Month: October 2014

“This morning I sanded and painted that dining room table I have”.

My friend, the lass who visits every day for a few hours, while I help her start an interior design business.

“Why though, what’s the use? Aren’t you building a business – do you have time for that kind of thing?”

“It’s useful”, she says, “I’ll be able to make photo of it and use it on my website.”

I tell her: “If you’d have taken the same three hours, and gone out on the street with your camera like I suggested the other day, you’d have come home with 40 photos, each a topic for a new blog post”.

Obviously she had no argument there.

“But I really enjoyed it, you know?”

And that, right there, that’s why most entrepreneurs never make it out of the busywork rut.

“I deserve time of, I work hard.”

“Am I not allowed d to live a little?”

Yes, yes you are. Very much so.

And that’s why the worst thing you could do is plan your free time around your work.

This is psychology 101 folks.

Most of us, we go about it in reverse: Work is of prime importance, it’s the thing that we build our free time around.

The problem with that is that it causes our subconsciousness to be in constant revolt.

Your self, your deepest level of lizard-brain-taking-care-of-you, just won’t put up with that kind of behaviour.

And so, you’re in an endless struggle of discipline versus well-being.

And you’ll probably have experienced that the consequence is frustration, knotted brows, and endless procrastination.

You lizard brain wants you to be happy, and by gosh it’ll make you happy, whether you like it or not.

Discipline and busywork?

No way Jose.

And so you slide off, slip into another few hours on Facebook.

“Because I deserve to relax a bit, yeah?”

Except, you don’t actually relax: you’‘re secretly punishing yourself, knowing you ought be working,

Constantly telling yourself off for slacking off.

And when you do get back to work, it’s with resentment and a highly unproductive feeling of guilt.

Here’s what to do instead: Define specific blocks of no-work, you-time, several times a day.

Whatever fits in your schedule.

20 Minutes 3 times a day at a very minimum.

Plan that stuff, and stick to it.

Set a timer, and when it rings, you switch off your machine and go relax.

Properly.

Fully.

No thinking about work, and preferably no Facebook either.

When you get back to work, you’ll feel rested, revived, ready to get some serious stuff DONE.

And, you’ll find that you will get stuff done, far more than you expect.

When you treat yourself well, and please your lizard brain the way it deserves, it in turn will reward you with enormous zest and drive.

You plan your work around your free time, not the other way round.

Because if you get the order of importance wrong, there will never be enough time to do the work (obviously, because you won’t perform at top levels) and you’ll constantly be chipping away at what little time you have for yourself.

A hideous vicious circle, and I’ll bet you’ve experienced it for yourself.

Just one of the many MANY things about healthy mindset that are going into LEAP #6

Today’s the last day to get access to it.

If you get it, you don’t just get my ongoing help by email, you’ll. also learn a complete set of attitudes, mindset and behaviour that make you highly productive, and with a bit of luck, quite a bit happier in your work.

Go here to get it –> http://martinstellar.com/leap-to-more-sales/

See you on the inside…

Martin

You’ll have seen me write about the importance – nay, the need – of starting your day with a simple, small activity that’s only for you and you only.

It literally transforms your days, when you being begin by doing something that makes you feel good and that yes, you deserve.

Now let’s take that a step further: Let’s look at the start of your day.

Most people, and for many years I did the same, start their day by opening their email inbox.

That right there is the most destructive start of your day you can have.

Sure, you want to know if that job got confirmed.

If the files were sent back.

If that payment came through.

Whether or not that link got retweeted, that update got Liked.

Hell, you want to know if someone said anything nice to you, to begin with.

But all that info will not go away: once it’s in your inbox, what really is the rush in checking it, first thing you get to work?

I’ll tell you what: your addiction.

The habit that crept in over the years, the one that forces you to check and check and check k again, compulsively.

What is it that you’re addicted to, you may ask?

Other people’s agenda, is what.

If it’s a client, they want you to start the job.

If it’s a retweet, it’s because that person wants to be on your radar.

All the time, somebody who wants something from you, and inbox full with other people’s agendas.

But listen, you’re an entrepreneur, you have your own agenda.

Why would you let other people run that show?

It’s you, your work, your mind, your day – that’s what matters.

Because when you take proper care of those things, you can serve those who want something from you so much better.

Yes, taking care of number one.

How else will you survive?

Like I wrote in LEAP #1: you always put your own oxygen mask on first when your plane loses cabin pressure – if you don’t, your toddler survives and you suffocate.

Which would be very self-sacrificing.

Stupid too.

So what then is the first thing you should do with your working day?

Well, one thing is to write a daily email, because that’s what builds relationships and gets you sales.

But if you don’t write daily emails, there’s tons of other things you can do.

Just so long as it’s an activity that you know contributes to your marketing, your visibility, and your sales.

So that you can stop doing busywork and ultimately focus

Fix things on your site.

Or maybe a daily 30 minutes writing a new salespage.

Studying a new marketing method (like email marketing, never a bad idea).

Anything, really, as long as its in your own interest and to your own benefit.

Not those of other people, no matter how much you love your customers (and well you should(

Take care of yourself first.

Your inbox can wait.

Scary stuff, no?

Not really.

Try it.

Do it for a week and see how your days go.

And let me know how it works out for you.

Alrighty, tomorrow is the last day to get access to LEAP #6, which is going to be rife, stocked, chockfull of exactly this kind of wholesome, mind-healthy tips and tools and strategies.

You’ll learn how small little steps, incremental changes, and very smart mindset shifts give you enormous strength, focus, productivity and bounce back resilience.

But, only if you’re brave enough to actually make the changes that will lead to your success.

Is that you?

Then get it here –> http://martinstellar.com/leap-to-more-sales/

Tickity tockity…

Cheers,

Martin

There’s something interesting I keep noticing.

Someone will come to me – a reader sends me an email, or I’m having a chat with a friend – and tell me of a new idea that they had.

A decision they made, or an insight they came to.

Some sort of revelation or step in their evolution.

Always  something to be happy about: guy or gal gets ahead in life.

The funny thing though, is that often it’s something that I told them – months or even years ago.

At that time, they weren’t receptive, or ready, or they just didn’t get it.

But the notion that got shared somehow took root in their subconscious minds, and grew to end up bearing fruit.

Obviously it’s not just my having told them: people go through their own processes and experiences.

But I do believe that planting a thought seed contributes, and it’s why I keep doing it.

It’s one of the reasons I write these emails, to sow ideas in the fertile soil of your mind, so that hopefully, one day, some of the ideas will serve you.

Fascinating to see when that happens.

What’s even more fascinating is when you start to apply this principle to your own mind.

As in, start paying really close attention to the ideas and notions you take in.

It’s why I deleted my Facebook account: Too much complaining, too many scare stories, too much fluff.

I don’t need that stuff yo.

It’s also why I’m very conscientious with for example the movies or TV shows I watch.

The subconscious is a very interesting thing, running in the background all by itself.

And everything you put tin there will stay, and have its effect.

You might not agree – “I notice no ill effects”.

Well of course you don’t.

That’s why it’s called the subconscious.

But you bet that the things you put into your mind work on while you’re not looking.

It shows up in dreams, for example.

“Oh I watch horror movies all the time, I never dream anything bad”.

Maybe. Or maybe you only remember a tiny little percentage of the things you actually dream.

Thing is, your subconscious is very creative, and while you’re not paying attention it influences and determines all manner of attitudes and behaviours.

Which is why I keep listening to podcasts and read stuff.

I study and learn, all the time.

And guess what: it ends up creating all kinds of beneficial effects.

It enables me to come up with useful idea when doing consulting calls

It allows me to write a brand new issue of LEAP each month, and cram if full with ideas that changes people’s attitude and behaviour and mindset and life.

All part of the ongoing experiment called Martin’s mind.

After some 20 years of sowing wholesome notions, I realised this year that my fields are just rife with ideas, and you bet ‘m harvesting.

Might want to do the same for yourself.

Well worth it.

Let me show you how, in the next issue of LEAP –> http://martinstellar.com/leap-to-more-sales/

Cheers,

Martin

Success is never owned – it is rented.

And the rent is due every day.

~ Rory Vaden

Guess what that means, bubba: You’re in this for the long haul, and however you may define success, you gotta plug away at it every day.

Sure you’ll have days when you’re not in the mood.

When you don’t feel good.

Can’t get anything done.

Nobody expects you to be at the top of your game every single day.

Except you, and if that’s your attitude you probably punish yourself for whenever you have a less than optimal day
.
Thing is, nearly every entrepreneur has ridiculously high demands on self.

And so you dick around doing nothing – waste time on Facebook, or you get lost in cleaning the house, or sorting files on your hard drive

But because you do that as an escape, as a way of procrastination, you’re not enjoying it.

You know you ‘should’ be doing constructive stuff, but man – don’t you deserve some time off, every now and then?

With all the hard work you do?

Yes, you do deserve time off.

But procrastinating isn’t time off – it’s just a way to not do work while feeling guilty about it.

So when you feel that way, when procrastination fights against your willpower (and it always wins), the best possible thing you could do…

Is to disconnect, unplug, walk away.

Nobody will shoot you if you’re half an hour or half a day late on a deadline.

Instead of half-relaxing while feeling guilty, go outside and smell the flowers.

Take 30 minutes, or an hour.

Heck, just blow off steam for a whole day, if you’ve been wearing yourself thin.

When you come back, you’ll be so much stronger, motivated, powerful, focused, happy.

Suddenly that big task you dreaded is no longer a big deal and you’ll launch into it with a vengeance.

Because here’s the thing: success and results come as a consequence of a healthy mind and a healthy body.

Because you may think that today you don’t have time for to go to the gym, but that’s a mindf**k

If you do go to the gym, you’ll feel good the rest of the day.

The hour it takes pays itself back many times over.

It’s like that zen disciple who went to ask his master: “They say I should meditate 20 minutes each morning, without fail. But sometimes I have so much to do, I just don’t have the time.

“Should I really meditate every day?”

The master looked at him and said: “Yes, every single day.

“Very important.

“Except when you have a busy day, of course.

“On those days, you should meditate for an hour.”

Wise man, that dude.

It’s what I do too, and let me tell you: this attitude works.

LEAP 6 is going to explain in detail how I go about taking care of myself, so that I can actually perform at my highest levels.

It includes my morning ritual, how I spend 2 full hours at the start of each day, doing everything except work.

And, no it’s not two hours of meditation.

But by the time I open my laptop, I’m revved up on overdrive, raging with energy and gusto.

And you can get that too.

Here’s where –> http://martinstellar.com/leap-to-more-sales/

Cheers,

Martin

I’ve been reaching out to tailors lately.

Because boy, do they need help.

So far, reactions are either: “Doing well, no need for marketing”, or:

“Too busy, can’t afford time to do marketing”.

And that just hurts me so much.

Because I’ve been there, I know what it’s like:

Bills to pay, crappy customers paying crappy rates – so just to get by you take on more of the same crappy work.

Never taking the time to take care of number one.

It’s a total race to the bottom, it’s a guarantee for burnout.

Every sane and successful business person will tell you that 20% of your time is money-making activity and the remaining 80% is for non-billable, business-getting activities.

Marketing, blogging or writing daily emails, studying, reaching out, pitching… all those things that you can’t quote for, but that do bring in better clients and more cash.

Don’t be like those tailors who are killing themselves with more crappy work.

Because if I find out that you put your nose even closer to the grindstone instead of actually taking care of business, I WILL give you that medal.

Now obviously it’s scary: how are you going to find time to bring in more business, when all you need is more income?

I mean, you can’t just take 4 days off your calendar only to do promotion and marketing.

What you can do however is start small, with tiny but significant activities that have a massive impact on your state of mind.

Don’t underestimate the power of shifting your mindset.

Just 30 minutes a day (which you CAN afford, else you’re just making excuses or faffing around on Facebook) will trigger all kinds of chemical and hormonal reactions in your system.

When that starts, it becomes self-perpetuating, it’s a virtuous circle.

For example, starting your day – before opening your inbox – just with 30 minutes of reading, will transform your days.

Or a podcast, or going for a walk, or some gardening – what you actually do is not nearly as important as doing something just for you.

Though making it a learning experience has major benefits.

Try it, give it a week, see how you feel, let me know.

I’m pretty sure you’ll see some magic happen.

And if you want to learn the tricks that I myself use, and how to build one activity into an ever-growing transformational process of more growth and learning and happiness and earning, get in on LEAP 6.

It’s built to cause a big improvement in your business…

Access here –> http://martinstellar.com/leap-to-more-sales/

Cheers,

Martin

This one’s for the girls, though the men reading me should also learn from it.

It might cost me a few subscribers, but ye olde truth must be ye olde told.

Now, first of all, I don’t talk politics here: My point is not to get into a who’s right and who’s wrong.

Also, I’m all for equality.

Or rather: equivalence, in the true meaning of the word: equi-valent, meaning of equal worth.

Now, the meat of the thing.

It appears to me that in the drive for greater equality, a dangerous misconception about a certain female quality has come be misunderstood as something praiseworthy and empowering.

I’m talking about multitasking.

“Ah, you men, you can’t do multitasking. We women, however…”

And yes, you can.

Women can run eleventy tasks at the same time, and yes, it’s amazing.

It’s also totally destructive to your productivity though.

Here’s why.

Research shows that what we call multitasking is actually high-frequency switching.

There are no simultaneous streams of concentration, instead it’s a matter of drive-switch-drive-switch, at incredible speeds.

And yes, it’s impressive.

But it also destroys your productivity and creativity.

First of all, you no longer need that.

Way back when, you gals had to have the ability to ‘multitask’, or else society would go haywire.

You had to do everything at the same time: skin the rabbit, stir the pot, watch so your toddler wouldn’t crawl into the campfire, fend of the advances of bear-skinned cavemen, eye the shrubbery for any predators about to leap and eat you…

Those days however are over.

Problem is, in that fast switching so many people still do (men as well as women), your concentration gets broken with every switch, and it literally takes minutes before it’s back.

Tested and proven. 11 minutes I think, to recover from each interruption.

So you might be doing three things at the same time, but you’re less efficient than you could be at each of them.

But it gets worse: Multitasking also makes you stoopid.

Researchers in London studied performance and IQ, and discovered that while multitasking, your brain effectively functions at the level of someone who had just smoked some good ole’ Mary-Jane.

In other words, when you multi-task, you effectively perform as if you were, like they used to say when I lived in Seattle, ‘baked out of your gourd’.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

So what’s the solution?

Well, there’s a nifty little trick I’ve been practicing this year, and it does miracles for my productivity.

Seriously, with just a few hours of this strategy, I get more done in my first three hours than I could with a normal 8-hour day’s work.

Want to know how this here ex-monk reaches laser focused concentration?

Then sign up for the LEAP newsletter and I’ll explain…

LEAP 6 is going to be my best one yet. And that’s saying something…

Access here –> http://martinstellar.com/leap-to-more-sales/

Cheers,

Martin