Mark Twain’s secret

Mark Twain was an amazingly prolific writer and speaker.
The ex-journalist did not have the aid of a laptop.
He didn’t have email and text message distractions.
People still wrote each other letters - with a pen.

Mark’s secret was to avoid busy work.
You know what that is. The stuff in your in box.
Mark swallowed the big frog first each morning.
That’s a figurative frog, not a literal one.
By that, Mark meant the #1 project on your list.
The biggie. The most important. The high payoff one.
Don’t scramble for the loose change.
Go after the million dollar stuff.
That’s how he wrote all those wonderful books.
Tom and Huck and Jim on the Mississippi.
That’s how he found time for lucrative lecture tours.

What if you dumped everything in your in box right now?
Just dump it all in your waste basket.
Horrors, you say. Well, what about it?
Most of it is busy work. It’s dictated by others.
Are you going to let them set your agenda?

Don’t be enslaved by your in box and email.
Ignore those text messages.
Let voicemail take care of incoming calls.
If it’s a genuine emergency, someone will yell at you.
If the building’s on fire, you’ll smell the smoke.
Otherwise, take care of that big frog.
Make it Numero Uno. Projecto #1.

Mark joked that we should swallow the big frog first.
Then we know that’s the worst that will happen all day.
Not all big frogs are fun to swallow. But they’re critical.
What Mark didn’t say: The frog won’t like it much either.

Ignore those calls, emails and text messages.
Get down to work right now. Yes. Right now.
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Setting your 2011 priorities

From here you can see
the forest and the trees

My friend Steve Prinsen wrote the other day.
Our friend Ken Blum had visited his newspaper.
Ken coaches newspaper owners.
Steve felt overwhelmed.

He wondered where to start.
So much good stuff to do but when can I do it all?

The answer: Maybe never.
But setting priorities is the first big step.

Mark Twain said eat a big frog each morning.
He meant to tackle the Big Payoff project first.
Don’t let the little busy stuff get in your way.
Set your priorities on the Big Frogs on your list.
Don’t worry about getting caught up this year.

You ought to see the goals on my 2011 list.
But I’ve broken them down by quarter.
I’ve plugged them into my calendar.
Will I finish them all in 2011? Probably not.
But I'll make sure the Big Payoff ones get done.

Setting priorities helps us focus on two things:
1. Our vision - the Big Picture in our minds.
2. All the steps we need to take to get there.
You might call that seeing the forest and the trees.
Priorities carry you through the forest.
Priorities are the bread crumbs to guide you.
Want a copy of my Big Project Planning Guide?
Email me at JerryBellune@yahoo.com.

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Frog eating made easy

Time starvation erodes your productivity.
Ever felt completely drained of energy?
John Zenoni called it “stripped clean as a sapling”.
Most of your “to do” list not been touched?
Here are three tips to help you manage the muddle.
1. Just close your door.
Put a sign on it: “I’m busy. Come back later.”
Lock the door to keep the Time Bandits out.
Don’t let these jerks steal your day.
Work at home? Tell the kids you’ll be busy.
“Draw me a picture, honey, or write me a story.
“Give me an hour, then we’ll go shopping.”
2. Put everything in your in-box.
Nothing gets lost that way. Quit hunting.
Just sort the in-box and you’ll find it.
In fact, prioritize the in-box.
Put the really important stuff on top.
That way, you get to it at the start of the day.
3. Tackle the big frogs first.
Mark Twain advised swallowing a frog each morning.
If you’ve got two, swallow the bigger one first.
Mark meant tackle the big payoff projects first.
That's when you’re fresh and ready to work.
Don’t let the little stuff bog you down.
To share a time saver, click on “comment”.
For more time savers, email me.
My address is JerryBellune@yahoo.com

Prioritize your projects

Have you so much to do you can’t figure out where to start?
When you prioritize your projects, that pressure disappears.
You know what you must do first and what to do next.
As Mark Twain suggested, go for the big frogs first.
Here’s an example of how you might make this work for you.
Jim Howard and I drove to Charlotte for an NSA Carolinas meeting.
That's our local National Speakers Association chapter.
Jim’s a great friend who also handles my Internet marketing.
Ted Janusz spoke at NSA on social networks and other eTools.
By the end of the day, 14 new projects were on my list.
These included setting up a Google Ad Words budget.
Another was to rewrite our website Home Page copy.
A third was to write my next book’s marketing plan.
Ted stimulated many ideas, concepts and strategies.
On the way home from Charlotte, we talked these over.
We set priorities based on what promised the biggest payoff.
Google Ad Words topped the list. Set up a new blog came next.
Then a Home Page rewrite. Everything else fell into place.
If you’re struggling with a long to-do list, you can do this, too.
Put the biggest frogs on top of your list. Do them in order.
Set deadlines for completing each. Be accountable.
You may be surprised by what you accomplish in record time.
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