Category: planning

I should have sent that weeks ago

by EvieBurke, posted in motivation, planning

Over the past week, I’ve done a lot of dancing in my office chair. You see, my private Facebook group, Productivity for Women Entrepreneurs (join us!), DOUBLED in size last week and I do a little happy dance everytime someone requests to join.

And I’m having conversations with people as they join and something that’s popped up a couple times is “I’m spending a lot of time doing things, but it’s not turning into money.”

I’ve spent some time thinking about this the last few days.

The truth is, there’s a lot of things that can contribute to that situation.

This week, I want to talk about the difference between urgent and important.

While they are related, they are not the same thing.

Let me share a conversation I had with someone a while ago.

Rhonda and I were talking (that’s not really her name) and she shared that she needed to make more money that month. So, we talked about everything she was currently working on and wanted to get done.

After a bit, Rhonda said: “You know, I really need to send this client an invoice next week. I probably should have sent it two weeks ago, but I’m just too busy.”

I’d like to say that I’ve never heard anything like this before, but I have.

Why does this happen?

Because sending an invoice is important, but it’s not always considered urgent – until it’s really urgent.

Now, I’m not saying that this is always what’s going on in the situation of someone “doing a lot, but it’s not turning into money.”

However, it is something to look at.

So, for this week’s Wednesday LIVE with Evie, we’ll be talking more about the difference between urgent and important. You can watch the video here.

Sales calls – the receiving end

by EvieBurke, posted in planning

Last week I did something I usually don’t do—I answered the phone for a number I didn’t recognize.

The conversation was interesting and taught me a couple of things.

The woman on the other end said she was Person X’s personal assistant (PA) and he wanted to set up an appointment for the next day. She said he was looking for an entrepreneur business coach.

I ask: What is he does he need help with?
PA: He’s looking for a business coach (she is vague and says more but, that’s the gist of it).
Me: What business is he in?
PA: He’s interviewing business coaches right now (she says more)
Me: So, he’s a coach too??
PA: Well, no, he’s interviewing for a business coach (she says more)
Me: Let’s do this, send me an email and I’ll email you back with my intake form so I have a better understanding of what he’s looking for.
PA: Oh… Well, let’s do it this way. I’m overstepping my bounds here, but I don’t like being so vague…

She goes on to tell me that she works for a division of NBC that is interviewing coaches (and she names the people doing the interviews, one name I think I recognize).

She tells me they brought in BIG COACH (who I do recognize, he spoke at ICF Chicago last year) for several episodes and now he charges 5 figures per speaking engagement.

I thank her for the opportunity, decline and hang up.

A couple of things to note here:

  1. I’m pretty sure BIG COACH was charging 5 or more figures per speaking engagement long before he was on their show 🙂 AND the fees they probably charge to be on the show was probably a good investment for him and his business.
  2. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need to be comfortable with the situation.
  3. If I wouldn’t have had a system, I would have shown up for the “interview” and been blindsided.

This got me thinking about the systems I have in my business and the systems that I don’t yet have, but want to.

So, for this week’s Wednesday Live with Evie, I’m sharing about systems for your business.

Systems might sound boring, but they help your business run smoother. I bet you already have systems in place, you just don’t realize it and they might be able to be streamlined.

At home you probably have some systems that are engrained in how your house runs—things like: when the dishwasher is full, empty it, and put all dirty dishes straight into the dishwasher. Yes, that’s a system!

We’ve talked about one business system last month: to-do lists. Yep, that’s a system, a system for keeping track of the things you want to do.

What systems do you have (or wish you had) in your business? What systems do you want to streamline? Comment below and let me know!

Also, you can watch the Wednesday Live with Evie I did on this topic here.

Don’t forget to like my Facebook page here to get a notification when I go live next.

When you’re sick

by EvieBurke, posted in planning, Self Care

A friend from out of town was in Chicago-land this weekend so a group of us went out for lunch on Saturday and hung out for a bit. It was so much fun!

It was good for me to get out of the house. You see, on Thursday, I developed a sore throat.  I went to a networking event on Friday and hung back a bit. Normally, I’ll stand and mingle until the event officially starts. That day I didn’t. I found a seat and let people come to me – and it worked out great.

Friday afternoon I had a project I wanted to work on, but I was tired.

In the car, before I left the parking lot I wrote down 4 things that I wanted to do when I got home and none of them where that project.

I had 2 confirmation emails that I wanted to send, I wanted to plan the following week (this week) and either read or nap.

Can you guess which one didn’t get done?

In the past, it would have easily been the reading/nap that I gave up on. However, on Friday, I postponed planning. I knew I could do it on Sunday afternoon instead.

So, Friday afternoon, after sending the 2 confirmation emails, I took a 2+ hour nap.

It was fabulous!

And I think I would have felt tired and icky on Saturday if I hadn’t done that.

I’m still not 100%, so I’m cautiously optimistic about this week. AND I know that if my plans get changed due to not feeling as well as I could be, that’s okay too.

In the comments below share how you handle what you want to get done when you’re not feeling 100% or how it trips you up.

You can see the Wednesday Live with Evie I did on this topic here.

Don’t forget to like me on my Facebook page here to get a notification when I go live next.

How you do your best work

by EvieBurke, posted in planning, Self Care

A couple of friends and I went to see Kyle Cease at his two-hour version of his 2-day event “Evolving Out Loud.” He went long, and we couldn’t have been happier. It was a great show.

So, it was a bit of a late Saturday night, followed by an early Sunday morning.

And it reminded me that sometimes we forget about aspects like sleeping when we plan our days or weeks.

Last week I shared how to create your Ideal Week.

This week let’s talk about another aspect of your day – how you work your best.

This includes physical (your workspace), mental (when you work best), and body aspects (taking care of yourself).

And energy leaks (that chip in the wall that bothers you every time you see it).

You can watch the Wednesday Live with Evie I did on this topic here.

Don’t forget to like my Facebook page here to get a notification when I go live next.

Creating AND using your Ideal Week.

by EvieBurke, posted in planning

Wednesday Live with Evie #6

When I write “Ideal Week” I don’t mean how your week will look and feel when you hit that big goal or are “where you want to be.”

What I mean by Ideal Week is, how you’d like your current week to flow.

Here’s a quick outline of what I share:

  • Why knowing your current ideal week is so important
  • How I created my ideal week – the tools I use (and I’ll share how to get something that might work for you if my way doesn’t)
  • How to use your Ideal Week with the 3 lists from last week

To receive a notification next time I go live, like my Facebook page: One Insight Closer