PRACTICE MOTIVATION, ENDLESS AND ABUNDANT

Of all the questions I get from readers, the two that come
up the most are about "procrastination" and the desire for
"motivation." What strikes me is how goal-oriented and
ambitious TIPS subscribers are!
But, from your emails about procrastination and motivation,
I'm also struck by how quick some of you are to be critical
of your own performance! That seems like such a waste!
Observe what is real, of course! Learn from your own
behavior, obviously. If you see things you want to change,
take action! But to be harsh with yourself for
procrastination or lack of motivation? I don't see the
advantage in that. It seems like wasted energy.
Especially since I see procrastination and motivation as
opposite sides of the same coin. When I lack motivation for
a project, I tend to procrastinate. But when I'm full of
enthusiasm, energy and determination, procrastination
rarely even occurs to me. And my clients seem to be the
same way.
And motivation is entirely a "do it to yourself" project.
One of the best things I've ever heard about motivation
came from the late Zig Ziglar. Zig was a genius and was
deeply loved by millions of people. His words and ideas
transformed thousands of lives. And truer words have never
been uttered than his famous quip that, "People say
motivation doesn't last. Well neither do showers. That's
why I recommend both every day!"
Motivation comes from knowing exactly what we're trying to
accomplish, and why. When we are absolutely clear about the
results we want to achieve and have a precise, detailed
list of the advantages that will come to us and our loved
ones from achieving them, procrastination doesn't stand a
chance!
Ask any kid who wants to stay up past her bedtime. Ask any
teenager eager to get their driver's license. Ask a young
man hoping to impress the love of his life, or a young
mother how much "interest" she has in being the best mother
she can be! Procrastination is NOT a problem! Their goal is
clear, and their reasons are powerful!
When you are clear about exactly what you want to learn or
do, and are also clear about your reasons, motivation will
keep you up all night long. Ask the college student
cramming for finals!
One of my personal mentors, Jim Rohn, often observed that
"when you have enough reasons, you can achieve any goal."
The key is clarity about the outcome, and precision about
the "why." And those two things are entirely, and only, up
to you.
What are your goals for this summer? What, exactly, will
you learn or build, buy or sell, read, do, or achieve by
September? How will you measure success? Who are your
cheerleaders? Who's on your MasterMind team?
Answering those questions tells you WHAT you are striving
for and who will help you along the way. They give you a
clear picture of success, and benchmarks to measure your
progress.
The next steps to building motivation and eliminating
procrastination are your REASONS for achieving your goal.
And reasons are intensely personal. One person wants to hit
a sales record to win the prize, while someone else needs
the income, and the "new guy" just wants to keep her job.
Whatever your REASONS, they are the drivers behind
motivation. With enough, and big enough REASONS, motivation
will never be a problem!
Here are some practical suggestions:
1.  Re-write, and then re-read, your goals every single
day. Be specific. Keep them measurable. Every single
morning!
2.  List your REASONS for achieving your goals, every
single day. This is essential. Vague reasons ("it would be
nice") kill motivation! How will you and your family
benefit? How will success fulfill your values, and your
life? Write it all down.
3.  Value your "cheerleaders." We all need enthusiastic
people who love us and care about our results. Family,
friends, co-workers, coaches and even folks you've never
met will benefit from your achievement. Let them know how
to hold you accountable and cheer you forward!
4.  Read and listen to inspirational stories, every single
day. Buy and listen to the classic talks by Ziglar and
Rohn. They are timeless and never get old. Read
biographies--if others have done it, so can you!
The dog days of summer can make us lazy and rob us of
motivation. Don't let that happen! This is your life! You
will never have a second chance to make today, this week,
or this summer absolutely fantastic! Get up early, start
strong, focus on your goals and keep going all day long.
There is no substitute.

FOCUS ON WHAT YOU DO BEST

This week the old adage to focus on what you do best and
hire someone to do everything else came home loud and
clear. 
I have a client who’s business requires extensive
bookkeeping and accounting functions. He used to have a
full-time bookkeeper to support his real-estate and
investment interests, but then he decided "it cost too
much, and I thought I could do it cheaper on my own." Well.
As you might guess, by now his books are a mess. The truth
is that he’s not a detail person. He does not enjoy data
entry on the computer, and he kept "putting it off until
later. I always thought I’d catch up on the weekend, or
next week." Unfortunately, that never happened.
My client is extremely good at investing, and his passion,
talents and interests are in the creative, entrepreneurial
side of his business. Ironically, he is very good at
reading financial statements to evaluate a possible
investment. But as a bookkeeper, he needs to fire himself!
We all have our areas of expertise and passion. In our
areas of strength, we are geniuses. Outside those areas,
however, we are doomed to frustration, and sometimes
outright failure.
Do what you love. Do what you do best. Emphasize your
talents and give your customers the extras that only you
can give them. But for goodness sake, hire someone else to
do the things you can't do, won’t do, or do badly. You
can't afford to spend your life being inefficient, wearing
yourself out, and spending the rest of the day being
cranky.
Go with your strengths! You’ll make more money, have more
fun, and be much more successful!

THE OPEN PLAN OFFICE SURVIVAL GUIDE

Open plan work environments are the norm in most organizations. Some are even going further, introducing 'hotdesking' where your workstation is allocated fresh daily.

Open plan environments are flexible, positively encouraging conversation, and for many an enjoyable part of working life. But inevitably, noise levels increase, particularly when combined with distractions such as impromptu meetings, distribution of birthday cakes and background clatter of printers/photocopiers in use.

And it has to be said, open plan working isn't universally popular. The chatter, people walking past and increased interruptions sometimes causes loss of concentration, frustration and reduced productivity for some.

But since most of us don't choose where we're going to work on our first day in a new job, we adapt to the environment quickly. These 'Open Plan Working Etiquette' tips can help make this easier, and ensure you don't finish each day with a raging headache.

Telephones

Almost certainly the worst offender in any open plan environment, as a phone left ringing is difficult to ignore.

- One simple thing we could all do today to make a big difference to overall noise level would be to lower the volume of our telephone ring. Most of us forget to adjust it, and it usually doesn't need to be so loud when we're sitting close by.

When at work, switch your personal mobile phone to silent or vibrate mode to avoid distracting personal calls. Better still, switch off unless expecting a very urgent call.
Some ring tones are irritating so think about the impact on colleagues when choosing your 'signature tune'

- When away from your desk for any length of time, switch your phone through to voicemail or arrange with a colleague to pick it up and take messages

Assuming somebody else will do it (particularly if it always ends up being the same kindhearted person) can cause resentment in a team. This is particularly important at lunchtime when the pool of available people is reduced.
And of course, take your turn answering your team members phones too.

Visitors

Colleagues just dropping by for a chat, perhaps to ask questions or even the visiting new baby, can disturb others.
As few have a dedicated office, and meeting rooms are often at a premium, impromptu meetings can quickly develop within a work area. This open communication is great, really speeding up decisions for those involved. But it can be a major distraction for those not directly involved in the conversation.

- Minimize disturbances by politely asking visitor(s) to get to the point quickly if they're interrupting you

- Don't hold mini-meetings at your desk - move to an area where it's possible to talk freely without disturbing others

- Reduce interruptions by getting back to people quickly. This minimizes their need to chase you up repeatedly

Voice Volume

We're often unaware of our own voice volume, or how far sound carries, particularly on the telephone. Overhearing a colleagues' one-sided conversation is hugely distracting, even though we're not remotely interested in the content.
And the banter surrounding a colleague's new haircut or contents of their shopping bags after their lunch time trip - well, even the most dedicated can't help get drawn into the conversation.
- If we all used our 'library voice' the overall noise level would reduce

- Never use speakerphones in an open plan area - it's almost impossible to block out the noise, and really gets on people's nerves

- You know this, of course, but as I still hear it happening, here's the reminder; please don't just shout across the office when you want a quick answer. Walk across and ask quietly, or send an e-mail if non-urgent

- If you're easily distracted, try a 2-piece headset to block out sound. These block out much more background noise, so it's easier to hear your own telephone caller over the 'buzz'

- Use headsets in moderation. They're a great aid when you must concentrate. But used too much when you're not on the phone and colleagues may consider you aloof and inaccessible.

These simple tips can help make the most of the positive communication benefits of working in open plan environments, and minimize any negative impact on your productivity.   

ACCELERATE YOUR ABILITIES

In today’s fast-paced life, the wins usually go to those with exceptional skills and abilities. The old quote is true, “The race is not always won by the swift and the strong, but that is the way to bet.”

With this in mind, and with your desire to become increasingly successful, here are some ways to accelerate your abilities, thus enabling you to achieve greater and greater things.
Become dissatisfied with your current state.
Growth for growth’s sake is good. Those who will achieve much are those who say to themselves, “I want to grow. I want to be better. And I am willing to do what it takes to get there. This current state is not enough!” This dissatisfaction will create for you an insatiable drive to do what it takes to get your abilities to the next level.
Visualize the benefits of increased abilities.
Put them at the forefront of your mind. This will saturate your mind with the motivation that it will take for you to do what it takes to increase your abilities. What good will come out of my increased ability? How will I be better off as well as the others around me? The answers to these questions act as the carrot before the horse, moving you forward.
Understand your weaknesses.
If you want to improve, one of the best ways is to start with some area that you aren’t particularly good at. This is the “shoring up method.” Sometimes it is easier to improve something you aren’t good at that something you are. And the gains will still look great for your overall situation! Take some time to consider what areas you are weakest in and focus in on them for a while. The results will obviously be much more pronounced than getting better at something you have already somewhat mastered.
Attempt greater levels of what you are already good at.
Another tact to take would be to stretch yourself in an area that you already have some skill and ability in. What areas do you excel in? Now understand that when you leave the weaker areas weak and make extraordinary gains in one area, then you will be moving more toward “specialist” rather than “generalist.” That is okay, but needs to fit in with your overall goals.
Commit time each day to improvement.
Steady improvement is the way to go. In fact, you may not see improvement for days or weeks. You may feel like you are failing each time. But alas, eventually you will get it and your skill will increase to the next level. The key is day in, day out, spending time working on improving. Even five minutes a day equals a half hour a week, 2 hours a month. That adds up! Remember, Practice, practice, practice.
Seek out and spend time with someone who has greater ability than you.
One of the best things to do to increase your ability is hang out with people who are already more skilled than you. Watching, them, studying them, interacting with them, even competing with them will make you better. As in sports, to improve, you play with people better than you, not worse. They will raise you to a new level. Who around you can you get involved with who will help you with your ability?
Take a class or hire a coach.
Go to school my friend. Take a course at a local college or vocational institute. Take a class online. Hire one of the many coaches available today. Pick a specific skill you would like to improve upon and find someone who is a specialist in that area. At the very least, pick up some audio or videotapes to help you grow.
Be the tortoise, not the hare.
Slow but sure. Take your time, do it right. Keep going in the right direction. Learn your craft correctly. Don’t give up quality for speed. The whole idea of acceleration is this way: Slow start, work up to high speeds, go the distance. Luckily life isn’t a sprint but a marathon!
Hope these ideas help you as you commit to accelerating your abilities!