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When we think of applying creativity we mainly associate it with an artistic endeavor. However, creativity is an invaluable asset in creating and maintaining a successful business  Looking at things from a creative prospective generators new perspective, fresh ideas and different ways to approach things.  It adds spice, color and fun to any business project.

Next time you begin a new project, or consider how to give your business a lift take a bit of time to add some creative thinking to how you might enhance things and add some sparkle to the process.

I feel that time is not my own these days. How do I get it back?

Time is sometimes an illusion. The more we concentrate on it the less time we seem to have and the slower the clock seems to move. When we are anxious for the work day to end or a special event to occur time seems to move at a snail’s pace. When we are rushed and have a deadline to meet, time seems to speed by and often leaves us feeling that time will run out before we are able to complete the task.

The question is how do we have enough time to accomplish what we need to and still feel we have time to do what we want to do.  It is important to be realistic about how long things will take to accomplish and to stick to the time scheduled to accomplish the task.

If you find that the project is going to run longer, it is better to reschedule rather than scramble for extra time for the rest of the day to make up for the time lost. Make a list of the tasks you want to accomplish that day and then prioritizing them is helpful. Then if you run out time at the end of the day you can add the remaining tasks on your list for the next day’s schedule.  This will insure what is important will actually get accomplished.

Doing what you like enhances your work and your life, so actually schedule some “like to do time” on your calendar and actually take the  time.  It might seem necessary, if you have a deadline, to want skip the ”like to do time”, but in the long run the “like to do time”  is a better investment.  If you take the scheduled time, you will actually feel more energetic, ready to plug in and feel you actually have more time to accomplish your other tasks.

It’s not about having more time it’s about how we see and use the time we have.  We get the time back by looking at it and scheduling it differently.

Looking for business tips for success?

Do you wonder how to run a business sucessfully?

A recipe for creating a successful company is found in Lead with Luv. The book is about a successful company that considers leading with the heart a fundemental business princple in their success as a Company.

Amazon Book Discription:

“Once, there was a remarkable person who led with love. Her company succeeded where its competitors struggled. Its customers were loyal, its employees loved to work there, and it was profitable year after year, for decades. This loving leader began her career as an executive secretary, yet the company’s founder chose her to succeed him as president. When asked why, he said, “Because she knows how to love people to success.” She is Colleen Barrett, President Emeritus of Southwest Airlines. Lead with LUV is an extraordinary, wide-ranging conversation between Barrett and the legendary Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager. Drawing on personal experience, Barrett and Blanchard reveal why leading with love is the most powerful way to lead and how it can help you achieve truly amazing levels of performance. “

A short book with tall benefits!

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Purpose and meaning are key to creating a career where you actually wake up happy and eager to spend the day doing what you do for work. Getting paid well is imporant, but is much more likely to happen when what you do is meaningful and interesting.  Profit gives you the ability to do what you do, but enthusisam and excitment about  what you do are the actual magnet that create the attraction and acts as the force to create the income stream.

Question of the Day:

How much is too much? I take on more work each year and somehow I find a way to make it work but typically this involves me working into the late hours at home. Everyone at my work says they believe in balance but the reality of my job is I’ve taken on too much. How do I pull back without making it seem like I’m less committed?

Your question is one that many people are asking today.  Many are concerned. But few are actually voicing the question to management because, as you stated, they don’t want be seen as uncommitted or find themselves unemployed. Overwork has become a success factor in today’s work place.

Before discussing the situation with those you work for there a few things you can do yourself to lighten your work load:

• Review what you do and determine if it is necessary to keep doing it, and if so is there a more efficient way to do it if you are going to continue the process. Look at the overall work you do and determine if you are delegating enough to other people that might be more efficient and have more time to get the work done
• Go through your inbox realistically and work on those things that have the most importance first and add things of less importance to a list to be done on an as needed basis
• Quit at a reasonable hour and stop extending the time you spend at work for a month to determine whether you might need an assistant or an intern to actually get the job done.

Keeping track of the insight you gain as you evaluate your work practices will be helpful if you determine that management needs to be involved to bring about the changes you find are  necessary.  The gathering of the data will also demonstrate factually what needs to be done to bring balance to the position and show your commitment to doing the best job possible.

Companies like Google, Zappos, Microsoft think creativity and innovation are so important that they build the process into their work model. Creativity is the basis for forward movement. Yet more and more people are finding less time to be creative at work. More pressure to have things done more quickly, and slimmer work forces create time crunches that make it seem impossible to take time out to allow creativity to take place and flow and yet is it a necessity to do so for future progress and satisfaction with what is produced.

How do we find time; what can be done to be more innovative and creative at work?

Ideas to add creativity to the work place:

• Place a higher value on innovation and creativity at work
• Recognize  it as bottom line enhancer and treat it      accordingly by making time in the work day for it
• Make it a Company policy that periodically people must take vacation time to regroup
• Bring people together to share ideas and provide a sounding board for collaboration
• Create an innovation and creativity budget so new ideas can be implemented

By implementing these ideas, you will find that creativity ideas will not only be a profit enhancer, but also a morale booster.  It can create not only a more productive work environment but also a happier atmosphere to work in.

Question of the Day?

Any tips on getting sunlight and fresh air for someone who is climbing the corporate ladder inside of a high rise?

Taking a part of your lunch hour to be outside would give you the chance to get sunlight and fresh air.  Taking a short break outside during the day to get some fresh air would also help.  Jogging before work or walking to work could be invigorating as well as providing a chance to do deep breathing outside as you start your day. Take the opportunity, when you attend outside meetings, to choose transportation that provides a chance to get sunlight and fresh air.  Keep a pair of tennis shoes in your desk drawer, so if the opportunity arises to walk to a meeting instead of riding, you are prepared.

Adding a couple of plants and nature pictures could provide a feeling of being in nature and provide a feeling of being outdoors.  Making your cubicle feel open and airy could also decrease your sense of being in a sterile office setting.

Starting an idea journal is a good way to decide which ideas have merit and are worth taking action on.  Take the time to write the ideas down that come to you. Once a week or so review the ideas you have come up  with and see which one if any  you would like to develop.  Every few months or so go back over you entries and see if any of the ideas you passed over now seem worth paying more attention to.  If so, add them to the ideas you will actively work on.

Once you have some ideas you decide to pursue determine what action you can take to begin bringing  your ideas to life.  The more you engage in this process the more ideas, resources and action steps will become apparent to you.

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Susan didn’t back down or give up.  She shocked people when she began to sing and went on to win second place that season.  Over 12 million people have viewed this video of that performance.  Today she makes albums and performs around the world because she pursued and held on to her dreams and did not give up.

Imagine what can happen if you stick with your dreams and allow them to come about. Nothing is impossible; the impossible just takes a little longer sometimes.

I want to start a business, but don’t see a way to get started.  Any insight?

A lot of things go into creating a business. The planing, the passion, the determination are all essential parts of getting your business up and running.  None of these necessarily need capital  or outside resources to get started.  The big thing is to begin to create the structure on paper you would like to build.  As you get clear on what you need and how you would do things, you will start to see ways that you can tangibly create what you desire.

The longer you wait for resources to materialize to start your business the longer you put off actually setting the wheels in  place to achieve what you desire to achieve.