10 Tips to Help You Balance:
How to Successfully Run and Market Your Business at the Same Time!

by Debbie LaChusa

This time of year, probably more than any other, I have to work very hard at staying balanced.  In fact, I recall reading or hearing a while back, that balance is not a state of being, but rather a constant pursuit.

Boy am I in hot pursuit right now!

With the holidays upon us , keeping up with the normal day-to-day running of my two businesses and servicing my clients, working on my 2006 marketing and business plans, and with two seminars to attend, my November and December are booked solid!

I love being busy but as someone who has gotten awfully close in the past to burning herself out, I work harder now than ever to avoid that.  I can see the signs coming and I react quickly before I get to that ugly point of no return.

You know it ... when you start getting sick, you can't sleep because you can't turn off your brain at night, and you're just downright scattered trying to keep up.

It's not a good place to be because you actually end up being LESS productive. Not a good thing when you've got lots to do.

I thought I'd share 10 tips I use to help me balance running my business and marketing it at the same time - and at this time of year, also planning for the coming year - in the hopes it might help you do the same.

1) Be realistic about how much you can do.   Pace yourself, reschedule some things if necessary, and perhaps even put a few things off until the new year.

2) Use a calendar or Day-Timer system to stay organized and record all your appointments and "to do" activities. I use Microsoft Outlook and a Pocket PC.  I enter everything I need to do as an appointment. For me, this works better than having a separate "to do" list because it forces me to actually schedule time to get the work done.

3) Prioritize your activities - put those that help you generate revenue at the top of your list.  We often get bogged down in administrative or busy-work that either doesn't have to be done right now, or that we could get someone else to do for us.

4) Make sure to schedule time for your marketing and planning activities . These are crucial to the long-term success of your business. Book time to do them, just as you book client appointments. For example, I began working on my 2006 marketing plan at the end of October and I have scheduled time in my calendar to complete one step (in my 10stepmarketing System) every week.  At this rate the work is manageable and I know I'll be done with next year's plan by the end of this year.

5) Every evening, look at your calendar for the following day.  If you need to prepare for a meeting, do it the night before.  Know what you need to accomplish each day and be ready to get up and go in the morning.

6) At the end of each day, review your calendar and check off all the activities you completed. If you didn't get to something, move it to the next day you can commit time to getting it done. (And, here's a tip:  if you move something more than 4-5 times, it's probably not a priority item and you can push it to the back burner or maybe get rid of it completely).

7) Get some help.   For seven years I did everything in my business.  I didn't hire help because I didn't think I could afford to.  If hiring help means you can spend more time on revenue-producing activities, you'll be able to pay for that help in no time.  And, if you're like me, you'll kick yourself for not getting help sooner!

8) Schedule an "exercise" appointment every day.   Daily exercise, whether it's a trip to the gym, a 20-minute walk, going for a run, or whatever activity you enjoy, will help you maintain the energy you need to get all your work done. It'll also help boost your immune system so you stay well. I'll admit, I let this one slip sometimes, but every time I get back on track, I feel better about everything.

9) Schedule "me" time, too.  Just because you're busy, doesn't mean you should let your personal time go by the wayside. You need that time more than ever now, to rejuvenate and keep your energy up.  Book time to relax and read a book, get a monthly massage, spend time with your family, go on a date with your spouse, or whatever you like to do. You'll return to your business with a fresh perspective and attitude that will help you be more successful.

10)  Realize something's not going to get done, and be okay with that. Despite all the diligent scheduling, unexpected things will come up, some tasks will take longer than you planned, and you probably won't get to everything.  The good news is, if you follow all 10 of these steps, the priority work (that's the work that produces revenue for your business) will get done.  You may even find that some of the things you thought HAD to be done, really didn't have to be done after all.

I hope you'll try these 10 tips to help you get through the holidays and all your year-end work easier. Then carry them through as habits for the coming year.  I'll bet you'll find you get a lot more done and you feel a whole lot better doing it!

(C) Copyright 2006 Debbie LaChusa

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debbie LaChusa created The 10stepmarketing System to make marketing your own business as simple as answering 10 questions. Learn more about this unique, step-by-step system and get a free Marketing Mini-Course when you subscribe to the free, weekly 10stepmarketing Ezine at http://www.10stepmarketing.com

NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article as long as you make no changes and you include the "About the Author" information at the end.  Please let me know if and where you use this article.

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