Rat Race Escape Artist

Fears That Hold Us Back

What's your biggest fear?

I have a quite a few - one is losing my freedom in some way or another (which is why I never break the law) and the other is working with kids! And then there's the thought of doing anything other than working for myself (but I really don't want to focus on that one).

When I was employed I would often be sent out to give talks at schools. Public speaking is always something I have embraced, both as an employee and entrepreneur but not when it came to speaking to young people. They tend to put the fear of God up me for reasons not really known (perhaps in a past life I had a run in with a young'un, I don't know!).

Today I was pushed hard out of my comfort zone after I'd been asked to design and deliver a tobacco workshop to a group of Smoke Free Youth Ambassadors.

I was pretty scared that the kids would know more than me (!), that they'd be very challenging, disengaged and so on. In some ways I think my fear led me to hide a little behind a Powerpoint presentation (something I pride myself on never doing). 

I have to say though, I'm so glad I got over myself and got on with this job. They were fantastic and those young people put paid to the notion that all kids are bad in some way. These ones would make you proud. They were intelligent, thoughtful and extremely engaged in the process.

As a bonus for me, I will never be scared of kids again, I made a new contact who told me how impressed she was with my training and one of the mothers that was there has asked me to present at her child's school.

Lesson learnt? Feel the fear and do it anyway. Whatever it is, just do it and see if you can blow your fears about it out of the water!

Escape The Rat Race By Working Smart in 2010 Part II

Last post I talked about how I intend to work smarter this year and promised to let you know what other rat race escapees do to make their working day more productive.

There was talk of body clocks; Judith Morgan and Steve Watson find they're most productive during the early morning time while Sunita likes to work at night, when everyone else is in bed (so much for the 9 to 5 that's been imposed on us). Yoga teacher Nthanu gets up at 4:30 and has already done quite a lot of work in time for getting his kids up and ready for school by 7am (!)

Turning off distractions was another contender for the top spot. Judith, Christine and Jakki all agree that looking at emails as they come in is one of the biggest 'time suckers'. It seems these three are all getting in to the habit of checking just a few times a day. Yikes, will have to try that one out... Suzanne Barnett even suggested getting down to a one a day email habit 'with a view to checking even less frequently'.

Lists came up a lot. Graham, aka Danny the Cat, has decided to stop making lists whilst almost everyone else said the list had to be done. Judith has a system where she won't go to bed until a particular item on the list is done, others limit their list to just 5 things a day, the most important ones first.

Andre makes his list the night before and won't stop working until it's finished. And Steve sets up a list system using Outlook and allocates time slots to the items on it. Brilliant habit to form that one. Brendan Johnson likes to do the thing he wants to do the least on his list as first priority, otherwise known as 'eating the frog'.

The internet marketers like Nicola and Suraj were firmly in favour of outsourcing as a method of working smarter. Get other people to do the stuff you either don't like or aren't good at and free up your time to concentrate on the things that will take you forward.

Perhaps the most surprising thing was that not too many people mentioned setting goals to promote smarter working. Champagne Yvonne does stand by the theory that the goal setting is the most important element of smart working - if you don't know your desired outcome, how do you know you're not floundering around in the dark? But I'm putting this down to the fact that the peeps I was putting this question to often take goal setting as a 'doh, yeaahhh' type of activity. They're all used to doing it as a matter of course...

So, what's your definition of working smarter? How can you do it even if you're still trapped in a day job?

Escape The Rat Race By Working Smart in 2010

Since I quit the 9 to 5 lifestyle I've often felt under lots of pressure to keep busy, keep working on every opportunity that comes along and keep my eye on the ball. It works for me sometimes but there are times when it causes a bit of overwhelm, which has a danger of leading to procrastination and therefore less constructive output.

So whilst I haven't necessarily written a list of traditional new year's resolutions this year, I have resolved to try to slow down a bit.

I have to remind myself sometimes that the reason I left behind the traditional working model was so that I could do more of the things I wanted to do now rather than wait until retirement. Which means that I have to work smarter, not harder to be able to do this.

When you've been brought up thinking that lots and lots of hard work will get your rewards, it's sometimes difficult to switch your mindset around to the idea that actually a little bit of working smartly is certainly more productive in the long run.

But what does working smarter actually mean? To me it means:

• Using the time I spend when working to the best possible effect. So, if I sit down at the computer, I don't aimlessly surf the net, instead I do something that takes me towards one of my goals constructively. So, if I want more people to visit this site and therefore see the various opportunities I have available for them I write a blog post. And to make it even smarter, I make sure that I have an automated system which will send the blog post out to facebook and twitter etc.

• I've resolved to walk away from my computer if what I'm doing isn't technically working on my goals. I walk around the house, or sit on the sofa for 5 minutes or get myself a drink. Then I come back to the task that my mind had wandered from and I'll do the same if it happens again.

• I will not force myself to sit at my desk or be 'at work' from 9 til 5. That was what I did at my job and that was one of the things I hated about it. Being resentful doesn't work for me and makes me feel less productive. Far better to get down to work when I feel ready rather than when I feel I should and walk away when I've had enough. This way, I'm working when I feel most productive and therefore get more done during those times. Being 'present' at work isn't enough - being productive when you do work is the key.

• Reduce the feeling of overwhelm by doing accounts little and often (I had nailed that after doing Silver Elite but I have slipped back into my old ways), only ever have 2 internet browsers and my email inbox open. Nothing else. Finish what I'm doing before I open another window, document, email.

These points all have a common theme - don't force it. Work well in shorter bursts for best effect.

I was curious to find out what others deemed as 'working smart' so I asked some of my Money Gym friends and put it out on the forums at 4Networking to see what the general consensus was.

I'll tell you next time some of the weird and wonderful responses I had to my question....

Escape The Rat Race By Working Smart in 2010

Since I quit the 9 to 5 lifestyle I've often felt under lots of pressure to keep busy, keep working on every opportunity that comes along and keep my eye on the ball. It works for me sometimes but there are times when it causes a bit of overwhelm, which has a danger of leading to procrastination and therefore less constructive output.

So whilst I haven't necessarily written a list of traditional new year's resolutions this year, I have resolved to try to slow down a bit.

I have to remind myself sometimes that the reason I left behind the traditional working model was so that I could do more of the things I wanted to do now rather than wait until retirement. Which means that I have to work smarter, not harder to be able to do this.

When you've been brought up thinking that lots and lots of hard work will get your rewards, it's sometimes difficult to switch your mindset around to the idea that actually a little bit of working smartly is certainly more productive in the long run.

But what does working smarter actually mean? To me it means:

• Using the time I spend when working to the best possible effect. So, if I sit down at the computer, I don't aimlessly surf the net, instead I do something that takes me towards one of my goals constructively. So, if I want more people to visit this site and therefore see the various opportunities I have available for them I write a blog post. And to make it even smarter, I make sure that I have an automated system which will send the blog post out to facebook and twitter etc.

• I've resolved to walk away from my computer if what I'm doing isn't technically working on my goals. I walk around the house, or sit on the sofa for 5 minutes or get myself a drink. Then I come back to the task that my mind had wandered from and I'll do the same if it happens again.

• I will not force myself to sit at my desk or be 'at work' from 9 til 5. That was what I did at my job and that was one of the things I hated about it. Being resentful doesn't work for me and makes me feel less productive. Far better to get down to work when I feel ready rather than when I feel I should and walk away when I've had enough. This way, I'm working when I feel most productive and therefore get more done during those times. Being 'present' at work isn't enough - being productive when you do work is the key.

• Reduce the feeling of overwhelm by doing accounts little and often (I had nailed that after doing Silver Elite but I have slipped back into my old ways), only ever have 2 internet browsers and my email inbox open. Nothing else. Finish what I'm doing before I open another window, document, email.

These points all have a common theme - don't force it. Work well in shorter bursts for best effect.

I was curious to find out what others deemed as 'working smart' so I asked some of my Money Gym friends and put it out on the forums at 4Networking to see what the general consensus was.

I'll tell you next time some of the weird and wonderful responses I had to my question....

Ebay Fees Too Much?

If you're looking to make a home based income as a professional seller on Ebay then this isn't the post for you.

Wikaniko, the eco friendly people, have recently launched a fee-free site to rival Ebay, which doesn't allow professional sellers to join.

It's for the general public to sell on or swap items that we no longer want and maybe make a bit of cash in the process, without the hefty fees that Ebay charge.

Check out Wicycle-It here. It's pretty new so there are going to be bargains galore at the moment (go quickly to snap one up before everyone else gets wind of it).

Money Gym Are Giving It Away!

Just a very quick post to let you know that the Money Gym are giving away free reports for you to read.

So if you want to learn more about:

• Business Success In The 21st Century
• Become A Millionaire In Just Five Years
• Fee Setting For Lone Rangers
• Natural Marketing For Lone Rangers

Click here and take your pick!

Wikaniko? Yes We Can!

I am beyond excited at the moment as I came across something quite by accident, which is turning out to be a nice little work from home business prospect. I love it when things like that happen.

A couple of months ago one of my Cleaning Biz clients asked if I could recommend eco friendly cleaning products to her. At the time, I had used a few products available in supermarkets but either found them a bit pricey or a bit lacking in eco-ness (I know it's not a word, but you know what I mean). Reading the small print on the products of some brands showed that they had all sorts of rubbish in them, which made them a little bit unfriendly. So I couldn't really recommend anything at that point.

Then, by coincidence (serendipity, law of attraction, whatever), I caught a thread on a business networking forum I'm a member of (4Networking). There was a real buzz around a company called Wikaniko, pronounced 'we can eco'.

So, I ordered some products and liked them, ordered some more and loved them and then I bought the company! No I didn't, I just signed up to become a distributor or re-selller. That's how impressed I was. So £48 later (that's the re-seller joining fee) I'm all kitted up and able to re-sell the products and earn commissions and buy my own products at a hefty discount.

Super stuff. But it doesn't stop there because I can also bring people into my team and earn commissions on their sales too (my job is to help them to do well too).

If you're interested in starting a business this year and like the thought of earning money whilst making a positive impact on the environment then I'd love to hear from you. You can call me on 0203 326 4339 for a chat about this and I'll tell you all I know. Or have a look at this little presentation first.

You don't have to leave your job to do this - you start off with evenings and weekends, you're looking at around 8 to 10 hours per week. So you'd be working in your job whilst working on your fortune as the late great Jim Rohn would say. Or as I would say, you'll be keeping a roof over your head whilst you make good your escape! Sometimes that's the only way to do it if you don't have a big pile of cash to get you going...

A to Z of Network Marketing - I is for Inspiration

It's a tricky game to play if you're working with a network marketing company that just doesn't inspire you. Or the people in your upline don't make you want to follow in their footsteps for one reason or another.

This is why it's so important to mix with the people in your business who do inspire you and who will keep you going through good and bad times in your business.

Attend meetings and trainings so you rub shoulders with people who are successful - renew your inspiration.

Don't forget that in order to be really successful in network marketing you have to be an inspiration to others too!

A to Z of Network Marketing - H is for Help

Now I know that in the world of network marketing we're all supposed to be completely upbeat and chipper all the time but sometimes it can be frustrating, tricky and doesn't run to plan.

This is where you have to ask for help. Way too many new distributors, regardless of the company, fall at the first hurdle because they're unable to ask for help.

But what if you've got an absent sponsor or a very unhelpful one?

Try talking to members of another team - you'd be surprised how willing they are to give you a hand. Don't forget, network marketing companies often give out shares as promotions or are run as cooperatives so it's in everyone's interest in the business to guide others.

And if you're in a position to help others yourself then do it!

Network Marketing A to Z - G is for Guru

I actually hate the word 'guru' or rather I hate what it's come to mean to most of us today. However, for the purposes of this A to Z, I would urge you to seek out a 'guru' to help you on the road to network marketing enlightenment....

Who will that person be? It might be your immediate sponsor or someone else even further up the business or it might even be a leading light in the industry in general but whoever it is, see what they do, listen to what they do and do what they do.

Network marketing businesses are usually set up as a system which means that success is duplicatable. Copy your guru, become your guru and in time you might find you have some gurees (I know that's not a word but I like it anyway).