Please click the image below to view the March 2022 digital edition of American Lifestyle Magazine.
American Lifestyle Magazine – March 2022
Next Steps
Congratulations!
Here’s What To Do Next
You’ve completed The Ultimate Guide To Creating a Lifestyle Business, which means you are part of an exclusive group of entrepreneurs who are interested in creating a freedom lifestyle while still expanding your company.
Simply by applying the lessons that you’ve learned in this Guide, you’ll have a huge advantage over your competitors.
In fact, these principles can help you transform your business and your entire way of life if you let them.
But let’s be honest. It may not be easy to convert yourself into a lifestyle entrepreneur in a society that seems to idolize the constant hustle.
The fact is, you need a business growth coach to hold you accountable for implementing these important business and lifestyle changes.
Listen, you could do some of these steps on your own, if you really make it a priority, but it just may take you a lot longer.
If you would like us to help you fast track your results and create a lifestyle business within the next 90 days, you’re going to want to join The Vacation Effect Program for entrepreneurs.
When you join, you’ll learn how to live “The Vacation Effect Lifestyle” no matter what is happening in the world.
In fact, we’ll work closely to help you design exactly what that looks like for you, and then we’ll make it your new reality…
Are you ready? Let’s go.
In Chapter 1, you will explore the true meaning of business freedom and how to create it in your own life for what really matters.
In Chapter 2, you will learn the principle of work smarter not harder. You have been lied to about business growth in the past and will be shocked once you discover the truth.
In Chapter 3, you will discover 12 different growth hacks that lifestyle entrepreneurs use daily. You can use these growth hacks yourself for faster growth and a better life.
In Chapter 4, your will learn how to achieve business growth by removing from your “to-do” list, not adding to it. This principle is called “Growth by Subtraction”, and when done correctly, it leads to “multiplication”.
In Chapter 5, you will discover several ways to use time hacking to double your productivity. Are you ready to “Get Shit Done” faster than you ever imagined?
In Chapter 6, you will unlock the closely held secrets to leveraging entrepreneur groups for fast business growth. This strategy can skyrocket your growth.
In Chapter 7, you will learn all about delegating tasks effectively. Hint: Most business owners do this totally wrong.
In Chapter 8, discover how you can create a 4 day work week for yourself that is sustainable long term. It’s easier to accomplish than you might think.
In Chapter 9, you’ll learn the recommended next steps for creating the freedom lifestyle that you deserve. You’ll also learn the best resources (including a business growth coach) to support you in this process.
Creating A 4 Day Work Week That Is Sustainable Long Term
There will always be an excuse and a reason for you to work 70-80 hours a week. For many business owners, the only thing that will solve that excuse is when they are in the hospital, or when they can no longer work due to exhaustion, or sickness, right? So, let’s be honest here. Unless something drastic happens, you’re probably not going to change it on your own.
But through these past 7 Chapters, we have introduced several principles you can adopt to sustain a 3 or 4 day work week on a long term basis.
It truly is possible to live “The Vacation Effect Lifestyle™” and have the reduced work schedule you have always dreamed of. It’s not just some pie in the sky way of life that can only work for me and my clients, and not for you.
It can work for you too, even during the ups and downs of life and business.
But first, you have to become clear on what you really want. Do you really want a 4 day work week, a 3 day work week, or maybe you just want to have weekends totally free?
Once you have identified your ideal schedule, you then have to be willing to do things differently than you have in the past. You have to be willing to challenge the “grind, grind, grind” mentality that is so prevalent in our society today.
You have to be willing to stand for the principle that working smarter is better than harder, and there is nothing to feel guilty about if you get the same results in 3 or 4 days as you used to do in 6.
There is also nothing to feel guilty about when you delegate to your team and take time off for yourself.
Creating Your Hyper-Efficiency
If you are willing to be bold and experiment with the principles we’ve introduced thus far, I am confident you can find your own hyper-efficient sweet spot that will work best for you.
There is something truly magical that happens when you give yourself more free time and creative space. You’ll bring so much more joy to your work because you’ll always have something fun to look forward to each week.
You’ll also get more done in less time than before due to the forced hyper-efficiency of limiting the time you spend working IN the business.
But here’s the main point. If you actually want to succeed with forcing hyper-efficiency into your life so you grow by subtraction automatically every week, and not just when you go on vacation, then you need to put constraints in place so that you’ll actually do it. Otherwise, you’re just going to fall back into the grind, grind, grind mentality. You know it to be true. And although it’s not your fault that our society has brainwashed us into that grind mentality, it’s a cold harsh reality.
I believe that the best way to deal with this is to put limits on yourself and the amount of time you will spend on something. You will naturally figure it out faster. Set that timer as one strategy we reviewed in Chapter 5. You will be amazed at how hyper-focused you will become to achieve the end goal. It is important to put limits on how much time you will work and start forcing yourself to be more efficient every single week.
For example, what if you only spent 5 hours a week in meetings instead of 8 hours, or if you cut out all of those activities that will take up 80% of the effort but will only get you 20% of the results.
Yes, I am suggesting that you actually delete a shit-ton of unimportant stuff from your to-do list, which is actually the fastest way to accelerate your results. Simply eliminate it because it isn’t important. Then, you can focus on the 20% of the activities that will actually produce 80% of the results.
What happens when you start to operate this way is that you start getting the same amount done in a lot less time simply because of this forced hyper-efficiency – because of the constraints you put in place to make sure you don’t waste time.
Your decisions also become easier to make since there isn’t so much chatter going on in your brain, and since your to-do list is shorter. You start to see results faster because you’re focusing on the activities that really matter – the ones that really move the needle along the most. And, you free up a lot more time in your life that you can replace with more joyful and meaningful activities.
Make It Permanent
Once you make growth by subtraction automatic, the next step is to actually make it permanent in your life. So how do you do that? As we talked about in Chapter 4, you replace the extra time you free up with something more meaningful.
Remember those SomeDay Maybes from Chapter 1? For most entrepreneurs, something that causes them misery are their SomeDay Maybes. You know, all those things you say that SomeDay Maybe you’ll do when you have more time or more money. Like someday when you have more money, you’ll travel more. Someday when you have more time, you’ll learn a new language, spend more time with your friends and family, or get involved in a charity. But the truth is, you never actually get around to them and you probably never will unless something drastic changes.
You’ll always have an excuse for doing it later. You justify putting your SomeDay Maybes off again by saying: “I just need to reach this next goal first” or “I don’t have time for that yet”. You know – all those ridiculous excuses we’ve programmed ourselves to rattle off without even thinking about it.
Let me remind you about our little secret: SOMEDAY IS NOT A DAY OF THE WEEK.
If not now, when are you ever going to get around to those Someday Maybes? Be honest? If left to your own willpower, you might not ever do them.
But here’s the good news. Remember how I suggested that to make growth by subtraction permanent, you have to replace the extra time you free up with something more meaningful.
Well, what you can do is bring those someday maybes into today with the extra free time you gain with forced hyper-efficiency. You then have the extra time to finally get around to spending more time with friends, golfing regularly, playing piano, traveling more often, or whatever you keep saying you’ll do some day.
That then allows you to make forced hyper-efficiency a permanent part of your life because now you have something more meaningful to do than before – and you certainly don’t want to lose that free time now that you enjoy having it.
Why do you want to grow your business?
Why do you want to have more disposable income and keep growing your business? Isn’t it so you can have business freedom?
If business freedom is the real goal, then why not build your business around the very freedom you seek?
When you put everything all together from Chapters 1-8, you get the compound effect of these 3 things:
Less Work + Forced Hyper-Efficiency + More Joy = Faster Business Growth
That is really just another way of saying grow by subtraction, automatically and permanently. And isn’t that going to feel amazing?
Following The Roadmap
When you begin to apply the growth and time hacks covered in Chapters 3-7, you’ll become more effective than you ever imagined.
You’ll focus on the critical few projects that produce the greatest results and cut out all the wasted time on things that don’t really matter. Remember the Pareto Principle from Chapter 4? You need to train yourself to focus 20% of your efforts to produce 80% of your results.
And, as a result, you will also learn to stop feeling obligated to comply with the demands of other people that you never actually agreed to take on. This is HUGE.
As you become happier and more effective, your employees will too. It is truly contagious.
In Chapter 1 we talked about creating business freedom through embracing the freedom mindset. We are here to tell you that when you live the Vacation Effect Lifestyle, life has so much joy built-in that each week feels like a vacation. You get to have fun integrating those “Someday Maybes” into your life that you never got around to before. You get to start making your epic life plan a part of your new reality.
You get to experience true freedom that comes from being a business owner who has worked smarter instead of harder, while your business continues to grow. You no longer have to wait for vacation to experience true joy. It becomes a normal way of life.
You truly can have it all: continued business growth and plenty of free time. But you have to be willing to experiment with these principles and step out of your comfort zone when others may not understand why.
There will never be a better time than RIGHT NOW to spend time with the people, causes, and activities that really matter to you.
So here’s a quick recap of what we’ve covered.
- Grow by subtraction by removing lots of items from your to-do list, versus adding to it
- Do this in an automatic way so it just happens without you having to rely on your willpower
- Make it permanent by replacing the time you freed up with more meaningful activities that you never want to give up
It all starts with Chapter 1 and embracing the knowledge that freedom is a mindset, not a destination. You DECIDE to have freedom. It’s a choice.
As we talked about earlier, isn’t freedom the main reason you became an entrepreneur to begin with?
All you have to do right now is simply DECIDE to step into true freedom, and then claim it for yourself. Check out Chapter 9 to discover the next steps you need to take to start living The Vacation Effect lifestyle.
In Chapter 1, you will explore the true meaning of business freedom and how to create it in your own life for what really matters.
In Chapter 2, you will learn the principle of work smarter not harder. You have been lied to about business growth in the past and will be shocked once you discover the truth.
In Chapter 3, you will discover 12 different growth hacks that lifestyle entrepreneurs use daily. You can use these growth hacks yourself for faster growth and a better life.
In Chapter 4, your will learn how to achieve business growth by removing from your “to-do” list, not adding to it. This principle is called “Growth by Subtraction”, and when done correctly, it leads to “multiplication”.
In Chapter 5, you will discover several ways to use time hacking to double your productivity. Are you ready to “Get Shit Done” faster than you ever imagined?
In Chapter 6, you will unlock the closely held secrets to leveraging entrepreneur groups for fast business growth. This strategy can skyrocket your growth.
In Chapter 7, you will learn all about delegating tasks effectively. Hint: Most business owners do this totally wrong.
In Chapter 8, discover how you can create a 4 day work week for yourself that is sustainable long term. It’s easier to accomplish than you might think.
In Chapter 9, you’ll learn the recommended next steps for creating the freedom lifestyle that you deserve. You’ll also learn the best resources (including a business growth coach) to support you in this process.
Delegating Tasks: How To Do So Effectively
In order to build a strong business that gives you the freedom, lifestyle, and income you deserve, you can’t do everything yourself—something you’ve probably already figured out by now. We tend to wear too many hats, and hold on to way too many projects because we think that we can do it best.
That may be true in the short term, but it is depriving our team members of the chance to step up and use their gifts. Furthermore, even if your team member only completes the first draft of the project 50-70% as good as you, isn’t that better than you doing all of it? You can always give them feedback until they get to the point they don’t need to be supervised on that task.
That brings us to the main part of this chapter to cover what a lot of entrepreneurs haven’t often mastered, which is “effective delegation.” Effective delegation is where you have provided enough information so the team member can be successful with the project and give you the output or result you are expecting.
Delegation can be a difficult task to master. It is fair to say that as you work through this process, a lot of inefficiencies may rise to the top. In a moment, we’ll look at a powerful process you can use to make your delegation efforts super-effective.
In order to enjoy your Freedom Days, it is important for you to become super effective at delegating.
Here is the process that I recommend you follow in delegating tasks to others on your team so they are set up for success.
Provide the following information to them either in writing or orally. In writing is best, but you can also just tell them orally and let them write it down. The project description. This covers the details of what you want them to do.
1. What does success look like? This gives them more context around what you want the end result to look like, what it will be used for, or how you will measure if it was done the way you wanted.
2. The priority/deadline.
3. Level of creative leeway. This is where you let them know if you want their creativity, or if there is a specific format or order it must follow. It is important to be clear about this.
4. Level of authority. This is where you let them know what level of authority you are giving them. For example, are you wanting them to make the decision and sign up for the service, or present you with options? Sometimes, level of creative leeway and level of authority merge into one, but we list them out separately, so they aren’t missed.
5. Is there an existing policy or procedure they should follow?
If there is ever a problem in your organization, you won’t know if it is a people problem or a process problem unless you provide clear delegation instructions and a well-documented standard operating procedure.
You certainly don’t have to use these exact 6 questions or word them the same way as what I listed above. But I highly recommend that you start conveying this same type of information when you assign tasks to your team. You can also have your managers do the same thing. This is one of the best delegation hacks that I’ve ever discovered.
You can also assign keyboard shortcuts where this list of questions appears after pressing a certain key combination or typing a certain word or acronym. For example, you can create a shortcut on your iPhone and iPad, and program it to create the very list of questions every time you type the word “delegate.”
Outsourcing is an Important Part of Delegation.
You may sometimes need to outsource certain projects or roles outside the company, either on a temporary or long-term basis. That can come in the form of hiring an individual or a company as a contractor.
Some business owners have the mistaken belief that they can’t afford to hire any staff and should do everything themselves.
The reality is that you can hire talented people all over the world on an outsourced basis for practically any task you can imagine for a price that nearly any business can afford.
Whether you hire individuals as employees or contractors, or you use outsourced companies to help you, the key is to get the help you need with that proper expertise in that area.
If you don’t know where to start with outsourcing to find contractors or other companies to work for you, following are a few services we have found to be quite valuable:
- Onlinejobs.ph – English speaking workers in the Philippines
- Fiverr.com – Freelancers for just about anything
- Upwork.com – Freelancers for just about anything
- Designpickle.com – Graphic design
The hacks for outsourcing that I’ve learned are three-fold:
- Use the same delegation format mentioned before with your outsourced team as you do with your internal team whenever possible.
- Make sure you always have a written contract with your outsourced team that gives you ownership of the work they do for you (and covers other important terms too).
- My favorite outsourcing hack is to always have at least one person who works for you overseas in an opposite time zone, so that you can have a 24/7 operation. For example, when you are about to end your work each day, you can assign a task to your overseas team member that the US team has not completed. When you wake up to start the next day, the task is done. This allows you to have a 24/7 operation and it doesn’t cost a lot to do this. You will be amazed at how much progress you can make as a company when you incorporate this outsourcing hack. This concept alone will help you get faster results as a company even when you not working. It’s important enough to cover in more detail, which we’ll do next.
Achieve a 24/7 Operation
When you employ team members around the world, it will ensure you are always moving your company forward.
Just imagine the productivity that can be realized when you have people literally working around the clock to complete tasks.
This is what I’ve done in my companies for the past 8 years, and it has skyrocketed my results. I always have at least one team member in an opposite time zome so we make progress around the clock.
If you hire team members in other countries, it is important to always measure progress and to make sure your overseas team members feel included. I suggest you choose one night a week when your “working time zones” could overlap and set up a call with an online video service like Zoom or Skype so your international employees will feel connected to the rest of the team. A weekly check-in (refer to Growth Hack #7 in Chapter 3) can serve as a form of accountability to review current goals and ensure all team members are staying on task.
It is also important to keep your employees happy and let them know how much they are appreciated which results in higher productivity. It is a simple concept that so many business owners overlook.
Delegation and outsourcing really do closely relate to each other. The rest is pretty simple. Just get busy delegating and outsourcing if you are still trying to wear too many hats yourself.
True freedom comes from owning a business, not from having a business that owns you. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to identify what else you can delegate to your team so your company continues to grow without you even being there.
As I mentioned in the earlier chapters, freedom isn’t something you get to do once you reach a certain goal. It is something you DECIDE to step into today, and each day thereafter. Unless you are in the military or in prison, you have total control over your freedom, especially as an entrepreneur.
Once you truly accept this idea, you will be able to get rid of the daily pressure and stress that you put on yourself. Most of the pressure isn’t real. You can experience true freedom by just letting that pressure go and start focusing on the few tasks that produce the most results and eliminate or delegate the rest.
With the strategies covered in this chapter on delegating and outsourcing, you’ll be a master delegator in no time flat.
Stay tuned because in Chapter 8, we will share how you can combine all these concepts together so you can start living the Vacation Effect Lifestyle that you deserve.
In Chapter 1, you will explore the true meaning of business freedom and how to create it in your own life for what really matters.
In Chapter 2, you will learn the principle of work smarter not harder. You have been lied to about business growth in the past and will be shocked once you discover the truth.
In Chapter 3, you will discover 12 different growth hacks that lifestyle entrepreneurs use daily. You can use these growth hacks yourself for faster growth and a better life.
In Chapter 4, your will learn how to achieve business growth by removing from your “to-do” list, not adding to it. This principle is called “Growth by Subtraction”, and when done correctly, it leads to “multiplication”.
In Chapter 5, you will discover several ways to use time hacking to double your productivity. Are you ready to “Get Shit Done” faster than you ever imagined?
In Chapter 6, you will unlock the closely held secrets to leveraging entrepreneur groups for fast business growth. This strategy can skyrocket your growth.
In Chapter 7, you will learn all about delegating tasks effectively. Hint: Most business owners do this totally wrong.
In Chapter 8, discover how you can create a 4 day work week for yourself that is sustainable long term. It’s easier to accomplish than you might think.
In Chapter 9, you’ll learn the recommended next steps for creating the freedom lifestyle that you deserve. You’ll also learn the best resources (including a business growth coach) to support you in this process.
Leveraging Entrepreneur Groups For Shortcuts And Fast Business Growth
You have likely noticed that it can be pretty lonely at the top.
This may be one of the biggest downsides to being an entrepreneur. Your team members will not truly understand your obstacles and what you’re dealing with, and they are often afraid to speak up if they disagree with you. Or maybe you are a solo entrepreneur with a small team. Wouldn’t it be important to find ways to be around other like-minded entrepreneurs who understand your problems and opportunities and can serve as a sounding board for you?
As a business owner, you should seek out various CEO/Entrepreneur Mastermind groups. The opportunity to spend time and network with other entrepreneurs on a regular basis can be priceless.
Each mastermind group suits different audiences and has different purposes. Be sure to budget for this type of expense, as the investments to get involved can range from $500 to $100,000 per year. In cases of entrepreneur groups with hefty sums, you generally will get what you pay for. But it is really up to you to research and figure out how you will leverage the most benefit from your participation.
Identify what you hope to gain from your participation in a mastermind group. Is it for growth in your business, do you want to participate in a large group or one that is more intimate that would encourage higher participation?
Truly the number of entrepreneurial groups available is impressive, but you might also have to apply to see if you will be accepted based on their enrollment criteria that has been put in place to ensure all participants are benefitting from resources.
A few mastermind groups that come to mind are War Room, Genius Network, Maverick 1000, Entrepreneurs Organization (EO), Eccountability, Business Network International (BNI) and there are so many more.
I have participated in several mastermind and entrepreneur groups over the years and have gotten enormous benefits from the groups.
Here are some of the ways I have personally benefitted from participating in them:
I have learned so many shortcuts to reach my goals faster.
I have generated millions from referrals, but this only works when you add enormous value to the group and take good care of their referrals.
I have made so many lifelong friendships with fellow entrepreneurs around the world. We lift each other up in times of need and celebrate each other’s victories.
I have made so many wonderful memories from my travels with these groups to fun places around the world.
I am currently a member of the following 4 groups and spend over $100,000 per year to be a member and travel for them:
I’ve been a member of Genius Network for over 11 years, and this group was started by a well-known entrepreneur and master connector named Joe Polish. Genius Network is a great group of entrepreneurs and thought leaders who want to lox their wealth, connection, and contribution.
I’ve made so many friends and clients through this group over the years. More importantly, it has made me a better human being. Joe Polish and his entire team at Genius Network have created something extraordinary.
Maverick 1000 is a fun group of visionary leaders and entrepreneurs who are on a mission to change the world and have a lot of fun doing so. I’ve been a member of Maverick for over 6 years and have greatly enjoyed all of the wonderful adventures we have gone on together around the world. We’ve also helped each other elevate our growth and our contributions to humanity on each adventure together. Yanik Silver, Sophia Umanski, and the entire Maverick team create “magical experiences” for entrepreneurs. I’m so grateful for them.
War Room is a mastermind designed to help founders dramatically grow their wealth while increasing their business’s recurring revenue and profits. War Room is led by 4 highly successful entrepreneurs, Ryan Deiss, Perry Belcher, Roland Frasier, and Richard Linder.
War Room is a great group if you want to focus a lot on marketing and business growth hacks and meet other entrepreneurs who are laser focused on those objectives.
Like Maverick 1000, War Room often meets in fun locations around the world.
I’ve learned a lot of great business growth strategies from War Room over the years and have also made some new friends.
Strategic Coach is a coaching organization that helps entrepreneurs become better leaders and better human beings. You get to attend 4 quarterly strategic planning workshops when you become a member. I’ve learned so much from Strategic Coach over the years, including the importance of taking time off from work as an entrepreneur.
Strategic Coach is led by Dan Sullivan and Babs Smith, and they are always on the leading edge of entrepreneurial principles that will keep you innovating your business.
I highly recommend you check out some of these groups, and maybe I’ll see you at a future meeting.
Here are a few other groups you may want to check out:
Another mastermind group I plan to check out in the future was started by my friend Glen Ledwell. This group is called Flight Club, and several of my friends in other groups are also a member of this one. Flight Club is an invite-only marketing mastermind for groundbreaking strategy, family-like connection, and unapologetic fun.
EO is an organization that helps you achieve your full potential in your business and your personal life through life-enhancing connections, shared experiences and collaborative learning.
Touted as the world’s leading business referral organization. You will develop long lasting relationships with like-minded business professionals, create opportunities through referral marketing and grow your business skills.
Mastermind groups can meet in person or online, so don’t limit yourself to groups within your area. Expand your network across the country or the globe and you will be surprised at the value of connecting with fellow entrepreneurs. Don’t re-invent the wheel if there are others who are willing share ideas and solutions.
Participating in various entrepreneurial groups will introduce you to hundreds of incredible human beings and, you will likely also get more referrals from these connections than through your current network or client list. An important concept you must master is to learn how to add value to others first, without expecting anything in return. When you do this, it generally comes around full circle…and one day you will be the entrepreneur reaping the rewards. You don’t want to show up as a new member in these groups and come across as a “taker” who only cares about yourself. Focus on contributing first, and then when the timing makes sense, you can ask for what you need too.
It can also be great to get out of the office and attend “in person” mastermind events. There is something so powerful about networking with other business owners in person. And in many cases, not only are the events rewarding, but they can be fun and oftentimes are held in some really cool cities. As you become more ingrained within the groups, you may be asked to present as an expert within your field, which serves as incredible validation on your credibility. And it will give you a lot of exposure amongst both peers and colleagues, garnering continued growth for your business.
You will note that many mastermind groups are being led by fellow business owners who have been very successful and now are willing to share their secrets to help other entrepreneurs. Generally, folks who participate in these groups are goal driven and looking for smarter ways to achieve success. You should consider these groups as a key shortcut to grow your lifestyle business.
In Chapter 1, you will explore the true meaning of business freedom and how to create it in your own life for what really matters.
In Chapter 2, you will learn the principle of work smarter not harder. You have been lied to about business growth in the past and will be shocked once you discover the truth.
In Chapter 3, you will discover 12 different growth hacks that lifestyle entrepreneurs use daily. You can use these growth hacks yourself for faster growth and a better life.
In Chapter 4, your will learn how to achieve business growth by removing from your “to-do” list, not adding to it. This principle is called “Growth by Subtraction”, and when done correctly, it leads to “multiplication”.
In Chapter 5, you will discover several ways to use time hacking to double your productivity. Are you ready to “Get Shit Done” faster than you ever imagined?
In Chapter 6, you will unlock the closely held secrets to leveraging entrepreneur groups for fast business growth. This strategy can skyrocket your growth.
In Chapter 7, you will learn all about delegating tasks effectively. Hint: Most business owners do this totally wrong.
In Chapter 8, discover how you can create a 4 day work week for yourself that is sustainable long term. It’s easier to accomplish than you might think.
In Chapter 9, you’ll learn the recommended next steps for creating the freedom lifestyle that you deserve. You’ll also learn the best resources (including a business growth coach) to support you in this process.
Using Time Hacking To Double Your Productivity
We just reviewed Grow by Subtraction in Chapter 4 and how you should look for that 20 percent of effort that will produce 80 percent of the results. In other words, you should always look for ways to put the Pareto Principle into action automatically, so it happens without relying on your willpower.
You also need to put constraints in place to deal with Parkinson’s Law so you don’t waste too much time on a project because you allowed it to drag out. Those constraints are also meant to help you avoid falling back into the grind, grind, grind mentality and to help you turn down the volume on “the constant hustle.”
Your main goal is to work smarter, not harder. A key component of working smarter is to create time out of thin air any time you need or want to.
So, what do we mean by creating time out of thin air? It means you can get things done in less time than you ever imagined possible—much like if you waved a magic wand and manufactured time.
You do this using a process that we call Time Hacking. You can use these time hacks in your daily life to help you get a lot done when you are working.
Time Hacking Strategies
First, I’ll share some of my favorite time hacking strategies with you. These are some of the strategies I help my entrepreneur clients truly master in my coaching programs. Start your morning by doing a brain dump of all the important tasks you need to get done each day. Then identify which of the items on the list could be done in the least amount of time but would have the greatest impact on your business.
Once you identify the biggest levers on your list, you then go through and assign a time hack to each of the tasks in your daily task list.
Here are some of the time hacks you can apply to each of the items in your to-do list.
1. Does this task really even need to be done?
If no, then move on to the next task and eliminate this one from your to-do list. If yes, then proceed with some of the other questions.
2. Can this task be delegated to someone else?
Remember it is important to let other people use their gifts so they also feel great about themselves and do the job you are paying them to do.
No one can do it all alone. Use your team to complete a task and start to delegate projects to others.
3. How can you force hyper-efficiency by limiting the amount of time you spend on this?
As an example, ask yourself: Should I do this only on certain days or times, should I limit myself to a certain # of hours, etc.
4. Is this something that can be batched together with other items on your list today or another day to get them done faster as a group?
As an example, you might have to make client calls and respond to emails. Carve out a window in your day to just focus on these tasks. When tasks can be bundled together, it is amazing how much faster you get done with the tasks instead of being sidetracked by other tasks. Be sure to lump together activities that are similar to one another. Mark your to-do’s that you plan to do in “batch”.
5. What is your peak state for doing this type of task?
For example, is your mind more clear first thing in morning or after you’ve had some time to get your day moving? You are the best judge of when you are most productive for certain tasks. Being in the right state for certain tasks allows you to focus and complete it faster. Make a note on your to-do list of any time window you should do a certain task due to your peak state.
6. Should you use a timer when you work on this and set a time limit to motivate yourself not to waste time?
Creating a sense of urgency with yourself can be very persuasive on completing a project even faster. Suppose you expect a task to take 30 minutes. Set a timer for 15 minutes so you feel pressure to keep moving on it. When the timer goes off, set another timer for half the remaining time to keep the pressure on. Motivate yourself and you will be surprised at how often you can get something done in less time by simply setting a timer and then hyper focusing on that particular activity.
7. Evaluate what mantra you could say before you start the task and state that ideal outcome.
For example, you could say something like the following: “I intend to finish this task faster and easier than I ever imagined and I am open to better way than I even considered.” Affirmations can put you in the right frame of mind before taking on a new task. You will be amazed at how much this process can help by just stating your positive intention out loud.
8. Evaluate what time sucks could possibly stand in your way today? How can you limit, delegate, or eliminate them?
Determine how you can isolate yourself. Can you turn off your email notifications, so you aren’t distracted by a new message? Can you put your phone on silent, so you don’t get pulled into a phone call you didn’t plan for? Are you in a quiet area?
9. Is there anything you can automate about this?
Can you add a rule to your email inbox? Can you schedule social media out for a month at a time?
10. Can or should I just defer this to another day?
11. Can I use anchoring (certain rituals tied to certain activities) to help me get into flow on this?
Some examples may include looping the same album each time you do a particular type of task (like when writing or working out) or maybe using certain scents in a diffuser that bring you to a peaceful state of mind. It could even be as simple as drinking a certain flavor of coffee when performing an activity. Embracing anchoring can really help you to get into a flow state.
We talked earlier about doing a brain dump of your activities. So, what you can do is look over your brain dump of to-do’s for today and then assign one or more of these time hacks to them. You can use these time hacks themselves or in combination with each other.
Mark up your to do list with abbreviations to cover: Elimination, Delegation, Automation, Forced Hyper-efficiency, Timed Activity, Batching with Others, Peak State of Mind, Anchoring, Stating Your Intentions, Isolating or Deferring the Task.
Then, once you have assigned a time hack to each one of them, you can put all of your to-do’s in priority order, starting with the ones you identified in the first step as being your biggest levers. You can assign a priority to the others based upon the time hacks you assigned and whatever order makes sense. This is an incredibly powerful process for managing your to-do list if you put it into action. In fact, if I had to pick one strategy out of all of them, it would be this one. Before we more on to the next chapter, I have one more time hack to cover.
Time Hacks for Consuming Training
Let’s be real…no one has hours upon hours of time to sit and watch training videos. Are they beneficial? “Generally yes”, but does the time spent watching the video correlate into the perceived value for the knowledge you gained? Below are some handy time-saving hacks for training videos:
1. Is there a slide deck or transcript you can download of the training? If so…this is a huge time-saver!
2. Save the materials as a PDF document, so that you can easily skim the document.
3. Use your page down and page up buttons to navigate quickly and review the slides or the transcript.
4. If you are looking for something specific, do a keyboard shortcut with CRTL F and search for keywords to find where the pertinent subject matter is being covered and focus your efforts on that.
5. Review any of the slides or transcript that appear to cover the topic of importance. Still have questions?
6. If you find you need more clarification about a particular topic, open the video and fast forward through the presentation until you find the slide you are looking at and start to watch for a more in-depth explanation.
7. If you still need more information than you can get by these methods, take advantage of that virtual assistant we mentioned as part of the delegating and outsourcing growth hack. Ask them to type up a transcript of the video so you have a written format to reference in the future. You can then repeat this process using their summary and jump to the parts you care about the most.
I’ve personally used this approach to learn the key concepts in an 8 hour program in less than 1 hour.
This is just another example of how to take a time-consuming activity and find a way to create a time hack for it. Isn’t this fun? 😊 I think so.
Time hacking is as much of an art as it is a science, but if you use these strategies throughout your day, you can speed through your task list in no time.
Now that you’ve learned some of my favorite time hacking secrets, let’s move on to another hack that has allowed me to generate millions in revenue and forge great new friendships.
In Chapter 1, you will explore the true meaning of business freedom and how to create it in your own life for what really matters.
In Chapter 2, you will learn the principle of work smarter not harder. You have been lied to about business growth in the past and will be shocked once you discover the truth.
In Chapter 3, you will discover 12 different growth hacks that lifestyle entrepreneurs use daily. You can use these growth hacks yourself for faster growth and a better life.
In Chapter 4, your will learn how to achieve business growth by removing from your “to-do” list, not adding to it. This principle is called “Growth by Subtraction”, and when done correctly, it leads to “multiplication”.
In Chapter 5, you will discover several ways to use time hacking to double your productivity. Are you ready to “Get Shit Done” faster than you ever imagined?
In Chapter 6, you will unlock the closely held secrets to leveraging entrepreneur groups for fast business growth. This strategy can skyrocket your growth.
In Chapter 7, you will learn all about delegating tasks effectively. Hint: Most business owners do this totally wrong.
In Chapter 8, discover how you can create a 4 day work week for yourself that is sustainable long term. It’s easier to accomplish than you might think.
In Chapter 9, you’ll learn the recommended next steps for creating the freedom lifestyle that you deserve. You’ll also learn the best resources (including a business growth coach) to support you in this process.
