Showing up

If you are like me, you have 16 million things going on at once. I know many people are in this situation, because they tell me!

Then, just to add more pressure, at every turn, we read the importance of ‘showing up’, or participating in blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc, etc, etc.

Oh, and I hear more and more from people who are feeling way too overwhelmed with their email! In fact, chances are those people will never even see this blog!

How can you get control and STILL ‘show up’? Here are four steps you can take now.

#1 – Get control of your email! My favorite resource for this comes from David Allen in his book, Getting Things Done.  I believe he’s right when he says we all clean out our voice mail to zero. Why is that, yet we allow our email to grow and grow and grow? Great; so how DO you get control? First, as I tell members of my Just Jump into Business membership program, create folders and filters, and then set up instructions. If you are like me, you belong to multiple listservs and several newsletters. Filter each one into its own folder. I literally have over 50 folders. I couldn’t survive without them! I can then just spend time on listserv email or read newsletters when I have the time, rather than have to sort through it all to find the important things. What’s important? Clients, family and friends. Reading what each person has to say about lipids is NOT important….

#2 – Set a timer for reading email. It’s all well-and-good to stay on top of your inbox, but if you’re using up your precious morning reading them all, this is unlikely the best use of your most limited resource; your time. I have clients seriously look at their schedule and determine when they have time for email. This is where the timer comes in – when it goes off after the designated amount of time, go onto what’s next! Imagine actually ACCOMPLISHING your goals for the day!

#3 – While you’re evaluating your schedule, this is where you must also decide if participating in social media is effective for reaching your potential clients. Let’s assume it is effective for you. Now you have to decide which sites these people hang out in and what it is they want to hear from you. Then add spending time there to your schedule! But, again, your time will be limited; you do not want to spend the day telling people, ‘I am now making lunch’…. Again, what do they want to hear from you and how can you make the best use out of the limited time you have? And… set the timer…

#4 – Show up IN PERSON! Sure, the major bulk of my business is online, but it is still important to develop in-person relationships. This includes going to networking and social events. This provides you with the experience of learning who else is out there and what they need.  Not to mention developing friends and colleagues you can spend time with and have fun with! It also gives you the opportunity to learn from others in ways you just don’t learn long-distance.

These are simple steps. Just working on ONE can make a huge difference in not only helping you become more productive, but also help you get out there and feel you are SHOWING UP. When we feel bogged down, we tend to back off and try to escape.

See you out there!

Margie

P. S. If you are interested in how you can get control of your life and business, contact me for a complementary, 30-minute coaching call.