The TOP Performance Blog

10 Ways to Market When Cash Is Tight

by Ken Burgin...

A few months ago, Staples and Angus Reid released their latest “STAPLES Canada Small Business National Quarterly Index.” It looks like we believe we are over the hump.

70 per cent of business owners expect at least some improvement to their business over the next six months (compared to 58 per cent in March 2009).

Now that you’re feeling better, get out there and make sure that your customers will come to you rather than your competition when they are ready to buy.

Chances are you are a little tight for cash, so here are ten low-cost ways to market better that we’ve worked out with help from Joanna L. Krotz, co-author of the “Microsoft Small Business Kit”. 

• Stop servicing break-even customers. By now you know this is a theme with us. Every second you spend with a customer who doesn’t help you make money; you are short-changing those who do.
• Make every customer feel special. Always add something to the purchase, whether it’s a hand-written note to a consumer or a recommendation on the latest, greatest business book to a business customer.
• Create business cards that prospects keep. How about a good-looking notepad with your contact info and tagline on every page? Or a free or low-cost trial offer on the back—paper real estate that’s valuable and often wasted.
• Develop an electronic mailing list and send old-fashioned snail-mail letters too. E-newsletters are cheap to send, but you can quickly stand out by occasionally sending personal, surface mail letters to customers and prospects. Just make sure the letter delivers something customers want to read.
• Boost your profile at point of sale, trade shows and conferences. You can quickly create your own signage, glossy postcards with your contact information, product news inserts or a web site for a special event—even if you are not a software pro.
• Combine business with pleasure and charity. Spearhead an event, party or conference for a cause you care about. That puts you in the position of getting to know lots of people, and shows off your small business leadership skills.
• Create a destination. Indigo Books & Music has its coffee bars. Ikea offers child-care centers and cafeterias. Steal this idea. Add a free advisory service. Add customer loyalty services, such as free delivery for second-time buyers.
• Become an online expert. This is the “free sample” approach to bringing in business. Research active e-mail discussion lists and online bulletin boards that are relevant to your business and audience. Join several and start posting expert advice.
• Court local media. Editorial features convey more credibility with prospective clients than paid advertising does. (Check our recent article on how to get PR.)
• Finally, don’t let customers simply slip away. It costs a lot less to retain a disgruntled or inactive customer than to acquire a new one. Send a personalized e-mail (you can automate this process), inquiring whether all is well. For a customer who suffered a bad experience, pick up the phone, acknowledging the unpleasantness and ask if there’s anything you can do. A discount can’t hurt either.

Being kind to customers is the smartest low-cost marketing you can do.

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Ken Burgin is a Certified Duct Tape Marketing Coach.  He helps clients create marketing programs including advertising and design of all media.  To learn more visit http://www.marketingmasters.ca/.   
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40 Rules To Live By For Business Success

by Scott Scholz...

As we get bogged down in our day-to-day business lives, we lose sight of the basics which make successful businesses flourish.  Here are some friendly pointers.

Take a few minutes to review these 40 common sense guidelines and then work diligently to integrate these rules into your approach in running your business.

1. As the owner of the business I will only focus on the things that I do uniquely well that drive profit to my company and delegate everything else.
2. I will always say please and thank you.
3. I will always show up to all meetings on time.
4. I will always finish what I start.
5. I will always do what I say I am going to do.
6. Our customers will be provided with a unique experience that they will not find with our competitors.
7. Our appearance and performance will exude professionalism.
8. I will not be afraid to start from scratch.
9. We might not always be perfect, but we will always be good.
10. At times I will forget common sense and use my imagination.
11. I understand that the internet is merely an aid; people still want to talk to people.
12. I will strive to be more personal.
13. I will simplify things.
14. I will be successful if I can create value for my customers.
15. I will be kind, humble and honest.
16. Anything that I share with my employees needs to be shared with complete honesty or not at all.
17. I will be reasonable at all times.
18. I will not compromise out standards.
19. I will handle all situations calmly.
20. I will strive to make our future greater than out past,
21. I will not waste energy by getting angry
22. I will forget about commodity and focus on relationships
23. I will forget about our losses and focus on our opportunities.
24. I will not think about the future, I will focus on today.
25. I will forget who I was and focus on who I can be.
26. I will forget about what is missing in my business and focus on what is available.
27. I will maintain dignity and grace under pressure.
28. I will always be proactive and not reactive.
29. I will not be afraid to break out of my comfort zone.
30. I will never forget that word-of-mouth is the best advertising.
31. I will only plan around what I can predict.
32. I will be on my customer’s agenda instead of always being on mine.
33. I will strive to make my customers fell that they are part of a unique community.
34. I will always remember that I have competition.
35. I will try to simplify the lives of my employees and my customers.
36. I will have plans and deadlines for all of my goals.
37. I will forget about the event and focus on the response.
38. I will not be mean, petty or rude.
39. I will look at what everyone else is doing and see something different.
40. I will never wait, I will act.

We cannot change the world. We cannot change the economy. We can only change ourselves.

"An unfortunate thing about this world is that the good habits are much easier to give up than the bad ones."- William Somerset Maugham 

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Scott Scholz is a Registered Financial Consultant (RFC) and Financial Architect with a step-by-step process that secures confidence, abundance, opportunity and control in your business and life that enables you to freely choose what to do, where and with whom.  To learn more, visit: http://www.scottscholz.com/.
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Is Getting Big and Fat Making Us Sick?

by Jan Hickling...

Is there a connection between the dramatic rise in both obesity and diabetes?

In the U.S. and Canada, diabetes has increased more than 500% during just the last generation. More than seventy percent of adults and more than thirty percent of our children are considered to be either overweight or obese.

In spite of spending more than 30 billion dollars each year on diets and weight loss programs, the rate of obesity has tripled in this country in the past thirty years.

We need to learn a new lifestyle, not a new diet!

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has projected that one-third of our children born after the year 2000 will become diabetic. If you're Black or Hispanic, nearly fifty percent of your children will become diabetic. Diabetes is the leading cause of amputations, kidney failure, neuropathy, adult blindness, and cardiovascular disease.

And if that isn't enough, type 2 diabetes is now a global phenomenon. The International Diabetes Federation has now predicted that the number of individuals with diabetes will increase from 240 million in 2007 to over 380 million in 2025. The greatest increase in type 2 diabetes is going to occur in Asia and primarily among the younger population.

It doesn’t take much imagination to realize what the diabetes epidemic will do to the health of the world and to our financial health.

Are we doomed?

Is there anything we can do to change these horrible projections?

I want to bring focus to the health concept that developing type 2 diabetes is really a choice.  In over 90% of the population, no matter what their family history or genetic makeup, diabetes is preventable.

Even if you already have prediabetes or diabetes, it can potentially be reversed. You need to understand that developing type 2 diabetes mellitus is really a CHOICE.

I made the choice to change my life and you can too. It's simple and easy. The only hard part is making the choice to start.

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Jan Hickling is a Lifestyle Transition Coach specializing in healthy and weight release through personal development and education.   Learn more at www.GetHealthyReleaseWeight.com. 
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How to Stay Motivated and Reach Your Goals

by Gareth Barrow...

Motivation - We're all chasing it, but few of us understand it, or why we lose it in the first place.

What Is Meant By Motivation?

Motivation is the natural desire to reach a goal, combined with the passion and energy to work toward achieving that goal. Individuals who are motivated have a desire to take on new ventures and fulfil the requirements necessary to complete the task.

Motivation is a characteristic that we all require in order to achieve anything in our lives. Without motivation, we would all simply give up at the slightest inclination of adversity. Motivation is the instigator that inspires and encourages us to be our best. Someone who is motivated will do anything it takes to be successful in achieving their goals. Motivation can change your life by inspiring you to get everything you want out of life, no matter what other people try to tell you.

It is possible for someone who is stricken by poverty to become motivated and turn everything around into a life of abundance.

Motivation gives us the passion that we need to begin exploring our options in life as well as the courage to see these dreams through to reality. If you are unhappy with your current situation, it is most likely due to the fact that your current situation does not motivate you. You must take it upon yourself to determine what it is that you truly want out of life. Think about the type of lifestyle that you want to lead and the kind of career you want.

Once you know what makes you happy and change your life centre, you will be excited to jump out of bed each and every morning. Why We Lose Our Motivation

Three primary factors lead to the loss of our motivation, they are:

1. Lack of direction. You will not be motivated to achieve your goals if you do not know what those goals are.

2. Lack of confidence. Believing you will fail is the best way to ensure it.

3. Lack of focus. Not knowing what it is that you want will lead to wondering if you even want anything at all.

Tips on How to Stay Motivated

When you lack motivation, you also lack ambition, enthusiasm and zest. Motivation makes you feel as if you are full of life and ready to do anything you have to in order to reach the goals that you have set out for yourself. Once you find your motivation, you will be happier, you will have more energy and you will be able to see the positive results clearly in your mind.

You need to enhance the motivation within you and awaken your inner power to push yourself in the direction of fulfilling your dreams, no matter how great or small they may be. Here are a few tips to help you find your motivation and hold on to it:

1. Set goals. If you set goals for yourself, finding the motivation to reach those goals will come easier.
2. Finish everything you start. Make a promise to yourself that no matter what happens, you must always make it to the finish line.
3. Mingle with like minds. Positive attitudes seem to be contagious. Surround yourself with likeminded people who possess the motivation that you seek.
4. Do not put off for tomorrow what you can get done today. If you procrastinate, you will become lazy and lose all motivation to succeed.
5. Never give up. Patience and persistence to keep going and stay strong no matter what comes along will give you the motivation you need to succeed.

Constantly remind yourself that you can succeed. Visualize your goals and how happy you will be once you have everything you want.

Some Famous Quotes:

1. "Make Every Obstacle an Opportunity"
2. "Turn Every Negative to a Positive"
3. "Fortune Favours the Bold"
4. "Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained"

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Gareth Barrow is a writer, Webmaster and fitness enthusiast. View more interesting and informative articles on Fitness, health, weight loss and muscle building. Discover fitness tips, diet advice, lose weight and generally become healthier! For further information on men and women's fitness and the latest fitness training tips visit: 24 Hr Fitness.co.uk.
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Computer Disaster Prevention

by Don Wilkinson...

Something that I learned early on in my tech support career is that there are actually only two types of hard drives: those that have failed... and those that are going to. 

In recent years all the major manufacturers of hard drives have reduced their warranty from three years to one, primarily due to the amount of users that leave their computers running 24/7. 

So what can you do to recover from a catastrophic failure?

Back up your data!

The best defense to losing all your critical data is to use a software utility to back up everything to an external hard drive.  The Home versions of Windows XP & Vista do not include the native backup software that was included on the Pro versions, though there are a variety of software applications that can do this task much better which are quite affordable.  One such application is Acronis True Image and another is Norton Ghost.

What these programs do initially is create a baseline backup of all your critical files, email & documents.  Once this “big backup” is done the program adds incremental backups of just the data that has changed or been added.  These can be scheduled daily and do not hamper the performance of your computer. 

In addition to just backing up data, both of these applications give you the ability to create an “image”, or mirrored copy, of your entire hard drive.  Should the hard drive fail, a new hard drive can be installed and the “image” can be copied back on so that all your data, programs & desktop are restored to their original state before the crash.  This can save you hundreds of dollars and countless hours of reinstalling all the programs, printers & network connections!

Don’t be confused about Windows System Restore & System Recovery, which only attempt to salvage the operating system to get you up and running again.  Neither will restore your data. 

Also, some manufacturers put a hidden system partition on the hard drive that in case of corruption can reload Windows and the factory installed software that came with your computer.  Often times when you are able to get a hold of tech support they tell you to use this feature, which formats your hard drive and deletes all your data in the process. 

There are some data recovery tools that we use to try to get a client’s data back, but if the hard drive has been reloaded, there is usually no chance of recovery.

For an external USB hard drive with 500GB of capacity you are looking at about $90 at Office Depot.  Acronis True Image will set you back $50.  So for about $140 you will have a good disaster prevention/recovery solution in place.  That’s pretty cheap insurance compared to losing all your data!

An additional option would also be to back up your data online, which would prove to be a life saver in event of fire, flood or theft.  Mozy Online Backup offers secure encryption & storage of your data on their servers in Texas at a cost of just $4.95/month, and you can upload an unlimited amount! 

For more information or to sign up for their service, visit: 

http://www.mozy.com/?ref=3f9a896b&kbid=46199&m=4&i=76

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Don Wilkinson is the owner of i-tech in the Seattle area and has been taking care of all of my IT needs since my hard drive crashed in 2002.  For more information, visit www.i-techUSA.com
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What If My Inner Critic is a Trained Assassin?

by Jennifer Manlowe, PhD, CPC...

“We need people in our lives with whom we can be as open as possible. To have real conversation with people may seem like such a simple, obvious suggestion, but it involves courage and risk." ~ Thomas Moore

It's not about "what if?" it's about "what to do when I’m sidelined by my inner critic(s)?" Here are ten things that I do and what I recommend you consider trying:

1. Make a list right now of your favorite five people who love and believe in you and will tell you the truth when you're being ridiculously pessimistic.

2. Keep their phone numbers by the phone and their emails next to your computer (and also saved in your cellphone, if you have one).

3. Use the above phone list or emails at least once a week to stay committed to the tasks that you have promised yourself.

4. Keeping your word to yourself builds self-esteem (integrity) and self-esteem helps you keep going when the going gets rough—when the naysayers/joy-busters in your mind (or life) get louder and meaner.

5. Avoid dream-bashers wherever they may hide. Too many times these are loved ones and family who feel afraid and, perhaps, a bit envious of your courage to "get out there" and risk not being liked by everybody.

6. Do one fun thing a day or writing will feel like a dreadful obligation that doesn't give back…this is a guaranteed obstacle that you can begin to plan for and, more importantly, avoid.

7. Reward yourself every 45-minutes that you are on the job of writing and publishing—have a cup of tea, a walk to the mailbox, a yoga stretch or two, make an appointment for a massage at the end of the week, or keep available frozen grapes and pop 'em in your mouth at various intervals. I've found this to be surprisingly satisfying, etc.

8. If you have trouble taking breaks, drink lots of water or other non-toxic liquids but do avoid alcohol while writing—most writers are orally-fixated and get sloppy and some have even fallen under the tyrant of alcoholism. Booze is often used to “get the juices flowing.” If you doubt this, take a look into the annals of literary history: think of Hemmingway, Faulkner, Capote, Fitzgerald, Sexton, Burroughs, etc.

9. Ask that inner critic what it needs. Say, “I see you and hear you. It sounds like you’re trying to protect me from being vulnerable or humiliated. Please tell me what you want me to know.” Then, like you’re talking to a three-year-old having a tantrum say, “I get that you’re upset and afraid. I totally understand that you want what you want NOW! And, today, we’re going to go home and make lunch together instead. I promise, you’ll feel so much better.” Get practice and watch what happens.

10. Commit to a good night's sleep—learn to hypnotize yourself or do a body scan, if that's what it takes. The reason to do this is that not only does it feel good for your whole body. It truly helps the creative juices flow.

What are some things you do to arrest that inner critic?

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Jennifer Manlowe, founder of Life Design Unlimited, is a life direction counselor and certified publishing coach helping people step out to authorize their lives.  Her books can be found at http://Authorizeu.com
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Couples Communication: Six Super Simple Guidelines to Improve Your Ability To Listen

By Peggy L. Ferguson, Ph.D.

Good listening skills are important to a relationship.  Although most people have heard of "active listening", the definition of active listening is a source of confusion for many people.

Sometimes called "reflective listening", active listening involves making sure that you heard what was said by repeating it back.  Consciously listening to the other person to make sure that you heard what they actually said is reflected in these various terms.

When teaching couples how to change how they talk to each other, active listening is stressed.   Much of the time, a big part of the communication problems that couples experience involves poor listening skills or habits.

In order to communicate effectively in your most important relationships you must be able to accurately "hear" what is said. 

You can't have effective communication without good listening skills.  And you cannot be good at solving problems together without good communication skills.

An absence of effectively listening, means that the message sent or intended is not the same message as the one received by the listener.  Although this may happen for a lot of reasons, a simple absence of listening, is a major culprit.

A number of things can get in the way of good listening including assumptions that tells the listener that s/he does not need to listen past a certain point, a failure to pay attention or succumbing to distractions, and rehearsing what your response will be.  The listener may assume that he/she knows what the other is going to say, and may thus attend to just enough of the message to confirm his/her belief.

At other times, a listener may be tuning out what the other person is saying while s/he tries to come with his or her rebuttal.  Both of these scenarios are setups for the condition where couples dig themselves in deeper and deeper trying to be understood and not realizing that neither is hearing what is actually said.

When there are problems with focus or attention, the issue may be deliberate or non-deliberate lack of listening. 

To be a good listener, practice these guidelines:

1. Pay close attention to what is going on.
2. Concentrate on what they are saying.
3. Maintain eye contact without staring.
4. Don't interrupt.
5. Don't worry about what you are going to say until s/he is finished.
6. Practice active listening.

Active listening is an especially helpful tool in the presence of perceptual "filters".  Each partner comes into the relationship with a history of other interactions, communications, unique meanings, and personal experiences.  This collection of experiences and beliefs, attitudes, mood states, relationship event histories colors the information that we consume in the present. 

This emotional, attitudinal, and relationship background constitutes perceptual "filters".  These filters are uniquely one's own.  No two people have exactly the same filters.  The more long lasting and influential the experiences or the events, the more likely the filters will persist over time, and the more heavy the influence they play over perception in contemporary events.

You can improve your ability to listen by practicing reflective listening.  You can begin to override your filters by using this technique and by looking at the assumptions that you have been making about what is being said and looking for patterns.  Some people have filters about abandonment fears.  Others are ultra-sensitive to criticism.

An active listening technique that is helpful is the use of the phrase, "What I hear you saying is..."  This is only one example of reflective listening and feedback.  Any clarifying question could serve as active listening.  The point is that when you clarify a message, you are making sure that the message that you have received is the same messages as the one that was sent, or intended.

Sometimes the process can still get derailed when the paraphrased "what I heard you saying" message is met with "that is not what I said", and then an argument ensues over which one is correct.  Couples get derailed by arguing about what was actually said or not said in the first place.  This is easily remedied by each person first and foremost 's messages. 

It helps to not concern yourself about who is right and who is wrong.  A good phrase to remember for this situation is, "actually, what I intended to say was..."

Reflective listening feels awkward, unnatural, odd, stiff, and just plain weird.  It does however, have a number of benefits that make it worth practicing and learning.  Some of those are the fact that you can eliminate most of your arguments by making sure that the message that is received is the one that was sent.

Another is the fact that by carefully clarifying messages, you can discover your own themes in filters that color how you take in the contemporary events in your life.  Once you identify your sensitivity to certain messages and themes, some of the power of those filters can be neutralized. 

If you know that you are sensitive to abandonment messages, you don't have to panic when your partner says, "I'm starting to get angry in this discussion.  I'm going to take a break and go to the store."  In the past, instead of hearing that, you might have heard "I'm mad at you and I'm leaving you". 

If you have identified abandonment fear as a filter and your partner leaves in the middle of an argument, you can reassure yourself that your partner did not say that s/he was leaving you forever.

When you can actually hear what is being said in your conversations, you are less likely to engage in circular arguing, with each volley of verbal assaults setting up more miscommunication.

Communication exercises and training that have an active listening component are especially helpful.

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Peggy L. Ferguson, Ph.D. is a therapist in private practice in Stillwater, OK.  She is also a writer, trainer and consultant.  For more information, visit:  For more information, visit: http://www.peggyferguson.com
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Product Recall Protection Sites Provide Consumer's With Peace of Mind

By Jonathan Kraft (http://blog.identitytheftsecrets.com/)

We are a land of consumers and thankfully, although not a perfect system, there are systems in place to make product recalls for consumer protection. 

Many recalls make big headlines like the recall of Thomas the Train Cars and accessories with toxic red paint or bagged spinach containing e-coli or peanut butter containing salmonella.  Still, many consumers wonder if they are missing important recall information. 

One way to get on a recall list is to fill out the warranty or registration card that comes with many products from car seats, to walkie-talkies or cordless phones to washing machines.  By sharing your information, you can increase the chances of being personally alerted if there is a recall on your product.  Of course, if you move, change phone numbers or e-mail addresses, this makes it more difficult to find you. 

What is the ODI and what are EWRs?

The ODI is the Office of Defects Investigation.  As of September10, 2008, the ODI website was modified to make EWR, or Early Warning Reports public. 

Following the Firestone tire recall, Congress approved a package for EWR and manufacturers have been required to submit Early Warning Reports since 2003.  However, this information was kept confidential.  Now it is available to consumers through the ODI website. 

Consumers can learn hear about potential problems and safety concerns including any fatalities reported by car manufacturers.

Finding out about Product Recalls:  recalls.gov

Six federal agencies work together to share the information on federal product recalls at www.recalls.gov.  Those agencies include the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), National Highway Transportation Safety Association (NHTSA), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), the Federal Drug Agency (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

This site of course is covering important but limited products including: 

• Motor vehicle recalls
• Food recall
• Boat recalls
• Medicine Recalls
• Environmental Product Recalls
• Cosmetic Recalls
• Consumer Product Recalls

Remember that this website will cover recalls that have been recalled by the federal government and is not all-inclusive. 

You can access information on the recalls.gov website a couple of different ways. There are tabs for the specific areas covered such as Motor Vehicle Recalls or Food Recalls.  Additionally, you can view Recent Recalls or search for specific product recalls.  Information is available in Spanish as well as English. 

You may be surprised by the number and variety of recent recalls including:

• Car seats
• Pressure Washers/Air Compressors
• Diving Masks
• Wooden Toys
• Children's Toys, Purses, Pen Cases
• Directors Chairs
• Diving Equipment
• Replacement Torch Fuel Containers

Finding out about Product Recalls:  parents.com (Parent's magazine)

Some of the most fearful of recalls are parents.  No parent wants his or her baby riding in an unsafe car seat or playing with a toy with that has a choking hazard.  Parent's magazine diligently covers baby and children recalls and offers an easy to use and updated product recall section on their web site. 

You can search for a specific product, look at their list of the Biggest Recalls of 2008, check the most recent recalls or check out products by category like bathing, bottles, clothing, slings or pacifiers. 

Examples of Most Recent Recalls include:

• Children's Hooded Sweatshirts with Drawstrings
• Bonavita "Cabana" Drop Side Cribs
• Bonavita "Hudson" and Babi Italia "Pinehurst" Drop Side Cribs
• Outdoor Playset Gliders
• Children's Loungewear

Don't Forget:

Don't ever forget that you the consumer are part of the consumer protection process.  Always report any safety hazards, safety risks or malfunctions that you discover with any product.

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Jonathan Kraft is a recognized expert in helping people to understand Identity Theft Prevention & Protection.  Learn more about the secrets used by identity thieves at: http://blog.identitytheftsecrets.com/.
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Stress Free Living With Ten Practical Tips to Save Time

by Linda Hampton (http://www.keytostressfreeliving.com/)

Are you stressed for time?  Do you feel like the number of hours in one day just isn’t enough for all your activities? 

Well, here are several practical ways that you can do to save time without making sacrifices:

1. Sticking to your schedule for the day.  There’s a lot to be said for being organized and strictly following your itinerary.  When you have it mapped out, you focus on the current task instead of worrying about keeping them all in a balance.  It’s a good idea to know all your family members’ plans too.  That way, you help each other out and nothing is set aside.

2. Planning meals for the entire week.  When you’ve listed down all the ingredients for the meals that you will prepare, it means that the grocery trip would only be done once.  Rushing to the store is avoided.  When you’ve planned your meal, it also means that you’re not as tempted to go to the restaurant.  You save both time and money as a result.  If you need some help with your planning, you can search recipes online.

3. Keeping lists.  Honestly, it feels so good when you cross off the items on your list.  Keeping a list helps keep you on track and lets you avoid making mistakes or worse, forgetting about a task altogether.  It lessens your worrying too.

4. Being organized.  This saves you the most time.  When you know where things are and how each aspect fits into the picture, you’ll get rid of the stress associated with your responsibilities.  Staying organized is the key however, since it’s very easy to get your things all in a clutter.

5. Getting errands done in a single trip.  To accomplish errands the most efficient way, get them all done at one time if possible.  You can’t imagine the wasted minutes or hours that are spent waiting for the next task.  When you interlace jobs with errands, you’re exposing yourself to the risk of getting distracted.

6. Delegating if you can.  There can’t be a way for you to accomplish all the tasks yourself.  Thankfully, we have family members and co-workers who can assist us.

7. Eliminating distractions.  Don’t do too much multi-tasking.  You will find that when you’re working on the computer, turning off the social networking sites will actually mean that you’ll have more time for them later on.  Doing so also has the desirable effect of maintaining the quality of your tasks.

8. Knowing when to say no.  Sometimes, you will be required to accomplish more than one person could possibly do.  I suggest that you decline properly and either delegate or reschedule the task.

9. Using idle time wisely.  When you’re commuting or waiting for a meeting to begin, there are many productive things you can do.  You can respond to text messages and emails, plan your report, or make the shopping list.

10. Grouping similar tasks.  If there are tasks that you can do simultaneously, then you better schedule them to be accomplished together.  While talking on the phone, there are chores that you can do.  Or you can rearrange and clean at the same time.

Saving time means that you can have more time for things that are most valuable to you.  Managing one’s time also means that you can keep your lifestyle.  Apply these ideas and you’ll soon find that you have a lot of time for yourself.

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Linda Hampton RN, MSN a Wellness and Stress Management Breakthrough Life Coach is the publisher of a free 5-part e-course full of revealing information to help you deal with the stressful changes in your life.  For more information, visit http://www.keytostressfreeliving.com/.
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Boost Your Happiness Level With These 7 Tips

by Brenda Campbell (http://www.attractsuccess.com.au)

What if you woke up one morning and saw a sign above you that said "happiness bus - jump on here for the ride of your life"?  Would you excitedly jump on or would you pass, get up and just face your day?

Happiness is within the reach of any person who desires it.  It truly is there for you to just reach out and grab hold of and here are seven tips to boost your happiness level, whatever that may be.

But why would you bother?  Surely it is enough to just cruise along with life, taking it as it comes and if you are unhappy, that is just your fate in life.  You may be surprised to know that there are happiness experts who study and teach happiness, sometimes known as positive psychology.  These experts hold the view that happiness is a choice; you can choose positive emotions, you can choose to let go of fear, anxiety and sadness and you can choose to pursue happiness.  Most people believe that happiness is important and is worth having not just for the individual but for society as a whole.

Happy people earn higher incomes and are more productive, they have longer and more satisfying relationships and more friends, more energy, better health and even longer life.  There is evidence that individual happiness is a key factor in organizational performance so any employers reading this might want to explore happiness further.

The best possible news is that you can train your brain for greater happiness.  Read on to find out how.

1. Create the habit of keeping a daily journal. 

This might take a while and some discipline and every day that you do it will make it easier to continue.  When you get to 90 days it is very likely that it will have become a habit.  Your daily journal should be primarily about the positive things that occur in your life and that you appreciate about yourself.

2. Develop gratitude by adding to your daily journal a minimum of three notes about things for which you are grateful that day. 

Write down the things that people did that you appreciated, anything that made you smile or that you felt thankful for.  Talk to others about what happened and reinforce gratitude in your life.

3. Use your daily journal to identify the things that you can see are your strengths.

You might find that your writings about what you appreciate in yourself show some of your strengths and you can also ask trusted friends and family what they see as your strengths.  Use your strengths to make your life more enjoyable, for example, when you must do something that you do not like, approach it from the angle of your strengths.  Build on your strengths at every opportunity.

4. Give generously of acts of kindness.

Decide every morning how you will give at least five acts of kindness that day and be on the lookout for opportunities.  Doing this just feels so good and other's are very appreciative.  It is like giving and receiving gifts all day long.

5. Have fun!

I know that sounds a little crazy and looks obvious - happy people have fun right?  You know what though?  Sometimes we just stop being playful and exercising our sense of humor and again, it is just about practice.  So be on the lookout for happy people with whom you can have fun and practice being funny.

6. Be still with yourself - meditation, yoga and such pursuits calm the mind and give you time to see life from a different perspective.

Meditation can also help you to release fear, anxiety and sadness giving you room to allow happiness in.  Meditation, by the way, can be a lot more simple than you may think.  It can be as easy as watching the waves role in and letting all thoughts drift away in the process.

7. And finally, create yourself some habits like meditation, yoga or exercise.

The creation of habits reinforces your belief in yourself to be, do or have anything that you want, including happiness.

So now you have the secret formula to happiness, you know why you would bother and you know that it is possible to be happy, even if you are usually unhappy.  The choice is yours - reach out and grab hold with both hands or let another day pass.  Have fun with these seven tips and be happy.

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Brenda Campbell is an experienced coach and mentor who works with people all over the world to assist them to achieve their dreams and desires.  For more information, visit http://www.attractsuccess.com.au.
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