Category: planning

Role models and productivity

by EvieBurke, posted in planning

I’ve been thinking about role models recently.

You have role models, even if you can’t immediately name them.

They can be the entrepreneurs or businesses that you LOVE. The people and businesses that you’d like to step into and work toward.

They can also be the people and businesses that you don’t really love so much. The ones that you respect, but know their way isn’t your way. Or, sometimes, it’s the businesses you don’t respect and you DON’T want to do anything that they do (the what not to do  examples).

And it’s not always about who they are or what they do. Sometimes it’s about how they do it.

Have you ever looked at someone and were impressed about the way they do or handle something in their business?

Maybe their system around networking. Or returning phone calls. Or making phone calls. Or how consistent they are in a specific area.

For me, I’m always interested in various aspects of productivity and staying on top of things.

How do they decide their goals and what do they do to meet them?

Do they have a work/life balance that I’d like to have and how do they maintain it?

How do they structure their month, week, and day?

But the biggest one for me is how they manage their time and tasks.

I love planners. I used to buy 2-3 each year. I’d pick one up and use it for a couple weeks, or even a month sometimes. And then I’d find a flaw with it or feel like I was on top of things and knew what needed to be done and I’d stop using it.

Really though, the excitement and newness of the planner had worn off and I was bored with it and found a reason to move on.

Then I’d get overwhelmed again and go looking for a better planner. And the cycle would repeat.

Maybe this sounds familiar?

There are a few things that could be going on here:

  1. The planner really wasn’t structured in a way that worked for you.
    Yes, that could really be the problem. As you grow yourself and your business your needs can change and what worked really great two weeks ago, might not be what you need now.

  2. Your mindset around time and tasks might need an uplevel.
    Have you ever found yourself saying “I just don’t have time for this!” or “There’s no way I’ll be able to get everything done today!” Our brains are really powerful things and they really like being right. To the extent that they’ll make sure that we are right and we won’t get everything done.

  3. There’s a problem with consistency.
    Yes, this could be a subset of #2, but it’s super important so I’ve listed it separately. In business, it’s important to be consistent with certain important aspects of our business. Having a consistent structure for your time and tasks is important. And it doesn’t always come easy when you’re working for yourself and don’t have someone else imposing that structure. It’s a muscle you can develop though.

And it could be a bit of all three.

I know for me, it’s something I still tweak and adjust monthly.

I’ve adapted by creating my own planning pages. Every couple of weeks I look at what’s working for me and what’s not working for me and tweak it.

So, what’s working (or not working) for you in the area of managing your time and tasks? Share in the comments below.

AND I did a YouTube Live Stream on this topic!

I share a bit of my personal planning evolution and how I’m currently planning my days and weeks (and how it’s still evolving).

You can watch the video here.

Group Coaching vs Mastermind Groups

by EvieBurke, posted in planning

Group Coaching vs Mastermind GroupsIt’s an innocent case of unintentional jargon speak that I didn’t realize I was doing until last week when someone new to coaching asked what the difference was in a private coaching Facebook group I participate in.

What’s the coaching jargon I’m assuming you understand?

You know, because you’ve read the title, the difference between group coaching and mastermind groups.

I forgot that there was a time when I didn’t know what either of those was, or that there was a difference.

And to further complicate things, some people running group coaching and mastermind groups use the terms inaccurately or interchangeably.

First, let’s look at how group coaching groups and mastermind groups are alike.

Both bring groups of like-minded people getting together for help and support.

The main difference is how that help and support is achieved.

In Group Coaching the leader of the group, generally a coach, and is the one offering the help and support. So, you ask a question or share a situation and you’re coached through it by the coach. In some cases, it might be set up as a combination of coaching and question/answer session (again, with the coach answering the questions).

And there might be a topic for each meeting that is briefly taught by the coach and then it’s opened to the group to ask questions for help and support around that topic.

Also, the size of a group coaching group can be anywhere from 3 to 300 people. It depends on how the coach sets up the group.

In Mastermind Groups the members of the group are offering each other help and support. So, you ask a question or share a situation and the other members of the group offer thoughts, opinions, help, support, and guidance.

There’s a facilitator who manages the meetings and also offers their own thoughts, opinions, help, support, and guidance in addition to the other group members. In more formal groups the facilitator does not bring their own questions/situations to the group.

Generally, mastermind groups are 3-9 people and the meetings are set up in one of two ways.

One way is 1-2 members each meeting have the opportunity to bring a question/situation to the group. By the end of the group’s time together (whether 3 months, a year, or anywhere in between) everyone will have the same number of opportunities in front of the group.

The other way is that each person shares a question/situation each meeting.

Neither way is better, it just depends on what you prefer.

If you’re thinking of joining a group coaching group or mastermind group, don’t be afraid to ask questions so you’re clear what kind of group you’re joining.

A Mastermind Group is a meeting of committed people who share a common goal and are looking to support, motivate, and help each other.

A place for support and guidance

by EvieBurke, posted in Goals, motivation, planning

Have you ever had a decision to make or a problem and wished you had someone to share the situation with and receive some guidance?

Yeah, me too.

Thankfully, I do have that, I have friends and am in programs that provide helpful and useful thoughts, opinions, help, support, and guidance.

Some are more formal relationships and others are more laid back.

And there are different things that I bring to different people/groups. It depends on the relationship.

One way that I’ve received guidance, is through business mastermind groups.

A Mastermind Group is a meeting of committed people who share a common goal and are looking to support, motivate, and help each other.I have a long love affair of mastermind groups – I joined my first business mastermind group in 2010 before I had a business!

It was great. I was in a group with established business owners (people who had businesses with clients that paid them!) and up-and-coming business owners (people who had businesses with clients that paid them, but not enough) and there was me and aspiring business owner.

I thought I’d have nothing to add to the conversation, but I did. While I couldn’t share advice or stories around what had worked for me in business, I could share what would appeal to me as a potential client.

I learned a lot from that group and am still connected with many of the ladies.

My other experiences with mastermind groups have been just as wonderful and each was set up differently. Each group has its own feel – and I always get what I need from each of them when I fully show up and participate.

I’ve brought many topics to the various mastermind groups I’ve been a part of – marketing questions, frustrations, and struggles I was working through. And each time I received insightful questions, suggestions, and guidance.

And I’ve found for myself, business masterminding is most helpful when I’m with a group of people who already know me and my business a bit because we see each other regularly in a structured mastermind.

How would being in a mastermind group benefit you and your business?

If you’re interested in joining a formal mastermind group, on October 12 I’m hosting a “Come try it out” morning session. You can find all the information and RSVP here.

I have two groups of the Momentum Mastermind group starting, this “come try it out” session will give you a feel for what it’s all about.

The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail. - Napoleon Hill

The business bunny hop

by EvieBurke, posted in Arriving, planning

The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail. - Napoleon Hill
In business, and life for that matter, our vision of success often doesn’t occur on our time table.

It’s more of a dance, maybe a bunny hop (forward, backwards, hop, hop, hop and then you do a little dance where you’re standing).

It’s not always forward movement.

Sometimes you feel like you’re not moving forward, despite all the work you’re doing and plans you’re making.

Sometimes you move forward only to move back where you started (or behind that).

And other times you feel like you just took a giant step forward.

Where ever you find yourself, know that you’re on the dance floor.

And after you mourn the lose of what could have been (yes that’s an important step), review what worked, what didn’t and create those new plans.

Share your thoughts in the comments below.