We would like to help change the idea of what an Entrepreneur is by helping people realize that Entrepreneurship is everywhere. Good managers are in fact entrepreneurs. Large corporations down to small businesses are made up of entrepreneurs. We would like to define an entrepreneur as a sort of project manager and innovator; that without our economies would fail (both personal and business). In the book, The Lean Startup, by Eric Ries he outlines the steps that we must take to have our goals become reality (everyone who is anyone has goals, by the way). It looks a little like this:

• Vision: start, define, learn, experiment
• Steer: leap, test, measure, pivot (or persevere)
• Accelerate: batch, grow, adapt, innovate

Just think how you can apply these principles to your life and you will recognize that everyone is an entrepreneur.

Since school will be starting this month and we just finished finalizing our academic planner... We thought it would be a good idea to share some inspiring quotes on education. Here are our favorites:

• "Education is all just a matter of building bridges.”  - Ralph Ellison
  
• “Some drink from the fountain of knowledge, others just gargle.”  - Robert Anthony
• “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.”  - Sydney Harris
• “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”  - Aristotle
• “The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one.”  - Malcolm S. Forbes
• “You never learn much from hearing yourself speak.”  - George Clooney
• “Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.”  - Albert Einstein
  
  

We would just like to take a moment to recognize how much we love network marketing companies and the people involved in them. What other kind of business can you work from home and have unlimited growth potential? They provide you with a product to sell, that people typically already use some form of, and you educate people and serve them with the product. The people involved are great at making connections and building great support groups. It is a remarkable experience to be involved in! 

What makes someone really successful at network marketing? They have a system; and they teach that system to the people they bring into the business with them! If it really is a great business, then everyone can succeed if they follow the system or process. We could give examples all day of companies that have these systems in place, but there are too many too list. Here at Time Managed we want to help people in network marketing succeed. Our planners are fully customizable with tracking sheets depending on your businesses metrics to be measured. We have created the "pink planner" for make-up consultants and some of the pages we inserted between the weeks and months can be found here. Please contact us if you would like help developing a system of tracking for your business. The benefit of the Time Managed system is it eliminates the need for a planner, tracking sheets, and a notebook because it combines them all into one place!

The planner is filled with quotes that inspire leadership, time management, and business life. Sara Jane, owner of Time Managed, has been collecting quotes since Junior High, where her leadership teacher had the class evaluate a quote daily. Great quotes can inspire you to action. Here are a few of our current favorites:

"All our dreams can come true-- if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." -Henry Ford

"Believe you can and you're halfway there." -Theodore Roosevelt

"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure." -Bill Cosby

"The art of communication is the language of leadership." -James Humes

Please comment and share your favorite inspiring quotes and they may be used in one of our planners!

It is a beautiful thing when your time is so organized that you know what you can do and when you should say no. It is important for those of us who are busy to recognize when we may be over committing our time. If you do not know where your time is spent and you take on too much, then you will not be giving your all where it is needed; it is a disservice to your clients, students, children, customers, family, etc. when you over extend yourself. When your schedule is clearly defined and you have your priorities, set then it is easier to say no. 

Along these lines it is important to recognize that it is okay to say no. You do not have to do everything that is asked of you. Clearly set your priorities. Block out where you want/need your time to be spent and stick to it. It can actually be more rewarding when you say no because you know you are being true to your priorities.

This is one of the first quotes that you get to ponder when you start using the planner. It could not be any more true. It seems that time flies; but we still control what we do with the time we have. 

Do you have fun daily? Do you look forward to things? Or are you just passing the time? Do you utilize a time management system to help you get the most out of your time?

Another one of our favorite quotes is " Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week's value out of a year; while another man gets a full year's value out of a week." Which one are you?

1. Read "The Little Miracles" for everything you need to know about networking properly. We suggest reading 10 miracles a day and applying them as often as possible.

                    CLICK HERE for your free copy of "The Little Miracles"
                   Download it on your Kindle or other reader application and enjoy!!!
   2.   Prepare before each meeting....

• Who do you want to meet?
• What do you want to accomplish?

   3.   Reflect after each meeting....

• What went right? What could have gone better?
• What was accomplished?
• Who do you need to follow-up with?

In business being consistent means providing the same products and services every time a customer visits. In time management being consistent means using the system you have in place so you don't miss appointments and everything is where it is supposed to be. 

In business inconsistency can mean lost clients. In time management inconsistency can mean lost time. Either way not being consistent means lost money.

Schedule life. Block time out for date night. Schedule time to cook dinner, do laundry, and play with your kids or pets. There are many urgent and important (not to be confused) tasks that we need to get done; but don't forget to live your life too.

We like to even block time for social media and emails. It is important to focus on the task at hand and by blocking out your time you can do just that!

Prepare: It is important to take time before meetings to determine what you would like to accomplish during the meeting. For example, if you are going to a networking meeting, you could ask yourself questions like "Who would I like to meet here?" Another example would be a client meeting, what are you going to cover with that person during that time. By taking the time to prepare for the meeting you ensure that you are utilizing your time to the maximum.

Reflect: Take time after meetings to reflect on what was covered during the meeting. What did you accomplish? What went right? What is an area that could use some improvement?

Prepare and Reflect for every meeting and you will maximize your time!

Using a "Do Not Disturb" sign can be as effective as not answering the phone as long as the people around you heed it. The idea here is again that interruptions take up precious time. If your time is valuable enough; it will be worth it to not be disturbed during certain activities.

I use a "Do Not Disturb" sign when I am with my one-on-one clients so that people around my office know not to barge in (although my sign does not look like the one pictured to the right).

This concept of a "Do Not Disturb" sign is especially important with home based businesses where family tends to just walk in. This can be a hindrance to your productivity.


We have uploaded a special Time Managed "DO NOT DISTURB" sign that you can print and utilize HERE.

It is really easy to set up your voicemail with a message that gives specific times that you return calls. When you pick up the phone to answer it, just because it rings, you are interrupting whatever your current task at hand is. How long will it take you to recover from that call? Is it worth answering the phone every time it rings?

Make sure your staff knows how to answer the phone and take messages for you. Let them know when you do not want to be disturbed. If you do not have staff to handle this task for you set up your voicemail message in a manner that lets people know when you check your messages. Some people even choose to  have their voicemail say a better method of contacting them like text or email. 

It is important to make sure that you put cushion time in your schedule. While thinking about what to write to expand on this topic we came across one of the definitions of cushion that is interesting and relevant. 

Cushion (noun): something helpful; something that limits the effect of an unpleasant situation.

That is exactly what cushion time does; it limits the effect of something unpleasant like your client being late or getting stuck in traffic. 

Cushion time can be as simple as leaving enough time between meetings to make sure you arrive on time. I used to be notorious for scheduling a hour long session with a personal training client at 8am and scheduling a nutrition client across town at 9am. It looked fine in my schedule but logistically would not work.

Even if you don't have to travel, cushion time between appointments can help give you a break and/or breathing room if a client or customer is early or late.

How about if it is a new place you are going to? Leave extra time to get there and figure out where you need to be. What if you have to go around the block a few times to find parking... will that make you late? Or did you leave enough "cushion?"

Participate in the activity of having a daily focus can help you accomplish more. It is something we teach in all our courses on time management and planning. We even incorporate it into a space in our planner.

From your daily focus you can determine what tasks are a priority that day. For instance, if the focus of the day is finances; your tasks may include paying bills, calling your bookkeeper, or creating a budget. If your focus of the day is social media then your tasks could be to write a blog, set up posts in Hootsuite, and film a new YouTube video. Another fun focus is just that; FUN. If your focus is fun you could have tasks like going for a hike, getting a massage or manicure, and going to brunch with the girls.

When you focus your day, and your tasks along with it, you are likely to get more items done because you have grouped your tasks. However, don't take our word for it... Give it a try!

Let's start by defining some terms:

• Doable (adjective): able to be done or achieved
• Task (noun): a piece of work that somebody is given to do, usually short in duration or with a deadline
• Project (noun): a planned program of work that requires a large amount of time, effort, and planning to complete

As you can see a doable task is different than a project. It is not to say that projects cannot be completed; it is that projects need to be broken down into manageable tasks.  For instance, if your project is that you need to complete your taxes. There are tasks within that project that need to be completed: calling your CPA, filing an extension, gathering certain documents, etc. 

A helpful tool for creating doable tasks from major projects is mind mapping. You can see an example below and you can also check out the YouTube video we did on how to mind map.

Record all your thoughts, conversations, and activities. It is very powerful when we write things down. It solidifies events, topics, and cognitions into our memory. By writing things down we get it out of our head; which can ease our worries and help us sleep at night. I choose to write everything in my planner; all the extra notes pages become a breeding ground for thoughts of greatness. I write down all appointments so as not to forget them. To look at my week all written out brings sanity to my crazy schedule. Try writing down all your thoughts, conversations, and activities and see how it makes you feel. If you don't feel good about it; it's time to make a change.

When we say 'organize' your schedule we mean to organize it so that no time is wasted. Try grouping similar tasks together so that you don't have to change gears as often. If you are scheduling appointments that you have to drive to; make sure that you block times for the area that you will be in, so you are not driving all over town.

Prioritize your schedule. What are the most important things for you to accomplish that day? Make these your top six  tasks. If something lands on your schedule that is not important or urgent then eliminate it (refine).

The following are our Top Ten Tips that we will elaborate on over the next few weeks.

1. Organize, Prioritize, and Refine your schedule.
2. Record your thoughts, conversations, and activities.
3. Practice project management.
4. Have a daily focus.
5. Schedule cushion time between appointments.
6. Try NOT answering the phone.
7. Hang a Do NOT Disturb sign.
8. Prepare and Reflect for each scheduled item.
9. Schedule the simple things in life too.
10. Be consistent!

The Time Managed planner and training were developed from a busy entrepreneur, Sara Jane Weidner, and a business consultant, Marla Keeble-Jungen. At coffee one day Marla asked Sara Jane "how do you stay so organized?" to which Sara Jane showed her planner. The planner has developed and evolved from there as have the training techniques. Marla utilizes the planner with clients in her Priority Focus coaching. Sara Jane helps friends and fellow business owners get organized with the planner, one-on-one training, lunch'n'learns, and corporate talks. 

The best way to get a hold of Marla is email: [email protected] If you would like to get in touch with Sara Jane then go to the contact us tab here.

The planner itself has monthly and weekly views. It is a fill-in-the-blank planner so it can be started any time. There are inspiring quotes on leadership, time management, and life on each week view. Other features include an area for a daily focus, top six tasks, incidental tasks, and plenty of room for notes. 

The Time Managed system can be modified for Corporate use with customized checklists, client tracking, sales tracking, and custom cover art. Please contact us for more information.