First Word

Do you feel pressed for time? I do. I have multiple projects going on. I once read in the book The Secret that it’s all a matter of perspective. You always have enough time . We make time for things we prioritize. When it comes to keeping everything flowing and getting it all done I keep daily, weekly and monthly goals. I started this habit in college because I was taking up to 18 units and I needed to keep track of homework. Turned out this technique became invaluable to helping me to become an effective project manager. Another technique I apply is to keep in mind at all times I love what I do. I try to avoid feeling overwhelmed by just sitting down and getting things done one at a time. Even though I have work that is due all of the time I make it a top priority to make time enough to work on my own book The Abused . When it comes to ensuring that my precious time gets applied to my own work too I just do it . Here are some tips to help you effectively manag...

It's one thing to want to do something, it's another thing to actually do it. They can teach theory in the classroom, but until you've dug deep, gotten your hands sublimely dirty, and really entrenched yourself in the experience, you can't learn the most important lessons and realities. So, to help anyone else (and these are life lessons) here are some general tips. Do not beat yourself up if you're an editor and there's a mistake or even two . All those meticulous copy editors out there who are single minded about not making one mistake in a 50,000 to 75,000 or 100,000 word book have truly put too much pressure on themselves into a never-good-enough reality. If I have learned nothing else in editing ... there is going to be a mistake ... somewhere. It requires minimally two sets or preferably three sets of eyes to clean up a manuscript. If you're sense of "perfection" (which there is no such thing) is about the erroneous belief you will see ever...

The pressure I put on myself can't be any harder than the pressure I ... put on myself. Stand up and confess, "I, Michelle am a workaholic." Truth is I started my business not to have to work myself into the ground to meet other people's demands. Over time, I made the great discovery, I still have to meet other people's demands (clients). The saying "work smarter not harder" is the applicable tool to keep life in balance. Problem is economics + delegation are conflicting at the moment. So sharp manager that I am I need to "noodle" some solutions to the scale tipped the wrong way. Ever find yourself stuck in this quagmire? I bet if you're a business owner reading this blog you know what I'm talking about. Here are some things to think about: Guilt is not an excuse to give 10 times more than you get in payments . If you're being paid to do a job do the job to the best of your abilities. But you are not obligated just because you h...

I tell people all the time not to do it all on their own. Do you realize how much time you waste doing things that you are either not competent at doing or you don't know how to do. I used to win that game all of the time, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" the home version when pitted against someone who was supposed to know everything. Why? Because I know a lot ... BUT I know what I don't know. So when I would get asked to use one of my tools (phone a friend, etc.), I knew to take the option. In business, it works like that game. You need to know when you don't know. For example, my state sales tax is due. We were using a different seller's license. We needed to not only transfer the license, but also pay the tax. I was clueless. Although Malia, my trusty right hand, had send me some number to call. I knew I would get stuck in some bureaucratic maze of voice-mail hell and probably not wind up with a breathing human on the other side. Instead, I decided to save...