Are You Managing Yourself? Part I: What is Self Management?

In my roles as trainer/facilitator and coach, I often witness (and help untangle)  similar workplace issues. One of  the most common tends to carry the over simplified label  "Time Management". Deadlines are tight,  there  are too many fires  to put out, too many meetings  and not enough hours in the day. Employees become overwhelmed. This leads to mistakes which in turn leads to fires which as many of us know, have a tendency to consume large parts of the day. Exhaustion and stress seep in.  By the end of the day we wonder where the time  went and why we weren't more productive.  Instead of us controlling the objectives and the outcome of the day, the day bulldozes over any good intentions and leaves morale and motivation in the rubble. 

This is where the idea of Self Management comes in.  According to Wikipedia, Self Management refers to  "methods, skills, and strategies by which individuals can effectively direct their own activities toward the achievement of objectives, and includes goal setting, decision making, focusing, planning, scheduling, time management, task tracking, self-evaluation, self-intervention, self-development, etc."

I appreciate this definition  because it  clearly states that individuals direct their own activities in the pursuit of achieving objectives.  In other words, it's  our own responsibility to set and accomplish our own objectives. There are various strategies to get this ball rolling, but before strategy shopping, consider this : Are you controlling your day or is your day controlling you?  Is your non-stop can't get a breath day filled with unproductive meetings?  Is the timeline you set for the latest project realistic? Do you allow time for "fires" or "catch up" time in your schedule? Are you spending some time each day doing those daily tasks that lead up to long term goal attainment or have your resigned yourself to become engulfed in the flames of the newest crisis?

Over the course of the next several weeks I will be talking about several key issues related to self management including self awareness, effectively handling yourself (and  your time) and goal setting.

Any words of wisdom? I'd love to hear from you!  I  look forward to exploring this topic with you.

Watch Out for the Pitfalls-Starting Your Own Business-4

Throughout the course of the past several posts I have focused on the pitfalls of business ownership and how to avoid them. This has been a labor of love based on the mistakes and setbacks that I have experienced since beginning my own business. I hope that the advise is helpful to you in some way.

That being said, I haven't talked too much about the positive side of owning your own business.  So, in this fourth and final installment of "Pitfalls" I will highlight the positives of small business ownership.

Flexibility
One of the biggest reasons that people launch their own businesses is for flexibility. This flexibility allows business owners to arrange their schedule in a way that is most conducive to them. For me, it is important to take my daughter to school every day and spend more quality time with her.  Because I have more control over my schedule, I have the ability to do this.  This also means that you can work at times and in ways that are most productive to you. Perhaps you are more of a night owl preferring to start the day late and work well into the evening. You have the ability to make the most of your peak performance times when your the boss.

What Commute?
Many small businesses are born out of the home office. This means that your commute is a direct line from the living room to the home office, instead of the 45 minute, congested highway that so many of us are accustomed to.  Think about how much time and frustration you are saving-not to mention gas money!

It's Not Really Work
When your career is a product of your passion then the effort that you put into it doesn't feel like work. When you have the opportunity to pursue your dreams and goals, then the hours fly by and wonderful things happen. I have rarely heard business owners complain about the long hours they put in, instead what I have witnessed is a coming alive and a passion that exudes from business owners when they talk about what they do.

I hope this series has been helpful to you! May great success come to you and your business!

Watch Out for the Pitfalls-Starting Your Own Business-3

Here are a few more pieces of advice for starting your own business based on our personal experiences. Read on to avoid our mistakes!

Have Patience
You may have a sound business plan. You may have the latest and greatest widget or service. You may have a large sphere of influence. You may even have one or two clients in the bag when you launch your business. One would think-certainly we did-that having all of these things would ensure that your new business would be rolling right along sooner rather than later.

The truth is that it takes time-typically 6-12 months-for a business to get going. And that's assuming that you are doing the things you're supposed to be doing like pursuing your target market, building a name for your company locally, attending the right kind of events and participating in the right types of groups, etc.

Be prepared to spend the first six to twelve months doing a whole lot of work, being in front of your computer a lot and working on relationship building-without a lot of short term return. Remember, these things take time and the work you do today plants the seeds for tomorrows harvest.

Befriend Those Who Know More than You
For us, this meant working with a mentor. We were fortunate in that one of my good friends is a highly respected member of the business community and had successfully run several businesses for many years. We continue to bend her ear and seek advice on a regular basis.

We also created an advisory board to help us fill in the gaps on the stuff we didn't know.  We invited someone with a strong background in HR, someone else with a background in marketing and another person with a financial background. Bouncing ideas off the committee and hearing alternative perspectives, particularly in those areas in which we are not experts, has been tremendously helpful.

Look for pitfalls to avoid next week!