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Sunday night, you can feel the stress start to build
as you think about the week ahead. . .
Countless emails, innumerable voice mail messages,
the anticipation of unexpected colleague visits, and
always, new requests and changing deadlines. These
demands culminate in a growing anxiety, a feeling of
being overworked and overwhelmed.
Too much information, easy access, and not enough
time provide the recipe for frustration,
dissatisfaction, and, potentially, illness. This is the
challenge facing business owners.
What should you do? Focus on Friday to insure a
better Monday. Take time at the end of the day to
organize, review, and plan.
| Organize |
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Sort and file all loose documents including business
cards, receipts, and notes. Process your general
notes, journal entrees, and meeting notes by turning
them into appropriate action items or projects.
Log any significant accomplishments, training, and
good-will actions. Don't forget to attend to financial
matters.
Friday afternoon is a great time to balance your
budget and process invoices for payment.
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| Review |
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Skim previous daily calendar pages for remaining
action items. Take a few minutes to think about why
it didn't get done. Is it worth doing? If so, move it to
the beginning of the next. If not, delete it from your
to do list.
Evaluate the status of each project, goal, and
outcome. Note action tasks which are pending
responses from others for information, results etc.
Take a few minutes to send notes, requests for
follow-up and update others on your project status.
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| Plan |
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Transfer new, active projects and consider the
associated responsibilities to address. Prioritize and
estimate time commitments for the following week
and month.
Identify the resources
required to complete your action items. Schedule
time to meet with key individuals. As your business
grows you may need to seek external support to
meet your deadlines.
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| The Result |
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You will sleep better on Sunday night, knowing you
are off to a good start on Monday morning.
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A twenty year veteran of corporate America, today
Lorraine
Ball helps small business owners use planning
and creative thinking as a starting point for growth
and change.
Active in the local business community, Lorraine is
the recipient of 2005 Rainmaker of the Year Award.
She serves on the boards of Rainmakers and the
Network of Women in Business.
See Lorraine in Action
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