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Mar 15 2017

What are you focusing on?

Do you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed with your business? There’s so much information out there. Facebook Live, webinars, blogging, newsletters, networking – where do you start? This can be particularly challenging if you’re just starting out or if you’re on your own.

I think the best place to start is doing things that bring you joy. You started your business for a reason, you have a product or service that you want to share. If you start by doing things that feel awkward to you, it will be easy to give up. Not only will it be easy to quit, but your potential clients will sense it too!

Here’s the thing to remember: you don’t have to do it all! You have to do what works for you, what allows you to be at your best. The other stuff will come. You can get training, hire a coach, read books; but the best way to start is with your strengths. Don’t get caught up in the comparison game. It will drive you crazy and take you off track from doing the things necessary to grow your business and have fun along the way.

Paying too much attention to what everyone else is doing can be maddening. If it works to inspire and motivate you, go for it! If you find yourself feeling less-than because of what others are doing, stop it. At the end of the day, unless you know them personally, we don’t know what their struggles are. Most of us aren’t sharing the defeats and let downs on social media, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t happening.

It’s important to focus on you and what you want to accomplish. You don’t need to try and implement every tool out there at the same time. You don’t need to be on every social media platform. Do what feels right to you and be where your people are. Reflect on your growth and the progress you’ve made in your business and don’t worry about how everyone else is doing. As long as you are making headway in your business, that’s all that matters.

Being an entrepreneur can be a stressful endeavor. When we focus on our own growth, focus on our strengths and work on improving our weaknesses we begin to see the fruits of our labour. You don’t have to be like anyone else or do what everyone else is doing. It’s all about being the best version of yourself so you can do your best and create the business of your dreams!

Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution. She has completed her first book,Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve!

Connect:

www.embraceyourdestiny.ca

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook

www.twitter.com/sandradawes

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Written by Dwania Peele · Categorized: Sandra Dawes · Tagged: accomplishment, blog, business, Embrace Your Destiny, Facebook, focus, newsletter, Sandra Dawes, webinars

Dec 13 2014

Successful Planning, Successful Week

Tamara 14 (1)

Planning your workweek in business can sound like a simple process – but if you have ever been interrupted, fell behind on deadlines or forgotten an appointment, this article is for you. I believe it’s not about managing every minute, it’s a new fresh perspective that includes being prepared, flexible and in-line with your work habits, style and personal preferences.

To plan a successful week I have used my experience with other female entrepreneurs who care about accomplishing a lot within a week and found some universal strategies that can be utilized in almost any business out there.

  • Schedule the unexpected:

Business owners are some of the most motivated people I have ever met so I find ‘over-planning’ to be a problem for a lot of us. This happens when we fill every moment of our calendar and fall behind immediately when even one phone call goes over our allotted time. This can cause stress for not only the day, but for the rest of the week as we play ‘catch-up’ to get back on schedule. A way that I have found to combat this issue is to dedicate some time in your week for ‘yet-to-be-determined’ tasks, projects or obligations. Later in the week is usually best. When you aren’t able to finish something in the time you allot or you get an unexpected request, you are able to now be flexible and rely on the safety net you have designed into your week already.

  • Identify low energy tasks:

It’s natural to have fluctuations in your energy levels as your day progresses. You may feel sharp, motivated and full of energy in the morning or feel tired and a little stiff in the afternoon. It’s easy to identify these times when you are experiencing them, harder to match your tasks to that energy if you are not prepared. The way to do this is to schedule tasks that require less concentration with those low energy times beforehand. Give yourself some time to answer ‘general email’ questions, tidy up your desk or look on social media when you are feeling less energized and save high-energy times for creative, developing and more intense projects. This will help you balance your day, which will help your overall week.

  • Pick a focus:

Within each of our businesses, there is always something that needs attention. Instead of trying to do everything all at once, my recommendation is to pick one focus and stick to it. This produces success because you are not reacting to interruptions, which take you away from that highly productive and focused work. You may be thinking that it is not practical to only do one thing a day – your emails still need to be answered. The way to do it successfully is to keep your focused work (what you really want to complete) in one of the higher energy times of your day (as identified in the previous topic). This gives you quality time that is in-line with your already established habits to really get it done.

  • Bundle ‘Away’ tasks:

Luckily we are in charge of our schedules so we can decide when to do our supply shopping, networking events, doctor’s appointments and ‘out-of-office’ tasks. I have always recommended that business owners pick a time in their week – every week that will be dedicated to these tasks. The benefits are far reaching as you are not only creating habits for yourself, but also creating reasonable expectations from others in your life. Which could be customers, family and also make delivery schedules more regular. I often recommend scheduling these days in the middle of the week when you may just need a change of scenery too.

Overall, when you see how much choice you have in planning your week and use these strategies to integrate your personal preferences you are going to be able to get more done in your week and enjoy it along the way.

Tamara is the owner and designer at ‘Your Pretty Pages’ where she provides templates, planners, guides and resources for creative entrepreneurs to get and stay organized. To support your successful planning, Tamara has just released two all new version’s of the ‘Entrepreneur’s Planner’ which can be found at https://yourprettypages.com/planners/

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Written by Dwania Peele · Categorized: Tamara · Tagged: accomplishment, appointment, bundle, business, business owners, Business Woman, Canadian Small Business Women, entrepreneur, Entrepreneurs Planner, Flexibility, focus, motivation, over-planning, personal preferences, Planners, planning, schedule, small business owners, success, successful, Tamara, unexpected, Your Pretty Pages

Oct 16 2014

4th Quarter Check-In

sandra

Can you believe we’re in the final quarter of 2014?  While you may be asking where the time went, now’s also the time to review what you accomplished in the first 3 quarters of the year.  If you didn’t achieve all that you wanted to in your business, the first thing to remember is that it’s not too late to finish the year off with a bang.  The second thing to do is make a commitment to making next year better than this one!

From my personal experience, I know that if I don’t write my goals down (and review them regularly), they don’t get done.  I also know that when I when I have a plan in place to make the goals happen, they actually do, even if they didn’t go exactly according to plan.  Achieving your goals is about going beyond “wishful thinking”.  Don’t hope your goals become a reality, create a plan and take action and make your goals a reality!

If this year wasn’t as successful as you had wanted it to be, now’s the time to review what worked and what didn’t.  You may need to make some minor adjustments, or you may need a complete overhaul.  Whatever it is that you need to do to make next year better, setting the foundation now can only work to your benefit.  When January comes around, you will not only be able to hit the ground running, but you’ll also have things in place that will allow you to maintain momentum and commitment through challenging times.

Reviewing what didn’t work and tweaking the plan isn’t meant to be a self-deprecating exercise.  It doesn’t make sense to beat ourselves up about things that have already happened that can’t be undone.  When we know better, we do better, and that’s the approach that we must take as entrepreneurs. There is a wealth of information out there that can help you to gain the clarity you need and access the resources required to achieve your goals.  We just have to be willing to ask for help and remain open minded about the possibilities that exist that can take us where we want to go in all areas of our life, business or pleasure.

Where do you want your business to be a year from today?  Once you have clarity on this you can start to develop the plan to make it happen.  Not everything is going to go according to plan, but you will have a guide that will help you to figure out whether you’re getting closer to or further away from your goals.  Wishing you much success in the final quarter of 2014!

Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution.She has completed her first book,Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve!
Connect:
www.embraceyourdestiny.ca
www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny
www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook
www.twitter.com/sandradawes

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Written by Dwania Peele · Categorized: Sandra Dawes · Tagged: 2014, 4th Quarter, accomplishment, achieve, business, business development, Business Woman, Canadian Small Business Women, Check-In, coaching, commitment, Embrace Your Destiny, entrepreneur, goal, January, personal experience, plan, reality, review, Sandra Dawes, small business development

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