When helping a client to resolve their time management issues, one of the first things I do is look at their calendar.  The time when there are no meetings scheduled is called “white space”. Should you have a lot or a little?

Too much white  space signifies to me you aren’t using your calendar properly as a tool. Not only should there be meetings with others on your calendar, but also meetings with yourself. Let your calendar help you stay focused on what YOU really want to get done today. Go ahead…add those appointments to exercise or to work on a project. You’re more apt to get them done.

Not enough white space indicates you probably aren’t being too realistic, especially if you have a team. Work needs to be reviewed and people need to be encouraged. Interruptions, whether planned or not, will happen. Packing your day so tight you can hardly breathe is sure to make you stressful.

So, how much white space is appropriate? It depends on your style. If you need to be driven and kept on task, then just a little. If you need to be available, then more.  Either way, white space should be intentional on your calendar. White space is the gift we give to ourselves each day to take a breathe between tasks.  

How much white space have you intentionally put on your calendar and why?

I’m in the middle of my own branding makeover. Due to a season of life change (we are empty nesters now and are not tied to our home), I wanted flexibility in how I delivered my productivity improvement services. My model has been primarily 1-1 onsite consulting so due to time alone, I max out on the number of folks I can work with and therefore also the amount of money I can earn.  I want to reach more small business owners – AND be able to work while we travel. I want to have my cake and eat it too! (Don’t we all really want that?)

So…I rushed to consider options like:

• Adding staff in the field to ”duplicate” me.
• Dropping some services all together.
• Helping my clients virtually – using techology tools so I could work with people from anywhere I had internet or phone access.
• Providing how-to information online so clients don’t have to wait for me.

I’ve opted to incorporate some of all these options. This process is forcing me to determine a strategy. I came across this article from Entreprenuer magazine.  In it, it gives three different case studies of large companies and their re-branding strategies. 

It got me to thinking, I’d really like to hear about strategies from small businesses that are more like me. Those that fit the small office/home office (SOHO) size. If you have something to share, please do so! Yes, we can learn from the big guys but it is also important to learn from folks just like you.

Have you reinvented yourself? What lessons can you share or what resource can you point a small business to?

Whew! It’s been a long day putting together information for my new branding/online marketing guys. They want to assess who I am, what I say and most importantly…who I connect with.  In marketing terms, that would be my “target market”.

So, here is a list of what you should compile to get a good picture of who you serve:

• Who are they?
  
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  Include the type of business, company structure, amount/type of staff, years in business, technology/computer skill level and particular tools they use.

• What are their demographics? Include gender, age, education, marital status, family life cycle, income, ethnic or religious background, and location.
• What are their psychographics? Include lifestyle, social class, opinion, activities or interests, and attitudes & beliefs.
• What are their problems, pains or fears?
• What solutions, benefits or desires do they have?

Do not under estimate the time it will take to write this down or the importance. The more information you can gather and then decide on, the better. Yes, I said “decide”. You (that includes me) MUST choose an audience to serve. The more focused you can be, the more you will actually connect with your target audience.

Thankfully, I had done this task some time ago but it was a good exercise to update it. Stay tuned…I’ll keep you apprised of our findings and next steps as it relates to my re-branding effort.

One of the most stressful events is when someone in your family gets sick or hurt. They need medical attention and you’re not 100% clear about the best place to take them so that you are still covered by your health insurance. Getting medical help is VERY expensive these days and if you don’t follow the guidelines of your specific plan, you could be costing yourself a ton of money.

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I speak from experience. We recently switched to a new health insurance provider and we’re now on a high deductible plan. I got clarity of how to ensure there is money in the Health Savings Account (HSA) account so if something happens I can claim the expenses. I had started the process of choosing a new doctor for all of us but hadn’t finished.

Then, of course it happened. This week, in the middle of the night, my oldest son had terrible stomach pains so bad we took him to the hospital emergency room. At 3:00AM I am logging onto my healthcare provider’s system to find which hospital is “in-network”. (Let me tell you now they could find nothing wrong with my son after blood tests, an xray and an ultrasound and think it may be a strained muscle for which nothing can be done. Now we wait.) 

Not only am I sitting in the hospital worried about my son, but I’m also stressing out inside about how much this is going to cost and what is the process. When I spoke with the hospital billing department I had no clue what would happen next. (We’d been on an HMO plan before where everything was covered.) My stress was dumb, dumb, dumb!

Here’s what we should all know about our health insurance to save time, money and stress.

• Choose your primary care doctor. Take the time to peruse the list of in-network doctors. Schedule your annual physical so you have a relationship with them so they know about you as a patient. Know their hours and choose someone who is available at nights and on weekends if this is important to you. Add this to your contact system, like Outlook.
• Choose an urgent care facility near you. Depending on your medical issue, this type of facility may be best and is definitely cheaper than the hospital. Pick one near you and know their hours. Most are not open at night or on the weekends. Add them to your contact system.
• Choose your hospital. Look at the ratings, ask friends for advice and see who your doctor uses.
• Ask your health insurance provider how billing works. Ask for each of the different service providers above. Will you pay at the time of service? If so, how much? Can you use a credit card? What will NOT be covered? What is your deductible and when does it max out? 
• Type all this info up on a list. Get the information out of your head and onto paper. If you are the one who is hurt, you won’t be able to provide the information to anyone else. Include the id and password to the online system plus any phone numbers for your healthcare provider. Put the list in a place everyone at home can get at.
• Give pertinent info to your employer. Edit the info list above to include only your specific details (not the rest of your family or your access codes). Place a copy in your desk at work and tell your Supervisor where it is. Better yet, give a copy to HR and let them put it with your emergency information.

I hate dealing with health insurance as much as you do. Yes, it is confusing and there is SO much paperwork that it seems over whelming. Yes, we have to make decisions and we’re not sure if they are right. Especially if you are self-employed, the options and costs can make your head spin.

The key is to take the time to do your research in advance and to document it. When we have a medical emergency is not the time to have to worry about anything else except how our loved ones are doing. 

(A note to employers: YOU need to know what to do if someone at work gets hurt or is sick, even if it is not work-related. We care about our staff like we do our family, be sure you can react quickly just like you would at home. Give everyone 15 minutes to write the information down above and give it to you. Be sure they are clear who you will use in the case of an emergency so they can tell their family.)

For two days now, I’ve been receiving a rather official looking email from Microsoft regarding the need to update Outlook. It looks so real it even made me wonder. 

Well, do NOT be fooled. It is a hoax! Do NOT click on any link or you will be downloading a trojan virus to your computer.

Even I know better. Microsoft rarely sends out an email regarding updates. You should get these directly from the Microsoft site. Your Automatic Update would catch this if it was real.

If, like me, you are really curious. Type the heading or enough information into a Google  search and you will surely get confirmation one way or the other.

Have you ever felt like this?

The woman in this picture could have been me at the end of today! 

The pace of the day was unbelievable. I started at 6:00 am and it didn’t let up until 7:00 pm. I went from one meeting to the next non-stop. Plus, each meeting required I either give a presentation, run the meeting or be engaged in a some heavy analysis. I am exhausted!

Several times during the day, I paused to check in with myself. My status check said “not good”. You really do know when the pace is SO fast that you don’t feel right. For me, I feel a bit out of control. I don’t remember things very quickly (which is why I must have lists.) I begin to get irritated when people drag on or don’t stick to the schedule.

Thankfully, I don’t have to live every day this way. I have been noticing that my pace picks up when I am nervous about finances or a looming deadline. My pace, or desired pace, is slowing down as I get older though. I’m only in my late 40’s but I do need more time to process incoming information. The desire for my pace to be slower when it isn’t causes stress.

So, how did I deal with this today? I good glass of wine always helps. Then after dinner I took a walk, or should I say, my dog took me for a walk? Either way, the exercise was good. Now I am going to get out out of my office and away from my computer to sit with my husband on the couch and watch some TV. I think I’ll watch some no-brainer show like “The Bachelorette“. I’m not usually one to advocate TV but this s-l-o-w pace seems appropriate for the end of this type of day!

Can you relate? What do you do to slow down your pace?

This was one of the questions I was asked this week by Jan Norman, a reporter for the OC Register for an article she was writing. She liked my answers enough to send a photographer out and I was the lead story for the article. Read the article here.

Especially for business owners, the “should” centers around, “Can you afford it financially?” and “Can you give up the time?”.

Let’s handle the money issue right now. You can (and must) be creative. Trips do not need to be long or expensive. Here are some ideas:

• Throw your stuff in the car and go away for a long weekend. Driving will save on travel costs.
• Get out in nature. Go camping. We did this a lot when our kids were younger and its fun to see them doing this now as young adults.
• Trade houses with someone or sign up to house sit for a friend while they are gone. The change of scenery will do you good.
• Look for deals right now as the travel industry is suffering. We can’t believe what we are seeing from the cruise companies especially.

 The real question is…”Why shouldn’t you take a vacation?” Everyone needs a break. Saying you don’t have the time is a joke. You need to get away, so does your family and so does your team. Often times we seem to focus on why we can’t get away and not enough on why we should.

Remember these benefits to both you and those around you:

• Renewed energy
• Greater sense of happiness
• Less stress
• Increased connection with those in your life (even yourself)
• Overall sense of peace

I am all about work-life balance. We have to engineer the balance in our lives. It won’t happen by itself. So if you can’t afford the trip to Spain this year like we decided, then be creative and decide something else. Just get away and make the trip happen.

How can you afford not too?

(If you’ve been places you think we should go, by all means let me know! I’ll keep sharing with you too.)

Did you know that 2009 is my year of “Playing Bigger”? I intend to make a huge step forward in my life. (You WILL be hearing more, especially right here on my blog!)

I’m strategically focusing on how to be happy, healthy AND wealthy. As I design my next work-life phase, I’m ensuring I will maintain a proper balance. (I’m playing golf at least once a week now!) Plus, I’m viewing money in a completely different light.
 

One of the tools I’m using to do this is a fantastically effective group coaching program by Jim Bunch, called The Ultimate Game of Life. Jim is hands down, one of the most effective coaches I’ve ever had.

He taught me how to look at life using the “9 Environments”. It’s an approach that keeps you well rounded and focused at the same time. I was going to write a long email and define the 9 Environments for you but Jim created a quick 3 minute overview video that can do it better than me.

Watch the video here!

What’s more? Get some free coaching from Jim. He’s having a call TODAY at 4:30 pm PST to fully explain the 9 Environments and show you exactly how to apply them in your own life. (You’ll get a taste of what I spend good money on!)

I apologize for posting this so late. I too, like things on my calendar in advance. Jim says even if you can’t attend today, sign up for the call and he’ll send you the recording.

Sign up for the call!

If you have any questions about the program or the “9 Environments” after you’ve listened, don’t hesitate to ask me. I want you to move forward in life too!

Hugs and blessings,

Debbie

I just did something for “me” that I am proud of and I want to share with you.

After 9 years (or maybe even more) of leading and coordinating a women’s bible study at my church, I have resigned. The study has grown from a group of 10 to now over 100. At times we’ve had 150 on the roster. In the beginning, I did everything. Choose curriculmn, teach, lead, shepherd, and communicate. We’ve grown in size and structure and I’ve had the priviledge to work with many women who have helped along the way. I did not do this alone. Strategically, working with church staff, we now have a structure in place with 11 small group co-leaders, a coach leader and team, a self sufficient admin and hospitality team and some gifted teachers. I have been able to use my organizational skills to build something wonderful.

I am ready for something else to take this place. I am ready to use my gifts of strategic planning and encouragement in a new venture. It was time to clear my plate to make space for something else. I am not clear what that is, but I know I will gain clarity soon. I am not one to be without ideas. On the contrary, I have way too many ideas!! (Can you relate?)

I feel like the Lord is leading me to something bigger that fits my season of life. I did what He asked and stayed in my position (when I wanted to move on) for the last several years to ensure there was a foundation in place. I feel good that I stayed and good that I’ve decided to make a change with respect to where I put my time and energy in being with other Christian women. I have grown SO much and I know they have too.

So, am I scared there is now a hole in my schedule? Heck YES! But I am also energized. I know I must be open to new directions that are in store for me. With prayer, counsel, and lots of introspection, I know the opportunity will present itself.

I am learning that I don’t have to have all of the answers to make a decision to move forward. The point is to move and I will learn from mistakes and triumphs what my path is. I am NOT going to over analyze things to death this time. (Yes, I can do that.)

I am not afraid. I have support in many places. I am open to a new direction! I believe this is critical in the process of moving forward. Stay tuned. I promise to share my journey with you.

Hugs and blessings,

Debbie

Tighten Your Belt

Especially with the current state of the U.S. economy, now is the time to tighten your belt. Without writing a novel, here are a few things a small business can consider in this expense category.

• For everyone who offers health insurance, the cost has gone up yet again, 33% since 2004. According to Towers Perrin’s annual Health Care Cost Survey, the average corporate health benefit expenditure in 2009 will rise 6% over 2008 figures.
  If you can do something now, do it. If not, start planning for next year.
• Look at where you are spending money on staff perks. It is important to motivate and reward staff but maybe you are over the top.
• Positive words and a big smile go a long way. Inexpensive incentives like movie tickets and small value gift cards are appreciated.
• Time off with pay, if even for an extra hour works too!

(This is just one post in the Tighten Your Belt series for this month. Got any additional ideas? Be sure to share them by adding a comment!)