Archive for September, 2006

I used to be a salesman and one of my favorite books that I read and re-read over the years was “The Greatest Salesman in the World” by Og Mandino. This little book inspired me to be a better person as well as a better salesman. Og had a way with words and his stories would tug at your heart and make you think.

Og’s other books also ended up in my library including his classic about a ragpicker named Simon who changed peoples lives. Instead of actual rags that have been thrown in the trash, he searches for ‘human’ rags that have been discarded by society or by themselves when they’ve giving up hope. This is a memorable book and one that points out one of the true virtues of a successful person.

Og passed away ten years ago this September but his works live on.

I want to share a few of his excerpts from his books.

On the value of discipline…

“My dreams are worthless, my plans are dust, my goals are impossible. All are of no value unless they are followed by action.”

On persistence…

“To succeed you have only to take another step. If that should fail, then take another, and yet another. The greatest people never accept defeat.”

On goal setting…

“I will be my on prophet and though all may laugh at my utterances they will hear my plans, they will know my dreams; and thus there will be no escape for me until my words become accomplished deeds.”

Og truly had a great effect on my life. On those dark days in sales when nobody bought anything and the grips of failure would come over me, I could always find comfort with his little books. I would read a short chapter and the sun would come out again.

I’ll never forget his memorable quote…

“In truth, the only difference between those who have failed and those who have succeeded lies in the difference of their habits.”

Make it a habit to include Og on your reading list…

His little books may truly change your life.

I have been amazed at the power of working in a focused manner for a significant amount of time. Since my post on the power of 48 minutes, I’ve been testing different time intervals and doing different tasks. I added the ability to combine shorter tasks with focus cards that are marked with shorter time periods. This system works very well for me and I have found that 50 minutes is optimal before taking a break.

The question now comes up… how can I optimize a 50 minute time period on a daily basis? When I look at some of my long term goals many of them fit well into this type of daily focus. Tasks like writing a book, daily blog posting, and speech preparation all lend themselves to a structured work environment.

It is easy to see how a daily 50 minutes could really tie together into a weekly structure to create something really significant. I could write a chapter a day for a book project. This could yield significant results in a rather short period of time. Within three months it would be possible to complete the writing, editing and self publishing of a 150-200 page book.

Looking at other opportunities, it would be possible to develop a weekly structure that would allow a small blog network to flourish. Take a five day work week and develop a posting schedule for each day. You could configure the schedule to include up to three different web sites with a major emphasis on one and a lesser focus on the other two.

These ideas really resonate with me. I have two hours available every morning. The more I think about the power of focused work, the more I realize what is actually possible. The problem that usually arises is those activities that come up that conflict with this structured time. Work projects, unexpected items, and the expediency of the urgent all seem to come up way too often.

I usually take a step back and say… that sounds good… but it will never work. Something will always come up that will take precedence. I can hear those negative nabobs on my shoulder right now.

But I don’t want this negativity to ruin the power of focused work. When I look at what has worked for me in the past I realize that setting short term goals of 12 weeks usually works well.

What would happen if I set a daily focused work goal for 12 weeks? Can I keep up the consistency? Can I finish the book? Can I blog consistently 5 days a week?

Yes I can… but will I?

Will those negative voices win? Will the book be written?

Can important overcome urgent?

The 12 week period starts October 1st…

Since my last post about the power of 48 minutes, I’ve been testing different combinations of focused work time. I’ve tried 40, 45, 48, and 50 minute intervals and they all work well for long projects. The main consideration is having a good work area, some kind of timer, and a beverage warmer for coffee or tea. The ability to focus for a straight period of time is dependent on keeping the distractions to a minimum. When all of these things are in place my productivity soars.

A large project is pretty easy to focus on. If I’m writing a blog post for instance, the 50 minute time period works great. I just keep writing and keep an eye on the timer. When I have about 10 minutes to go, I know I need to wrap it up and upload the post. But what about smaller tasks? Is there a way to combine multiple ones into a focused time period?

I took a look at some of the outlining and organizing strategies that I’ve used before. I thought to myself, “There needs to be a way to organize tasks by time and combine them into a optimized focus time.” I tried a couple of things using the walleteer cards that I usually carry with me. I listed a smaller task on one of them and jotted down a reasonable completion time. I did this with multiple cards and did an experiment.

I set aside a time period of 50 minutes as it was easily dividable. I laid the cards out on the table and took a marker and marked a large number on each one of how much time I thought it would take to complete the task. I had two 15 minute cards and two 10 minute cards. I set the timer for 50 minutes and took the first 15 minute card out of the stack.

I started working on the task (sending an e-mail) and I noticed right away the urgency to get the task done. I would glance at the timer from time to time. I finished up the correspondence in the allotted time. There was something about being timed that kept me on track. E-mails have a way of being huge time hogs for me as my constant revisions really eat up time. With a timed focus I wrote faster, did one final spell check, and then send.

I pulled out the next card which was another 15 minute card. This one was a reply to a blog post. I started writing and found that this whole experience was like a game. I glanced at the timer and kept writing. The words came much easier now that I had a deadline. Short and concise was the name of the game. I finished the reply and clicked send. On to the next card.

The next task was to change the text on a computer graphic in 10 minutes. I fired up Photoshop, loaded the graphic, changed the text, and saved the file. I had the urge to mess around with the file but time contraints kept me focused. I uploaded the finished file to the webserver and then took up the last 10 minute card.

This one involved burning a CD for work. I opened Nero, put in a blank CD, copied the files, and clicked burn. It seemed to take forever to get going. I couldn’t help watching the timer. I was at the mercy of this software… come on… burn… faster… faster. It was like watching a Nascar Race. Would Nero make it on time? The finish line was fast approaching as the timer clicked down… but Nero came through at 48x. I ejected the disk with a minute to spare.

This was fun and I can say that any one of the individual tasks could have easily eaten up 50 minutes. There was some amazing competitive power in these cards. I decided to design some card sets in Word with the minutes watermarked into the background. Two 50 minute periods produced three sets of cards that I can use for most any task.

I would like to share these with you. The first set has 9 cards from 5 minutes to 45 minutes. The second is a sheet of all 5 minute cards and the last is all 10 minute cards. These are easily printed on normal Avery business card stock.

Here is how you can use them…

• Print multiple sets
• Allocate tasks throughout the day on the cards
• Use the proper time card for each task
• Set aside a focused 50 minute period
• Put them in a stack and start with card one
• Go, Go Go!

The cards are ideal for similar tasks in one area. I find that grouping activities by computer, phone calls, and task items works well for me. Sales people and others who must make a lot of phone calls or send multiple e-mails may find the 5 and 10 minute cards very helpful.

Download the Focused 50 cards here

• Focused 50 Cards
• 5 Minute Cards
• 10 Minute Cards

For other downloadable card sets check out

• Five Minute Organizer
• Five Minute Flowchart
• Five Minute Outliner
• Five Minute Motivators
• Instant Garage Sale
• Five Minute Diet Planner

Is there magic in the number 48? Does this number hold any significance in your future success? Speaker Don Crowther suggests that there is. In his presentation at the NSA Summer Symposium, Don told the audience that 48 minutes is the magic number. Here’s how it works… Set a timer for 48 minutes. Close out all distractions and work continuously for 48 minutes. When the timer goes off, get up and stretch, get coffee, use the restroom etc, in the following 12 minutes. Repeat as necessary.

Don reports that this technique repeated four times a day allowed him to write a 200 page book in just two weeks. The ability to focus on one task for 48 minutes straight was the key. I have been testing Don’s idea and I have to say it works well for me. This eliminates the distractions that have a way of derailing even the best laid plans. Taking a short 12 minute break once an hour is refreshing but not enough to get you off track.

So the question comes up, If this solution works well how can I use it in planning out my daily schedule and applying it to future goals. Can I successfully write a blog post in 48 minutes? Can I write a book chapter in that time? As I’ve tried the process, it has been a challenge to sit in one place that long. But when I do my productivity soars. I find it best to just keep writing, not worry about mistakes, and get everything on paper. Once I have the points on paper I can go back and make my edits and corrections.

My usual morning schedule has about 2 hours of productive time available. I’ve tested the idea of blogging for an hour and then working on a book for the second hour. So far this has worked well with standard length blog posts and has yielded a book outline.

There does seem to be magic in the number 48!

This technique does require a little planning and it helps to have a coffee cup warmer on your desk. The best timer I’ve found so far is a countdown timer with large numbers and a loud alarm. The easy to view numbers give instant feedback on how much time you have left.

Using this simple technique may help me streamline my daily blog postings and help me be much more consistent. The book outline is taking shape and given me hope of actually completing the project.

If you find yourself getting distracted on your projects give this simple technique a try. It has really helped me focus and get things done!

I traveled to sunny Palm Springs for the weekend and enjoyed over a dozen speakers at the Summer Symposium from the National Speakers Association. This was a truly amazing event with highly polished presenters sharing to a crowd of business professionals who make a living in the speaking business. There wasn’t a sour note in the bunch and I came away with the inspiration to climb up to the next rung on the ladder of personal development.

The weekend started of on Friday afternoon with management consultant Alan Weiss. Alan’s no-nonsense approach was refreshing and he pointed out that you must differentiate yourself from the crowd. His contrarian views on many subjects have catapulted him to the national spotlight. He has published over 500 articles and 25 books. His latest title, Million Dollar Consulting and the accompanying Toolkit have received rave reviews on Amazon.

Friday night finished off with former Canadian Volleyball player, Vilis Ozols and his motivational story of success and heartbreak as the turmoil of world politics caused him to miss the Olympics. His powerful story of his grandmother and her faith was one that left a lasting memory in everyone in the audience.
 
Saturday included speaking coach, Alan Sanow, who has written a great book entitled Get Along, about developing interpersonal relationships with clients, co-workers, and family. Alan brought years of speaking experience to the table and shared his insights of the speaking business with subjects ranging from booking more clients to developing a customer newsletter.  His enthusiastic approach and “in the trenches” experience were just what many of the new speakers in the audience needed to hear.

Branding expert, Dick Bruso, took us through the process of creating a personal brand. He had two volunteers come up from the audience and worked through events in their lives to create a unique story. From this story he would extract words and sound bites. It was very insightful to see how quickly and expert in the field could position someone and create amazing marketing materials.

Saturday morning finished up with Don Crowther an internet marketing expert. Don gave the audience many tips and tricks for improving their internet presence and talked about the process of creating an online newsletter and carving out the time to write a book and get self published.

Saturday evening included a powerful one-woman theatrical keynote by Susie Vanderlip. Susie has spoken to one million teens and adults in 47 states and Canada over the past 14 years. Her standing ovation performance was mesmerizing. Her new book, 52 Ways To Protect Your Teen, should be on every parents booklist. The evening ended with the magic and comedy of Bruce Gold. Bruce had us laughing and then wondering… How did he do that?

Sunday included entrepreneurial expert Bill Wagner who offered an online personality test before the event. Bill has written a fascinating book entitled “The Entrepreneur Next Door,” which tied into the results of the personality test. In years of research Bill has identified an ideal entrepreneurial personality type. His thesis is the closer you can adapt your current personality to the ideal the more successful you will be.

I took the test and picked up the book. My personality type came out as a “Motivator,” which means I need to work on certain areas to increase my entrepreneurial skills. Specifically I need to focus on details and get the little things done. This is a very interesting book with practical steps to help you start and run a small business.

Sunday also included Internet consultant Phillipa Gamse, who critiqued many different speaker websites for content and flow. Her presentation was eye opening and it was interesting to see how many of the showcased websites were out of date or had links that didn’t work.

The conference ended up with keynote speaker Naomi Rhode and one of the most incredible speaking performances I have ever seen. Her performance had you laughing one minute and drawn to tears the next. Naomi & her husband travel all over the world speaking to influential audiences of business professionals. Her ending story about a monopoly game of life definitely left a lasting impression and she received a rousing standing ovation.

This is one weekend I will never forget. The talent was incredible and I left with a huge cache of ideas along with the inspiration to carry them out. If you live in the Southern California area bookmark the NSA website and plan to attend this annual event in September of 2007. You will not regret it!

This is the first week of Rosa Say’s September Learning Forum on her Talking Story Blog. The posts so far have been very thought provoking and opened my eyes to a variety of teaching experiences. We have had stories about the Boomer Sisters, Brother George, and Thomas Edison.

The subjects have ranged from Maintaining Your Ignorance to exercising your Passion for Learning. Rosa added the need for a Coolness Factor for learning, while Toni Howard explained her Learning Obsession.

Be sure to check out the upcoming posts everyday throughout the month of September.