Bonus Blog - In Depth 80/20 Time

Hey, as promised, I'm back with my in depth 80/20 Time blog. In summary, 80/20 time states that in business, 20% of your effort and time produces 80% of the results in your business. This ratio isn't exact, but is a good estimation of most areas in your life. I spoke earlier about how to identify this time and utilize it. Now, I will go into more depth with some techniques you can use to get started right away.

You'll have to get very lean with your time and what you do. You can start by:

1. Cutting the time you check your email a day to 30 mins to an hour - Identify your most common emails from customers and outsource this to an employee or downline. Express to them that you only want to deal with the most urgent or uncommon emails. Or the big money makers. Routine orders should'nt take up a lot of your time.

2. Let your phone go to voice message more often - If it's important, they'll leave a message. This will allow you flexibility and give you control of when you will have your phone time. Let your organization and customers know that you will only be available for a given window each day to speak on the phone. Have team conference calls once a week to answer to clear up FAQ's or disseminate knowlege.

3. Schedule all your follow ups with customers to an hour per week on a given day - Make them work to your schedule, not the other way around. You only want to spend your time on reoccuring customers and not the occasional penny throwers. If they are a valued customer, they'll recognize your value and do what you ask to recieve your services, so don't be afraid.

4. Start a 30 day media fast - I've been a media fast for several months, and I'm still current with today's important news, while not being inundated with negative imagery all day. This media fast will free up your time to explore other things. I know major conditions about my industry by reading websites (on my own time) without having to know what Beyonce wore to the Grammys.

This type of time mastery is uncommon, but is well worth it as it frees up so much of your time to enjoy the finer things in life. When you take control of your life and your time and start being the cause instead of living at the effect, a whole new world of freedom and possibility will open up for you. I hope these tips were helpful. Until next time, Have a Great Day, because you Deserve it!

Mitchell Graves
http://www.lambstolionsbook.com

The Man in the Mirror

Have you ever looked into the mirror and been disgusted by what you saw? I don't mean the mirror in your bathroom, I mean the mirror of your life. You may not be leading the live you'd hope to lead or dreamed to lead. You may not have the job you would like to have, or making as much money as you'd like to have, or have as much time as you'd like to have.

So what did you do? You tried to learn tips and tricks to make more money. Find another business op, or get another job. You tried to apply time management tricks to free up your time. You blamed your boss for your lack of a raise or the economy for the sudden crunch in your business. In essence, you try to draw on the mirror to fix the reflection. No matter how much you draw on the mirror, the reflection won't change. To change the reflection, you must change the man in the mirror. You must change yourself.

This is what so many people do and it is what seperates those in life that create they life of their dreams, versus those that just settle. Which are you? If you are the latter, it's time to wake up and stop drawing on the mirror. Take responsibility for your life and stop blaming others.

The secret to success in your business is and always will be YOURSELF. By working on yourself, you will in turn see a surge in your business you never thought possible. This is why any serious entrepreneur spends time everyday on personal development.

The blueprint for that mental transformation and the key to changing your reflection starts at http://www.lambstolionsbook.com/ You can get a free copy of my personal development book for entrepreneurs, filled with cutting edge techniques to transform you into the entrepreneur you want to be.

You will also get my Lambs to Lions newsletter that goes more in depth on the mental transformation through personal development that needs to take place. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Have a Great Day, because you Deserve it!

Mitchell Graves

http://www.lambstolionsbook.com/

Time Management for Entrepreneurs Part 4 - 80/20 Time

A major problem most home business entrepreneurs face is wasting too much time on the things that don't really matter. The 80/20 Rule states that 20% of our activity produces 80% of our results.

What part of your business produces 80%of your cashflow? It's the actual business transaction and not setting up or maintaining your funnel. These things have to be done, but you don't have to spend as much time on them as you think you do.

The concept of 80/20 time says you only spend time on things that produce the result for you. Everything else should be outsourced as you get larger. I've come up with a formula to do this.

1. Identify your goals with your time

2. Identify the income producing activity

3. Identify the "must-dos" to keep your business running

4. Find ways to outsource or automate the "must-dos"

5. Put these ideas into action

This strategy will drastically increase your avaialable time which will leave you in the posistion to meet your identified goal in step 1. When you are spending less time on things that don't make you money, and more time on things that actually do, your profits will increase. As I stated before, this stems from having the proper mindset.

You can learn how to shift your mindset to that of a TRUE entrepreneur at http://www.lambstolionsbook.com/ There you can download my free ebook called Lambs to Lions.

Ok, that's it for this Time Management series. Be sure to read my other blogs in the series for more time management techniques. Have a Great Day, because you Deserve it!

Mitchell Graves

http://www.lambstolionsbook.com/

P.S. I will write another blog on 80/20 Time showing some more in depth strategies I employ. So be sure to stay tuned!

Time Management for Entrepreneurs - Effective Scheduling

Today's blog is on effective scheduling and how to do it. It's absolutely vital to the health of your business. A man that fails to plan, plans to fail. Getting your schedule done properly can mean the difference between making money that day or losing money that day. True entrepreneurs know this and are able to schedule their tasks effectively.

Effective scheduling is done in 5 steps.
1. Identify how much time you have
2. Block out the necessities such as work or commute
3. Schedule in your high priority and urgent tasks
4. Make sure you have contingency or slack time
5. Schedule in time to meet your business or personal goals

If you reach step 5 and you don't have a lot of time left, go back through your day and see what you can delegate, or cut time down on. The point is to get your time very lean so that you know exactly where you are going next and how long it should take.

I've personally seen my productivity shoot through the roof when I implemented this versus just having a task list for the day. The entrepreneurs that get results are the ones that run their business like a business, and what business do you know that doesn't have a daily agenda?

Stay tuned for more in depth training on the 80/20 rule and how it applies to your business so you can become a leverage master!

Learn more about becoming the proper entrepreneur and shifting your mindset to one of Donald Trump by going to http://www.lambstolionsbook.com/ to download your free entrepreneur mindset ebook as well as my Lambs to Lions Newsletter.

Have a Great Day, because you Deserve it!

Mitchell Graves
http://www.lambstolionsbook.com/

Time Management Techinques Part 2 - Overcoming Procrastination

I really don't feel like writing this blog, so I'll do it later. Hey everyone and welcome to part 2 of my series on time management techniques. We've all experienced the beast called Procrastination. It can act like a theif to rob you of your time before you know it. And the worse part is, when you look up, you have no one to blame but yourself, and that awful feeling of knowing you still have this horrible task to complete. Well I'm here today to give you some time management techniques I use to overcome procrastination.

I remember as a kid, my mother would ask me to rake the leaves in the yard in autumn. This was a task I absolutely hated and I'd be out there for hours. Most of my time out there would be spent just holding the rake or trying to invent better ways to do it. Cursing my mother and listing all the reasons I hated raking leaves. At the end of the day, I'd still have to get it done and I had no one to blame but myself for being out there so long beacuse I was just procrastinating.

Procrastination can be detrimental to your business as a network marketer for the simple reason that you are your own boss. You are accoutable for your own actions and your own results. The biggest problem beginners run into is procrastinating when it comes to calling leads back. You may wait until it's the right time of the day. Or once you start, get nervous and go check an email. You may have to wait until you have all of your materials in front of you perfectly before you call a single person. Or, a good problem to have, you may have a large list to call and you feel overwhelmed. Either way, not doing this activity will sink your business faster than the Titanic.

To overcome procrastination, take three steps. First, recognize when you are procrastinating. This takes some brutal honesty with yourself about when you are doing this. You may fill your task list with easier, minor tasks instead of the larger more difficult one. You may be excessively getting snacks, or talking with friends. The trick is to recognize and listen to that little birdy on your shoulder that's telling you, you have to get something done.

Second, recognize why you are procrastinating. This will be more dependant on you as the person and the assigned task. The most common reasons for procrastinating are either the task is too overwhelming, or the task is unpleasant. There's a whole host of reasons, but they generally fall into these two categories.

Third, just do it! (like Nike) If the task is overwhelming, ask yourself, how do I eat an elephant? I ask my team this question all the time when we have a daunting task or heavy deadline. The answer is, you eat an elephant one bite at a time. Break the overwhelming task down into bite size pieces and focus only on that one. (see Part 1 for more of focusing) Call one person at a time. Give them your full attention when you speak. After you call a few people, reward yourself by taking a quick 5 min break. But keep it short or you will start procrastinating again! Don't go to watch your favorite television show. Remind yourself of the unpleasant consequences if you don't get it done. Maybe you won't be able to take that vacation, or buy the toy for your child, or get out of your job that you hate! These should light a fire under you. And finally, perhaps the best way to overcome procrastination is to assemble a team of people to hold you accountable. Call your upline or get on a call with your downline and hold each other accountable for completing a pre determined task. Peer pressure works as seen in AA groups and weight loss centers. You can leverage this to your advantage.

I hope these techniques will be helpful in overcoming your procrastination. Time management techinques are one of the keys you will need to succeed as a network marketer.

For more on time management techniques and moving into the entrepreneur mindset, download your free copy of my book called Lambs to Lions at http://www.lambstolionsbook.com/ It's packed with all kinds of practical applications to literally transform yourself into a successful entrepreneur, starting today! Remember to Have a Great day, because you Deserve it!

Mitchell Graves

http://www.lambstolionsbook.com/

Part 1 of 4: Time Management for Entrepreneurs and Network Marketers

Hey, everyone, sorry for the absense. I really had to get some things straight and get a firm direction for this blog, which I have now. Thanks for tuning in. This blog will be about time management techniques that I use in my Network Marketing business, but can also be applied to any entrepreneur.

"I don't have time" is the most common excuse to quit for people starting a home business. They let everything in their lives get in their way. From family and friends, their job, other social activities, etc. The old adage that says, "if something is a priority to you, you will make time for it" is very true for any aspect of your life. My question to you is, if you don't make time to invest in something that has the potential to change your lifestyle and your family's lifestyle, how bad do you really want it? How much do you really love your family if you're not willing to do whatever it takes to end their suffering? Being prosperous isn't just a choice, it's the responsibility we have to our community. No excuse is great enough to trump that. Not even "time".

When I was going through a very troubling period in my life, I was placed under enormous pressure to get things done. I had a goal in sight and quitting was not an option. Once I knew I would achieve my goal, no excuse in the book could stand up to me and my determination. Read those few sentences again until you absorb the mental process. It was then that I realized Time is and Illusion. It's not real and massive. It's something that's fluid and moves. I could elongate or crunch time at will. When have you experienced "time flying by" or "time standing still". It's a matter of perception in our minds. Our perception is a reflection of what we focus on. So if we change our focus, we change our perception, and we change how we experience time. This revelation was a game changer for me and I use it everyday now. I realized that one of the biggest things that seperates those who are successful and those who aren't are their time management skills. So let me reveal to you some time management techinques.

One time management techinque I want to point out that will help sharpen your focus, is called the 60/60/30 rule. It's what I use in my everyday life when I really want to get a lot done in a short amount of time. It calls for 50 mins of focus, 10 mins of relaxation, 50 mins of focus, 10 mins of relaxation and then 30 mins of relaxation, then start over again. During those 50 mins, you need to turn off all distractions. No phones, kids, spouse, tv, etc. Hone in on your goal for that 50 mins and just get it done. Point, Blank, Period.

The second time management technique I want to share with you is a version of the 80/20 rule. This says you focus on the 20% of your business that's producing 80% of the results. From the people in your downline that are actually working or the advertising method that produces the most leads. Don't get caught up in doing 5 things when only 2 things work. Test all 5. See which ones produce the most results. Throw out the ones that don't. Test some more. Keep doing this until you master 2 or 3 that produce the most results for you. It'll become second nature to you by then.

The problem that most employees have when they come into the entrepreneur world is that, they are so used to someone else telling them where to go, what to do, and where to spend their time, that they don't have the discipline to get it done on their own. I know it's hard to reprogram yourself from all those years of living by the bell, but if you truly want to transform your life, it's a decision you will have to make. Make that decision that nothing will stop you. Not even time. Then learn some time management techniques to help you cope with the struggle.

For more time management techniques and more training on how to move from the employee to the entrepreneur and be a better network marketer, pick up my free ebook, Lambs to Lions. It the step by step blueprint for changing your mental framework to that of a true entrepreneur so you can really start to see changes in your business. That's it for this blog. Stay tuned for Parts 2 - 4 in the coming days. Have a Great day, because you Deserve it!


Mitchell Graves
http://www.lambstolionsbook.com/

Can You See Your Goals?

One technique I've practiced and has helped immensely is a combination of goal setting and visualizations. An internet marketing guru named Mike Dillard said in his book to post the number $10,000 around your house, in your wallet, and wherever you can see on a daily basis. This is to represent what you will eventually spend per month on advertising. He says that eventually, you will become obsessed with this number and when you do, you will become uncomfortable with the fact that you are not spending that much on advertising. You will find ways to do so by growing your business to that point. This is similar to a technique described in Think and Grow Rich, where Napoleon Hill describes this as creating a burning desire for a monetary amount.

I started out with $10,000 like Mike suggested. I posted it on my white board right above my desk in my home office where I could see it regularly. I wrote it on my goal card that I keep in my wallet. Eventually, like they said, I dreamed of living a $10,000 a month lifestyle. I thought of $10,000 all the time. Within a matter of days (it may take longer for some) my mind became accostumed to it. Suddenly, small dollar amounts like $60, $200, and even $1,500 seemed like nothing to me as I beleived I was making $10,000 a month. I even began to have $10,000 ideas and the path to making that kind of money opened up for me. If I ever faced a tough decision, I asked myself, "What would I do if I were the person making $10,000 a month?" and the answers became very clear to me. I haven't made $10,000 a month yet, but I know it's only a matter of time (pretty soon actually). With this technique firmly in my back pocket, the path to untold wealth and achievement lay before me. Whenever I want to move to the next stage in my life, I simply have to write it out, focus on it, my subconcious will get the message, and just go on living my life. I will move up naturally (there will be some effort involved, read my blog "Why Headaches Are a Good Thing..."). A crucial step in this whole process is that you have to Believe that it's possible. If you fight the image with a negative feeling or feeling of disbelief whenever you reflect on your goal, the exercise it pointless. It's like ordering a Big Mac with Diet Pepsi so you'll feel good about yourself.

Many people end their lives not happy and full of regret. They didn't accomplish what they wanted to accomplish. But very often, they never set any firm goals with firm plans of achieving them. A goal without a plan is just a wish. Ambiguous goals return ambiguous results. You have to be VERY clear on what you want, and when you want to have it.

The technique outlined above goes for you as well when becoming the entrepreneur you want to be. Make a picture of the person you want to be and that person's surroundings. Write out what that peson has in their life on a daily basis. Put it where you can see it, focus on it, your subconcious will get the message, and you will attract it naturally.

You can start small, but you will see small results. Start big and you will see big results.

If you have big goals and you need a vehicle to take you there, visit: http://www.massivehomeincome.com/ From there, you can also subscribe to my free Entrepreneur newsletter, where I go into more depth on some of the principles I touch on in my blog. I chose the pic above because it reminded me of myself when I was young, lol. That's it for today...Have a Great Day, because you Deserve it!

Mitchell

http://www.massivehomeincome.com/