creating lists aids our ability to focus on the current tasks, while maintaining an awareness of what needs to be accomplished next. Start the day by plotting work. Visualize which tasks need to be completed first, and estimate how long they may take to complete. Giving yourself extra time to complete assignments allows for a buffer, in case unexpected obstacles arise. If possible, attempt to plan for the unexpected. After a break or lunch, quickly revisit the list. Bear in mind the working list is always open to revision, because new tasks arise throughout the day. Priorities change, and  being adaptable is key as things change. Removing completed tasks and adding new work, enable us to see the progress we make during the day.

Affirmation: Today, I anticipate the unexpected. In order to be successful, I must be flexible. Therefore, I allow my list to change with time, fluid priorities, and the can-do attitude that I bring to each new task.

Self-Reflection Questions:
How much time should I spend creating a list of tasks and priorities?
When is the best time to evaluate (and reevaluate) my priorities for the day?
How does making a list help me outside of the workplace?

Organization. Throughout the day, we encounter situations that require us to take action to resolve them. The more efficient the action, the quicker we can tackle other tasks. Your organizational skills are paramount to living life the way you want. You can fill your days with accomplishments and still leave time for fun. Plan ahead, by preparing as much as possible the night before. Before beginning a job, gather the materials and tools needed to finish it. Know beforehand where everything you need is located.  Give everything a home. Declutter regularly. Avoid procrastination. If you encounter something that requires sorting or straightening, do it right away.

Affirmation: Today, I plan to take action to increase my organizational skills. I know I can streamline my home to provide easier access to tools, materials, and personal items I need to live a more organized life. I find that the more organized I am, the better life I live. 

Self-Reflection Questions:
In what situations do I show effective organizational skills?
Are there times that I wish I was more organized? When?
Starting today, what can I do to increase my organizational skills?

Oh look, January is almost over. Where has time gone? I know many of us have discarded our resolutions, because why bother? If you are plagued by self sabotage, keep putting things off, need a mental shift, to help you refocus, the posts I have planned for the rest of the month, will push you to do just that. 

To Your Success,
Juan

The Snowball Effect

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                                                                Photo: Yay Images

When I moved back to the US in 2016, I had to work really hard to rebuild my credit. Shortly before I left in 2010, I was a victim of identity theft. It’s practically impossible, trying to get the IRS to respond to requests when you live abroad. A good credit profile includes a combination of different types of credit (installment, revolving, etc). It’s so damn easy to get into debt. Getting out is another matter. I used the snowball effect to pay off high balances, which meant I had a better-looking credit profile.

If you have not heard of the snowball method, this blog post is an excellent summary. Debt can pile up quickly, becoming overwhelming before you know what to do with it. Fortunately, there are strategies you can employ to pay down your debts, without going broke or insane in the process.

The snowball effect is an easy and convenient method of paying down debts, regardless of how much debt you have. Can you imagine what it would be like to live without debt? Your money would be yours, to do with as you please, instead of feeding the wallets of the rich. You’ll look forward to enjoying guilt-free vacations – paid for with cash – and buying your next car with cash, instead of credit. Picture the life you deserve in your mind and feel the feelings of relief. Next, make a plan to move toward this life, and put your plan into action.

Follow these tips to use the snowball effect for paying off your debts:

  1. Pay off your smallest debts first. When you pay the smallest debt off first, you start a small amount of momentum that’ll build quickly. Write down all of your debts from smallest to largest, and then create a plan to pay off the smallest one first.
  2. Small wins add up. Your personal finance strategy will be more successful if you feel motivated, which is why small wins are so important in the beginning. When you start paying off your smaller debts, you’ll find yourself feeling motivated to maintain your debt-reducing strategy.
  3. Pay off the next smallest debt. Once the smallest debt in your list is completely paid, add whatever you were paying on that debt to the payment for the next debt in the list, essentially doubling your monthly payment on that debt. Once you tackle this debt, you have another win under your belt.
  4. Eliminate all debt. Use the debt snowball to eliminate the rest of your debts from smallest to largest. As each debt is paid, add those payments to the next debt. Don’t worry about term lengths or rates unless two different debts have similar payoff amounts, at which point you should pay off the higher interest rate debt first.
  5. Keep building momentum. Let the momentum continue, repeating the debt repayment process for each debt as you work your way closer and closer to financial freedom. Every payment moves you closer to your goal of being financially free.
    • As you’re attacking the smaller debts first, maintain the minimum monthly payments for everything else. Do whatever is necessary to focus your attention on maintaining your plan and keeping this momentum going.
    • Keep stepping up from bill to bill, paying off the next smallest, then the next smallest, and so on. After your credit card debt is taken care of, you can focus on other debts as well – to where even your mortgage is paid off.

The snowball effect is an effective debt repayment strategy. Utilizing this method of debt repayment will help you keep the momentum as you repay your debts so that you can get the job done and enjoy a life free from the constraints of debt.

Until the next post,

Best,

Juan

Fix Your Focus

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Are you constantly wishing you had more time? Truth is, you probably have plenty of it. You’re just not focused, and not using your time wisely. Everyone receives 24 hours each day. There’s a reason why some people accomplish much more than others.

Reasons you never have enough time, and how to free it up

You fail to prioritize. What’s the most important activity you must do in order for you to accomplish your objective? If you’re not asking yourself this question regularly, you’re not getting the most bang for your time and effort. It’s easy to stay busy and accomplish very little. Once you decide what is important, the next question is “ “What is the best way to accomplish it?”
You waste it. This could be due to procrastination, and inefficient work habits. Make the choice to avoid wasting time, period.
You’re disorganized. When you’re not organized, everything takes longer than it should. You spend valuable time looking for a pair of clean socks, car keys, searching for computer files, trying to pull things off at the last minute.
Disorganized people never seem to have enough time, they’re frequently late with their work. There are countless resources available (apps, calendars, dropbox, project management software, etc.). Use them.
You have too many distractions in your life. Social media interactions, TV, needlepoint, your baseball card collection, noisy kids, clutter, or your prize-winning rose bushes. Remove unnecessary things and schedule. Minimize the distractions you can’t remove!
You don’t start your day early enough. Most of us do little in the evening. Often, we ly around the house, crawl social media etc. Many highly successful people skip these hours, by going to bed and waking up extra early. Your brain tends to shut down by the late afternoon, whether you started your day at 9:00AM or 5:00AM. Give yourself a few extra productive hours, by getting up early and going to bed early.
Failing to keep track of your time. Track how you spend your time every day. Switch tasks when appropriate so everything receives the attention it requires. Keep a simple journal. Make a record of how you spend each hour.
You don’t have a plan for the day. Your days shouldn’t be random or determined on the fly. Plan the next day before going to bed. Spend your day executing the plan as much as possible.
You’re not focused. We’ve been told to “focus” or “concentrate” since kindergarten. Too bad the education system never taught us how. If we sit down to work on something for an hour, how many minutes is our attention truly focused on the task? We probably have plenty of time to accomplish our daily tasks, if we focus. Practice meditation. Practice focusing. Every change we desire takes time. Be patient with your setbacks and failures.

Make the most of your time by prioritizing, removing distractions, and learning how to focus. You have all the time you need if you’re willing to make the necessary adjustments to yourself and your life. You have 24 hours each day. What will you have to show for tomorrow?

Until the next post,

Juan

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?!?

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Them, on a day when you are using your last good nerve: “Sometimes you gotta let things slide, you know? Turn lemons into lemonades.There are more important things in life”. You :“NO! Say what?! Why don’t you make the lemonade, and pour me a glass while you’re at it?”

What drives you crazy? Annoys you to no end?. Call them pet peeves. Personal vexations. Bother. Nuisance. Beef. Bellyache. Button pushing. Things people do that pi$$ us off. You know. And really. Truly. Grinds our gears. Have a look at mine. No particular order. What’s yours? Sound off below!

  • When people say in all seriousness:” I know how you feel”.  And they have no earthly idea.
  • Chronic liars. Especially when they are overselling.
  • Dressed. Ready to go. And having to wait on someone.
  • People who post TMI on Social Networking sites. Spare us.
  • Hearing: “It’s outlined in the terms and conditions section. Did you read it?” No! No one does. Did you?
  • Chronic offenders who don’t respond to messages in a reasonable time, but gets upset when you return the favour.
  • People who take, and take, but won’t give anything in return. AKA the “all about me” types
  • Outsourced customer service to the nether regions.
  • Any type of psychological manipulation. Especially transference, and projection.
  • Shoppers with the double the amount of items in the express lane.

Until the next post, take time to sound off. To someone willing to listen. Write it down. Or hash it out within. You will feel better!

Best,

Juan