Karen Keller

The Best Business Investment You Can Make: Step 8 – Finale

Karen Keller — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:00:26 +0000

The Business Investment Series Finale: What a Journey!

“Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.” ~Sir Winston Churchill

Over the past four weeks, you’ve made quite a journey. If you’ve missed a step, don’t hesitate to bookmark this link – it’s your key to every post in my 8-part Business Investment series.

You might have started the first installment thinking that it was all about the money – that money’s what creates a solid and sound business investment. But by today’s installment, I hope you’ve come to realize it’s so much more.

Building a solid business investment strategy involves your intellect, emotion, finances AND your willingness to tap into resources to help move you along. That means asking for help. Shedding dead weight. Delegating. Admitting what you love and letting others take the reins on the things you don’t. It’s spending your income wisely and reinvesting in YOURSELF through networking and interaction opportunities.

And it’s about having a sounding board – a coach, an ally – to help guide you when you can’t see the forest for the trees.

Today’s post is short – because the meat of the matter lies in the other seven posts in this series. It ends with my challenge to you:

Bookmark the first post in this series. Now open up your calendar. In six months, I want you to set a reminder for yourself to begin reading this series again. My bet is your lists will change (and some things won’t). Your perspective on your business investment will have changed and manifested itself in incredible ways. Hold yourself accountable.

And at the end of the seventh month, you’ll read this post again. And you’ll set a new reminder. Isn’t it funny how it never ends, this path to improving your business?

The Best Business Investment You Can Make: Step 7

Karen Keller — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:07:22 +0000

Need help? Just ask! It's an investment...

“I always wanted to be somebody. If I made it, it’s half because I was game enough to take a lot of punishment along the way and half because there were a lot of people who cared enough to help me.” ~Althea Gibson

Last Thursday, I tasked you with making a list of all the places in your business where you’d like to “do better.” It could have been anything: bookkeeping, sales, keeping your office clean, client follow-ups…No matter what that list holds, we’re going to tackle some ways you can empower yourself (and your business investment) to make some positive changes before you’re even done reading today’s entry. Got it? Get it? Good! Let’s have a look at the wide world of wonders just waiting to boost your business investment!

We all need help. Asking for it, however, is another thing entirely, isn’t it? Now, there are people who ask for help because they’re lazy, but I know that’s not my audience. You’re the type of people who are self-sufficient starters. And you hate thinking there’s something you can’t do yourself.

I know. Because I’m the exact same way.

But I’m going to change your way of thinking about asking for help.

Asking for help doesn’t mean you can’t do it yourself. It means you’re smart enough to know where the best focuses are for your time and energy.

So, I want you to take that list you made last Thursday and figure out who you can ask for help. Take all of those things you wanted to make better about your business and embrace them. I’ll be you know someone who can help you with those things. And if you don’t, you know someone who knows someone!

And the asking is easy. Put humility first. Here’s a great way to start those conversations:

“I’ve always found that I have the best success when people refer me to things I’m looking for. I was wondering if you happen to know any great _________s. Would you mind keeping an ear out for me?”

And in return, ask them if there’s anything you can look for to enhance their business. People love to share their expertise and experiences – it’s the reason we’re all able to pursue our passions. When we allow people to share with us, we open the door to share with them in return.

So grab that list and match it up with people you can ask for help. And Thursday, we’re going to take that perfectly matched-up list and put you on your way to a passionate pursuit of what it is you love, accompanied by the people who love helping your achieve it!

If you missed any part of the Business Investment series, just click here to see all of the posts!

The Best Business Investment You Can Make: Step 6

Karen Keller — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:51:13 +0000

It's time to connect all the pieces of your business investment puzzle!

“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” Theodore Roosevelt

So, we’ve spent just over two weeks now reviewing your business investment on EVERY level: intellectual, emotional and financial. Today, we’ll chat about where the rubber meets the road: the point where they all converge.

It’s not at Starbucks or the grocery store.

It’s your every day business practices.

You, dear reader, are a veritable balancing act! You’re pretty much an expert juggler, yet it’s likely no one’s ever called you that. You’re an unstoppable machine when it comes to your business investment…but you know what? You can do better. We all can! And it’s not even as difficult as it might sound at first.

I’ll be honest with you: there are things I do better than others in my business. But just because I don’t do some things as well as others doesn’t mean they’re not important or I don’t get credit for trying. The key to building a better business investment is what we’ve gone over these past two weeks: identifying your intellectual, emotional and financial investments and seeing what we can do better.

Some of you have realized that you could be spending your money in different places. Others have realized that you need a colleague to bounce ideas off of, and I’ll bet one or seven of you have noticed that you’re not truly monetizing your intellectual investment to its full potential. This convergence is where we can all do better. And sometimes, we need some help.

I’m lucky that my career as an executive coach lets me work with people seeking to balance this convergence each and every day. And we ALL need help creating that balance. Here are some examples:

Great with making money but NOT great at managing it? A virtual assistant and CPA can help keep you in line.
Great with balancing the bank account but NOT so at client goodwill? A part-time assistant could make follow-up and thank you calls for you, as well as manage your email campaigns to stay in touch.

Is your family vacation the same weekend as a great conference you want to attend? Split the cost with a friend or colleague and attend “virtually” for half price! R&R and education – easy.

Now, here’s your action task for today: make a list of places in your business (and personal) life you’d like to add more balance. On Tuesday, we’re going to talk about how to get the help you need so you can do the things you love doing each and every day. Make it a great weekend!

The Best Business Investment You Can Make: Step 5

Karen Keller — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:35:01 +0000

Will you take the next exit? Your road to business success starts HERE.

“Many people make the mistake of thinking that all the challenges in their lives would dissipate if they just had enough money. Nothing could be further from the truth. Earning more money, in and of itself, rarely frees people. It’s equally ridiculous to tell yourself that greater financial freedom and mastery of your finances would not offer your greater opportunities to expand, share, and create value for yourself and others.” – Tony Robbins

You betcha! Today, we’re talking about your financial investment in your business (and I promise not to use my Sarah Palin voice). For the past two weeks, we’ve gone over various other investments in our business, all to have it funnel down into today’s discussion about money. Where you put it, what you do with it and how you spend it as it relates to your business.

I used Tony Robbins’ quote above to demonstrate one simple fact: you won’t be happier if you have more money. So here, at the beginning of our discussion of your financial investment in your business, let’s agree one thing: making more money isn’t the goal of your business.

It’s success.

When you consider your start up costs, overhead, ongoing expenses, payroll and whatnot, the dollar figure can be staggering. You work to sell more, do more – any kind of more to generate cash. The truth of the matter is: do you really know where your business investment dollars are going?

Here’s a checklist I use to evaluate the dollars coming in and out of my business:

Proposed Expense

Purpose

What will this benefit?

Do I have/need data to justify the expense?

What is my long-term goal for spending this money on my business?

This is a checklist you can go through even BEFORE starting your business! Every financial aspect of your business should be calculated and understood. If you understand what’s coming in, where it’s going and why, you’re on the path to creating a nimble business. One that can shift with you – grow with you – as your business grows. And back to the idea that your goal is to be successful and not make more money – you can only be successful if you build a solid foundation. Your intellect, emotions and money must all come together and have tea (and regularly!) and be honest about what they’re all getting from one another.

Money ill-spent insults your intellect and causes a break-down in emotions.

Empty bank accounts leave you emotionally stressed and make you wonder how you’re ever going to monetize your knowledge and skills.

So here’s your action task for the day: take 20 minutes and be honest with yourself about where your money is going. Maybe use the checklist above. Ask yourself: does the way I invest in my business honor both my intellect and my emotional well-being?

And on Thursday this week, we’ll look at all of your investing methods in a combined light. There’s a beautiful synergy you’re building through this process and at the end of Step 8, you really will understand why I called this series The Best Business Investment You Can Make!

Miss a post in the series? View them all here: Business Investment Series.

The Best Business Investment You Can Make: Step 4

Karen Keller — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:00:40 +0000

What are you investing in your business emotionally?

We’re getting quite a bit of mileage out of the list we made over a week ago, aren’t we? If you happened to miss the first three installments of my “The Best Business Investment You Can Make” series, here’s the links so you can find them with ease:

Installment 1

Installment 2

Installment 3

Now, today we’re digging into our emotional investments in our business model. WE can’t help it but to be emotionally invested in our businesses. If we aren’t, well…we should get out there and find something else to to already! Our emotional investment in our business is what allows us to tap into our intellectual investment and use it to its highest potential.

On that list we made last week, I asked you to fill it with how you feel about your business. When things go right, when things go wrong…we feel something, right? So you highlighted that list, and those highlights represent everything you wanted MORE of in your business. Things you wanted to feel MORE. More frequently, more intensely. Have a look at those highlighted items.

I’ll bet you they’re all pretty wonderful things, aren’t they? Of course they are. Nobody wants to feel more fear or insecurity when it comes to pursuing their passion! Highlighting those good things puts you in the right mindset to create more of them. When we preoccupy ourselves by focusing on all the things that weigh our minds down in business, we don’t give ourselves room to prosper. We take all of the energy that could be used to generate more of that good stuff and simply…waste it. We waste it worrying and complaining. There’s nothing good about either one.

To maximize your emotional investment in your business, you need to focus on the upside. Sure, stuff happens. It always will. But when you focus on what you want more of, it’ll come. It’ll make next Tuesday’s discussion about your financial investment even easier since you’ll put in motion a plan.

The plan, you ask? Well, today, you’re going to make a list of all the highlighted things you want more of in your business. Then, you’re going to put them in an envelope and hang them on your refrigerator. We spend a lot of time in front of the fridge, so you’ll have to see that envelope of goodness every time you grab a drink or snack. We should remind ourselves of the good things more often!

Have a great weekend and we’ll see you next Tuesday for Step 5!

The Best Business Investment You Can Make: Step 3

Karen Keller — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:00:00 +0000

What's your intellectual investment?

“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.” ~Albert Einstein

Last Thursday, we took inventory on your business’ assets: intellectual, emotional and financial. I also told you to get ready to use that list this week (as I can’t leave a good thing alone!). Today’s focus is going to be on our intellectual business assets.

You went to school and/or you’ve done the time to place your self in a position of authority. You’ve earned it. Your mental fortitude and skills are what makes your world go round each and every day. And I asked you a tough question last Friday: are you lacking?

And by lacking, I don’t mean anything negative. What I mean is this: when’s the last time you sat down and took inventory on your intellectual investment in your business? And what are you doing to enhance your intellectual investment?

Take the quote from good old Albert Einstein above: intellectual development never stops.

I’m lucky enough in my day-to-day that I get to pursue my passion and help other people achieve theirs. My job is to help people unlock the potential tucked away inside their intellect. Whether you do it through a business coach, regular sessions with a colleague you can bounce ideas off of or engage in conferences throughout the year, your intellect needs to be nurtured.

It’s always a great place to be where you can bounce ideas off someone who wants to see you succeed. This is one of the reasons I love coaching people. No matter how good you are, you need a coach. Just look at professional athletes: there’s not one without a coach. Part of your coach’s job is to break down everything you did well and help you find ways to repeat those successes (and shed those things that weren’t so successful). It’s another set of eyes, ears and an extra brain to get you from where you are to where you want to be. To challenge you and remind you to never settle for the status quo.

Conferences are much the same way (and I personally attend several throughout the year). By constantly meeting new people, you’re sharing and gaining knowledge. This can only enhance your intellectual investment in your business. So this is why I asked: are you lacking? If you are, it’s an easy thing to fix. A business coach, colleague and putting yourself in positions where you can continually learn are all tools to minimize the lack and maximize your intellect.

Now, to end today – I’d love to hear your thoughts on things YOU’VE done to build your intellectual investment in your business. And I’ll remind you to not get rid of that list we made next week, because on Thursday, we’re headed into our emotional investments for a deeper look.

Share your investments – they pay dividends! We’ll see you on Thursday and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter. I’ll promise to keep the good ideas flowing if you promise to keep challenging me!

Miss the first part of the series? Check out installment 1 and installment 2.

The Best Business Investment You Can Make: Step 2

Karen Keller — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:00:09 +0000

Take that list and check it twice!

“Confront your fears, list them, get to know them, and only then will you be able to put them aside and move ahead.” Jerry Gillies

On Tuesday, you made a list. If you missed Tuesday’s post, you can check out the first step in my new Business Investment series here. Today, we’re going to have a deeper look at that list.

Intellectual Investments – These are pretty much inarguable. It’s your inner net worth. What you bring to the table. The things on this part of your list are the reason you can have a business that does what it does. But, here’s my question: are you lacking? Is there a way you can improve the strength of your intellectual investments? A business coach, mentor or trusted ally who can help guide you and maximize the contribution of you to your business. Every ship needs a captain AND a navigator. Do you have both?

Emotional Investments - Does your business fill you up or bleed you dry? The feelings in this section might seem all-too-familiar or pretty alien, now that you’ve had a day off from looking at that list you made. Take a highlighter and highlight anything you want MORE OF in the list. Honestly, we’re not going to even give any of our bandwidth to the things we don’t care for (if that’s OK with you!).

Financial Investments - Ahhhh, money. Money, money, money! It keeps us going every day and we love seeing it come in, but do you really know how you’re spending it? And is what you’re spending it on paying you dividends? Sure, we all need office supplies and paid-in-full cell phone bills, but are you considering the investments that you currently perceive as expenses? Take that highlighter and highlight everything you’d like to spend LESS money on. We’ll get back to this shortly.

Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it? An easy task for a Thursday. Now, you’ve got the weekend to think, but in Tuesday’s installment, we’re going to delve deeper into the Intellectual Investment you have in your business and I promise you’ll have some incredible takeaways from that installment. So for now, have a wonderful weekend and get ready to further examine what you’re investing in your business from EVERY angle!

The Best Business Investment You Can Make: Step 1

Karen Keller — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:00:33 +0000

Time to make a list - business investments, day 1!

“I have a problem with too much money. I can’t reinvest it fast enough, and because I reinvest it, more money comes in. Yes, the rich do get richer.” Robert Kyosaki – author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad

OK, I know that the title sounds kind of spammy, but I promise you won’t find any get-rich quick concepts in this post. There are no silver bullets or success-in-a-box secrets. Today, we’re going to talk about business investments and this post is the first in a series of four that will run over the next two weeks. We’ll have action items each day and you’ll need those action items for the next installment. It’s like, learning! Ready? Set – GO!

Business investments are intellectual, emotional and monetary. On the intellectual side, it’s the hows of running your business on a daily basis. The knowledge YOU bring to the table to make your business world go round. This can be years of schooling or just knowing what it feels like to be “schooled” and sharing that knowledge with your audience. It’s what gives you authority, or the right and mettle to speak about what it is you know and love.

Business investments can also me emotional. There’s no shame in loving what we do. We feel joy when sales are up and get down in the dumps when sales go south. We connect with our employees and share in their personal struggles and successes. It’s part of what makes a company great to work for: the emotional investment that ownership and management have in their team.

And we all know that business investments can be monetary. This is the one we likely think about most often. It’s the life savings we’ve put into our startup, the money we spend on learning about both ourselves and our industry. It’s everything from payroll to taxes and all we can worry about at 3 AM in between.

To start your week, we’ll start with ACTION. I’m a big fan of lists, so today, we’re going to sit down and make one about your business investments. Grab a laptop or pen and paper – here we go!

Intellectual Investment: On this list, you’re going to list everything that establishes you as an authority on your line of work. School, hard knocks, experience – they all go on the list!

Emotional Investment: Make a list of how you feel about your business. When things go right, when things go wrong, what makes you happy each day at work and what causes you stress.

Monetary Investment: Where does your business’ money go? Take a few minutes and make a list of where you’re spending your business income and where you’re investing your business income (the two are VERY different!).

Now – hang tight to this list because on Thursday this week, we’re going to revisit that list and talk about some common pitfalls and simple things you can do to balance your business investment budget! Make your list, grab a magnet, put it on your fridge. We’ll see you back here on Thursday where we’re going to explore STEP 2 in The Best Business Investment You Can Make series.

Time Isn’t Always Money

Karen Keller — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:00:30 +0000

Are you wasting time?

Sure, it’s easy to think of time as money. It’s a business expression older than all of us put together and an issue we face daily: finding enough time to get everything done. But this weekend, I was thinking: time isn’t always money.

Sometimes, it’s just time. And we’re pretty good at wasting it, considering it’s our most valuable asset.

Time is all we have to get through this life. It’s what lets us breathe, work, pursue our passions, raise families and love. Occasionally, we get to sleep. Rarely do we sleep enough, but when we do, it makes our time the next day more enjoyable.

When we have time, we’re not afraid to lounge on a blanket at the park and rest out head on someone’s shoulder. We’re also not afraid to pick up every candle in the store, just to see how each one smells. We read bedtime stories and have tea parties in the backyard with dolls and stuffed animals. We watch silly movies and cook dinner with friends.

All of this happens when we have time.

And all of this gets missed when we don’t.

On Tuesday, we talked about taking back your heart strings and reinvesting in yourself. You made a list of all the things that demanded your emotional bandwidth and started to make room in your life for the good stuff. Today, I wanted to show you what all the fuss about “making room” was for. It’s not just because I like lists.

Time is our most precious resource and all things come from it. If we spend all of our time running our business with blinders on, we’re going to miss some pretty amazing things over the years.

Today, I challenge you to take time. To MAKE time. Give yourself the gift of slowing down and coming to a complete stop. I guarantee you that whatever was taking your time will be there when you’re ready to pay attention to it again.

Where’s Your Heart? 3 Steps for Taking it Back from Where it Doesn’t Belong

Karen Keller — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:55:44 +0000

Take back your heart strings

It’s your heart. If you’re like a lot of people, it’s something you’re willing to share and you give of it freely. But are you giving to people who don’t appreciate it and deserve it?

My life and community are both filled with giving people – it’s truly a blessing to have this type of person surround me each and every day. We get caught in the trap, however, of giving when we should be saying no and then NOT taking our hearts back when we need them the most.

Now, I’m not telling you to not continue a life filled with generosity. It’s actually just the opposite. What I’m telling you to do is bring all of the wasted energy back to YOU so you can invest in the RIGHT things. Ready for a list to get you started? Let’s go:

People who don’t say thank you. They’re never going to say thank you, so stop waiting for them to say it and reel that energy back in.

Past relationships. Whoa boy, this is a doozy. If you think of your heart as something with a certain number of cords that let you “plug” in to someone else, we tend to leave ourselves plugged in to people after the relationships end. Take back your cords. Recharge yourself. They’re not giving you anything but grief.

Bad jobs. An unhappy career can take us away from the things that matter most in life: our families, hobbies and passions. If you’re truly unhappy, never be afraid to walk away from a bad job. Starbucks is always hiring and they give benefits to people who work 20 hours or more each week. It’s better than being miserable, right?

Now, make yourself a list. Write down all of the things that are taking your emotional bandwidth and then start crossing off the ones you don’t need. I love crossing things off a list – it makes me feel like I‘m getting things done! Go get something done today.

Positive Living: How to Get Out of Your Own Way

Karen Keller — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:39:33 +0000

One foot in front of the other - the first step for positive living!

The last thing you want to do every morning is get out of bed and trip all over yourself. Positive living – it’s the first tool you need in your toolbox in order to start each day with one foot in front of the other and a smile on your face! But are you your own biggest obstacle and not even aware?

I’m guilty of getting in my own way. It’s true. My schedule, my life – they get the better of me on some days and I couldn’t fight my way out of a paper bag (even if you gave me a pair of scissors). I’ll share with you today some strategies I use to get out of my own way and back on down the road of positive living. It’ll put a smile on my face to know they worked for you!

Your Schedule – Fix It!

You’re the only one who allows things to go on your schedule. The only one. So stop acting like other people have permission to run your days for you! Enough with the double booking and back to back appointments. Give yourself room to breathe and the time it takes to do what you do best.

Your Clients – Love Them!

In the entrepreneurial world, we sometimes take business because we need the work, not because we like the client. Commit to yourself that you’re only going to take clients you like. When you have clients you like, they’ll refer people like them to you. And that’s more clients you like. It’s magic!

Your Life – Don’t Forget It!

When you leave the office or end your work day, don’t be afraid to not take a call or let your email sit until morning. Your insurance agent isn’t going to hit reply or answer a call at 8:30pm. Why should you? Give yourself the latitude to LIVE your life. Friends, family and relaxation. Devoting time to these things make YOU a better you and ultimately a better business.

Four Positive Life Changes You Can Make Today

Karen Keller — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:36:42 +0000

Put your positive thinking caps on!

I couldn’t think of a better post to start your week than this one: positive life changes. Mondays are universally a downer (even though they don’t have to be!) but how about starting your week with a completely holistic upper instead?

I want you to think of five things that went wrong last week. Drove you batty. Incited you to strangle choke, scream or open your eyes wider than they’ve ever been.

Now, make a list of five things that went right last week. Brought you joy, made you laugh or just made your day in any old way.

The second list was harder to make, wasn’t it? Well, it shouldn’t be!

Here are five positive life changes you can make today that will have that second list rattling off your tongue like that first list of frustrations. No need to be frustrated: looking onward and upward is always a more enjoyable task!

Wake up each morning with a “thank you.”

It’s your first thought of the day – why not make it one of gratitude? From birds outside your window to the sound of the coffee pot, there’s a long list of things to say “thank you” for each morning.

Rain or shine – it’s a good day.

If it rains, you don’t have to water the lawn, which keeps your water bills down (and your shoes dry). If it’s sunny, plants will thrive and you can feel the sun on your face. You can also use fewer lights inside during your work day and keep electric bills down. Either way, it’s a good day.

Out with the downers.

They creep up on us at the store or while we’re out and about. They’re the Poopy Penguins with the sad faces and nothing good to say. When someone around you tries to bring you down, think of how you’d turn the situation around (whether it’s your situation or not). Frowns look better upside down!

Start with a smile.

When you’re sideways, it’s better to start with a smile. First, it’s a pause. It takes a moment to put that smile on. And in that moment, you can change your attitude. Forget about the mad and start with something positive when something doesn’t go right. When your teenager spills something on the carpet after tearing through the house, why not try, “I see you’re a shoo-in for the cross country team next season. In the meantime, can we keep the speed limits below 5 MPH while in the house?”

Related posts you might enjoy:

Three Ways to Beat Stress When Nothing Goes Right (aka There’s No ‘I’ in What the Hell?!)

Why I Love Being Wrong

Working From Home: Three Rules

Karen Keller — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:00:33 +0000

Is your home office a bunny slipper environment?

You roll out of bed, put your bunny slippers on, flip the switch on the coffee maker and fire-up your laptop. You’re now in your office. Pretty awesome, isn’t it?

We were all new to the home office at one time or another. Maybe you’re brand new to it. Perhaps you now consider yourself an old hand. But either way, have you ever sat down and established some rules for your home office? Working from home is a gift – a pleasure – an indulgence and quite honestly, the biggest opportunity we have to fail at what it is we do for a living. Without some rules, we’re destined for distractions that will damage not only our time management but our bottom line, too.

Work From Home Rule #1: Treat Your Home Office Like an Office

There are no excuses for food wrappers on your desk or empty glasses stacked up to eternity. Keep your desk clean and give yourself a dedicated workspace. The Sofa Desk is comfy, but you’d be surprised what happens when you build a place in your home that is meant for work!

Work From Home Rule #2: Get Dressed

I know – I’m a fan of the bunny slipper days, too. But here’s my argument: three days a week, get dressed. I’m not saying suit-and-tie or dress-and-heels kind of getting dressed, but put some clothes on and get yourself ready as if you were going to a regular office and had to be (gasp) presentable for someone other than the UPS man. I always feel better when I’m dressed for the day!

Work From Home Rule #3: Get a Business Line

In the day and age where our cell phones are primary numbers for many of us, you owe it to yourself to have some privacy. Get a landline installed in your home office and use that as your work number. You can also use services like Phone.com (for only a few bucks a month) to have a virtual number complete with extensions, call handling rules and call forwarding (to your cell phone). You’re a business, not a 24-hour hotline. When the work day is done, people go to voicemail. It’s that simple.

Multitasking Makes Me Mad! Three Ways to Stop the Madness

Karen Keller — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:46:19 +0000

Is multitasking helping or hurting you?

OK – reality check: how many windows do you have open on your desktop right now? Are you a multitasking wiz or overburdened by doing too much at once? (Frankly, how on earth do you tell which one you are?!)

We always hear the multitasking mantra – it’s good. It’s great! It’s productive! But here’s my tough question for the day: what are you sacrificing for multitasking’s sake?

When we spread our attention across too many things, it’s a pretty decent bet that none of them are getting our full attention (nor the attention they’re due). Every now and then, there’s nothing wrong with taking advantage of a situation to get a few things done at once but today’s post is about stopping the madness and honing your focus. Multitasking isn’t always grand, so here are some tips for making the most of your opportune situations (and getting everyone the attention they deserve).

Multitasking Tip 1: Close Those Web Browser Windows

You’ve got Twitter open in one, Facebook in the other, Gmail in yet another, three blogs, Overstock.com and…WOW! If you’re working on a report, proposal or other task that requires your computer-related attention, do yourself a favor and minimize the distractions. Close your web browser and hit mute on your computer’s sound. That’s way, you’re not distracted by other shiny, web-based things and you can get to the task at hand.

Multitasking Tip 2: The Wired Headset

I know you like your Bluetooth headsets, but the sound quality is unreliable. If you’re going to multitask on a conference call, do everyone a favor and minimize the “hallway” effect and static – get a wired headset. Oh, and find the mute button on your phone. Nothing’s more impolite than the clicky-clack of keys in the background of a call.

Multitasking Tip 3: Email Time!

Do you answer you emails throughout the day? Do you have desktop notifications or sounds that tell you when a new one arrives in your inbox? Give yourself a break. Set specific times during the day to answer your emails and turn off those notifications. If it’s in an email, it can probably wait and you can focus on other things that require your attention.

CoWorking: Working With People but Not For People

Karen Keller — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:00:24 +0000

What's the skinny on coworking?

When you run your own business, one of the classic benefits I hear about time and time again is freedom from the traditional office. We can go take calls in our bunny slippers and sip tea on the sofa while answering email. But if you’re anything like me, you can only look at the cat so long on any given day and you find ways to get out of the house to keep your sanity.

We asked for this – freedom from the office. But sometimes we get stir-crazy. What’s the solution? Coworking!

I recently heard about coworking via one of the many blogs I read. Here’s the jist: you pay a daily or a monthly use fee and prop-up at a desk whenever you’d like! Along with the desk in many locations are various amenities like wi-fi, quiet rooms, a conference room available for client meetings, a kitchen and more. But do you want to know what I think the best part of coworking is? The community. It’s community on-demand.

On days where the cat isn’t cutting it, coworking is the ideal solution for camaraderie, and exchange of ideas in a non-digital fashion and a great environment in which to get done what it is you need to do.

You can find local coworking spaces in your area (and granted, some areas might not be hip to it just yet, so be patient!) by doing a web search for “coworking (your town).”

Here are just a few that you can look at across the country as a primer on the entre cooworking concept:

Cohere Community (Ft. Collins, CO)

Blankspaces (Loas Angeles, CA)

Independents Hall (Philadelphia, PA)

If you have a local coworking fave, share it with our audience here. The more resources we share, the more we all can be as successful as possible as entrepreneurs.