Whether you're struggling with being productive, or a productive person who wants to increase that productivity still further, there are a few simple tricks and techniques I've picked up over the years to get my mind on track and get down to business. It's easy to procrastinate (and I've heard it said that the things you spend your time doing when you procrastinate are the things you should try to...
When you're a leader, you've got a lot on your plate. Some things simply need to be taken care of by you, rather than delegated or outsourced. Naturally, that means that the less attention you're spending on management, the more you have left for other things. But how do you give your team the guidance they need without over attention? The answer is building a culture that focuses on your...
When it comes to running your business, the last thing you need is extra complexity. Whether you're dealing with customers, tracking your accounting, or placing ads, every layer of complexity is another layer between you and success. Think back to the last time you were on a website and said to yourself "man, this thing needs to be a little more complicated to make me happy." Has that ever happened?...
Since I began my time on this blog, I have (for the most part) always tried to take the optimistic view. And with good reason, as that's how I feel. You are going to succeed. It is not a matter of if, it is simply a matter of when. But I like my optimism with a healthy dose of pragmatism, and that's something we'll touch on a bit today. After...
We live in fast-paced world with plenty to keep you distracted. What's more, we evolved to crave the instant, the immediate response or sensation. It's an instinct to which society now caters nearly absolutely. The internet presents you with information at the click of a button, TV delivers on-demand content to your screen, and modern games are nothing but instant gratification. Financially speaking, credit cards deliver instant purchases with deferred...
This is going to be a touchy subject for some. I will do my absolute best to be as sensitive on this subject as possible, but I am not a perfect human being (none of us are), so I may inadvertently word something in a way that some might consider offensive. For this, I apologize. I assure you, it is not my intention. I would also like to add that...
I've spoken a lot about various personality traits over the course of my time writing this blog. It takes a certain kind of person to cast off the shackles of the 9-5 world and strike out on their own on the path to PIE. You need to be motivated. Confident. Professional. Intelligent. Creative. But one specific personality trait I haven't really touched on, and will today, is patience. And in...
Hopefully, you don’t know what it’s like to be in prison and have your options tightly constrained by an outside agency. But that doesn't mean you don’t have any constraints. Laws, other people, responsibilities… these all constrain your actions by reducing your options for activity. And that’s a good thing – the restraints you’re under also constrain other people, ensuring that you’re protected from the actions of other people. There...
The title really says it all, doesn't it? There have been numerous studies done over the years that people are more likely to listen to someone who exudes an air of confidence. This is actually proven scientific fact. So it should be a bit of a no-brainer that this is something you should be doing at all times, to go along with your consummate professionalism, leadership skills, sense of timing, organizational...
There are a lot of choices available to today's entrepreneur. In fact, in many situations, the available choices can be so numerous as to be overwhelming. It's not uncommon to be stressed about making the best choices and wind up making a terrible choice. So how do you avoid that? After all, you do still want to make the best choice possible. The answer, it turns out, is to recognize...