How much time are you spending looking at, reading and replying to emails? Do you get distracted by the offers your receiving, prompting you to waste valuable time surfing the internet?

In the book, 15 secrets successful people know about Time Management by Kevin Kruse, Kevin touches on the importance of a clean inbox and how to manage your time around this.

He adopts a system of touching his emails only once… he opens it, reads it and replies to it, touching the email only once. He then chooses to delete or achieve it. His success comes from his productivity and effective time management.

How many times do you check your email? Then go through your email again to find the email you did not reply to the first time. Not to mention the amount of times you may have overlooked important emails or email that should have been addressed immediately.

By touching the email only once, you are being highly productive. We suggest you schedule time to check your emails daily (not all day long). Pick a time (maybe 10am and 2pm) daily to check your email. Open, read and reply to each email, touching it only once. Then delete or archive it. This keeps a clean, well organized email account, and systemizes your time effectively.

Kevin also talks about the time we waste looking at emails that are flooding our inbox and may not be serving us in a productive way. The newsletters we subscribe (or are voluntarily subscribed) to that flood our inbox, sometimes we get 2-3 of these emails daily that impulse us to buy something we may not need or surf the internet for great deals. Kevin suggests unsubscribing to these newsletters (unless you are finding value in them and they are helping you achieve your goals). By doing this you are reducing the number of emails you are receiving, leaving only the emails that are serving you and your business well.

After reading Kevin’s book, I adopted these systems into my business and have found myself to be much more productive and efficient with how I am managing my time, helping me to better serve my clients, which is freeing up more time for me to spend on my business and with my family.

Here’s to wishing you a happy and healthy work life balance!

Have you read this book?

Have you read 15 SECRETS SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT TIME MANAGEMENT by Kevin Kruse?

I’ve just finished this book. It was recommended to me by a successful business advisor, he thought it was a great fit for me, so I wanted to touch on a few secrets in the hopes it will help you get organized.

Secret #1 – MIT and the Power of Proper Priorities

“If you aren’t busy working on your own goals, you’ll be working to achieve somebody else’s goal”

1. Identify your MIT (most important task) – what is the single most important task to get you closer to your goal RIGHT NOW?
   
2. Once you can identify your MIT, calendar it into your day as early as possible, research says we are more productive and effective in the first 2 hours of our day

Secret #2 – Stop making to-do-lists

1. Stop calling your tasks “to-do” and start scheduling them into your calendar as a priority
   
2. Scheduling tasks on your calendar instead of writing them on a to-do list will free your mind, reduce stress and increase cognitive performance
   
3. Remember to start with your MIT on your calendar first

Secret #3 – Take notes

“Always carry a notebook. Write everything down. When you have an idea, write it down. When you meet someone new, write down everything you know about them. That way you will know how much time they are worth. When you hear something interesting, write it down. Writing it down will make you act upon it. It you don’t write it down you will forget it. THAT is a million-dollar lesson they don’t teach you in business school.”

1. Always carry a notebook, write it down… ALL of it!!!

Secret #4 – Master your email Inbox

1. Time block (try to keep it under 30 minutes) to check and reply to your emails daily
   
2. Touch the email once – take care of it – and achieve it (email folders work great)
   
3. Don’t sign up for “newsletters” unless they serve YOU well (hint, hint… you can google Old Navy to see what’s on sale, you don’t need to be reminded three times a day about their promotions)

Secret #5 – Why it’s hard to say “NO”

“The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything”

1. Say “no” even whey you are afraid to make people mad
2. Say “no” even if you are afraid to hurt someone’s feelings
3. Say “no” even if you are afraid you will not be liked
4. Say “no” to ANYTHING that is not helping you achieve your goal, is consuming your valuable time and is not serving YOU
5. Say “yes” to the things you value most

Secret #6 – Drop, Delegate and Redesign

“People who actively look for things to delegate report higher levels of productivity, happiness and energy, and are less likely to feel overworked and overwhelmed”

1. Drop: What items can you drop and/or stop doing entirely?
2. Delegate: What items can you delegate or outsource right now?
3. Redesign: What can you continue to do but in a more time efficient way?

Secret #7 – Energy is EVERYTHING

“Productivity is about energy and focus, not time”

1. Take care of your health
2. Get enough sleep
3. Limit sugar and alcohol
4. Drink LOTS of water
5. Get your 30 minutes of physical activity EVERYDAY

I highly recommend you read this book. The valuable tips and tools are simple changes that can increase your productivity and reduce your stress and who doesn’t want to be healthy and happy!

Thanks for reading – Chelsea

When 24 hours feels like 24 days!

Remember the Energizer Bunny, that just keeps going and going and going… do you feel like you can relate some days? Like you have so much to do but so little time. How can you get the most out of your day while still getting stuff done? Let’s explore a few options, chances are, you just need to prioritize your time (and manage it):

First, you can’t be everyone’s Betty

Don’t try and be all things to all people. It’s ok to say “sorry, I can’t” or “can we get together next week”. Letting everyone rely on you for everything is only going to lead to a complete breakdown

Prioritise your time

This is when creating a list comes in handy. Pick your TOP 3 tasks based on their urgency and importance, once you have completed those 3 tasks, write out your next 3 tasks and remember, it’s ok to say “no” if someone needs your time but your task takes priority

Manage your time by planning

Calendars are an amazing tool, and guess what, they come in all shapes and sizes. Having a family calendar on the fridge helps keep the household (and family responsibilities) on track, sharing an online calendar like Google Calendar or using a scheduling tool like Calendly helps keep your time organized. Having a day planner or using the calendar on your phone may also be a resourceful tool

Have set work hours and make sure to STICK TO THEM

If you are self employed, this one can be hard. Unlike an 8-5 job, self employment doesn’t come with a guaranteed schedule. However, you are in control of your own hours, so you can decide when to work. Set your work hours and stick to them. If you can not get everything done in your scheduled hours, you may need to consider hiring or outsourcing some tasks

Take time to make time

We often throw around the words “I’m just so busy”. Ask yourself what things are keeping you so busy.  You may find that you are wasting a lot of time on unproductive things. When you take the time to look at your schedule, how and where you are spending your time, you may find that you could reorganize or eliminate things in your life that are not necessary

Take some personal time

We often neglect our personal time. We are so consumed with our daily responsibilities that we forget to take a moment or two for ourselves. It’s ok to schedule some “me” time into your day. Whether you take time to read a book, have a nap, or skip out of work early to hit the gym, it’s important to make sure that you take an hour or two out of your busy day to focus on you

Take a Break

This is hard for some people. A busy work/life schedule can prevent you from taking a much-needed break. A large workload many be keeping you stuck at the desk or your weekend commitments to sports and social activities have you running around more than ever. Plan a break, take time to recharge and refocus. Allowing yourself some down time is good for your health

Put these simple changes into motion in your life and start to notice the benefits of planning, scheduling and making time for the things that are most important (and priority) in your life.

If you need help creating and implementing a change to your current schedule, give us a call. We would be happy to help you get started.

The Struggles are REAL!

Can you relate to any of these small business struggles? Every business owner will be faced with some type of struggle when starting or running their small business and naturally we will all handle these struggles differently.

For some small business owners, they may not even be aware of their struggle or may think their struggle is related to something else.

For others, this struggle may feel very overwhelming and may consume a great deal of their energy.

If you can relate to any of these small business struggles, it may be time to consider help.

1. Getting and Keeping Quality Clients – one of the most common struggles that many businesses face is getting new clients or retaining the ones they have. Many business owners are so busy providing a product or service (doing the work) that they forget or neglect the relationships they have already built. The opposite can happen when looking for new clients, many business owners do not know WHO their ideal clients are, therefore, may be attracting the wrong clients, causing added frustration
   
   
2. Financial Struggles – this is a huge headache for many small business owners. Having enough money to pay the bills, whether that be business or personal, is one of the biggest stressors in life. Often small business owners mismanage their finances and find themselves in a financial crisis. Understanding your financial responsibility as a business owner is key to running a successful business
   
   
3. Burnout – owning and operating a small business can take its toll on your nerves and drive you to the point of exhaustion. Many small business owners experience burnout or fatigue in the first few years of starting their business. For many business owners, running the business alone is a full-time job, not to mention managing employees and doing the work. Burnout is something that is hard to avoid when you are a business owner, but there are resources to help make it more manageable

Luckily, we live in a world where help is plentiful. You may find it very helpful to talk through your struggles, pin-pointing your exact pain point and then brainstorming ways to fix or resolve the problem. There are many professional services out there that are available to make your life as a business owner less stressful and taking advantage of these services is key to your survival.

Are any of the above struggles consuming your energy? How can we help? Alist Administrative Services is here to help you navigate the daily struggles faced by owning and operating your small business.

Book your Business Brainstorm session today and get on the path to better understanding your responsibilities as a business owner.

INTRODUCING THE WATCH… like me, many of you may have an business located in or close to downtown Lethbridge!

The Watch is a volunteer-based program modeled after similar initiatives in Winnipeg and Vancouver, to enhance community safety downtown. Watch patrol volunteers will be deployed seven days a week throughout the year and will serve as eyes and ears to connect citizens with the appropriate response from police, EMS or social and community services. Volunteers will also provide directions, first aid, tourist information and other assistance – including a Safe Walk program.

I am SO PROUD to announce that my Husband, Clint Wall is a volunteer on this program. Please, if you see these volunteers in your area, shake their hands, pat their backs and give them a thumbs up. They are volunteering their time to help make the downtown core a more united community.

Think you need HELP?

Ask yourself these 3 questions, trust me, you’ll thank me later!

1. Are you getting a good night’s sleep?

Are you able to unwind before bed? Are you falling asleep and staying asleep? If you find it hard to fall asleep or you are waking in the middle of the night with a long list of to-do’s, chances are your STRESSED! One of the first symptoms of STRESS is lack of sleep. Ask yourself what is causing you to feel overwhelmed and stressed? Is it your work load? Are you worried about your finances or not having enough clients? Your responsibilities as a Business Owner may be keeping you up at night. Boy, do I have some good news for you… these are thing that we can help you with! Get out a pad of paper and a pen, let’s start writing this stuff down. Get it out of your head and into action. Your first step is to delegate the stressful stuff to someone else.

2. When is the last time you took a vacation?

I mean a REAL vacation, not a weekend away to visit your in-laws or a trip down south for work. I mean an UNPLUGGED vacation. It’s been that long, hey! If you are that knee deep in business, where you can not pull yourself away from the desk or your phone, you need help! We want to work on our business, not just in it and a vacation should be the reward for our success. So, how are you going to do that? You are going to hire help… someone to take on the daily tasks of running your business so that you can excuse yourself, cause the ocean is calling (or your wife, husband, family, dog)!

3. Do you LOVE what you do?

I’m going to take a wild guess that you LOVED what you did when you started your business but now you are asking yourself what you’ve gotten into. This is SO common it hurts! We are so good at what we do that we can do it with our eyes closed. We thought that starting our own business doing what we are good at would make us tons of money, free up our schedules and let us live the life we’ve been dreaming of. So, how’s that working out for you? Here’s the thing, it’s running the business part that has you stumped, right? Listen up, there are other people out there that are really good at that part of business. Like bookkeepers and accountants (they love numbers) and people like business coaches (they love to talk business structure and hold you accountable). There are also support specialists like myself, ones that are ready and willing to take on your workload. So, do yourself a favor, and have coffee with some of these people. Learn from them, hire them and build relationships with them. These people are in YOUR corner and want to see you succeed as much as they want to succeed themselves!

If you’ve already boarded the HIRE HELP boat… I applaud you! Your one step ahead of the STRESS train! Now do your network a favor and share your wealth of knowledge when it comes to delegation! We all succeed when we work together as a community!

You read that right… all the cool business owners are outsourcing now a days! Ok, joking aside, but it is ok to ask for help!

Here are a few reasons why outsourcing will save you from drowning…

1. Your not the only fish in the sea! We often get stuck in the zone of “only I know how to do that”, but that’s not healthy thinking. Yes, you are amazing at your gift or skill but that doesn’t mean you are amazing at other aspects of running a business. There are plenty of fish in the sea, and many of them have gifts and skills that will add value to your business so why not learn a thing of two from them?
2. What happens when we procrastinate? We don’t get stuff done! Stuff like paying the bills, following up with leads and posting to our social media. Although these things may seem small in the grand scheme of things they are part of running a business and do need to get done. You may be surprised how little it costs to outsource these tasks and how good you feel when they are complete.
3. Let’s get organized… when you get organized you get things done and when you get things done you have more time to focus on other stuff, like socializing (hello social life), family time (finally, a family vacation), or just time to relax. Make a list of the things you’d like to check off your to-do-list and then outsource them. Start with your top 3 priorities and then work your way down the list.
4. If you want to play with the “big boys/girls” you got to get real! Ok, that was kind of cliché but we were all thinking it. If you want to be successful like the others in your network, ask them how they do it. Some may tell you that they spend 80 hours a week, face deep in business, but many will have a different story, one that they love life and the business they run. They likely asked for help, help to start their business, help to run their business and help to grow their business. The first step is to ask… all you have to do is ask!

When you ready, we are ready… so simply just ask us and we will help!

6 reasons why budgets help improve your financial situation…

1. It helps you with GOALS: a lot of our goals are based around financial expectations. Things like buying a car, going on a holiday or purchasing a new product. They all require we have or save up our money. Setting goals with a financial outcome will help us better understand the importance of a budget.
   
   
2. It helps you not SPEND: when you set a financial goal, you are working towards something. When you work towards something, you are reminded of how important budgeting is. If you look at it from a financial standpoint, things like your $5 a day special coffee fix, adds up to $150 a month you spend on something you likely don’t need. That adds up to $1,800 a year you can be putting towards your goal.
   
   
3. It helps be more PREPARED: having some extra money in your bank account never hurts. Especially for those “emergency” situations. Starting to save for a “goal” will put you in the habit of saving, having a good habit like saving money is going to work in your favor. Once you reach your goal, you will be in the habit of saving, allowing you to save more money for more things like emergencies.
   
   
4. It helps your FUTURE: investments are important for your future. Whether you invest in education, a home or retirement, you are investing your money in something with long term gain. Once you have a budget, you are better able to understand where and how you can make some extra money, allowing you to put more away for your future.
   
   
5. It helps organize other aspects of your LIFE: creating a budget and seeing where you are spending your money can help your health. Without a budget you may not realize how much money you are spending on eating out… things like fast food and sit-down restaurants or how much money you are spending on booze or other unhealthy habits. Creating a budget could open your eyes to what you spend your hard-earned dollars on.
   
   
6. It helps with STRESS: need more shut eye at night? Bills on your mind? One of the leading causes of stress is financial. Creating, implementing and committing to a budget can help reduce stress and get you back on track to a good night’s sleep.

Would you like help creating a budget? Get started today with Alist Administrative Services.

As a small business owner… you wear many hats!!!

You’re the master of your trade, the expert in your field, you provide a service that adds so much value to your clients lives! So, did you expect all the “other stuff” that comes with owning a business?

The stuff like, paying the bills, managing your time, trouble shooting and client care? What about the financial stuff? The marketing stuff? And the stuff that needs to get done?

I’m here today to add some value to your business by offering you a gift! I want to help by offering an opportunity to systemize your business to save you time, increase your profit and put you back in the driver seat of your Maserati.

For a limited time, I am offering Lethbridge business owners, the opportunity to learn more about systemization and how implementing a few easy steps will relieve the pressure and stress of running your business.

To claim your GIFT sign up here. This offer is available to Lethbridge Small Business Owners until March 31/19

Starting a business or being in the early stages is excited but unraveling at the same time. The ideas flow and the creativity is high but often times, the business administration is overlooked or left as an after thought.

Planning is key when starting a business and understanding the systems needed to create success is very important. Most often, when a person starts a business, they are misinformed or do not understand how the financials work. They consider their income as a “paycheque” and forget that they have other financial obligations such as taxes and expenses.

Systemizing every aspect of your business is the key fundamental structure to ensuring you are working on your business not just in it.

Administration is IMPORTANT….

Administrative duties in a business are described as the tasks and activities that are part of the daily operations of a business. This can include managing an office such as answer phones and keeping communication current. It also refers to the financial management of a business, such as paying bills and invoicing clients, along with a good understanding of how your business is running financially.

How can I get organized with my finances? Where do I start?

Luckily, there are a ton of resources on how to better understand your finances.

One of the first things we suggest our clients do is purchase a bookkeeping program and start tracking all their financial transactions. We encourage them to start by entering their client invoices and then adding their expenses and cost of goods. If you are not sure what to consider an expense, check out this website for a list of operating expenses https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/sole-proprietorships-partnerships/business-expenses.html

Once our clients have entered this information, we encourage them to review their “income statements” as a guideline for their taxable earnings. This information will provide them with an idea of how much money they may own the Government at their year end, ensuring they have the money put aside. If you are a sole proprietor, the Federal Tax rates for 2019 are as follows:

• 15% on the first $47,630 of taxable income, plus
• 20.5% on the next $47,629 of taxable income (on the portion of taxable income over 47,630 up to $95,259), plus
• 26% on the next $52,408 of taxable income (on the portion of taxable income over $95,259 up to $147,667), plus
• 29% on the next $62,704 of taxable income (on the portion of taxable income over 147,667 up to $210,371), plus
• 33%of taxable income over $210,371

For information on how to calculate your tax bracket visit https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/frequently-asked-questions-individuals/canadian-income-tax-rates-individuals-current-previous-years.html

The last suggestion we make to our clients is to set up a “tax” bank account. This is an account specific to income tax. We suggest that they deduct (based upon their income statements each month) the amount of taxes that the Government will expect them to pay from their income. The percentage is based upon the calculations above. The Government regulations for payment dates varies based upon income so it is always a good idea to do some research into when you may be expected to make these payments.

Remember, you are not alone in the business world. There are plenty of people to help you navigate the responsibilities of being a business owner. Bookkeepers, Accountants and Administrative Specialists are available to help you better understand the structure and systems designed for your success.

Are you finding yourself financially stressed? Do you currently have a financial plan or policy in place? Do you need help navigating and implementing these systems? We are here to help you do that!

Contact us today for a FREE 30 minute financial review and to get started on your path to financial success.