Category: Efficiency

Interruptions can be a real pain when you’re trying to get on with the real work or the sort which requires concentration.

Here are a few ideas of how you can reduce, or at least manage, your interruptions:

• Calendly is my best friend. Linked to my diary people can book phone calls at a convenient time. No more of those emails backwards and forwards trying to find when everybody’s diaries are free. The first tier of Calendly is free.
• If you have a PA or receptionist then give them clear instructions for managing your phone calls
• If you’re on your own then invest in an answering service. We use Answer IT who will either take messages or put through calls like your own receptionist. They can even manage your diary. You can divert your phones to them whenever you need to focus.
• Turn off your notifications or leave your phone in another room. Yes, I know you’ve been told before but actually do it please.
• A default diary makes it much easier to control your week. I block time out when I need intense concentration.
• If you have a team then an open/closed door can be a good indicator of when they can and can’t interrupt you

Try one or two of these suggestions and let me know how you get on.

Some people struggle for ideas for their business. They have read so many books and been to so many talks but they don’t have time to implement everything or don’t know where to start.

I’m a bit like this. The ideas make it as far as my ideas folder but sometimes don’t go any further. In all honesty some of them probably don’t deserve to go any further as they were bad ideas in the first place. But it isn’t just a waste of the money and time that I spend reading/listening/watching, it’s the lost potential for a fabulous business.

The best way I found to get out of this dilemma was to work with a business coach. Yes, I know I’m a coach myself but I still work with a coach for exactly the same reasons that you may need one.

• She helps me see the wood from the trees when I’m too busy
• She is a critical friend who will challenge me when necessary
• She has experience in my industry so is great to bounce ideas off
• She helps me to plot a clear path and turn my ideas into an action plan
• She (metaphorically) kicks my backside to get things done before our next call
• She helps to celebrate as she know how much work really went into those “overnight” successes.

Anyway, a big thank you to my coach this week as we’re set to launch the ‘ScaleUp Blueprint’ course and my ‘Growing by Numbers’ book moves further along the publisher’s pipeline.

Masterminds can be really good. I belong to one for my speaking. We are all at about the same stage in our speaking careers but with different business models. At the moment we are all learning and sharing what does and doesn’t work and why. It is really helpful and costs nothing, but we don’t have all the answers and we all have a long way to go.

But I’ve just been selected to speak at a very prestigious event later this year (more later when I’m allowed to talk about it) which could really make my speaking career. None of my peers have the experience to help me. So I’m about to invest several thousand pounds in a speaking coach who will help me to refine both my content and my delivery to make the most of this 30 minute opportunity.

So, whilst masterminds can help with regular, day to day support it still takes an experienced coach/mentor to push on towards excellence.