Whether you realize it or not, all of us have created a standard way of operating that works for us and fits our lifestyle. It’s called a system. Here’s an example…
After a string of several questionable online clothing purchases I’d made, I've placed myself on an online ordering moratorium after 10pm. You see… It turns out, I’m a lousy shopper when I’m tired. I order the wrong sizes, the wrong colors, and I often forget to activate my cash-back app (which is half the reason for shopping online!). Therefore, because I constantly found myself in a state of, “Dang it – I did it again!” I developed my own internal, personal online shopping policy – And it goes like this:
No online purchases can be made after 10:00pm. Doesn’t matter if it’s the most amazing deal on the planet – if I see it at 10:01pm, I will not allow myself to purchase it. I can continue surfing the web for as long as I want – but I will not make a single purchase until I wake up the next morning. If I still want the aforementioned item the next day, then I’m free to make a decision based on clear, fresh, in-the-morning thinking.
And you’d be surprised how much less junk I have in my house, based on that single SOP alone.
Yes, business systems and shopping systems don’t have to be complex to be effective – They just need to be followed. Therefore, I’m sharing my number one, super simple, best executed system that has brought me the most success after more than 20 years in business.
Careful… it’s so simple, you might just miss it.
1. WRITE IT DOWN. When I was working my tail off in my early 20’s, I remember having a crazy and completely illogical belief that making a list, was bad. Almost as if I was a “more virtuous human” than everyone else in the career-world because I could keep all of my tasks in my head (as opposed to all the losers out there who had to write stuff down). And oddly enough, the more successful I became, the more work there was to do, the less I wanted to write it down! I actually thought writing things down was a crutch – and I wanted to prove I could be successful without a crutch. Not until I discussed this “interesting” belief with my business coach, did I come to realize how nonsensical I was being.
Shortly thereafter, I changed my mind and my system. Instead of keeping everything in my head, I started writing things down. Over the next decade, I would spend the last 15 minutes of my day writing down the tasks which needed to be accomplished the next day. I literally wouldn’t allow myself to leave my office until I wrote down tomorrow’s task list. And then – several things happened. I felt more organized because I knew what tomorrow would bring. I felt less stress, because the tasks of my day were already prepared in advance for me. And I felt a sense of achievement as I crossed each task off when completed. This new system was not even close to being a crutch – instead, it was my launching pad for even greater success.
2. ALL THE THINGS GET WRITTEN DOWN. In this digital age, it’s super easy to let your laptop or your online calendar dictate your day. Now – I’m certainly not suggesting that you abolish technology… I’m just asking you to re-consider whether or not your online system is really working. In my above example – I still had an online calendar of appointments that I made, but rather than writing down appointments, I wrote down all the tasks I needed to do BEFORE the appointment took place! For me, this included creating presentations, doing research, writing proposals, drafting new ideas for clients, along with all the ways I could help my employees. Things on my list like “Create Proposal for Smith Law Group” or “Jon convo” helped me prepare to succeed before the meetings or the presentations ever take place.
Thinking back on it now I can see that, “Create proposal for Smith Law Group,” in my mind actually became, “Close Smith Law Group as a new client.” And “Jon convo” ensured that I would spend time thinking about the conversation, rather than just winging it when the time for our conversation came. Because I looked at my appointments, then wrote down the things I needed to do FOR each appointment, I was ultimately declaring my own intentions for each item. And that my friends, is a HUGE secret which very few people are privy to knowing.
3. DON’T THROW IT AWAY. When you start writing things down (and you put your intentions into that which you’ve written), you’ll be shocked at the difference it makes in your productivity level. When I created and followed this system, here’s a step by step of how it worked:
I kept a set of 3x5 blank note cards at my desk (feel free to use 5x7’s, sticky notes, or good old-fashioned yellow notebook paper if you wish)
I turned the cards vertical and using the blank side, wrote down all of my tasks. If something came up that day, I added it to the list.
I crossed each one off as I completed it (usually with great joy and enthusiasm!)
If something didn’t get accomplished, I placed it on tomorrow’s task list.
I refused to leave the office until my new list had been created for the next day.
At the end of the week, I could literally see everything I’d done. I knew the progress I’d made – and I could easily summarize my week based on the items that had been crossed off the list. And if something HADN’T been done (sometimes day after day after day), I had to take the time to objectively ask myself if I was procrastinating (and why), or if the task was truly necessary. Sometimes, I simply had to admit to myself that I never had any intention of actually doing the task in the first place and remove it from the list. All in the name of progress, achievement and growth.
One of the greatest by-products of this system, was the fact that I could leave the office, and truly “leave my work” at the office. I stopped thinking about what needed to be done on Monday, because my list was already there waiting for me. I kept myself accountable for my upcoming meetings and felt exceedingly prepared for them. And by writing them down, I put my personal energy and intention into each task prior to the result ever taking place.
If you’re unhappy with your current productivity level, may I suggest “shaking things up” a bit and writing a few things down? It might feel old-school at first, but if you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’re going to keep getting the results you’ve already been getting.
Instead of fighting fires all day, or dealing with the same employee issues month after month, or ending up with a bright orange scarf (that you could’ve sworn was pink according to the Ebay pictures at midnight), you could find clarity, focus, and results like you’ve never seen before.
For more information, or if you’re not sure what the next step is to get the breakthrough you need in your hemp business, send us a message at email@thehempbusinessadvisors.com. We offer a free consultation and are always looking for ways we can help hemp business owners be more successful.
Carrie Cox
Co-Founder and Corporate Liaison
The Hemp Business Advisors