Thursday, April 7th, 2010 — —— — —— — —— — —— — —— — —— — — Spring Edition #163

Russell R. Shippee
Author, Speaker, Life Coach

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The Checklist Manifesto

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DEADLINES are our friends, not our enemies.

As of today I have met 163 newsletter deadlines. Usually, they are done at least a day ahead of time. Once it was late Wednesday night. The sooner I meet the deadline the better I feel. How about you?

We are entering the second quarter of the year. Shall I assume that you met all your deadlines for the first quarter? Shall I assume you'll meet many more this quarter so you can take some time off this summer? I thought so!

This week The Biology of Belief seems to be the book needed. Bruce Lipton is the author and I have heard him speak in Santa Fe as well as Boston. He's great and so is his book. I put it in the category of MUST READ. It is probably the book I lend out most often. Read The Biology of Belief. It's informative and interesting. Plus, it will help you in your daily life, both personal and business. click here — now!

If you missed the exit planning exchange we can still talk, one on one about the issues of selling a business, be it a family business or not. While the deal is important, the emotional side is the one that most often surprises you. Addressing it as part of the deal is critical.

Time Savers is back, by popular demand, as the next seminar. Yes, it is worth repeating for those of you who have not seen it. It was popular; and we think more of you will want to take advantage of it. sign up.

P.S. Remember, your time is limited, but not how you use it!

"The way to learn to do things is to do things. Success teaches how to succeed. Begin with the determination to succeed, and the work is half done already."

Mark Twain

"I know the price of success: dedication, hard work and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen."

Frank Lloyd Wright

"No one can arrive from being talented alone. God gives talent; work transforms talent into genius."

Anna Pavlova, poet.

"Winning starts with beginning."

Unknown

Kids have deadlines,
but most are NOW, we act in the NOW!

Adults seem to schedule things and then don't always do them when they say they will. Kids, why we just do it when we decide. We think it and then we just do it. The deadline is NOW.

DEADLINES

Deadlines motivate us, spur us to action, and are our friends.

Deadlines work for us. With them we get more done, feel better, and feel a sense of accomplishment.

Most tasks drag, and we naturally delay. A deadline stops the hesitation. A deadline gets us to act and finish. We finish and we feel good. Without the deadline we are hesitant and always want to do a little more, rarely finishing.

What about work and vacations? You are leaving Friday at 5, it’s a deadline and you can’t wait. Friday morning the tasks seem overwhelming. Somehow you get them done. Somehow the desk is clean and you are anxious to leave when the deadline arrives. You head out the door charged up. You got it done. You are leaving feeling good about what was done, and have energy for the vacation. It’s a win win.

Goals and objectives left undone just create frustration and pressure. How often do you look at a project you want to do, and keep walking past it, frustrated each time you walk by? When you set the deadline and do it, you’ll find that it took less time to do than the time you spent frustrated by it.

With a deadline we get more done. Getting more done makes us feel good, feel a sense of accomplishment, and increases our self worth. Everyone wins.

If you are like many people who procrastinate and delay, setting a deadline for yourself is positive and good. It spurs you to action you want to take.

Big projects can seem overwhelming, so overwhelming we never start. But, if we break the big project into it’s bite size pieces, it’s easy. Doing one piece at a time is manageable; and before you know it, the project is done. As the saying goes, ‘inch by inch it’s a cinch.”

As I write this, we are starting the second quarter of the year. Are you 25% through your goals for the year? If not, why not? Did you set a deadline? Too often people set goals for the year and the deadline is the end of the year. Well, that does not always work well. Break down the annual goals into quarterly goals, they will be easier to reach and you will keep on track. It’s breaking them down into bite size pieces.

Weekly deadlines are also great. In advance of the week, decide what you have time to do, schedule it, put a deadline on it and do it. Then, when the week’s deadlines have been met, celebrate.

The idea is to have goals, set reasonable deadlines, and then when you meet the deadline, take a moment to rest and celebrate. I like to set the week’s goals and, in the summer, accomplish them by Friday noon. The reward is Friday afternoon off. It works well. The deadlines keep me on track, and then I get to celebrate.

Deadlines are your friend. Set them and see how much more you get done.