What exactly is business development – especially when you’re a one or two-person shop? It’s funny how topics run in gangs – seems everywhere I turn the last week or two I’m reading about business development and time organization. Or is that my awareness is tuned there at the moment, so I’m paying more attention and it’s been everywhere all along?
I know there’s a cosmic law at work here, just not sure which one…if you know, please tell me…. My coach and I spent some time on this last week – by the way, having a coach is a major highlight of my 2010 business world. I’m writing a series on accountability for a client at the moment, and while it seems obvious that is a good thing, I think it’s something that those of us who are disciplined and have worked for ourselves for a long time think (maybe) we don’t need. Fresh eyes and insight are brilliant. Other people (well, talented people with the right skills…) can see things about us and our businesses which we just can’t, or won’t. But, I digress.
The bottom line question is this: what are you actually doing every day? Business-wise that is. What activities are you engaged in and what do they do for your bottom line – now and in the future? Are you allowing time for the learning, reflecting and planning that will allow you to take your business to the next level? Importantly, do you know what that next level is?
When you’re the proverbial chief cook and bottle washer, it’s easy to spend all your time in the areas that bring in the money right now and less time on the things that, if you paid attention to them today, would make you much more money down the road. And perhaps more easily as well.
Because two really great blogs showed up in my email box today on just these topics, I’m going to share those articles with you and recommend you read:
http://zenhabits.net/2010/02/kill-busywork/ which is a great guest post by Michael Stainer of http://www.boxofcrayons.biz/
And then check out: http://www.productiveflourishing.com/free-planners/ and read some very simple, elegant ideas about the art of meaningful action, combined with some great free tools about how to get that meaningful action accomplished.
Let me know what you think, and more importantly, let them know. Go get ‘em.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Sweet! Those are some great posts! I agree, sometimes when we’re in the middle of the fire its hard to see which way the future really is! When we get distracted by the urgent rather than the important we often lose sight of what it will take to have the success we REALLY want in the future.
The law of attraction states that that which we focus on we bring more of into our lives (or we shift our filtering so that we see more of it, either works). As you’ve started looking at this, you’re seeing more and more of it and its allowing you (and thus through your sharing, us) to grow in this area. Thank you for sharing!
Kimberly Castleberry´s last blog ..How To: Change Your Twitter Name Without Losing Followers
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Amy,
I love when you have the awareness of seeing something new on your horizon show up everywhere! I remember when I bought my Toyota Solara… I had never seen one before and now I SEE THEM EVERYWHERE!
I also love Zen Habits blog… what a great resource! Thanks for sharing these great tips and blogs. And I will let them both know you sent me!
Live a Juicy Life,
Susan
Susan Davis´s last blog ..30 Day Free Trial Approach to Goal Setting
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Hi Amy,
I still find it difficult to get the balance right especially when, like many others I am trying to do the fulltime job, fulltime mum, fulltime internet marketer thing!! Its really really hard but it I have definately learnt to utilise my time as best as possible.
Getting my inspiration from kids stories, the mums I talk to at the school gate, the policies and legislation I read about crime, health, education…whatever I am working on that day.
I checked out Michael Stainers posts, very valuable information here, others should go check them out too!
Thank you for sharing Amy a pleasure to read as always
Beth
Beth Hewitt´s last blog ..Successful Email Marketing.
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Really great resources, thanks Amy! I love the planners from Productive Flourishing, I downloaded the Weekly Productivity one.
At the start of your post when you talk about your awareness of the business development/ time organization information around you, it reminded me of when I was trying to get pregnant and it was taking a while…..suddenly everywhere I looked there were pregnant people, articles appearing in my inbox, etc. It really is true that what we put our attention on shows up (even though in this instance it was a bit hard to digest)! But I did get pregnant, so it all worked out in the end….;)
Beth Allen´s last blog ..Successful Weight Loss & Long Term Weight Management
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Definitely an extremely important question to answer, especially for us owner/operators. There is a delicate balance that needs to be learned here and if one doesn’t find it, You may be giving up money now or worse money down the line.
Thanks for sharing
Jose H. Caraballo´s last blog ..Forget Your Why…Begin With Your Purpose!
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