A Twist on the 'To Do' List

Engaging in an email today, someone was telling me about their ‘to do’ list.

I use to make these. I stopped a little over 2 years ago.

Why?

Because that list was never ending - and for all I crossed off or deleted, so many more things were added by the end of each day.

I found it a dreadful list that was not rewarding me really at any time - but for the split second of crossing one thing off.

Think about it - if you are an ‘open’ business - that list will never be completed - not even on the last day of any year - as your business never stops.

Having that list can sometimes do more harm than good on a psychological level - and that might affect how you conduct your business or day without you even realizing it’s subtle yet powerful effect. That ultimately leads to it affecting your success.

When most look at their  ‘to do’ list, rarely are they jumping for joy. Usually, they make a big sigh or something - or read the list a few times to decide what they could get done to cross off something for the day - to make them feel like they at least achieved that.

And if you had 10 things you were supposed to get done, but only did 1, it’s hard to think really awesome about yourself or feel even great that you accomplished that 1 task - when you know that now the next day you will have 10 more things on top of what you add for that day to do.

So see - it’s really a horrible list.

I am aware that not everyone dreads this list - but I am talking about the majority of individuals. And I am also aware that some professionals really do know how to reward themselves for even just one task accomplished. And for those: kudos! - you ‘get it’ :)

But to make this situation a lot more fun and something you look forward to whether you are in either of those categories above, I have made a twist on this ‘to do’ list.

Mine is:  “Actions That Get Me Closer To What I Want”

It’s a longer title - but who cares. No one sees it but you.

Look at how uplifting and powerful that statement is!

It almost begs you to jump right in on all of the tasks instantly! And you are filled with excitement to do so! You are all pumped up before you even read item #1! Isn’t this a better way to start your morning --- and keep you going throughout the day? Amazing what this does to your psyche! :)

You can tweak this title if you want - make it shorter or more specific.

Ex:  Replace the ‘What I Want” with the goal you have for the year or month or week - however you set your ‘to do’ list up.

or shorten it:

Ex: Actions Towards My Success

You get the idea. Play around with it some.

But the words need to be powerful, filled with energy and the statement needs to resonate with you. Once you craft it this way, you incorporate the tasks into your work easier and you enjoy engaging in whatever these tasks are more - without you even realizing.

You can have more than one way to phrase your old ‘to do’ list and more than one ‘to do’ list also. Maybe use one name for your typical ‘daily’ to do’s and maybe use another for your longer term goals -  your monthly or yearly or even 5 year plan.

But there are 2 Crucial Keys you should take in order for this twist to be even more effective, refreshing and fun!

1. You replace the words ‘to do’ with the word Action

2. You get rid of the word ‘list. It’s irrelevant. You don’t even have to put your tasks in a listing format.

Make this more fun. Work should be enjoyable. We do it for so many hours of our lives, you need to find ways to incorporate fun into it.

Ex: Take a blank piece of paper and hold it landscape style. Put all your items in bubbles and have them float around. Don’t number them. Just put the words in the bubbles and arrange them however you want.

Use different colors if you want to represent the more important tasks that would normally be labeled in the Franklin Covey way of A, B, C. So make A red or your color preference. You get the idea. Or just keep them all the same color. Experiment with this and how it works for you each week/month.

If you do this, there are 3 hidden benefits:

- you might discover that you can link some tasks together and accomplish two things in one

- you might start to recognize a pattern about your ‘to do’s that are a waste your time or that you write down as habit - but you already know and never forget to do

- it might cause you to see some things about your business in a different way - such as associate people or ideas together that you would have never thought of - if this was in list format and one task was #2 and another task was item #10

The last tip I will give you is to create your daily actions on a white board.  I won’t take up your time to state all the incredible powers of this fabulous board - but once you start to use one - you will know :) I love all my white boards!

But the purpose of this blog topic was to reinforce: You should like what you do and be excited to start each day and work your day.

Your new “Action xxx” (whatever you call it) is a catalyst to help make this happen for you. It gets you into a positive and energized mindset and it allows you to have some fun doing what you do throughout each day.

When you constantly go back and read that top line (of what you have called this) - no matter what kind of day you are having or if you are feeling tired - this will instantly pump you up and keep you going! Or if you are like me and always are energetic and positive minded - it just fuels that more!

All of this ultimately will help you achieve more each day, so you can reach success quicker or maybe just elevate the level of success you already have overall. At the very bare minimum - it will be something you now look forward to reading and writing even - vs something you normally haven’t.

Let me know how this works for you. I would love to know - so shoot me an email.

Jaxi  :)
ps: If you would like more help on this topic or anything else - get in touch. I would be glad to discuss with you how I can be your personal Silent and Strategic Partner in All Your Endeavors!

How Is Your Business Plan Different Than Others?

Over the past 3 years, I have seen quite a lot of business plans of all sizes for numerous ideas for different countries.

I am not even an investor and there has come a time when I have occassionally glossed over a section due to the doldrum of 'been there - seen that' situation - akin statements and statistics just different specifics/details.

Since I know longer run the same business model, I am not reviewing them as much. But over the past month I have reviewed a few out of courtesy, and it spurred me to write this blog to offer some suggestions to help separate yourself from the extremely competitive area of securing money for your business project /idea.

There are some things that are absolutely required, that you must put in, and there are sometimes no ways to make that creative, but there are other things you can do to spice up your business plan to either keep your reader/potential investor engaged, or at least catch his attention as he skims through your lengthy project.

A. Table of Contents

This is the first place the investor will look so he can instantly go to what is important to him.  Not many start from page one and read to the end (unless you are new to the investing world).

1. Take a look at your sections. What do you have them called?

Is there any other word or phrase you can choose to make that slight distinction between you and your competition to state the same thing?

That shows you are sharp and creative, and the investor might take note of that.  He will see you put effort into something as mundane and required as the Table of Contents. Just for that reason and the different word or phrase you used (even if it is only in one section), he might be intrigued by you. That might get that investor to actually read the entire project to see where else you surprise him like that - or to follow your creative genius pattern of thinking -  as you have already set yourself from the others.

2. Is there a unique section you can add in the middle of listing the typicals: 'financials', 'mission, vision statement', etc to catch their eye?

This will keep them reading down the list and maybe even get them to go instantly to that section - thereby already getting them engaged in your project.

Today, I suggested to a colleague - whose business plan I reviewed  - to create a new section and I gave him the entire idea of what to state in that section.  I suggested where he strategically put it as well.

It wasn't going to be a big section. Perhaps three short paragraphs at the most. But it was what was IN that section that was separating himself from the competition in the business investing industry and also from other individuals globally. This section loudly but subtly states -"I am different & take a look at what else..."

B. Presentation

This is crucial. Not many want to sit down and read a 35 - 100+ page document that is tightly packed with enormous detail in 10pt font print that also include a bunch of statistics with maybe one or 2 pictures and one pie chart or graph shoved in.

You must keep your reader enlightened, engaged, and not falling asleep - but more importantly absorbing the information so he remembers your project at the end of the day and not the other 20 he read that day (and, so he doesn't get them mixed up when he is processing his thoughts on them during the evening or 'off ' hours)

Just as in when you are writing marketing material - you should constantly ask yourself "so what" to determine if what you are providing is of value or really is needed or relevant in the material you are creating.

You should also constantly read what you have on the paper from top to bottom, from left to right, and ask yourself the following questions:

"where on this page do we loose the reader - or where on this page is their a chance we can loose the reader"?

"Is there too much information, or is there not enough"?

"Are we using the right amount of pictures with words"?

"Are we even asking questions"?

etc.

Questions make the reader stop for a split second and think - about the question - and how this might all pertain to them. Many don't realize that marketing material with questions interdispersed in them (2 max per page) help keep the message personalized to them more.

These are just starter tips that might help you enjoy the process of writing a business plan just a bit more :) It's important to put relevant information, of course - but you need to constantly keep the reader and their attention span in mind and keep your competition in mind just as much.

Strive to carve yourself out from your competition in this multi-package document any where you can. You might have a better chance of grabbing the attention of an investing party because these things grab their attention - and they figure out that you and this project is different.

A Picture of You


I find it amazing that people want to connect with other individuals on the internet though business platforms such as Linkedin and not provide a picture of themselves.


You provide all this information about you on your profile, why would you not include a picture?

This has nothing to do about you liking your appearance - or having a recent photo. You could use an old photo even. I have nothing more recent, so I use this one that is 3 years old (but I pretty much look the same).

A photo is more important than listing all the jobs you had. It's more important than your birthday showing, and it's more important than the clubs you have joined. I see all these things filled out on many profiles, sans the picture.

I personally will not interact with someone until they have a picture of themselves on their profile. When people like this contact me, I am courteous, and request they get one up and get back in touch with me when they do, or I ask them to email me one privately, as some are concerned about identity theft (btw, there is a way to ecrypt your photo).  I also bypass anyone who doesn't have a picture when I am looking through profiles. That becomes your loss because I could be the one person that helps you instantly. I do not trust you because I can't see you.

The internet is filled with frauds and fakes. Your frauds and fakes usually don't put pictures up. Even if you are absolutely nothing about that - just remove yourself from that group instantly by getting a photo of you on your profile.

I find the the same thing with these Ning platforms. People put a picture of something else up - a pretty scene or something. We are all too busy to deal with people who aren't serious enough about connecting with another individual globally by letting the other person see who they are.

I have bypassed my rule when someone has their company logo up on a Ning platform - if when I read something in their profile that lends that trust or credibility almost just as instantly (they are the owner of the company and have been in business xx amount of years, or are former military - things that show chances of them being a fraud are slim to none). But I am usually only lenient on Ning. For Linkedin - because of that platform's rules/regs and standards, and it is strictly for business - I'd say it is essential.

A picture of yourself establishes almost instant credibility. It sends the message to the viewer that you are proud of who you are, and offers that instant 'meet and greet' that is missing without the picture. There is a lot to be said about you when someone can see your eyes (so that means a picture with no sunglasses if you can really pick and choose).

I laugh when people don't have one up. I ask them if they would walk into a company to hand their resume to a secretary or manager with a paper bag over their head. Or if they would meet up with a potential JV partner to fund their project/business idea at a restaurant with a paper bag over their head.

Not having a picture of yourself up on the internet when you are promoting yourself on any business networking platform is the same thing.

We sometimes forget the etiquette of personal interaction and acting in a more natural way when we are behind a computer and interacting through technology. I am constantly saying that advanced technology for how we communicate is fabulous, as long as you keep in mind the personal touch, and you always pretend that you are in front of the person when you are presenting yourself to others through the internet.

A picture really says a lot. It allows the viewer to get a sense about who you are. That takes away a lot of doubt and establishes a quicker trust to a certain level. It puts the two of you almost in a room together. When that happens, bigger things result from it. I am presuming you have a reason for having a profile up on linkedin or any other business platform....correct?

The importance of your picture being associated with your profile is unquestionable.  It has now become a requirement from certain business platforms as a way to eliminate the frauds. And in todays world, because our technology allows access for it, it becomes the understood requirement as well.

So just put one up. You will be surprised how much this will increase the inquiries you get, or improve the leads that come to you, or whatever your reason is for having a profile up to begin with.

It might not happen all at once, and sometimes things like this are not measurable (although, I could run a poll) but as I say with anything I suggest: this makes you no worse off, it can only do you good.

Why You Should Use A Consultant or Coach

Most individuals and companies only seek consultants or coaches when they have a problem and they can't fix it themselves or figure a way to solve it best.

But I tell my colleagues and clients, that sometimes, the best referral is someone or an SME that is doing okay, but would be interested in exploring moving ahead, or spicing things up to produce better results, or just doing better than okay, and doing exceptional!

When you wait until you are at the problem level, there is more to tend to, and 9x out of 10 you that problem has trickled into other areas.

If you have a coach and consultant as you conduct your business, that problem most likely will not show up, because they have the objective point of view and are able to evaluate your situation in a different way then you are.

They have had the chance to spot that problem breeding, and will suggest the precautionary measures to make sure it never forms to an actual problem.

Since I always encourage taking action vs contemplating for weeks, why not consider exploring what I might be able to do for you?

If you are the cautious type, please consider this: I can only do you or your business good, I can not do it worse.

After our first few interactions, one of the following will occur:

1. You walk away staying the same
2. You inch more into that potential problem area
3. You hire me so so we start taking strategic and positive action towards improvement and simultaneously discover so much more together

Option 3 sounds exciting and a lot of fun to me!

Get in touch.  
Jaxi :)