Feelings of overwhelm are fairly common in most entrepreneur’s life. Too much to do and too little time are typical complaints for the majority of people. It can be even worse when you are completely responsible for your own time management and pay check!

As the new Vice President at Plexus Pink, a network marketing company my
partner recently purchased, I have become acutely aware that this dilemma
affects more than just the solopreneur or small business person. How do you get more done, in less time with little stress? Is there a magic formula? Everyone, including larger companies need to know this answer. Yes is my answer!

It’s called SYSTEMS. I once read that systems is an acronym for Saving
YourSelf Time, Energy and Money. I like that acronym. I am a systems person. I actually didn’t realize how indoctrinated I am in the system of systems until I starting staying with my friend Monique every time I came up from Mexico. She explained to me that the reason I am able to do as much as I do in a day, week, month or year is because I completely rely on systems I set up and follow. So right now my priority at Plexus Pink is…you guessed it….systems!

I bet there are some areas of your life and business that could do with systems. But you may also be balking at the very idea of being regimented, organized and in a routine. However, in doing research this week for an article, I learned that 90% of franchises are in business 6 years after beginning their business. On the other hand, 90% of small businesses are NOT in business 6 years down the road. What’s the difference? Systems! Having owned a franchise, I remember learning the very specific, routine Molly Maid system of cleaning a room and house. It wasn’t haphazard or lackadaisical in any way, shape or form. I still remember top to bottom, right to left. That way, nothing was missed in a room. Systems were the reason that the maids could clean a house so quickly, thoroughly and efficiently.

I know many people would love those words to apply to their business – quickly, thoroughly and efficiently are pretty hot words when it means more time and money for you! And that’s precisely why systems are so important. They put more time in your day and more money in your pocket.

Look at what you do in a day. Carefully examine how you handle phone calls, emails, and mail. Those 3 things are enough to just about bury any wellintentioned entrepreneur! I write phone calls down in my notebook. Everything in my day goes into my notebook. Notes, phone calls, reminders, lists…my notebook is my daily bible for success.

If you have phone messages written on little scraps of paper in every room of the house, go buy yourself a notebook and get this one area organized immediately. As school season starts in September, it is a wonderful time to stock up on notebooks as they are the best price of the year. I buy 20 or 30 to see me through the next 12 months.

Emails can be the most daunting. I have set up file folders for everything. I have a file folder for my new book, for copywriting newsletters, for accounting and invoices, for Sacred Gifts, Plexus Pink and about 2 dozen more. I also have a Take Action This Week folder where things I need to look at or pay attention to this week are filed. At the end of the week I go through that folder and sort out what I am going to do with each of those emails.

One of the best things about living on the road is the little physical mail I receive. I cancelled magazine subscriptions and put my few bills online. It has made life so much easier. You may want to do the same and you don’t even have to live out of a suitcase to do it!

I am very clear why I work. For me, it is no longer just about putting a roof over my head and food on my table. Those things were once a major priority, but thankfully those days are over and I can focus on what is beyond survival mode. I am working to make my contribution to the planet, leave my mark and get the very most out of every day life. I live by the motto from Ayn Rand’s book, Atlas Shrugged: “what greater wealth is there than to own one’s life and to spend it on growing.” I feel a strong urge to do more, to live bigger and to be everything I can possibly be as I help others do the same. That mission requires systems.

On a corporate call the other day with the CEO and President of Plexus Pink, I stated: “I don’t sleep less than most people. As a matter of fact, I may sleep
more. I don’t eat less than the average person. In reality, I probably cook more than most. But how I accomplish what I do in a day is because of systems.”

Systems will allow you to do more than you can ever imagine. Why can I say that? Franchises charge tens of thousands of dollars for their system. It’s why every successful entrepreneur I have ever met or read about has systems. Systems are why uneducated people have succeeded beyond belief in network marketing. The proof is in the pudding.

Decide on what you want out of your life and business. Get clear on why you are working. More money, the freedom to travel, the ability to support a massive cause you are passionate about or more time with your loved ones. I don’t know but you do. Then look at what is what is wasting your time in a day. Is it emails, phone calls, filing, invoicing, running around to time-wasting events, or lack of a plan or focus of where you are going? Be honest. This is an important, but not necessarily easy question to answer. Getting what you really want out of your life is a great motive, perhaps the best, for setting up systems.

However, if the mere thought of setting up a filing system makes you run to the nearest shopping mall for retail therapy, if the very idea of going through your emails and sorting them out has you eating a bag of chocolate chips, find somebody who loves to do this stuff. I know – it’s hard to believe that they exist if you are not that way inclined. But trust me, they do. Every time I send a form to my amazing formatter and she responds, I can feel the passion in her email for her work. While I feel nauseas at the thought of having to format an order form, Diane is excited. I thank God daily for all the people who support me in my business so amazingly with their Sacred Gifts.

Remember the acronym for systems – Save YourSelf Time, Energy and Money. Most entrepreneurs are short on time, energy and money so if systems are the answer, I highly recommend you look carefully at how you can implement more of them into your life.

Have an amazing month!

Jan

P.S. The next Sacred Gifts workshop is happening in Vancouver on September 19th and 20th. Please check out www.yoursacredgifts.com for event details. I will be there and would love to see you attend this life-changing workshop. You’ll learn how to save yourself time and money and get rid of a whole lot of guilt in your life!

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