Category: In Between

It’s back to the grind. Kids are off to school (insert happy dance here) and therefore -naturally- we feel that our own schedule will get back on track.

But how do you prioritize? How do you decide which task to tackle first?

Truth: A key differentiator between people who succeed in their business and those who do not is personal productivity. Leaders and entrepreneurs who are consistently making things happen know how to achieve what they want in less time than others. I recently stumbled upon an American Express Forum article, detailing what highly successful entrepreneurs do every day. I was pleasantly surprised at learning that many of these tips are already a part of my day to day, therefore I wanted to share them with you.

There’s a lot to be learned from the tactics of successful, and incredibly busy, individuals on how to better organize our own days. Here are 10 things you can start doing today:

1. Pick 1 task to focus on. One thing many successful entrepreneurs have in common is the ability to focus on what matters most. Pick one thing and do that one thing.

2. Block out distractions. Period. Martina Navratilova says, “I concentrate on concentrating.” If you don’t have the willpower to be self-accountable, try Rescue Time. It is an application that runs in the background of your computer and measures how you spend your time so you can make better decisions.

3. Set a strict time limit on meetings. In general, people don’t need as much time as they ask for. Meetings can be time vampires. So, be cut-throat when it comes to managing your time so you can focus on high value tasks.

4. Set up productivity rituals. Many of  you know I swear by waking up earlier than most consider normal. You also know that because of this, there are tasks that are done by 6am. Therefore, setting up rituals that automate behaviors, make us more productive – without depleting our energy reservoir. 4am may not be your cup of tea, but force yourself to prioritize so that you know that you will finish at least that one critical task during the period of the day when you have the most energy and the fewest distractions.

5. Get up earlier. Research shows that mornings can make or break your day. Use the mantra “mind over mattress” to motivate yourself to get out of bed to pursue your goals.

6. Outsource personal chores. Highly productive people are selective about how they expend their energy. They don’t waste time or energy on tasks that others can do. Do a cost/benefit analysis of how you spend your time and see if it’s worth offloading some repetitive tasks so you can focus on what will bring value to your company.

7. Increase your effectiveness through technology. There’s a plethora of programs to make a small-business owner more effective in increasing productivity. A few popular tools—some of which are free—include Dropbox to store files online; Any Meeting to host a webinar and Hootsuite or Buffer to schedule your social media postings.

8. Don’t say yes to every request. Most of us have a deep need to be liked. That translates into us saying yes to everything – which is the end of your elite productivity.

9. Stop multi-tasking. New research confirms that all the distractions invading our lives are rewiring the way our brains work. Be one of the rare-air few who develops the mental and physical discipline to have a mono-maniacal focus on one thing for many hours. It’s all about practice.

10. Learn from others. Understand that for you to move to your next level of success, you must be in constant student mode. Whether you’re learning from others, attending school, reading books, attending seminars or taking a course, you have to gain access to the information you don’t know so you can get to where you want to be.

Your productivity is your life made visible. Protect your time, your energy, your business, your life.

Do you have a question? PLEASE, let’s connect HERE or leave me a comment below!

“The economy is terrible.” “I haven’t made a sale in weeks.” “My job sucks.” If you can relate to even 1 of these statements, I am sorry to say that you have become a victim of your own negative thinking.

Have you ever considered that maybe the only thing stopping you from having a life and business you love is precisely that, negative thinking?

Let’s get real: It’s not the lack of resources or the ‘uncool’ mom you had as a kid or the other excuses we use to justify for not having the life we want.

We all have reasons to feel bad at any time during our day. I get it, circumstances change for better or for worse in a flow of events. Naturally, we react to those circumstances just as we’ve been taught to by our families and friends.

Now you may be wondering: Does my reaction matter?

Your reaction is energy and energy is everything. Everything you see, sit on, feel–the sun on your face, your kid’s laughter, your morning jog, prayer, a great kiss…it is all source energy, from where everything and everyone originated.

You are made up of this same energy, and its frequency can be raised or lowered according to your thoughts, feelings and beliefs. Therefore, the frequencies you send out attract similar frequencies. What you put out, you receive…make sense?

Each of us has an energy sequence: negative on the bottom, positive on top.

Positive energy includes: our brilliance, goodness, divinity, inspiration, love, passion, optimism, happiness and joy (our connectedness).

Negative energy includes: our anger, depression, sadness, guilt, pessimism, sense of lack -not just from others, but from our source energy.

We go up and down on this sequence everyday, depending on our circumstances. We may think or say, “If only I had X, I could be or do X.” The ultimate joke being that if we get happy, our circumstances will change to meet us.

Moving up on your energy sequence by shifting your energy to a higher frequency and opening up to source energy connects you to your inspiration, spirituality and goodness. It changes your life immediately!

From the low end of your energy sequence you can’t even think about doing things you love, let alone muster up the energy to go out and find it.

From the high-end of your energy sequence, you’ll get new ideas, tap into your light and inspiration, connect with the people you need to see, and get into the flow of positive energy that guides you through your dream life.

So, how do you flip the funk?

The first step is catching yourself and redirecting your thoughts. Use positive affirmations every time you notice yourself thinking negatively. I love these:

• I am.
• My life is abundant.
• Wonderful opportunities are coming into my life today.
• Today is a great day because I opened my eyes.

I am notorious for using humor to approach difficult situations. It is also a very effective way to raise your energy sequence making you better able to respond to any situation.

I hope these tips help elevate you today because remember, YOU and only YOU are responsible for the energy you bring into any space.

Here’s to living fabulously Chica!

Do you have a question? PLEASE, let’s connect HERE or leave me a comment below!

“How could you not know about Samantha’s dad? It was on Facebook!”

Insert look of WTH? How did you NOT know that Samantha’s father won the lotto, that Amy’s starting a new business or that Fernando (your high school friend’s little boy) just started walking?!?! HUH?!?!

Apparently, everybody out there is living it up -except you.

The FOMO plague…it’s here and I realized that, even my kids have caught the FOMO bug.

Listen, it’s hard not to. With a swipe of your mobile device it’s revealed to you that EVERYBODY else (except you) is doing something A.W.E.S.O.M.E.R. than you are (Yes that’s a word…ask Tomas). I mean, it never occurred to you that you could build a snowman in the desert, until you saw your BFF from elementary school crowd funding  for the device she invented to make ice in the desert, right? Why didn’t you come up with that one?

And at that moment, FOMO swoops in, twerks right in front of your eyes and then waves and laughs at your inability to keep up.

It’s no coincidence that I came across an article written by Martha Beck in O Magazine back in 2013. Beck explains that we may argue FOMO to be healthy motivation. But the first of FOMO’s 4 letters is fear -the opposite of healthy. Fear can get us moving, but never happily. Living in fear doesn’t improve the quality of your life; it haunts us, makes us tense and actually shrivels our internal organs. So how can we live within the FOMOsphere? Glad you asked.

Martha gives 3 phenomenal strategies that I want to share with you:

1. Realize that FOMO is based on lies. The life that you think exists for others, doesn’t really exist. The internet and media bombards us with an endless montage of momentary highs disguised as everyday activities. Evaluating other people’s real life experiences by their carefully curated instapics or selfies is like trying to navigate with binoculars that only show mountain peaks. When you feel FOMO, right there and there, remind yourself that what you are seeing is likely not to be happening. The whole truth is that many of us will spend hours mustering up the energy to take a shower today. No one wants to take a picture of that. But THAT there is the truth.

2. Fight FOMO with FOMO. Our feelings and behaviors are created by the words we use. Redefine the meaning of FOMO:

• Feel Okay More Often
• Find One Magnificent Object
• Focus On Melting Open

3. Stop. When you feel FOMO creeping in, STOP. Close your eyes, breathe, center yourself. Realize the present moment and the blessings around you. See abundance, not lack.

What you’ve really been missing is today…that heartfelt talk with your high school girlfriend over coffee, reconnecting with your partner, tickle sandwiches with your kids (you should try them, they’re awesome!).

Listen to the whispers of your real inner voice that is telling you to chill, to be open and then you’ll realize how much is already available to you.

Have you caught the FOMO bug? What have you done to stop it in it’s tracks? Would love to hear from you. Leave a comment below.

I delve deeper into how to flip the funk and repel FOMO in my book. You can get it HERE.

The world we see reflects our internal frame of reference. If we live scarcity, unfairness, drama…that is what we project.

Think of how much more good we’d do in the world if instead of projecting and reacting, we extended and connected?

We’d have better relationships, less stress, ultimately more love and happiness. We’d actually be able to see and feel this in/from others, we’d be able to give it and be better able to receive it.