BALANCING YOUR PERSONAL TIME AND BUSINESS LIFE!

B.C. Forbes once said “ The business of life is not business, but living”. How true. Most of us face a challenge when trying to balance life, work, business, family, hobbies, etc.

One thing I have learned is that we have to schedule our personal time just like we do business appointments. When you are living a satisfactory, successful life your business and personal hours are closely intertwined but we have to learn to focus on business and personal activities at the appropriate times.

Don’t drag stress and worry from your work to your personal life and vice versa. By separating both, you’ll find that job-related worry and stress levels can be reduced as much as 90%, leaving you more time and energy for personal activities like spending quality time with your friends and family.

If we don’t watch out business time priorities often seem to take precedence over personal time priorities. One reason we all work hard is to have time with our families and do those activities that we like.

Your personal time should be more important-if you want a balanced life. By nature, I am a workaholic. I like to work. There are always emergencies at work but, hey, life is going by while we are all handling emergencies!

Jobs and businesses come and go-but you only have one family, wife, kids! Make time to enjoy them.

Jacques
CreatingWealthThatLasts

TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR TIME!

Who doesn’t need more time? It seems that there is always more to do than the time we have. We all have 24 hours per day and to be truly successful we need to eliminate unneeded tasks, chores, duties, etc.

People will make demands on your time and if you are not disciplined you will find that you are letting other people control your time! There is no excuse for not putting a priority on your time.

Everyone has a phone at home or a cell phone. Have you ever been busing doing something and the phone rings- you answer it and an hour later you are still trying to cut off your friend. When the phone rings it does not mean you need to answer it, it just means someone is calling!

If you are doing something important-don’t answer. Believe me if it’s important, they will call back.

If you must know who’s calling-get an answering machine or caller ID and you can decide if you at least want to answer.

This also applies to answering emails. I have several email accounts and believe me they can get clogged up real quick. Check it twice per day. Most of it can wait.

Choose a set time every day to return calls and email messages. You’re the boss right!

Jacques
CreatingWealthThatLasts

KEEPING CONTROL OF YOUR TIME!

Thoughts on keeping ahead of the curve concerning time:

1. Arrive early and never late.
2. Be on time all the time.
3. Be ready before you leave the house.
4. Leave your car keys in the same place-easy to find.
5. Ignore the phone and doorbell when getting ready.
6. Fill up your gas tank at the end of the day.
7. Add at least ten minutes to your drive time, when driving to an appointment.
8. Carry at map at all times or GPS system.

By doing the above, you are becoming a no excuse person. Planning ahead is very important I have friends who are never on time and I mean never. I have learned that if I need to meet them somewhere, let’s say at 3 PM. I will tell them 2 PM and then they will be on time.

Your time is non negotiable. You cannot get back time that is lost. It’s gone! Make the best of the time you have and use it wisely.

Jacques
CreatingWealthThatLasts

FINDING TIME!

We will never find time for anything-we need to make time. If we consider the time we have on a weekly basis, we need to be good stewards of our time. We need time to sleep, eat, wash up, take care of our stuff, spend time with family, and work!

All of this takes time! How do we manage everything? Very carefully. We need to eliminate activities that are not productive and actually steal our time. One of the biggest- TV time. What a waste. I like to watch Christian programs but this too has to be limited.

Most of everything else on TV is basically garbage and not worth your precious time. If you don’t take control of your time, time will control you.

You maintain control of your time when you:

1. Plan your activities and objectives each day in advance.
2. Prioritize your daily activities.
3. Start on time.
4. Show up on time.
5. Refuse to get sucked into confrontations.
6. Eliminate interruptions.
7. Separate your emotions from the events that occur around you.
8. Maintain a positive, can do attitude.
9. Plan your work, then work your plan.
10. Complete your day by prioritizing your activities for the next day.

Get started today.

Jacques
CreatingWealthThatLasts

EXCUSES ONLY LEAD TO FAILURE!

People today think that breaking agreements is normal. As a result, much of their lives and relationships are conducted in the context of broken promises.

There are no good excuses. (Unless you die!) Excuses by nature are detrimental to your success, wealth, and well being. You can automatically avoid the necessity of making excuses for failure by keeping your agreements.

Follow these simple guidelines:

1. If you say you will call-call!
2. If you agree to an appointment-keep it!
3. If you tell someone you will get back to them on a certain date-do so!

Promise only what you can deliver. You are telling people a lot about your character when you keep your promises and agreements. You are telling people that you can be trusted and that you respect their time.

I have learned through hard experience that people who cannot be trusted to keep their word are not worth having in your life. These are people who drain your energy and waste your time.

Be a person of your word!

Jacques
CreatingWealthThatLasts

ARE YOU KEEPING YOUR AGREEMENTS?

Are you doing exactly what you say you are going to do? An agreement can be made with yourself, others, or with a group. Failing to keep an agreement, even with yourself, can have lasting repercussions in both your personal life and in business.

People today do not keep their agreements! It’s an epidemic! People are not people of their word. They are people of excuses!

Most excuses that people give are minor. A commitment is more important than a minor inconvenience. No wavering-no excuses. It’s a commitment to yourself!

Your ability and willingness to keep your commitments are a direct measure of the level of control you have over your life.

If you want to win, you must be able to meet your commitments in the face of excuse producing obstacles. Determination is all that is required to remove most obstacles and we do this by placing a priority on our commitments.

People who do not keep their commitments are not in control of their lives. They cannot be trusted and will not rise to positions of leadership.

Keeping your agreements will increase your self confidence, as you will not be bothered by excuses. You will make things happen!

Jacques
CreatingWealthThatLasts

MAINTAINING YOUR FOCUS!

To increase your effectiveness you must increase your focus. How do we stop our mind from wandering and going off in different directions? Written goals, objectives, and activity lists are one way.

Our mind will want to go off and daydream if we let it. Our flesh does not like to concentrate and work, it wants its own way and, if it does get its way, you will accomplish little if anything.

Focus is the process of keeping your thoughts, attention, and energy totally on the task at hand. By learning to maintain focus, at your own personal speed you will accomplish the most in the least amount of time.

Discipline is all that is required to maintain your focus and focus is the key to getting the important things done.

Your mind is an obedient servant-it will do exactly what you tell it to do, provided you tell it and your actions prove that you mean business.

But like a spoiled child, if not controlled your mind will take you off in random directions. Your mind is great at making excuses or finding reasons for not starting or sticking to a project.

Discipline means that you choose to operate in the no excuse and only action mode
Eventually discipline will become a habit, and when is does your ability to accomplish will run on automatic pilot without your needing to resort to excuses for inaction.

Choose to stay focused!

Jacques
CreatingWealthThatLasts