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Finish It Up Friday:

When you set up your own coaching business and become “your own boss” there’s lots of ways you can organise your time and business. In today’s guest post coach Jaynine Howard shares one aspect of how she organises one day a week …

Finish It Up Friday:

Why I Don’t Require My Team to Work on Friday

By Jaynine Howard

Finish It Up Friday By Jaynine Howard

Friday – oh how that word can invoke a series of fleeting emotions ranging from dread to delight.

I have coined the phrase Finish It Up Friday as a way to make a mindset shift from dread to delight. It is the day to sleep in an extra hour. It is the day to enjoy that first cup of morning coffee knowing there are no real deadlines for the day. There is no better way to start a Friday than listening to the birds chirping, reading morning inspiration, and enjoying that first cup of coffee.

I and my team work long arduous hours Monday through Thursday. We do not prescribe to a normal 8 hour day. My day is typically starting by 5 or 6 am and ends around 10 or 11pm. My team works diligently providing fabulous services and meeting deadlines so that I meet my deadlines so my clients meet theirs. Much of what my team does for me is often not seen by others. They are busy researching and gathering statistics for my clients or for whatever program I am currently working on. They are busy writing media releases, preparing marketing materials, proofreading and taking care of the invoicing.

Just as many of us observe Sunday as a day of rest I and my team observe Friday as a day of rest. Adopting a casual Friday allows me and my team to recharge our batteries. When we have a fresh brain we are more creative. Also, since they know that I do not expect them to be available on Friday they know they can schedule personal appointments and plan their time off accordingly without fear that there will be work that needs to be completed.

Not much quality work gets completed when you or your employees are mentally exhausted. Using Friday to follow up with clients, finish up a few tasks or projects, and plan for the following week is a great way to unwind and prepare to enjoy the weekend. I am usually only at my desk a few hours on Friday morning taking care of loose ends. Making time to review my week and self-reflect on what went surprisingly well and what was a bit off provides me growth opportunities. I learn from the lessons of the week.

Designing a plan for the upcoming week has shown to increase productivity and increase income. Taking time to plan the tasks I will delegate, prepare for client sessions, and set aside time for writing also reduces the stress that would normally be felt if I had not planned to enjoy a successful week. I have learned when planning what I will delegate I must set up my emails to my team so they do not post until Monday morning because they are so very dedicated they will work on the tasks over the weekend regardless of the due dates.

Finish It Up Friday is a great way to self-reflect on your week, finish up projects or tasks that didn’t get completed, and prepare for the new upcoming week. Know your energy level and planning for self-care is key to success. I encourage you adopt a Finish It Up Friday and allow your employees extra time off. They will reward you with continued hard work, an increase in productivity and creativity as well as loyalty.

About Jaynine Howard

Coach Jaynine is the owner of Dream Catcher Business and Career Coaching. Jaynine uses the knowledge and skills she acquired during her 20 year career in the United States Marine Corps, working as a Psychologist in a locked mental health hospital, and being an entrepreneur to help medical and mental health professionals, small business owners, and medical spa owners grow their businesses by teaching them her five step process for attracting their ideal clients and turning them into paying clients. You can learn more about her signature program and download her free ecourse My Five Steps to Networking Success by visiting http://coachjaynine.com/

Article Source: Finish It Up Friday: Why I Don’t Require My Team to Work on Friday

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Goals You Can Control

Early Jackson, shares his coaching expertise and knowledge in this weeks guest post:

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Goals You Can Control

By Early Jackson

Zig Ziglar, a motivational speaker and inspiration to thousands through his books and products once said, “Things are the way they are because we are the way we are.” I have found this to be a tough but valuable truth to live by. Often our largest challenge in life will not come from anything external, but the internal wrestling of procrastination. As a coach, I speak to people about what they wish to happen for them. Usually the reality is a disconnection with what they want and how they act. We spend too much time focusing on what we can’t control instead of what is within our reach.

In the late 1920’s at the turn of the industrial revolution America implemented a system of evaluating employees, especially factory workers. If a person on an assembly line at location ‘A’ was clocked at 85% efficiency, great attention would be given to the 15% that was lacking. This created a unique problem. The person would not get better, but worse. Why you may ask? Because wherever focus goes, energy flows. People do not progress by focusing where they lack, but by emphasizing their strengths. The system of correcting behavior was flawed mainly because the attention was placed on the wrong statistic.

Many do not attempt their goals at all because they see the task of planning for them as a huge mountain they cannot conquer. Half the battle is developing the right strategy and the goals that once were impossible, are easy to obtain. Instead of giving your precious focus to the negatives surrounding your desires, begin to assess what you already possess.

Here are a few things that you can control:

  • Your perception: My mother always said, “You can’t stop a bird from flying over your head but you can stop it from building a nest on you.” You and you alone control how you think. No one is so powerful that they can make you think a certain way. People are there to influence, but the end result is yours to handle.
  • Your attitude: If what you think is based on perception, how you think is a result of an attitude. Life goes on even if you have a bad day. How you respond to life is going to determine what you get out of it. It is a proven fact that people with a better attitude live a more fulfilling lifestyle.
  • Your time and schedule: Time is the only currency you can never earn more of. It is far better to lose money then your time. You can always earn more cash, but once time is invested and loss, it is gone forever. It is your responsibility to guard your time and use it wisely.
  • Your circle of influence: We all have wished at some time or another that we could have chosen our family members. But the reality is, you have the family God wanted you to have. What you can choose is who gets into your ‘space’. Focus on who you are allowing into your life because that’s who will have influence.

Actions are simply our response to our motivation. Once the fire has been lit we have to move quickly to implement our goals and use that momentum. Life gives us what we are willing to put into it. Goals aren’t prejudice nor play favorites. Goals show up completed when the person pursuing them employs consistent effort and planning.

See you at the TOP!

Early Jackson

About the Author/Further Resources

Early JacksonEarly L. Jackson Jr., profoundly recognized as a Social Activist, has been laboring to bring balance, skill, relevance and understanding to people of all nationalities. After effectively overcoming a stretch of drug addictions, Early has highly developed himself to become a successful life coach. As a result Early has had the opportunity to speak at such prestigious institutions as Rider University, The University of Phoenix, Jefferson Hospital, The Philadelphia Board of Education, The University of Pennsylvania and even on Carnival Cruiseline. He has also served diligently as an educator, a conference and seminar host as well as a radio and television personality in the Greater Philadelphia area for more than thirteen years. Coach Early was recently featured on The Hampton Roads show and is a regular contributor to “Inside Business” The Hampton Roads Business Journal as well as a writer for ” Examiner.com” a dynamic entertainment, news and lifestyle network that serves more than 20 million monthly readers across the U.S. and around the world. In addition, he is acclaimed for his work as a life coach working with individuals, couples, families and professionals in designing and living extraordinary lives. Early, has a special ability to build leaders, while developing people to a life of happiness, with deep, lasting satisfaction and fulfillment.

Early is known for his passionate teaching, humor and genuine love for people. Drawing from experience as a leader in the U.S. Army during Desert Storm, he proclaims a liberating message of empowerment to those who lack a voice of affirmation. He is known as ‘the constant encourager’ to many who seek a greater experience of true achievement.

Early Jackson, happily married to his wife Cherese, is a heavily sought after teacher and conference speaker; he has been invited to speak both nationally and internationally. He is the author of “Groomed For Greatness: 31 Days To An Empowered Life”, 50 Affirmations For Next Level Living”, “Tweet Your Way To Greatness” and “10 Mistakes I Made Before 30 & How To Avoid Them” as well as a variety of Coaching CD series. His overarching belief “If we are to exercise our full status and potential in this life we must be retrained in our daily behavior and mind sets” is a prevalent and recurring theme in his teachings.

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