Archive for the ‘Time Management’ Category

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Are You An Oddball? How Being an Oddball Can Help You Succeed!

April 16th, 2010 by Administrator | No Comments | Filed in Goals and Obstacles, Stress, Time Management, health

Did you know that only 1% of people make over 350K a year? That means that 99% make less than that. If you want to be in that top one percent, that means you have to think and act differently that 99% of people. You have to go against the grain, and that probably means doing things in a different way than most people you know and are are around.

I love this statistic because it creates a mindset shift, not only about money, but about all areas of your life. Maybe you have no desire to make 350K a year. Maybe you just want to make a comfortable living while staying home and working less. Maybe money and business isn’t your end goal at all. Maybe you want to achieve optimal health, reach a fitness goal, or get a degree. You still need to act differently than people who are not doing whatever it is you want to do.

Whatever your “end goal” happens to be, you can rest assure that going against the grain and being an “oddball” will help you get there faster.

Health
Are most of the people you know healthy? And by healthy, I mean really healthy (energized, not sick very often, at a good weight, get enough sleep, not moody, etc.)… not the American definition of healthy. Most people opt to live with mediocre health and see a doctor when they are sick, then get a shot and some antibiotics. Chances are, if you want to have optimal health, you will have to incorporate dietary, lifestyle, and exercise habits into your daily life in order to prevent disease in the first place. This may mean you choose to go for a walk instead of watching TV, eat a salad when you would rather have fried chicken, and seek the help of other health professionals (nutritionists, personal trainers, naturopathic doctors, holistic doctors, etc.). You have to go against the grain and do things differently than the majority of people you know.

Biz
In business, if you want to achieve huge success, you have to plan on being a huge success right from the start. You want to play big and reach as many people as possible. You don’t want to stay small and mediocre…everyone else is doing that!

Academic Goals
We all know of “Bill Gates” types of stories where someone quit college and then went on to open a very successful business. And, maybe for some people, this is going against the grain. But, for some professions, you must obtain a degree to have a license to work (doctors, nurses, teachers, etc.). If your goal is to finish college for whatever reason, you must do things differently than the people who are flunking classes and dropping out. This may mean that you have to spend weekends studying while others are out partying. It also may mean you sacrifice other areas of your life for just a little while to see your end goal.

If your goal isn’t to get a degree, but to advance your life and business, you still need to stay on top of what’s happening in your industry. This may mean being a part of networking groups, going to seminars, and reading related magazines and journals when you’d rather be going to a movie.

I am not saying that you should never have leisure time. On the contrary, having “real” leisure time (really relaxing and not having the crackberry and laptop out) is crucial to success. And, by the way, it’s different than what most people do. Having dedicated work time and dedicated leisure time is a must, just be sure the two don’t overlap.

You have probably heard sayings about it “being lonely at the top.” Some people may regard this statement as putting yourself above others, but what I think it means is that you are on top of your biggest goals and dreams (your hearts desire). You will not let anything or anyone get in your way. You may have to decline social events at times, get past fear, and do things differently than most people you know, but it will payoff big-time when you achieve those goals!

So the next time you find yourself at home on a Saturday night studying, leaving your family for the weekend to go to a seminar, or asking for dressing on the side of that salad while your friend has the cheeseburger, relax… and own your oddball status!

You Grow Girl!
Brandi Hamrick
www.yougrowgirl.net

Quick Tip of The Week: Use Savvy Scheduling to Lose Weight!

March 9th, 2010 by Administrator | No Comments | Filed in Goals and Obstacles, Time Management, health

Here’s good news for planners who like to have a “routine” and schedule everything from vacations to meals….

A study from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California reports that mice who ate at the same time everyday and fasted for 12 hours at night turned on genes that burned more sugar and fat than mice who weren’t on the routine.

This supports the theory that humans who follow similar eating habits would do the same!

You Grow Girl!
Brandi Hamrick

The Keys to Your Future

March 2nd, 2010 by Administrator | No Comments | Filed in Goals and Obstacles, Organization, Time Management

Here are the 3 Keys to Getting What You Want From Your Future:

1. Vision
Set aside a certain amount of time to dream and vision about the future. Vision your outcome, write down your goals, etc. Just make sure to keep that time in check. You should be visioning for just a little while each day to pump you up so that you have lots of energy and steam to achieve those goals. However, spending tons of time dreaming and no time doing will leave you right where you are now and your future will never come.

2. Plan
Once you know what you want from your future, it’s time to plan out how you will get there. Break big goals into small mini-goals (example: a small step for being on Oprah may be to tackle local news stations first so that you are well-prepared for the big league). Then break those mini goals into smaller steps. Planning for your future is not a waste of time. In fact, it has been shown that for every minute you spend on planning, you get at least 10 times that back in the future because you have a concrete plan and are not wondering around aimlessly. It’s easy to see how spending just 10 minutes each day on planning will really pay off in the future.

3. Do
The best way to get the future you desire? Take action. Once you’ve dreamed and planned, actually do the work it takes to get what you want from your future. Let the fear of failure and rejection go and put those plans into action!

Follow this simple 3 Step Process now and you will achieve your goals and be living your dream in no time!

Brandi Hamrick
www.thequeenbcoach.com

Just Say No!

February 25th, 2010 by Administrator | No Comments | Filed in Goals and Obstacles, Organization, Stress, Time Management

Feeling stressed or overwhelmed? If you feel like you don’t have enough time to do everything you need to do, then you are saying yes to things you shouldn’t. We all have enough time to accomplish everything that we need to, so look over your list and see what you can say NO to.

Remember, you have time to do anything you actually need or want to do, just not EVERYTHING under the sun!

Brandi Hamrick
The “Queen B” Coach
www.thequeenbcoach.com

Your Present is Here!

February 23rd, 2010 by Administrator | No Comments | Filed in Goals and Obstacles, Time Management, Uncategorized

This is the second part of our 3 part series on how to make the most effective use of your past, present, and future so that you can live your best life and achieve your goals!!! If you need to catch up on the past, click here.

The present is the life that you are experiencing right now. The present is the shortest time span because it only lasts for a moment before it becomes the past, but it is the most important of all 3 time spans. It’s funny how that works, isn’t it? The tiniest range of time makes the biggest impact on your life. The choices you make right now, in the present, set the direction for the rest of your life.

In fact, the paragraph above is already a part of my past because I am typing this paragraph right now. If you are reading this, the entire article is now a part of my past because that means I have finished it and published it. The paragraph above is a part of your past because you are now reading this paragraph. This paragraph is your present because it’s what you are doing at this particular moment in time.

It’s true, the present only lasts for a second, and then it’s gone. The trick is to make decisions in these seconds that you have that set you up for success. Here are the best ways to use your present to your advantage:

1. The present affects your future.
If you choose to spend the present time stealing an automobile, you are likely affecting your future by being arrested, having to go to trial, and you will possibly give up several years of your life in prison. If you choose to lay around on the couch too much and not exercise you are affecting your future by gaining weight and not being healthy (notice I say lay around too much, go ahead and relax sometime!).

Likewise, if you choose to use the present time you are given to make good decisions you will be in a better place in the future than you are right now.

Ask yourself: “How does what I am doing right now affect my future?” If it isn’t helping you, it’s hurting you, so choose something else!


2. The Present is Real
The present is the only real, actual time that you have. You can’t go back in time, and you can’t predict the future (you can help the future, but not predict it). You can control what you do right now though.

3. Be in the moment.
Even though the present is the most important time frame, it is the most neglected.
People usually do one of 2 things:
1. They think to much about the past or
2. They think or worry too much about the future.

If you think too much about the past you aren’t using your time and resources effectively now, in the present. You are also letting your past define you and control you. Likewise, if you are constantly worrying about the future (what if this and what if that) you aren’t using the time you have to plan for the future.

Using your time in the present to plan for the future is smart, using your time to dream about the future without planning is not. You can’t spend all your time dreaming and visioning without backing those visions and dreams up with solid, concrete actions. Otherwise all of your time will be spent dreaming for a future that never comes.


4. Live in the moment.
Live in the moment by enjoying the time and life that you have right now. When you find yourself dwelling too much about the past or worrying too much about the future, simply come back to the present moment. Take a few deep breaths and concentrate on simply being in the present for a few moments. Next ask yourself, “what can I do right now to best positively influence my life?”

Remember, the present is powerful because if you don’t like your past you can change. Start making different decisions and creating new habits that support your goals. We all have the same amount of time given to us, no one has more or less than you.

Brandi Hamrick
The “Queen B” Coach
www.thequeenbcoach.com

You Do Have Time to Exercise!

February 18th, 2010 by Administrator | No Comments | Filed in Lifestyle, Time Management, health

Too busy to exercise?

New studies have shown that small bursts of exercise throughout the day have similar benefits to working out for longer all at once.

A brisk 10-minute walk after rising, another at lunch, and one after dinner can give you health benefits without compromising your schedule! Add a few lunges and squats while talking on the phone or watching TV and you will be fit in a flash!

Brandi Hamrick
“The Queen B Coach”
www.thequeenbcoach.com
www.yougrowgirl.net

Brandi Hamrick is a lifestyle expert and success coach who empowers women to go from “busy bee” to “Queen B” of their lives and businesses so they can grow into the person they are meant to B!

Using the Past Effectively

February 17th, 2010 by Administrator | 3 Comments | Filed in Goals and Obstacles, Time Management

Today we begin the first article in a 3-part series about your past, present, and future. We will start this week with the past, and over the next few weeks talk about the present and future and how to use them to your advantage so that you can achieve all your goals and live your best life!

The point of this series is to make the best use of all 3 time frames so that you can effectively use your time.

Throughout this series, keep this in mind: You should learn from your past, but not dwell on it. You should be in the moment, but not live for the moment; and you should plan and dream for your future, but your happiness should not depend on it.


Ideally, you want to balance your past, present, and future. You need to learn from your past so that you can grow and avoid making mistakes. You need to use the present in order to create the future that you desire. The problem is that the majority of people don’t use the present to their advantage. They are either spending too much time dwelling on their past, which holds them back, or they are visioning about the future without being content in the present or taking any steps to turn those dreams into reality. Today we will cover the past, next week we will talk about the present (our only true reality), and finally, we will cover the future so that you can effectively use your time today to get where you want tomorrow.

The past
Your past is important because it has shaped you into the person you are today and has given you the experiences you need to become the person you are intended to be.

Here are 3 Ways to Use the Past to Your Advantage:

1. Don’t Dwell on the Past

The problem with the past is that if you think about what could have been or should have been, you are subconsciously victimizing yourself and inhibiting your growth for the future.

Notice I said that you are subconsciously victimizing yourself, not that you are playing the role of the victim. There is a big difference. If you spend time and energy thinking about how your life would be different if you hadn’t divorced, if your child didn’t make certain choices, if you came from a different background, if you weren’t sick, if you had chosen to go to college or picked a different career, you are only hurting yourself. Here’s why:

If you choose to speak (or even think) about “what if” you are sending a huge, red, strong, powerful signal out to God, the universe, yourself, and everyone else around you that you are lacking. You should just paint a sign and wear it around your neck that says: “I do not have the resources to be the person I want to be and I am not ready to live out my desired life.” You are essentially saying that you do not have enough. You don’t have the experience, wisdom, creativity, time, or other resources to accomplish your dreams. You will be stuck where you are and you will get nowhere.

If, on the other hand, you learn from your past, but don’t dwell on it, you are sending out signals that you are exactly who you are intended to be and that you are ready to live out your purpose.

I believe that God places desires in our hearts for a reason and that if you can think it you can create it. I also believe that we all are given the same resources and opportunities (though we may not take them). If you don’t believe this, then you are putting yourself beneath others and inhibiting your own growth. You are saying that you aren’t as smart, capable, or resourceful as someone else. No one is smarter than you, no one is better than you, and no one has more time than you. We all have 24 hours in the day, we just use them differently.

Your life throws you the experiences and obstacles that you need to live your purpose. If you watched the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” you know that the main character had not been properly educated and had grown up in extreme poverty with no parents. He was able to answer all the questions correctly to win the million dollars because of all the trials and experiences he had. It was his destiny to do so. But, what if he was out making really poor decisions with his life and dwelling on the fact he had a tumultuous childhood? He wouldn’t have taken (or even known of) the opportunity to be on the game show.

Maybe one day we will all have time machines so that we can go back and see if certain things would have affected the outcome of our lives, or so that we can visit different dimensions (where anything that is a possibility happens). Okay, enough with the quantum physics. The reality is that we can’t go back. Maybe things would have turned out better for you and maybe they wouldn’t have…or maybe they would have been worse.

What’s more, “what iffing” is a huge waste of time. If you are using the time you have in the present to think about what shoulda-coulda-woulda been then you are not using your time effectively to get to where you are supposed to be (if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas, right?). It also brings back those same negative feelings from the past. Bottom line: shoulda-coulda-woulda isn’t productive and doesn’t serve you in any way, shape or form.

Imagine for a moment that you are on a road trip. The trip is supposed to take 2 hours and you are currently at 1.5 hours. Suddenly you realize that you aren’t on the right road. You missed the turn you were supposed to take 30 minutes back. Now, you will have to drive 30 minutes until you reach the road and then you will still be 1 hour from your final destination. You are 1.5 hours away when you should be only 30 minutes away. What do you do? Do you waste time pointing to the spot on the map that you “should” be at by now? Do you let yourself get upset about this mistake, or beat yourself up about it? Does it serve you to obsess over the fact you aren’t as far along as you would have liked? Will it get you to your final destination any faster? Or, perhaps you will take a moment to pull over and look at your map to see what the best possible route is from where you are right now.

2. Learn From the Past

Learn from your past. Learn from all those mistakes and experiences so that you don’t waste time repeating them and so that you can help the world become a better place. Learn from other peoples’ mistakes while you are at it.

We all can think of someone who keeps making the same mistakes over and over. Maybe they keep going back to a bad relationship or choosing an abusive partner, or maybe they can’t learn from their career mistakes. Whatever it is, we should all learn from our past.

Our past serves us best when we can learn from it and make the best possible choices for today.

3. Don’t Live in the Past

Are your best years behind you? I can remember graduating from high school and hearing someone say they were so depressed because they just knew that was going to be the best time of their life and it was over. I can remember thinking, “the best part of your life is over…at 18?!” Don’t get me wrong, I liked high school and made some good friends, but I was looking forward to the future and I sure as heck wasn’t going to defeat myself by saying the best days of my life were over.

The truth is, that person probably did have his best days in high school. Not because he couldn’t have gone on to live a great life, but because he told himself over and over that those were his best years. No matter your age and stage in life, know that your best days aren’t over. They have yet to come.

You may have anticipated getting married and raising kids your entire life. Maybe your marriage is over and/or your kids are grown. Maybe you feel like your best days were in high school, college, or your childhood. Set new goals. Achieve new things and challenge yourself.

4. Forgive

Forgive those who have wronged you. I don’t mean have lunch with them, see them, or even call them. I just mean to forgive them in your heart. You don’t have to like everybody. There are people in life that you just don’t get along with and are best to stay away from. But, holding a grudge is like carrying that person around on your back every second of everyday. You can never escape from them. Forgive those who have wronged you in your own heart and immediately lighten your load.

Brandi Hamrick,
“The Queen B Coach”
www.thequeenbcoach.com

Brandi Hamrick is a lifestyle expert and success coach who helps women go from “busy bee” to “Queen B” of their lives and businesses so they can grow into who they are meant to B!

Bigger is Better!

February 11th, 2010 by Administrator | No Comments | Filed in Goals and Obstacles, Organization, Time Management

If you want to achieve big things, you need to play big and think even bigger!

1. Brainstorm Big!
Hopefully you have a notepad or journal where you brainstorm and write down all of your brilliant ideas. This is a great first step in playing big, but why stop at just a small notebook? Why not use a huge drawing pad to record your ideas? Get a large artist or easel pad to brainstorm. Also get really big, fat markers to go with them. Start writing all of your “big” ideas on “big” paper! If you have a blank wall in your office, you can also use it to stick all of your creations on for inspiration. This can also be helpful when writing a book or doing anything in sequence because you can arrange your papers and notes in the order you like.

2. Vision Big!
Once you have brainstormed, sit with your ideas for a few days to figure out if they are really something you want. If the answer is yes, vision yourself in the best possible outcome imaginable. No small finishes here, I mean think really big! Once you have the biggest and best outcome pinpointed, start from the finish line and think backward to outline the necessary steps needed to achieve this goal. For instance, if you want to write a book, you may have envisioned being a best-selling author on Oprah. Start with the end goal in mind and think of as many steps as you can in between Oprah and where you are right now.

3. Get Moving!
Once you know what you want, start with the first steps needed to achieve your goal. If you want to write a book, set aside even just 2 hours a week to write. Also set goals for how many typed pages you will finish in that 2-hour period. You will be surprised at the progress you will make simply by getting started. Then you will be well on your way to having that best seller in no-time! The important thing is that you start taking even small steps today to achieve those big goals for the future.

Achieving your goals can be as easy as 1-2-3 when you are thinking BIG!

Brandi Hamrick
“The Queen B Coach”
www.thequeenbcoach.com

Ask Brandi: I Feel Like I Haven’t Gotten Much Accomplished This Year!

December 16th, 2009 by Administrator | No Comments | Filed in Ask Brandi, Goals and Obstacles, Organization, Time Management

Dear Brandi,
As this year comes to a close, I can’t help but looking at the goals I set for myself last year and am realizing I am not going to achieve some things that I wanted to. This makes me feel very unmotivated and lethargic. Any advice?
Rachel

Hey Rachel!

Thanks for your question. First of all, big Kudos to you for actually setting goals for yourself! I can tell that you don’t realize what a great thing you have done by not only setting goals for yourself, but reviewing their progress. This calls for a celebration, so pat yourself on the back!

If you haven’t gotten as much accomplished as you would have liked, there are two things (or a combination of both) that could be wrong here.
1. You didn’t give yourself enough time to achieve the goal
2. You didn’t manage your time and plan well

I am betting you put too much on your plate. I am also betting you got much more accomplished than you are giving yourself credit for, but you are concentrating on what you DID NOT accomplish rather than what you DID accomplish. In the next couple of weeks there will be a complete E-zine on goals, but here are some of my favorite tips to get you started in the right direction for next year (let’s use losing weight as an example to keep things simple):

* When writing down your goals, have a base goal and a stretch goal. Make the base goal something easy that you know you will achieve and make your stretch goal much harder to attain. For instance, you may want to lose weight and you may want to make it to the gym everyday, but that’s probably a stretch. Set your base goal as going to the gym 3 times a week and your stretch goal as going 6 times a week. You are achieving your goal as long as you make it 3 times, and deserve a big pat on the back, and you can really celebrate if you happen to hit your stretch goal! If you set goals that are too rigid from the beginning, you will feel like a failure even if you really got a lot accomplished. By setting both base and stretch goals you are accomplishing goals at a comfortable pace while challenging yourself at the same time. Consider rewarding yourself with a manicure, massage, or scented candle when you hit a stretch goal for the month.

*Set mini-goals. If you are setting all your goals at the beginning of the year and expect to have them finished by December, you must create mini-tasks throughout the year. List all the steps it will take to achieve your goal and then assign deadlines for them throughout the year on a monthly or quarterly basis. This way you don’t forget about your goals until the end of the year. Say you want to lose 20 lbs this year. Set a goal of losing 1-2 lbs each month and check in with yourself to chart your progress monthly.

*When you accomplish a goal, no matter how small, put it on a separate list. Keep that list so that when and if you don’t reach a goal, you can refer to that list to see what all you have accomplished!


Good Luck!
Brandi Hamrick
The “Queen B” Coach
www.brandihamrick.com

The Art of Delegation

November 7th, 2009 by Administrator | No Comments | Filed in Career, Goals and Obstacles, Lifestyle, Time Management

If you are like most people, you have a lot on your plate. Chances are you are busy and have a to-do list a mile long. One secret of successfully managing time is being able to delegate tasks properly. Choosing the right person for the right task is a valuable tool in getting stuff done in record time!

Whether it’s at home or work, you can benefit from learning the art of delegation:

Lose control. One thing holding many of us controlling types back from delegating is the fear that it won’t get done right. “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself!” Remember that old saying? But, if you take the time to educate someone on how to do a task properly, it pays off in the long run.

Show your spouse and kids how to do household chores correctly, and give step-by-step guides at your workplace. Follow up with lots of positive reinforcement and only constructive criticism. Think, “It helped me out so much last week when you handled those tasks, feel free to step in whenever you can,” not “Can’t you do more around here?”

Decide what to delegate. Deciding which tasks to do yourself and which to hand over can be tricky, but starting with the chores that you are bad at, and like the least, is a good place to start. It’s not that you are dumping all the grunt work on someone else, because we all have to do chores we don’t like, but delegating things we aren’t good at can be a good use of time.

For example, if you are starting a cake decorating business, you may be super good at running a bakery. You may, however, be really bad at working with computers and have no idea how to create a website on your own. Web development may be something you should consider delegating. A virtual assistant may be able to create a nice website for you in a few days at 10-15 dollars per hour. It may take you weeks, or even months, to learn how to create the same website yourself. You could have created a lot of cakes (doing something you are good at) in that amount of time.

This holds true at your house. If your 13 year old is great at setting up the electronics, then let them!

Don’t get me wrong, learning how to do new things is a great way to help keep our minds sharp. But, unless it’s something that interests you and you have an interest in learning about, let someone else do it!

Brandi Hamrick
The “Queen B” Coach

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