WHY FOCUS IS A LUXURY WE CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT.

Make Time for Yourself for Maximum Effectiveness
Focus is the key to reaching your goals and making your dreams come true. After all, it’s not possible to accomplish your objectives if you can’t spend time focusing on them in the first place. But while it’s easy to see how focus may be the key to reaching your goals, for some people, being able to focus is a luxury. But luxuries aside, the ability to concentrate on critical tasks is non-negotiable. Are you having trouble finding enough time in the day to make yourself a priority? Most people understand the importance of focus, but their lifestyle doesn’t make it feasible for them. Here are some tips and tricks for finding time for yourself so you can focus on your dreams.

Prioritize your list.
Rarely are dreams a “one-two-three” and you’re done type of process. Usually, there are tons of micro-goals and objectives you need to reach to get one goal accomplished. The overall big picture may take several steps to complete before your dream becomes a reality. In these instances, it’s very easy to become overwhelmed with everything you have to do to get to your final destination. But if that happens, you might get paralyzed and procrastinate. Instead, prioritize your list.

It’s more realistic to break down your goals into smaller steps that you can accomplish one day at a time in a few hours. Baby steps, and taking it slow is the key to winning the race. Finding just a few extra hours a day is far easier than blocking off huge chunks of time to reach your goals, once you get one thing accomplished, you’ll be encouraged, and will find the motivation to keep going.

The enemy of finding extra time is perfection.
Do you know how to recognize if something is “good enough?” When you’re trying to find extra time in the day to devote to focusing on your goals, perfection can be a significant drain on your time. Does the underside of the railing really need to be polished? Can you cut back on some of your chores so the house is at least sanitary, but you’re not spending your time alphabetizing the bookshelves? Look into where you spend a lot of time on little perfections that could be cut back on so you can squeeze some more time out of your day.

The key to focusing? Silence.
Your door does not need to be open. Seriously. Excess noise and punctuations in the quiet will jar your mind and ruin your ability to focus. Make it clear that you need the house to be quiet and that the door has to be shut while you’re working.

Emails and text messages can be a major distraction. Turn off your notifications, and put your phone on silent. If you must check email and texts, commit to doing it just twice per day - once in the morning, and once in the evening. If you’re swamped and really need to get caught up? Set up an autoresponder reply.

TV is another distraction. The noise of the TV can hurt your ability to focus, and watching television also puts a huge drain on your time. When you’re looking to accomplish a goal, give the TV a rest. Your dreams and your time will appreciate it. Keep these tips in mind to cut back on distractions, give yourself more time in the day, and improve your ability to focus.

REWARD!!!
Schedule a 15min call to discuss any challenges you might be facing and receive a free copy of the NY Times Bestseller -- The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary, by Gary Keller.

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS MATTER

WHY UNDER PROMISING AND OVER DELIVERING NEVER GETS OLD

First impressions matter. The way you conduct yourself at the beginning of a relationship sets the tone for the rest of it. What may seem like a small action during the initial, starting phases of a new business relationship can have a massive impact on the final result of the project. The first ninety days are critical to secure your success in any job. 

The Key to Success on Any New Project

Have you ever heard the phrase, "underpromise, and overdeliver?" It's a common saying used throughout a variety of different businesses and industries. It's an excellent strategy to employ within the first ninety days when you take on a new project or client as a service provider.

It's tempting to overpromise on a project. Closing a sale or deal is a tough business, and it's easy for someone to make promises they can't necessarily keep. Telling a new client that you can do everything they want and then some takes little effort - just speaking. But letting your new client know that you can't do something they want takes honesty, and it's a brave move.

In an environment where many salespersons overpromise and are "yes-men/women," honesty is refreshing, valuable currency. Working as an agency or service provider is still a relationship business, and people are more likely to trust service providers who are honest with them at the start of the relationship. Plus, overpromising forces you into a situation that can end up either letting your client down or forcing you to expend precious resources and energy to do more than what's possible with the project.

When you underpromise, you're honest. You're setting the client up for realistic expectations, while also protecting your bottom line and your team members from frustration and possible burnout. Under Promising also makes it easier for you and your team to overdeliver, which clients will love.

However, clients are really the key to making this strategy work so that it can benefit everyone involved. Clients can have unrealistic expectations about what service providers and agencies can do. It's essential that they don't allow "yes-men/women" to bamboozle them with unrealistic promises that are impossible to keep and achieve. The agency partner who outlines the project's results in practical terms, and who is honest about their skills, what those skills can achieve, and when they can meet deadlines is someone worth doing business with. Realistic promises also enable the agency to come in under budget, before a critical deadline, or able to achieve slightly better results for clients than initially thought possible.

For the agency, it's critical that at the beginning of any new relationship, they underpromise and overdeliver to set the tone for one built on trust and honesty. We promise you this.