This has been the busiest week I've had in a long time. As a consequence I have been struggling with how to get everything done. Let's face it work is challenging enough but add on being in the middle of my kids youth hockey season and trying to train for the Cleveland Marathon, it gets a little overwhelming. Now I have never had a problem waking up early to get things done but the challenge I have is what should I be doing when I get up. I tend to work best in the morning before the email and phone starts to blow up. OK, go to work. Not so fast, I need to run too and if I wait until the end of the day I have trouble escaping from work and I also have my driver duties for the kids. So what has to give? I'm not sure anything has to give. Last week I stumbled over an article called 23 Successful People Who Wake Up Really Early. What I thought was interesting was that while they all woke up early they didn't typically allocate this time to work only. Most of them used this time to catch up, prep and workout before arriving at the office at a standard time. They know that this time is important to their productivity and they make it a priority.
This leads to my quick tip of the week: Know what makes you productive and make it a priority. It isn't always an either or decision. I know when I wake up at 4:45 am I can get my run in and still get to work a little early and get the day started. You need to allow yourself some "you time" even if it means waking up before the chickens. If you have thoughts on what works for you leave a comment, I need the help.
Now on to this weekend's business long run. Remember these are articles that I have come across this week that would be good to look at to improve your business. I need to get my run on this weekend so I am going to try to get 8 miles in on Saturday, 3 miles in on Sunday and read these posts:
How to Develop a Blog Post Idea ... Pain-free! at BlogCoaches ~ Good tips to help you put together a blog post when the ideas don't seem to be there.
5 Tips For Entrepreneurs Before Starting an Online Business from the Arkansas State SBTDC ~ Tips you should consider to get you launched quick and cost effectively.
10 Marketing Trends For 2012 on MediaPost's Marketing Daily ~ Interesting set of trends that can help you move your message and business forward in the coming months.
What To Do After A Conference (or other networking opportunities) via Savvy Sexy Social ~ Video from Amy Schmittauer on things you should do to follow-up with connections you made at a conference.
Four Keys for Successful Project Leadership at Thought Leaders ~ I like the distinction here between management and "Leadership".
Finally, here is my weekly running partner. Not really someone I run with but rather a resource I want with me to help my business. This week my running partner recommendation is the Los Angeles Small Business Development Center. This may sound odd given that I live in Ohio and I run and Ohio Small Business Development Center but I really like the content that comes from this center on Twitter and Facebook. I make sure that I pay close atttention to their activity and I get great information that I use to help small businesses. If you are in the LA area you really need to be working with them. If not follow them online, it will certainly help you grow your business.
So get out and get your mileage in this weekend so you are ready for your business marathon.
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