by Helena Escalante | Goals, Growth, Mindset, Miniseries, Opportunity, Resources, Tools
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 22 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Believe you can succeed and you will – Part 1
— From The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz, Ph.D. (Read an excerpt here.)
The dedication of The Magic of Thinking Big is one of the most beautiful ones I’ve ever read: it tells the story of David J. Schwartz’s son, Davey, feeling “mighty big” when he graduated from kindergarten. Schwartz asked Davey what he wanted to be when he grew up, and he responded, “I want to be a professor.” When Schwartz asked what kind of professor Davey wanted to be, he responded, “a professor of happiness.” And so the author dedicated his book to “a fine boy with a grand goal.”
And the reason why this is relevant to today’s idea is because we’ve previously talked about quitting (here, here, and here), but we haven’t talked much about the mindset of success itself and the importance of setting of grand goals.
Success means different things to different people, yet they’re all good, wonderful, and positive things. “Every human being wants success. Everybody wants the best this life can deliver. Nobody enjoys crawling, living in mediocrity. No one likes feeling second-class and feeling forced to go that way.”
Schwartz goes back to the old adage that says that faith can move mountains. “Believe, really believe, you can move a mountain, and you can.” Not many people believe in themselves and in their grand goals, and thus, not many are able to move their mountains.
The author is quick to point out that some people will think, “It’s nonsense to think you can make a mountain move away by just saying ‘Mountain, move away.’ It’s simply impossible.’ People who think this way have belief confused with wishful thinking. And true enough, you can’t wish away a mountain. You can’t wish yourself into an executive suite. Nor can you wish yourself into a five-bedroom, three-bath house or the high-income brackets. You can’t wish yourself into a position of leadership.”
But, Schwartz says, “You can move a mountain with belief. You can win success by believing you can succeed. There is nothing magical or mystical about the power of belief.”
The belief—the deeply entrenched belief—that Schwartz is talking about is the “I’m-positive-I-can attitude [that] generates the power, skill and energy needed to do. When you believe I-can-do-it, the how-to-do-it develops.”
Let’s remember the quote by Goethe that says, “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.” That act of definitive committing is nothing but the belief that we can do it. And we’ve all experienced—in major or minor ways—how providence moves with the opportunities, coincidences, chance encounters, ideas and the myriad resources that present themselves to help us forge a path towards achieving our goals once we’re fully committed.
“Belief in great results is the driving force, the power behind all great books, plays, scientific discoveries. Belief in success is behind every successful business, church, and political organization. Belief in success is the one basic, absolutely essential ingredient of successful people. Believe, really believe, you can succeed, and you will.”
Stay tuned: tomorrow’s Part 2 will share three steps to develop the power of belief.
ACTION
TODAY: Think of a few times in the past when you’ve fully committed to something (big or small) and made it happen. Do you remember the deeply-entrenched belief you had in yourself to complete your goal? There was zero hesitation as to whether you’d complete it — it was a given that you would. That is what we’re aiming for here. If that belief is not readily available to you now, take a walk down memory lane and dig it up, it’s inside you, believe me. Keep that memory handy, as you will revert back to it when you need to evoke this feeling.
TOMORROW: Come back to read Part 2 of this miniseries.
Please share this post! You can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Collaboration, Creativity, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Miniseries, Planning, Productivity, Time, Tools
Links to other parts of the miniseries:
Duplicate yourself – Part 1
Duplicate yourself – Part 2
Duplicate yourself – Part 3
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 27 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Duplicate yourself – Part 4
— From Work Less, Make More: Stop Working So Hard and Create the Life You Really Want! By Jennifer White
Welcome to the 4th and last part of this miniseries. So far we’ve learned how and what to duplicate, and todays’ idea will focus on knowing when duplication works.
This is very important, because part of planning for anything is figuring out what success will look like. To address this specifically, Jennifer White the author, writes:
Take a holiday where you cut yourself from the office. […] It takes courage to trust the folks you put in place. When you get back from your sabbatical, you’ll be able to see what falls apart, what doesn’t get done correctly, and what is substandard work. It’ll give you insights into where your duplication process works and where it doesn’t.
Will you ever be free unless you duplicate who you are? You’ll never know when you are free because you’ve been unwilling to test the system. Knowing that the system works gives you a sense of relief when you’re not working. You’ll certainly make more of your life without carrying all that guilt.
Most people don’t have the courage to test their duplication system. They don’t want to feel superfluous. They want to feel as if the whole world would crash around them if they weren’t there.
[…] Don’t hinder your ability to Work Less, Make More by needing to feel needed. You want to feel superfluous. You want to be taken out of the picture. You want to have such strong people around you that you no longer have to worry that the job’s getting done.
It’s the only way to free yourself up to live the life you want to live. Don’t worry. You’ll find more interesting, exciting things to propel yourself forward, and you have the space to be the creative force behind your future success. Think duplication.”
This reminds me of the process that lifestyle design guru Tim Ferriss created to be able to let his business work without him. He duplicated himself by creating systems, training a team and setting up the technology(ies) needed to make this happen. You can read all about this in his bestselling book The 4-Hour Workweek. (Here’s a post on productivity from that book.) Ferriss says that if your goal is to “free your time to focus on bigger and better things […] it’s not about working smarter. It’s about building a system to replace yourself. […] Preparing someone to replace you (even if it never happens) will produce an ultrarefined set of rules that will cut remaining fat and redundancy from your schedule. Lingering unimportant tasks will disappear as soon as someone else is being paid to do them.”
Another entrepreneur who duplicated and “outsourced” himself was Chris Ducker. He did it in about a year. And he did it with a virtual team and systems. As a result of blogging his journey to fulfill his goal of becoming a virtual CEO, he eventually launched Virtual Staff Finder, a company that helps busy people find virtual assistants. You can read about his journey and how to get help from virtual assistants in his book Virtual Freedom.
ACTION
TODAY: Jennifer White suggests doing this great exercise: “Draw a line down the middle of a blank sheet of paper. Write delegate on the left side of the page. Write duplicate on the right side. Evaluate each task you do. Can you delegate this task or should you train someone to duplicate. Don’t stop until the entire list is done. You’ve just developed a plan—once you have the right technology and people in place—to allow yourself to take three months off without losing money. It’s up to you to put the plan into action.”
FUTURE: If you like this concept of duplicating yourself to work less or simply work on other things that bring you more rewards and satisfaction, give some serious thought to duplicating yourself to free up time and space in your life.
Hope you enjoyed this miniseries! 😀 Please share it with someone who would like the idea of duplication. You can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Collaboration, Creativity, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Miniseries, Planning, Productivity, Time, Tools
Links to other parts of the miniseries:
Duplicate yourself – Part 1
Duplicate yourself – Part 2
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 44 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Duplicate yourself – Part 3
— From Work Less, Make More: Stop Working So Hard and Create the Life You Really Want! By Jennifer White
In this miniseries we’ve been talking about the importance of “duplicating” parts of yourself, and so far we’ve learned what is and is not duplication, as well as what to look for in our “clones.” Today we will determine what to duplicate and how to do so.
While duplicating yourself could possibly entail hiring someone, Jennifer White (the author) says, “that’s limited thinking.” She explains: “You can find the right people who will become partners, vendors, suppliers, strategic allies, independent contractors or employees.”
When you hire employees, you naturally have to deal with a lot of other issues: salaries, taxes, vacations, and so much more. White says you shouldn’t box yourself into thinking that. Instead, “ think about creating a virtual support team. A team you personally select to duplicate parts of who you are.” Technology today enables us to do this and much more.
On Part 1 you answered the questions that enabled you to figure out which qualities in yourself you need/want to duplicate. Now you need to look at the abilities that you need to duplicate. “What is it that these folks will do? Look at the three most important things you do, the activities that add the most value. Within each area, a multitude of items must get done.”
White gives the example of connecting with customers. Let’s assume you are a master at that. Then a very important part of building and maintaining those relationships with your customers is the follow up phase (phone, email, etc.) “What if you could train someone or something to duplicate your follow up process? It would happen automatically—without your doing one thing—and the customers will feel cared for because the follow up was way beyond their expectations.”
ATTENTION HERE: we’re talking duplicating and not delegating the follow-up process. “The difference is that the person/system you create duplicates exactly what you would do if you were to do it. It’s not about you dictating a letter that your assistant types. In that case you’re still doing the work. Duplication means you do not do anything to generate what needs to get done. Nothing.”
Was that last “nothing” appealing but sounded too good to be true? Here are some possibilities for duplicating this example of a follow-up process:
- The right person. Someone who could be an employee, independent contractor or customer service rep can follow up for you. “This person has the exact same personality that you do so the customers feel as if they were talking to you.”
- Hiring a salesperson. This person would handle the contact from first visit to sale. While this normally happens when companies are in the growth stage, White asks, “Why wait until that happens?”
- An automated system. This sends letters, emails, etc., at specified times as follow up. The system duplicates the process. When we feel overwhelmed or overloaded, it is natural to ask who can help you. White, however, suggests you ask a better question: “How can I automate this so no one has to do it?”
As you can see, there are many ways in which you can duplicate yourself and what you do. Both technology and manpower exist at very reasonable costs nowadays to be able to do it, even if you are a solopreneur.
ACTION
TODAY: Jot down the areas that you could potentially duplicate. While it’s counterintuitive, those things that nobody does as well as you do, are exactly what you should duplicate to enlarge your reach, grow your practice, have more time, or whatever your goals are. Once you’ve found out what you want to duplicate, then come up with at least 3 ways to duplicate that activity. White says, “Think in terms of technology and people. How can you automate the process? Who can you bring to your team to duplicate you?”
TOMORROW: Come back to read Part 4 to learn how to know when duplication works!
FUTURE: Keep jotting down the ideas that come to mind about parts of you that you can duplicate with people, systems and/or technology. Remember that there is no such thing as a shortage of ideas. The more parts you duplicate successfully, the more freedom you will have to spend your time and energy in the pursuit of other (related or unrelated) goals.
Please share Part 3 of “Duplicate yourself” with someone who could use a little duplication, you can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Collaboration, Creativity, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Miniseries, Planning, Productivity, Time, Tools
Links to other parts of the miniseries:
Duplicate yourself – Part 1
Duplicate yourself – Part 3
Duplicate yourself – Part 4
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 14 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Duplicate yourself – Part 2
— From Work Less, Make More: Stop Working So Hard and Create the Life You Really Want! By Jennifer White
In yesterday’s post we learned that we can, and should, “duplicate” parts of ourselves to increase our output and “make more,” as the title of the book suggests (Work Less, Make More). This does not only refer to money, but also to time, and to the freedom to make the most out of life for ourselves and our goals and dreams.
So let’s jump right in: How do you go about finding the right people to duplicate you?
Jennifer White, the author, has outlined a few aptitudes and attitudes that people should have in order to substitute you well. Give this some thought as you go about this process. (Note: This will help you figure out WHO will duplicate you if you can go that route. However, don’t get discouraged or stop reading this miniseries, since we will also consider WHAT (technology/systems) can duplicate you).
1. Find people who have the right personality for your chemistry. As we saw yesterday, your same chemistry needs to be present in the person that will duplicate you. Find someone with the same characteristics and “don’t downplay the importance of working with folks who have the same chemistry as you.”
2. Find people who have a track record. People’s track records speak for themselves. “Saying you can do something is different from actually doing it. Find people who have already done what you most need. They could bring a new twist or a new idea to what you’ve been doing for so long.”
3. Find people who are willing to commit to the long term. “Developing a powerful relationship requires that you’re both committed to the same vision and the same long-term plan. The last thing you want to do is to train people to duplicate you, and then they jump ship. Be very clear on what you expect from them, and find a way to determine what they want.”
4. Find people who are coachable. “A vital part of duplicating yourself effectively is training. Select folks who are coachable. They’re open to looking at their performances and improving them. You’ll become their coach to ensure they’ll duplicate what you want duplicated. If you’re not willing to coach and train people how to duplicate you, don’t bother looking for the right people. Their success does depend on how much time, energy, and passion you invest in them.”
5. Find people who have the right attitude. “Make sure when you’re looking for the right people that they have a positive mental attitude. There’s nothing as frustrating as working with people who don’t see the positive side of things. No matter how brilliant they are, their bad attitude will wear you down. If you find the right attitude, you can usually teach the rest.”
One final note on this before we move on to Part 3 tomorrow: keep in mind that finding the right people takes time. “Do not rush this process and settle for just anyone. Duplicating a part of who you are is serious stuff. […] You can’t settle for second best.”
ACTION
TODAY: At the end of the chapter in the book, White lists a few exercises to help us succeed at duplicating and at thinking about a few other things. Here’s an important one that you can do today: “Ask yourself this question: ‘What parts of myself make me the most crazy?’ Be clear on your weaknesses so you can identify them in other people as well. When you find the right person to duplicate a part of who you are, don’t be surprised if they also duplicate the not-so-good parts. Are you prepared for that?”
TOMORROW: Come back to read Part 3 to learn how to determine what to duplicate, and how.
Please share Part 2 of “Duplicate yourself” with someone who could use a little duplication, you can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Collaboration, Creativity, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Miniseries, Planning, Productivity, Time, Tools
Links to other parts of the miniseries:
Duplicate yourself – Part 2
Duplicate yourself – Part 3
Duplicate yourself – Part 4
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 46 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Duplicate yourself – Part 1
— From Work Less, Make More: Stop Working So Hard and Create the Life You Really Want! By Jennifer White
Have you ever been so swamped with work that you wish you could clone yourself to get more done? Well, now you can.
How is this possible?!
In her excellent book Work Less, Make More, business guru and success coach Jennifer White states that you can (and should) duplicate yourself. But first, let’s get this straight: duplication is not delegation. “Delegating hinges on your finding the right person whose strengths are your weaknesses. A bookkeeper, for example, if you’re horrible with numbers. An assistant if you don’t have time for filing, copying and computer work.”
Duplication is not “finding the one person who is the exact replica of you.” Because, very likely, that person does not exist. You and your brilliance are unique, and White would not recommend putting your business or career into one person’s hands. That’s not effective, efficient or smart, and that is not duplication.
Duplication, the kind White is describing, is doubling, tripling, quadrupling a part (or several parts) of who you are—and thus your output in that area—without investing more of your time. This will enable you to free up time and space for you to dedicate to other things, whether professional or personal in nature, that you want to pursue.
“In order to duplicate, you must know yourself very well. You cannot just duplicate your abilities, but also parts of your personality. […] Successful duplication occurs when you find people who share similar qualities with you. Just as important, they share your brilliance.”
This last point is very important because these people will be taking over for you in certain areas, say, selling. If your clients are used to an upbeat, witty, funny you, then this person needs to share those same traits. You can hire someone who is quiet and knowledgeable, and who will share tons of charts and info with the clients to make a sale, but that is not duplication, that is just hiring another salesperson with a different approach and varied skills from yours. When duplicating yourself, your clients need to feel as is they’re dealing with you: the same chemistry needs to be there.
What are the parts of yourself that you need to duplicate? White offers the next set of questions to get started in figuring that out:
1. What do you do easily and naturally?
2. What do your customers pay you for?
3. What does your company pay you for?
4. What have other people said you’re really good at?
5. What activities energize you?
6. What consumes you? You know, the stuff that lights your fire.
7. What do you really want to do on your days off?
8. What qualities and skills do you see in other people that you know you have?
White points out that duplication can only be successful when you find people who are as good—or better—than you are. “Duplicating yourself requires that you leave your ego behind. It forces you to look at yourself and know yourself so well that you won’t feel threatened by someone who’s as good as you are.”
The question that naturally follows after this is: “if they are better than I am, why are they willing to duplicate me?”
To this, White responds with two points. First, “You bring some other incredible value to their lives that helps them become even better. You provide something they can’t get anywhere else.” And second, “You’re actually one step ahead of them because you understand that duplicating yourself comes down to finding people who are better than you are. So few people truly understand this and can see their own brilliance.”
So, how do you go about finding the right people to duplicate you? That is the topic for tomorrow. Stay tuned for Part 2!
ACTION
TODAY: Take a moment to answer the 8 questions above to figure out the parts of yourself that you need to duplicate. Think about your many personality traits. Think also about the ways and the style in which you approach things. What do you need to successfully duplicate? Preferably write down 10 areas for duplication. (Don’t let the thought of 10 areas overwhelm you, and don’t think that you’ll have to hire 10 people, in a subsequent post you’ll learn that technology can also duplicate you, so if you are not in a position to hire, that’s no problem, you can still duplicate yourself.)
TOMORROW: Come back to read Part 2 and learn more about the things you need to keep in mind for a successful duplication.
Please share Part 1 of “Duplicate yourself” with someone who could use a little duplication, you can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Creativity, Goals, Growth, Habits, Mindset, Miniseries, Opportunity, Planning, Productivity, Resources, Time, Tools
Links to other parts of the miniseries:
Be Awesomely Effective Part 1: Embodied cognition
Be Awesomely Effective Part 2: Decision points
Be Awesomely Effective Part 3: Mental Energy
Be Awesomely Effective Part 4: Stop fighting distractions
Be Awesomely Effective Part 5: Mind-body connection
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes, 32 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Be Awesomely Effective Part 6: Workspace
— From Two Awesome Hours: Science-Based Strategies to Harness Your Best Time and Get Your Most Important Work Done by Josh Davis, Ph.D.
Over the past few days, Josh Davis, Ph.D., has been guiding us to create at least Two Awesome Hours of peak productivity by recognizing our decision points, managing our mental energy, allowing our minds to wander, and leveraging our mind-body connection. Yet, there are still a few more things we can do regarding our immediate workspace surroundings that will help us set up the conditions to perform at our best.
Noise
“The research on the consequences of noise on productivity is fairly straightforward: for the bulk of the tasks performed in the knowledge economy, quiet is always better than noise.” With this in mind, here are a few suggestions from Davis to stay focused.
- Close the door. No office? “Reserve a conference room or set up camp somewhere that is largely free of noise and other potential distractions. A place with privacy that is away from noise distractions will be more favorable to productivity.”
- Cancel noise. If your space is shared and you have to stay there, wear noise-cancelling headphones. Alternatively, “those little squishy orange earplugs can sometimes do the trick too, and you can take them anywhere. You may look weird, but you’ll be more productive.”
- Turn it off. Don’t watch TV or listen to music or talk radio.
- Creativity. “If you’re taking on a task that requires lots of creativity, enjoy background noise. You may actually consider heading for the company’s busy cafeteria or a local coffee shop, or putting on a little music.”
- Carve quiet time. If you can, make some quiet time for you: get up early, stay up late or work in a quiet and uninterrupted environment.
Light
Light, just as noise, is another stimulus we can often control. “Both blue light and bright white light seem to enhance a number of the mental faculties that can help us be highly effective. […] That kind of light influences things like alertness and concentration, and it can help us recharge after mental fatigue.”
Further, our eyes were not just made for vision. There are cells in them that “connect to a part of the brain responsible for maintaining circadian rhythms… [thus guiding] sleep, wake, eating and energy cycles throughout the day.”
Davis recommends:
- More lights. “A brightly lit room is better for being at your mental best than a darker one, especially if it’s a cloudy day or the middle of the winter. If you have to, bring your own lamp to the office.”
- Natural light. “If you can, be somewhere with ambient natural light on a day with clear blue skies, and set yourself up to work there.”
- Lightbulbs. “Consider replacing the current lightbulbs in your workspace with white lights that include more of the blue spectrum, even if it’s just at your desk lamp.”
- Creativity. “Dim your lights a bit or find a spot that’s a little darker than usual when you want to work on a project that requires creativity.”
Immediate workspace
According to Davis’ research, our immediate workspace is the part of the work environment that we can influence in some important ways with some relatively minor tweaks.
- Clutter. “Perhaps clutter works for a very few people. But for the vast majority of us, clutter is a hindrance to our mental performance. […] Clear the clutter. […] If you don’t have the time to clear it, simply move it somewhere that is out of sight.”
- Expansive movement. “Place your phone, your glass of water, your pen and any other work tools at the far corners of your desk, where you will need to reach for them expansively. If you feel tense, sit back for a minute, expand your chest and spread your arms out.” Adopt some power poses to shift your mental state.
- Sitting. “Don’t sit at your desk for too long. We tend to become engrossed in working, so it will probably not be too much if you get up every time you think of doing so. If you can choose your workspace, choose one where getting up and moving around is easy to do.” Find a place where you can sit and work, and another where you can stand and work, and alternate between them.
- Personalization. Regardless of noise, light, no clutter and movement, you will eventually get fatigued. Add your personal touch to your workspace in some way with objects and visuals to recharge your mental energy. “Specifically, consider adding some plants or images of water. When you personalize your space, though, don’t do it by adding clutter to your desk.” If you have a beautiful view, don’t forget to look outside.
The strategies described here today and throughout this miniseries are effective because their implementation is simple and easy, and also because they work with your biology, not against it. Davis believes that the biggest challenge resulting from our work culture is being overwhelmed. He says, “By becoming students of how human beings can work most effectively, we all can increase our self-compassion, master our work, and gain control over our lives.” It is my sincere hope that this miniseries will help you accomplish all that and become your most effective and productive. Let me know how you liked the miniseries!
ACTION
TODAY & FUTURE: Take a look around at your workspace: how can you set it up to help you achieve maximum productivity?
Know someone who could benefit from reading this? Please share the miniseries with that person! You can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
