Dear South Council.
I just wanted to take a second and wish everyone a great 2008!! The way you will get more out of the south council is by putting more into it. A suggestion is to get involved with helping at our regular meeting and/or getting involved in one of our committes. Some of the committees do not require alot of your time. But when more people help out with a little of their time -- it adds up. And its a great way to get to know other members of our group. So everyone have a great 2008 and see you on Tuesday.
Mark
Friday, January 18, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
"Writng Can Change Your Life...CSI Miami Won't"
I know, I know..."you just don't have the time to write that report or long email".
You have a long "to do" list, not enough time and you are freaking out...Time is just
not on your side!!!
I have a confession. I struggle with the same things.
However, I found some proven tactics that can really help us sit down and write.
1)Identify when you are best able to crank out writing. It's early morning for me,
between 6:00-8:30 AM. I know I'm in the "zone" then and can easily write my
reports, ebooks, etc. When I'm outside those hours, it's tough for me to write a
couple of paragraphs.
2)When you are in the "zone", ONLY write. If you are like me, you would rather make
phone calls, respond to emails...get in the habit of only writing during those times.
Let your clients know those times are reserved for writing...they usually won't call
during those times.
3)How to stay focused on writing. You and I know that there are times when you will
get dragged out of the writing "zone". Here are some of the things that I do:
a) Shut down my email...I usually read my email later in the day.
b)Turn off the phones...I have calls go directly to voicemail, including the mobile
phone.
c)Shut down the internet. This is tough for me, but I know if I don't shut it down
I'm sunk(too much info on the web for my curious mind to ignore). By shutting
it down I eliminate the temptation.
d)If you have an office, shut the door and hang a Do Not Disturb sign. If you
work in a cubicle, have a "neighbor" deflect the traffic.
e)Use music...it will help you focus and drowns out the background noise. I've
been told that some classical music actually stimulates creative brainwaves.
Use your ipod.
4)How to Accomplish More Writing.
The first tip I have is to write free flow. This means to just get the words down
and worry about how they sound later. I use a pen, since you can't erase ink, I don't
slow down and worry about spelling and grammar.
Set a writing goal while you are in the writing "zone". One or two pages might be
a good, easy objective for most documents. It seems to make writing easier when
you have clear writing deliverable...especially one you have chosen.
5)Celebrate when you get the writing done. Rent a movie, go to Starbucks for one of their
concoctions, etc...make yourself feel good about your accomplishment.
You have a long "to do" list, not enough time and you are freaking out...Time is just
not on your side!!!
I have a confession. I struggle with the same things.
However, I found some proven tactics that can really help us sit down and write.
1)Identify when you are best able to crank out writing. It's early morning for me,
between 6:00-8:30 AM. I know I'm in the "zone" then and can easily write my
reports, ebooks, etc. When I'm outside those hours, it's tough for me to write a
couple of paragraphs.
2)When you are in the "zone", ONLY write. If you are like me, you would rather make
phone calls, respond to emails...get in the habit of only writing during those times.
Let your clients know those times are reserved for writing...they usually won't call
during those times.
3)How to stay focused on writing. You and I know that there are times when you will
get dragged out of the writing "zone". Here are some of the things that I do:
a) Shut down my email...I usually read my email later in the day.
b)Turn off the phones...I have calls go directly to voicemail, including the mobile
phone.
c)Shut down the internet. This is tough for me, but I know if I don't shut it down
I'm sunk(too much info on the web for my curious mind to ignore). By shutting
it down I eliminate the temptation.
d)If you have an office, shut the door and hang a Do Not Disturb sign. If you
work in a cubicle, have a "neighbor" deflect the traffic.
e)Use music...it will help you focus and drowns out the background noise. I've
been told that some classical music actually stimulates creative brainwaves.
Use your ipod.
4)How to Accomplish More Writing.
The first tip I have is to write free flow. This means to just get the words down
and worry about how they sound later. I use a pen, since you can't erase ink, I don't
slow down and worry about spelling and grammar.
Set a writing goal while you are in the writing "zone". One or two pages might be
a good, easy objective for most documents. It seems to make writing easier when
you have clear writing deliverable...especially one you have chosen.
5)Celebrate when you get the writing done. Rent a movie, go to Starbucks for one of their
concoctions, etc...make yourself feel good about your accomplishment.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Post From Past President, John Bryan
It’s business plan time again, sort of. A lot of us created a business plan last year and much like our new year’s resolutions, nothing ever came of it.
The top reasons for not following a business plan are 1) the format was beautiful but much too cumbersome to use, 2) it was based on garbage assumptions that we never really believed so the plan was useless, 3) the goals were so vague that I probably achieved them without the plan, 4) I set the goals so high I knew I’d never reach them no matter what I did, 5) a consultant did the plan and I have no idea what’s in it, 6) the goals were so low we’ll make them by March so why bother working with the plan, 7) some key employees quit and I can’t do the plan until I hire more people, 8) I always wait until the end of the year and then set my goals equal to what I achieved, 9) the plan is on my desk somewhere but I can’t find it, and 10) I don’t believe in business plans because improvising is the best thing for small businesses.
There are great ways you can create a business plan that will be simple to write and use, focused on just a few critical parts of your business, based on good input, and with a few measurements so you know how well you are achieving your goals and succeeding in your business.
The top reasons for not following a business plan are 1) the format was beautiful but much too cumbersome to use, 2) it was based on garbage assumptions that we never really believed so the plan was useless, 3) the goals were so vague that I probably achieved them without the plan, 4) I set the goals so high I knew I’d never reach them no matter what I did, 5) a consultant did the plan and I have no idea what’s in it, 6) the goals were so low we’ll make them by March so why bother working with the plan, 7) some key employees quit and I can’t do the plan until I hire more people, 8) I always wait until the end of the year and then set my goals equal to what I achieved, 9) the plan is on my desk somewhere but I can’t find it, and 10) I don’t believe in business plans because improvising is the best thing for small businesses.
There are great ways you can create a business plan that will be simple to write and use, focused on just a few critical parts of your business, based on good input, and with a few measurements so you know how well you are achieving your goals and succeeding in your business.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Solicitation of bids
Hello all,
The marketing committee is requesting bids for two items:
1) A South Council Banner to be used at all South Council events. Pretty big.
2) A South Council Dry-Erase Board to be hung on the podium at Carrabba's. It would permanately have the South Council information, but also possess an area where we can write about upcoming events w/ Dry-Erase.
Thanks, Members!
The marketing committee is requesting bids for two items:
1) A South Council Banner to be used at all South Council events. Pretty big.
2) A South Council Dry-Erase Board to be hung on the podium at Carrabba's. It would permanately have the South Council information, but also possess an area where we can write about upcoming events w/ Dry-Erase.
Thanks, Members!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
New Year Starts of with a Bang!
Hello! I hope everyone had a Happy and Healthy New Year. Now...it's time to get down to business.
The South Council began the New Year with a bang, yesterday at Carrabba's. What a great meeting! The place was packed, business cards were passed and the program was top notch. It was great to see all the ideas being formulated for our guest speakers throughout the year. Sounds like the South Council is in for another record-breaking year!
A new initiative was also announced by our new President, Joe Lemire. We are now offering scholarships to the membership to join other councils. Cross-counciling! What a great way to strengthen the Councils.
Anyway, that's it for today...remember the MLK breakfast Friday at the Prime Osborn Center!
The South Council began the New Year with a bang, yesterday at Carrabba's. What a great meeting! The place was packed, business cards were passed and the program was top notch. It was great to see all the ideas being formulated for our guest speakers throughout the year. Sounds like the South Council is in for another record-breaking year!
A new initiative was also announced by our new President, Joe Lemire. We are now offering scholarships to the membership to join other councils. Cross-counciling! What a great way to strengthen the Councils.
Anyway, that's it for today...remember the MLK breakfast Friday at the Prime Osborn Center!
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