More Than WE Know

Many modern-day Women Entrepreneurs can relate to the following poem, first published in 1920:

My candle burns at both ends;

It will not last the night;

But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends–

It gives a lovely light!

It seems that in nearly 100 years, WE have not gotten any smarter when it comes to creating sustainable success.  

WE build our businesses in and around our jobs and our families.  WE sacrifice sleep, exercise and time for ourselves in order to pursue our passions.

Of course, this type of enthusiasm can be engaging. WE don’t mind the sacrifices we make because they feel worthwhile. WE are building something of our own, something that lets us be who we really are. WE feel that at last we know why we were put on this earth and what we were meant to do.

The exhilaration, passion, and energy feel good.  WE find ourselves feeling real joy and a sense of accomplishment.  WE feel that we ourselves are the ones giving off a lovely light!

The problem, as Edna points out, is that this type of effort is not sustainable – it cannot last the night. 

How long can WE survive on 4 hours of sleep, poor nutrition, and no exercise? 

Even if our health doesn’t suffer – our creativity and intellect do.  Over time, WE become less able to handle every day crises. WE become irritable, short-tempered, demanding and impatient.  WE cry more easily and get discouraged more quickly.  WE feel alone, lonely and incapable of getting off of the relentless merry-go-round that we have created.

So, what are WE to do?

The solution is to create a schedule and a system that enables us to maintain passion in a sustainable way.  It is okay to get caught up in the flow and excitement of creativity – but not all the time. It is okay to care passionately about the quality and customer service of your business – but not to demand perfection in every instance.

WE need to find balance in our lives:  

• Lose one night of sleep working on a project – but not every night.
•  Skip one nutritious meal – but not every one. 
• Miss one workout – but not every day.
• Give up some of your personal time – but not all of it.

The key is to replenish ourselves in between the tremendous demands on our energy.

It’s admirable that you want to sacrifice for your business. But you need to think of your light as coming from an oil lamp rather than a candle.
As Edna describes, in the end a candle always consumes itself and burns itself out. 

An oil lamp, as long as it is replenished on a regular basis, will continue to burn brightly forever.

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

One way to manage time more effectively is to delegate whenever possible. That goes for your home life as well as your business life. By delegating tasks at home, you free up time and energy to focus on your business.

I’ve listed some great service ideas below. I am not affiliated with any of these services - some I’ve used while others I haven’t. I’ve included links to get you started thinking of ways you can free up more of your time from doing things you have to do, to focus on things you want to do.

Grocery Delivery - This is a real time, money and health saver. The fee is usually $5 - $9 but the store where I shop runs lots of free specials. You save on the time you would spend driving to the store and doing the shopping and the money you would have spent on extra items not on your list. Your weight might even improve without all those impulse buys!!

Prepared Meals - I love these new services that do all the meal planning, prep and clean-up for you. Again, you make your selections ahead of time on the internet and schedule an appointment.

My husband and I make a “date” out of the evening - in one hour we can prepare 12 entrees in individual containers to be loaded into our own cooler. On the way home we pick up a bottle of wine and a loaf of fresh bread. Then we pop one of our meals into the oven to heat up while we store the rest in the freezer.

Meal prices vary but average about $3.50 - $5.00 per person. Again, there is a considerable savings of shopping, planning, prep and clean-up time to factor into the cost.

House-cleaning - 3 or 4 cleaners arrive on schedule, descend upon your house and leave it sparkling in a mere hour or two. Once a week is perfect, but even once a month heavy-duty cleaning enables you to spend less time on housework and more time on your business. I dislike cleaning so much that I also factor in the saved time spent dreading the tasks as well as the actual cleaning itself. Price varies by region and size of your house - generally $75 - $150 per visit.

Pick-up and delivery Dry Cleaning - Saves on time and your gas. Often a minimal charge or even Free.

Nanny - having someone come to your house to care for your children saves enormous time and energy in getting them ready, into car seats and off to daycare. Not to mention, you don’t have to worry what to do when they are sick. I never had this option when my kids were little, but I sure would want it if I could. Salaries vary by region, as well as by ages and number of children, whether they live in, whether you provide a car, and additional duties they perform. (see costs in link)

Pool Cleaning Service - If you live in the Southwest as I have for the past twenty years, having someone else come and skim the dead leaves and bugs out of the pool and keep the water from turning green can be a real relief - especially if your job involves traveling. ($40 - $70 per month including chemicals)

Handy-man - Take care of all those little things that always need doing - painting, gutter cleaning, fixing leaks, power-washing the house, fixing doorknobs, un-sticking windows, etc. (varies by job)

Yard service - someone to mow the lawn, rake the leaves, shovel the snow. ($25 - $50 depending on the size of the yard and service provided)

Pet Cleanup - someone to clean up after your dog ($24 - $100 per month depending on frequency and number of dogs)

Pet Grooming - give Fido a bath, nail trim and a haircut ($55 - $155 depending on size of dog and extent of matting)

Dog Walking - show off that great haircut with a walk around the neighborhood $15 - $20 depending on the length of the walk

Wow! It would be great to have all that help, wouldn’t it? Even some of it would be helpful. While it all sounds expensive - don’t forget to calculate how much you own time is worth.

If you earn:

$20,000 per year, your time is worth $10 per hour

$40,000 per year, your time is worth $20 per hour

$60,000 per year, your time is worth $30 per hour

$80,000 per year, your time is worth $40 per hour

$100,000 pee year, your time is worth $50 per hour

And don’t forget to network - if you do find a great service, pass the info on to your network, and get the service to reciprocate and refer you to their customers!

Have you tried the Low-Information Diet?  

The goal is not to lose weight - but to lose over-work.  

This week in the Goal Setting Accountability update, I have a free gift for you. It is a new 16 page ebook from Tim Ferris, author of The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich. 

The book is Tim’s email manifesto called  The Low Information Diet: How to Eliminate e-Mail Overload and Triple Productivity in 24 Hours.  Download here -> email-manifesto.pdf 

Tim has many good reminders for Women Entrepreneurs to create success that is both sustainable and scalable.

A key point that Tim makes in his Manifesto is that “trying to make everyone happy - besides being impossible - is the surest way to make yourself miserable”.

Additionally, Tim says, “If you don’t define your goals clearly, everything seems important and requires action.”

Both of these messages resonate with Women Entrepreneurs who frequently try to multi-task goals and work on business  in and around obligations to everyone else.

Check out Tim Ferris’s blog  for more information the 29 year old who has taken the work world by storm with his extreme views on delegation and business management. 

Are you ready for the Holidays?

It may only be the first Monday in November, but 40% of Americans surveyed say they have already begun their Holiday shopping.

Despite high gas prices and an uncertain economy,  2007 projected holiday spend is up 3.7% from last year - It’s anticipated that US consumers will spend $474.5 Billion.

Thirty percent of them plan to do at least some of that spending online.

The average consumer is expected to spend $923 this season in gifts and special purchases.   That breaks down to:

• $470 on family 
• $90 on friends 
• $23 on coworkers 
• $37 on others, such as clergy, teachers, and babysitters
• $21 on flowers
• $95 on candy and food
• $32 on greeting cards and postage
• $105 - other non-gift purchases

In their letters to Santa, they’re asking for:

• 54% - gift cards and gift certificates (certainly lightens Santa’s pack)
• 50%  - clothing and accessories
• 51% - books, CDs, DVDs, videos and video games
• 37% - electronics and computer-related accessories
• 24% - jewelry
• 22% - home decor or home-related furnishings

(totals more than 100% due to asking for more than one item)

Is your website ready to take advantage of the holiday demand?

According to research most consumers:

• shop online because they desire discounts and specials (incl. free shipping) 
• conduct online research before purchasing: 
  • 75% visit three to five sites
  • 18% spend one to two weeks researching

Do you have web-only discounts in place and highlighted?

Do you have useful information including price, shipping times, materials, sizes, and pictures available for online comparison shopping?

Do you have contact info on every page so they can ask questions?

Do you have a newsletter, advertisement, special announcement or other way to capture their email address so you can follow up?

And don’t forget that over 50% of consumers would like to receive a gift card as a present - this is also the easiest way for the buyer to buy a gift and for you as a seller to provide one - especially at the last minute. 

Do you have gift card options available?

If you aren’t ready to take advantage of the holiday season - make a plan now to get ready.

• order your inventory
• identify discounts you can give that are still profitable to you
• create gift certificates (can be as simple as emails with terms and conditions) 
• update your website to make holiday specials, shipping terms and pricing info clear
• ensure your contact info is prominently displayed and accurate 
• determine whether you need extra help - start advertising and interviewing now

How ready are you for the holiday season? What do you still need to do?

 “It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?”

- Henry David Thoreau

 Another week, another goal check-in.  Those of you who read my Saturday discussion of time management     know that I had a bit of an epiphany. 

Time Management isn’t just about finding ways to cram more tasks onto your to-do list, it’s to really ensure that your daily actions are in line with your higher values.

I had already started down that road a few weeks ago when I decided to focus more on my health than on my daily to-do’s.  Now, I’m taking it a step further and ensuring my daily to-do’s are aligned with my larger goals. 

So, Saturday I threw out some urgent tasks and replaced them with ones that are aligned with how I want to live my life - building my business and spending time with family.

Amazingly, after spending all that time on Saturday indulging my passions, I woke up Sunday morning filled with energy to knock off a few of the more mundane tasks that had been on my original list.

I did some quick mental calculations and divided them into several categories:

Delegate -  Groceries, Gas - my husband took over running these errands as he had a few errands of his own to run anyway.  

Divide  - My husband and I both pitched in to pick up clutter, sort through mail and do laundry.  Some  tasks become much less tedious when shared.

Delay -  Since I’ll be traveling for the next three weeks, it’s not urgent that my dry cleaning get taken right away.  

Drop - Some things just aren’t worth doing after all - I was going to organize some files and scan some photos into the computer; But the reason that seemed so important at the time, now escapes me.  

Do - had some office work that only I could do. Did it.

So, my suggestion for this week is to look at your goals and plans for the week.

First, make sure you are putting your health first - eat, sleep, exercise.

Second, ensure your main tasks align with the way you want to live your life. Ask yourself if I got the whole list done, would I still just be treading water, or would I actually be moving in the direction of my dreams?

Third, for the remainder of the tasks - what I think of as maintenance - or the minimum level to run your life and business - see first if you can Delegate them, Divide them, Delay them, or Drop them. And then, and only then, after considering all your other options - then Just Do Them.

Later this week, I’ll continue this discussion with suggestions for finding creative ways to delegate tasks or otherwise get help.

How is your to do list looking? Is it aligned with your goals? Are you focusing on the things that only you can do?