“Give yourself a raise”, is an ongoing series on the many things you can do to add immediate value to your life! It’s raising yourself up to a higher level. One of less stress, more money and a higher quality of life for you and your family.
Notice I said, “Give yourself a raise”. This implies that it is not dependent upon someone else having control over you. You are the one with the control over your life. The only thing we have true control over is our thoughts, emotions and actions. This is where our power lies!
By “Raise” I mean…Fiquring out what you have control over and what you don’t. There is so much you can do other then marching into your bosses office and trying to negotiate a raise. If you are self employed then your options are even more plentiful. Step yourself, your business, and your family up to the next level. I’m sure you would all agree with the following:
- Reducing daily stress would add immediate value to my life and the people around me.
- Stress reduction would increase my efficiency, effectiveness and ability to make better decisions.
- If I were more efficient and effective, I would be able to bring more value to my business, family, clients, and co-workers with the least amount of effort.
More value could easily translate into:
- More people wanting to do business with you.
- Higher fees for your services.
- More quality time to spend with your family and friends.
- Less time working while increasing my hourly wage.
“Because you are more efficient, you would be producing more in less time. This would free you up to BUILD YOUR BUSINESS instead of being a slave to it.“
We’re so use to being in a constant envelope of stress that it has become part of us. From the moment we wake, till the moment we sleep, it is everywhere. If you think, “well at least while sleeping I de-stress.” Think again! It’s still there.
American Psychological Association posted these statistics:
- 54 percent of Americans are concerned about the level of stress in their everyday lives.
- 62 percent of Americans say work has a significant impact on stress levels.
- 73 percent of Americans name money as the number one factor that affects their stress level.
In your line of work, the statistics may be even higher.
So…What to do?
- As your day progresses, notice when you are tense, then relax yourself.
- List every task you do on a daily basis that could be streamlined more efficiently. Especially the repetitive tasks. EX: Do you hand write all your checks and mail them yourself? Bank online. It’s quick, easy and accurate. It will free up some of your time once you learn how.
- List every problem (I like to refer to them as challenges) you face on a daily basis and jot down 3-5 ways of solving each one.
- Take 5 minutes a few times a day and totally clear your mind of all thoughts. Sounds easy doesn’t it? It is probably the most difficult thing you’ll ever ask your mind to do. Also the most beneficial!
- Throughout the day, see yourself from a third person perspective. This will keep you from personalizing everything you perceive to be negative that happens to you.
- Multitasking is necessary; most can’t do it enough, so they are not nearly as productive as they could be. Others try to do way too much without the right systems in place, and then everything suffers. There is a delicate balance we each need to find for ourselves. With the right system and workflow anyone could easily double their productivity without adding extra stress!
- Remember multitasking has its place. A life spent in multitask mode is a life not fully lived. It must be offset with times when we only focus on one thing at a time. Like when we read our kids bedtime stories or have heart to heart talks with people. Even more importantly is the need to calm our minds of all thoughts so we may relax and renew.
- Collect the feedback you get from yourself and others to help determine your best point of balance. Ex: Talking to a client on the phone while working on an excel spreadsheet and making dinner for your family might not cut it!
The best time to rework a problem area is before the problem arises (preventative maintenance). The 2nd best time is when the problem arises (drop whatever you are doing, redesign a workflow or a strategy so it never happens again. Little by little you will shift your life from one of “Crisis Management” to one of “Preventative Maintenance”. Before you know it, there will be no more crisis’!!
Don’t let that little voice of negativity that lurks in many of us which says: “I don’t have the time. I am not smart enough. I don’t have the resources. I don’t want to do anymore then I need to! “ How limiting is this life strategy! It’s not their fault, or is it! Most videographers take on too much. So much so that they can’t become more efficient because they are always in crisis management.
“Make this year the best year you’ve ever had! It’s all by design!!“
Steven Arecco is available for lecturing on a multitude of business and personal development topics. Those topics can be found at www.stevenarecco.com. Apart from his time on stage, Steven is happy to support the event with any social or other interactions such as dinners or group activities. Steven will do everything within his ability to contribute to the success of your event, every time.
