“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Dr Wayne Dyer

Post written by Jeremy Ulmer. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Join the discussion and get free sales help in our New LinkedIn Group!

It is easy to get down on yourself in the world of sales if you have had a bad month, quarter, or even a down year. But if you hold onto those negative thoughts about your sales performance, it will not help you to achieve your sales goals.

As simplistic as this may sound, if you are a negative person, sales will always feel like a struggle. As a positive person, sales becomes much more enjoyable and can be very fulfilling. You will also produce far greater results with a positive mind-set in sales.

Being a positive person has been a significant part of my own success and below are some of the key practices I have followed to be a positive person in the world of sales:

• Believe that anything is possible and that you can form a partnership with any company in the world.
• Be aware of your inner critic. That voice that says, “You can’t call that CEO.” Notice the limiting thought, and then decide on the right action to take.
• Be thankful for the strengths and gifts you already possess.
• Smile more and laugh more.
• Exercise and eat healthy.
• Clarify your values and honor them.
• Don’t be afraid to fail. Look at mistakes as learning lessons.
• Surround yourself with positive and uplifting people.
• Be grateful for the opportunities you have, not what you don’t have.
• Ignore all people who say, “You can’t do that.”

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“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” ~e.e. cummings

Post written by Jeremy Ulmer. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn.

1. Say “Thank You.” Thank one of your clients, team members, or peers daily.

2. Smile. Having a rough day at work? Just experienced a heavy dose of sales rejection? Don’t forget to smile, it will make you feel better and you might be the only smile someone else sees all day. Try it right now, and you will feel better.

3. View The World Of Sales As The Ultimate Test. View challenges with a customer, problems with your boss, and mistakes that you make during the sales process as “sales training” and valuable sales lessons. Learn to look at difficult experiences as lessons versus failures or mistakes.

4. Be Kind. Think about one thing you can do daily that would be a kind act and make it a ritual in your office place. ‎”It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.” ~Author Unknown

5. Make One Positive Acknowledgment Daily. Simply state what you see in someone. It might be the only positive thing they hear all day or week.

6. Ask, “How Can I Be Of Service To My Clients & Prospective Clients?” Ask and answer this question daily. Then, take meaningful actions and you will be on your way to success like you have never experienced before.

7. See The Glass As Already Broken. Expect that some things in sales will go wrong, accept them, and you will be less disappointed when they happen. It will also force you to be more in the moment. Here is a great little story that illustrates this point:

“You see this goblet?” asks Achaan Chaa, the Thai meditation master. “For me this glass is already broken. I enjoy it; I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it. But when I put this glass on the shelf and the wind knocks it over or my elbow brushes it off the table and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, ‘Of course.’ When I understand that the glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious.” ~Mark Epstein

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“Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is specifically your own.“ –Bruce Lee

Post written by Jeremy Ulmer. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Here are 20 quick tips to help you increase your sales productivity. Keep in mind, not every tip will be useful for every person. Just pick the tips that are helpful for you and integrate them into your routine.

Here are a few suggestions when reading through all of these tips:

-Don’t do them all at once. Focus on one at a time.

-Experiment with different tips.

-These are not in any particular order, so browse through them all.

So, here they are, 20 tips to increase your sales productivity:

1. Less is more. Focus on your most essential tasks each day. Eliminate or delegate as much as you can.

2. Exercise. Make this a habit if it is not already. For me, exercising is the key to my energy, health, and productivity. It also greatly reduces stress and can be a form of meditation. Here are some tips on how to make exercise a daily habit.

3. Stop rushing. Focus on what you are doing in the moment and don’t rush through it. It will be much more relaxing for you and in the end, your quality of work will be improved.

4. Fail. Don’t be afraid to fall flat on your face and fail. If you are afraid of failing, you will never take important first steps. Without failure there would be no success.

5. Find what you love to do. Find something you love to do, and your quality of life and work will improve. If you love your work you will become more productive and less stressed.

6. Wake up early. This is not for everyone, but it can make a huge impact on your life and what you get done in a given day. Here are some tips on how to wake up early.

7. Eat clean. Don’t buy junk and don’t bring it into your house. That will instantly help you stay lean and trim. Be aware of what you are eating, your mouth is not a garbage disposal.

8. Get organized. The more organized you are, the less time you will waste finding things and the more productive you will be.

9. Review goals. Don’t just set goals, but take a look at them each month to see what is working and what is not working. It is ok to change your goals.

10. Be positive. Focus on the positive. Focus on what you have, not on what you don’t have. Surround yourself with people who have positive energy. Here are some tips on how to stay positive.

11. Practice being compassionate. “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” – Plato.

12. Visualize. Envision your most positive future self. What would life be like for her or him? Where would you live and what would you be doing? Let that vision pull you into the future you want to have.

13. Set goals. Long-term goals are important to set, but also be sure you are setting daily and weekly goals as well. Here are some tips on how to set goals.

14. Get the toughest things done first. Aim to accomplish the 3 most important things of your day before 12noon. Give them top priority.

15. Be focused. Work on one goal and one task at a time. Don’t spread yourself too thin.

16. Enjoy the ride. Don’t just focus on the end goal, but enjoy the process and learning that takes place as you strive to achieve them.

17. Enjoy the little things. A joyful and happy person is a more productive person. Editors Note: I used to walk my grandma on long walks in her wheelchair and the little things gave her the most joy. Seeing a Cardinal bird, a beautiful flower, or simply getting some fresh air, made her day and taught me a lot about what really matters.

18. Single-task. Stop multi-tasking and this will instantly increase your productivity. Here are some tips on how to minimize distractions to focus on one task.

19. Be in the now. Be present and focus on being in the now more than the past or future.

20. Volunteer and help others. Just one hour a week of volunteering can make a huge impact on the world and on yourself. I find volunteering to be one of the most fulfilling things I do. Try it out, and you just might become hooked too! When you volunteer you will not only be helping others, but you will provide yourself with many health benefits that will increase your energy and productivity.

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Post written by Jeremy J. Ulmer. Connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter.

“Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose–a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.” -Mary Shelley

1. Get Inspired Everyday. Inspiration is one of the best motivators, and it can be found everywhere. Sources of inspiration can include, but are certainly not limited to: sales blogs, sales articles, sales online success stories, sales forums, peers, friends, sales books, and motivational quotes.

2. Hire A Sales Coach. Working one on one with a sales coach has proven to be one of the most effective methods to truly achieve breakthrough sales results. However, be sure to ask these questions of any sales coach you interview before hiring a sales coach.

3. Have Compelling Reasons For Your Actions. Write them down and know your reasons for wanting to achieve your goals and stay motivated. When you clarify why you want to accomplish certain goals, and what it will mean to you to accomplish them, it will help increase your motivation and keep you on track.

4. Be Ready For Negative Self Talk. Become very aware of that inner voice that says you should just quit and give up. One of the most powerful things you can do is to simply raise your awareness and recognize when it is happening. Just by naming the negative self talk alone, it will help you consciously decide what you need to do.

5. Get Back On The Horse If You Fall Off. Don’t beat yourself up if you slip up one day, but make it a rule to get back into your routine the next day. Don’t wait any longer. You don’t need to be perfect all the time, you just need to brush yourself off, and get back on the horse.

6. Visualize Your Sales Goals. Visualize the successful outcome of staying motivated in great detail a few times for 2 minutes each day. Close your eyes, and think about exactly how your successful outcome in sales will feel. Form as clear of a mental picture as you can.

7. Create A Daily Journal For Your Sales Goals. If you can become consistent about writing notes in your journal, it can be a tremendous motivator. You should focus on writing about what you got done that day and how you felt about the things you did or did not do.

8. Get Competitive. Many sales people are driven by competition. Take advantage of this natural drive by using it to fuel your sales goals. Take a look at your peers around you and see where you are ranking on new clients per month, revenue, or appointments set. Aim to be #1, or stay on top, if you are already #1.

9. Make A Public Statement About Your Commitments. Make a statement on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or announce to your friends and family that you are going to achieve a certain sales goal by a certain date. You will get support and accountability automatically with this method.

10. Think Positive. Monitor your thoughts and become more aware of your self-talk. If you hear negative thoughts, notice them, and then choose to replace them with a positive mind-set.

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“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

Post written by Jeremy Ulmer. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn.

1. Shower, get dressed, and eat breakfast.

2. Set your work hours. If you don’t set hours, you will risk sacrificing the balance between work and life.

3. Create a room that is dedicated for work only. It is essential you separate your work from your home life so that when you enter your home office, you know what you are there to do, work. It will help you change your mindset from, “I’m working at home” to “I’m at work.”

Tell your friends and family exactly what the room is for, and that even though you are in the house/apartment/condo, you are at work when in that office.

4. Close your office door. This will help remind you, and anyone else who may be at your home, that you are at work.

5. Clear your desk. Only keep what you need on your desk. The less distractions, the better.

6. Disconnect. Turn off your phones, IM, and email alerts when you need to focus on a task. This will not always apply, but try it out for certain tasks and see how it works for you.

7. Don’t quit. If you are having a rough day, it will be tempting to go find something else to do. Train yourself to work anyway.

8. Take breaks. Block out 15 minutes multiple times per day for a break. Your focus and productivity will increase.

9. Drink water and eat multiple times per day. Your brain is made up of about 85% water and you need water to stay alert, focused, and productive. To keep your energy levels and productivity at the highest levels, eat 5-7 smaller meals per day instead of 3 large meals. Plan ahead to make this happen. Also, be sure to eat some protein with each meal.

10. Give thanks! Be grateful you are able to work from home and don’t have a commute everyday. Use that gratitude to help drive you to work harder and stay on task!

You might also like to read: The Dangers of Sales Professionals Working From a Home Office

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“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -Mark Twain

Post written by Jeremy J. Ulmer. Connect with me on LinkedIn.

1. Track Your Sales Progress. Decide what you want to specifically track and then create a printed chart for your desk, track information on-line, or write it down in a training log.

It is difficult to see how you are progressing if you have no data on where you have been. By witnessing your own progress, it will give you a nice little boost of motivation.

2. Don’t Try To Crush Your Sales Goal Right Away. Have you ever started a new workout and been totally pumped up for the first few days, only to loose momentum?

Well, instead of using 100% of your energy in such a short period of time, take some positive steps and give 75% effort, but don’t push so hard that you loose the energy and passion for the goals.

Retain some of that energy by pacing yourself effectively and slowly increase the amount of effort from there. This will help you ease into what is often a totally new positive habit you are forming, and it will keep you engaged and looking forward to getting more done the next day.

3. Join A Professional Group To Help Stay On Track. Whether the group is online or meets in person, find a group of like-minded professionals with similar goals. You will meet other people who have similar challenges that you are facing, learn from them, share ideas, get support, and celebrate successes.

4. Print Or Cut Out A Picture From A Magazine Of Your End Goal. Place it on your desk or refrigerator so you will see it everyday. As an example, if attaining a certain sales or career goal will enable you to do more traveling, print out a beautiful image of where you want to visit. Use this simple visualization technique to help you stay focused on your goal.

5. Find An Accountability Partner. Trying to stay motivated on your own can be a real challenge sometimes. Seek out a friend or peer who also has some important goals they would like to accomplish. Ask them if they would like to partner with you on staying focused on the goals you each would like to achieve. The goals do not need to be in the same category, the main thing is that you help challenge each other to stay on track. Be sure to set up a simple accountability system, such as a weekly 5 minute phone call to give status updates on your goals.

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Stress is the trash of modern life – we all generate it but if you don’t dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life. ~Terri Guillemets

Post written by Jeremy J. Ulmer. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Identify Your Work Stress. Before you can eliminate or reduce stress, you must know what you are dealing with. Write down all the stresses that you deal with on a daily and weekly basis. Then create a top 10 list of all the things that cause you stress and determine which items you can eliminate from your list.

Shorten Your Scheduled Meetings. Consider cutting many of your 60 minute meetings to 30 minutes and your 30 minute meetings to 15. With a shorter time frame to work in, you will be forced to be more productive.

Stop Procrastinating. Allowing work to pile up will stress you out. Plan time to get things done and off your desk.

Get Organized. Disorganization can cause a significant amount of workplace stress. Block time to get things organized.

Always Be On Time. Being late will cause a lot of stress at work or in your life. Learn the habit of being early, and this type of stress will disappear.

Stop Trying To Control Everything. Trying to control situations and people does not work. In fact, when we are in the state of trying to control, it just creates more stress at work and in our lives. Learn to let go of situations that are out of your control. The only thing you can control is yourself.

Stop Multitasking. Doing multiple tasks at the same time might seem productive, but in reality it slows us down from completing tasks, reduces the quality of work, and creates stress. Learn to single-task and get more done.

Cut Out Negative People. You know who they are. They can drag you down and create more stress. Surround yourself with other positive minded people and you will feel less stress.

Simplify Your Work. Look for ways to make your tasks more streamlined and simple.

Give Back & Help Others. Whether you volunteer for a charity or just make an effort to be more compassionate to those around you, you will notice it lowers your own stress levels. Try it out for a day and see how you feel.

Take Mini Breaks. Studies have show that concentration levels decrease 25 to 30 minutes into a task. If you don’t take any breaks, your focus and productivity will drop. Plan and enjoy mini-breaks during your work day.

Exercise! This is hands down #1 in my book and it works like magic. Exercise reduces stress and helps prevent it. Also, a healthier and fitter person is better equipped to handle stress. The key here is to be consistent and make working out a habit, just like brushing your teeth.

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Want to take your sales results to the next level? Check out our sales coaching programs, sales seminars, and sales coaching seminars or contact us to learn more about how we can help you or your organization.

“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” – Paul Meyer

Post written by Jeremy J. Ulmer. Connect with me on LinkedIn.

In the world of sales, finding ways to increase productivity and get more done in less time is essential to achieving great sales results, making more commissions, working less, and having more personal free time.

Here are 10 sales coaching tips to boost your productivity to new levels:

1. Most Important Things First. The most important task you need to get done each day should take priority over all other tasks. However, we all know that interruptions can pop up and the important task often gets put off.

If you put the most import thing off until later in the day, they often don’t happen. Your goal should be to get your most important things done first thing in the morning before doing anything else.

2. Wake Up Earlier. Get up just 30 minutes earlier and you can get a jump start on some of your most important tasks for the day. Decide what you’d like to accomplish each morning, and design your routine around your most important tasks.

3. Streamline Information. Think about all the information you receive on a daily basis: emails, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blog updates, newsletters, mailing lists, magazines, newspapers, and mail. Start to edit and remove anything that you no longer are using or benefiting from.

4. Clear Of Your Desk & Get Focused. Get rid of everything off your desk that you don’t absolutely need. Remove all distractions and focus on one thing at a time. With a clean and clear desk, it becomes much easier to be productive and organized.

5. Get To Work Early; Leave Early. Ever notice how much you get done when no one else is around? Consider coming into work a little early to start on your most important things without interruptions. The trick here is to make sure you set an end time to your day. So if you want to leave a 4:00PM, commit to it and it will also help you focus on getting more done before that time.

6. Schedule Your Meetings & Avoid Last Minute Meetings When Possible. Consider each situation, but in general, see if you can aim to always schedule your meetings instead of taking on the spot meetings in your office that will throw off your momentum. Remember that whatever is on your schedule for you to be focusing on, should be treated like a meeting that is already in progress.

7. Eliminate Non-Essential Work. You will only be productive in sales if you are working on activities that are going to move you towards your goals. Remove or delegate non-essential tasks from your to-do lists, and start to say no to new requests that are non-essential.

8. Do The Tough Stuff First. Do these first thing in the morning. If you put the tough tasks off, they will only become more and more difficult to accomplish.

9. Shut Off Your Internet Connection. Schedule times when you will be online to check email or research on the web. Working off-line can help you increase your productivity as you will be focusing on one task at a time without distractions. For many people, this one seems almost impossible, but challenge yourself to try it out and see what happens.

10. Get Passionate. If you truly care about what you are doing, you will work like a machine to get it done. It will flow and you will plow through your tasks without procrastination. Find the deeper meaning of accomplishing your goals and being productive. What will being more productive in sales enable you to accomplish, to do, to be?

Learn how our sales coaching programs and our customized sales seminars can help you or your organization increase your sales productivity even more!

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Post written by Jeremy J. Ulmer. Connect with me on LinkedIn.

1. Get Started! There will be some days you just don’t feel motivated to complete your sales activities and everything you do will feel like an uphill battle.

Instead of focusing on how hard the task is, or how long it will take you to complete it, tell yourself you just have to get started. Many times, getting started is the hardest part. Once you actually start, it is generally not as hard as you thought it would be.

2. Make It Fun. We often put things off because it feels like hard work. Though hard work might be a part of it, the trick is to find what would make it fun for you? If you can add some fun into the process, it will become easier and more enjoyable.

3. Have Some Patience. Many of us expect immediate results, and with that expectation, it can be more challenging to stay motivated when the quick results don’t take place. If you want to run a marathon, you won’t be able to do it overnight and the same thing is true for the sales results you desire. If you don’t see the results you want right away, don’t quit, and keep generating more momentum. Focus on any progress you are making and celebrate the fact that you are sticking to your goal.

4. Break It Down Into Mini Goals. Long-term sales goals can feel overwhelming. After a few weeks, it is possible to loose motivation, because there are still months or even years left to finish the goal. The best thing you can do is break down your goals into mini goals, so you have certain landmarks to reach and chart your progress along the way.

5. Celebrate Your Sales Successes Often and Reward Yourself. Celebrate and reward mini successes as well as long term goals. Consider having some reward set up for each mini goal that you accomplish. A simple process is to create a list of your goals, mini goals, and next to each one, list a reward.

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Check out our sales management coaching seminars or sales coaching programs for sales managers to learn how to effectively coach sales representatives.

Post written by Jeremy J. Ulmer. Follow me on Twitter.

Excuse #1: “I Don’t Have Enough Time To Prospect or Focus on Sales Related / Dollar Productive Activities.”

Solution: Create Time.

Sales professionals of all levels and business owners who achieve extraordinary levels of success have days just as hectic as everyone else, right? Yet somehow they make prospecting a part of their daily or weekly activities.

So how do they do it? They create the time. You can instantly create time if you begin to plan ahead and stay committed. This means planning your days and weeks. One of the best time-creating techniques is to schedule prospecting or selling time on your calendar and delete unimportant activities.

Schedule your most important tasks earlier in the day to ensure they get done. Ask yourself, “Where am I wasting time?” Make sure you remove those activities from your daily schedule right away. Set up a recurring event for prospecting and don’t miss it. To be successful with this, be sure to eliminate your distractions.

Excuse #2: “I Can’t Stay Committed.”

Solution: Find Compelling Reasons For Your Actions.

There is a significant difference between intentions and action. The difference is commitment.

Our commitment to our goals leads us to achievement, even during the toughest times. There is a direct relationship between motivation and commitment. If you are really committed to making a change now in your sales or business results, create a sense of urgency.

You need reasons that are so compelling and so intense you must follow through. So right now, ask yourself the following questions and come up with the three reasons why you must commit to your sales growth goals.

• What will this cost me if I don’t make a change right now?
• What has this cost me so far in sales results, income, and overall success?
• If I do start prospecting effectively and on a regular basis, how will I feel about myself?
• How will this impact my sales career, my business, my life?
• What will I gain as a result of this new commitment?

Your answers to these questions will help you gain an immediate understanding of what you’re committed to and why!

Excuse #3: “I Don’t Feel Confident That I Will Succeed. This Is A Waste Of Time!”

Solution: Break down your sales and business goals into measurable steps.

Sometimes trying to accomplish sales goals seems so overwhelming, the immediate temptation is to give up before we even start. Ouch. That kills self-confidence. And it’s true; we can’t gain confidence until we take action. Yet, we don’t take action because we are afraid to fail. See the problem here?

Take, for example, the intimidating obstacle of facing your sales goals or business goals for the entire year. Now that’s paralyzing, isn’t it?

To gain confidence, you must break your goals down into measurable steps. For example, if want to win 12 new clients within 12 weeks, then you could set your goal for 1 new client per week. It just feels easier and more attainable this way.

You don’t have to focus on the entire goal; but instead take smaller, manageable steps. This gives you a tremendous sense of control and achievement.

By the time you are nearing the end of your first couple of weeks on your new prospecting or sales plan, despite the ups and downs in progress, you begin to feel more confident because you have experienced some results.

Suddenly, as the fear dissipates, you will discover new found confidence. And best of all, you will have achieved what you once thought was impossible—proceeding one step at a time.

Excuse #4: “I Don’t Know What To Say. I Don’t Know If I Am Delivering The Right Message or Value.”

Solution: Seek Support & Don’t Try To Do Everything On Your Own.

It is understandable to feel a little confused. You may feel overwhelmed and paralyized. There are so many sales techniques recommended by so many “sales experts”.  So, whose advice can you trust?

Are you tired of trying to sort through all the information on the internet, sales books, business articles and tips? Well, you can stop right now and keep yourself from chasing every sales technique or theory.

So how do you find the answers?

When seeking support on these topics, make sure you are working with someone with a proven record of producing top sales results. But that is not enough. Just modeling the approaches of a highly successful sales person isn’t enough. You can start there, but you must learn your own style, strengths, and how to use them. If you can develop your own personal selling style, you will never come across as “salesey,” which is the last thing you want to do.

Start by looking towards those with great success in this field and then challenge yourself to develop your own sales style. I help my clients develop their own authentic selling approach that takes into account what makes them unique, as they incorporate my proven methods and techniques. This combination of proven expert methods in conjunction with a personal selling style produces dramatic results.

The bottom line: Seek someone who has achieved the “extraordinary” results you desire, learn the “winning” methods, and then integrate them into your own personal strengths to develop your own genuine selling style.

By committing to turning these mistakes and excuses into powerful success strategies, you will begin to create extraordinary sales and business results!

Don’t wait, make a commitment to yourself today!

Post written by Jeremy Ulmer. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn.

I have worked successfully from a home office in various sales roles in the past, and there are many benefits from working at home; however, there are also many dangers.

Sales managers and sales professionals need to be aware of potential pitfalls.

Avoid the following dangers and you will be able to create a highly productive home office environment.

Never Shutting Off The Work
One of the main problems with working from home for sales people is that you are technically always at work. It becomes very hard for your mind to separate your free time and your work time. This can result in an unbalanced life-style and addictive work behaviors. Some common negative habits that are formed consist of constantly checking emails, always taking calls even during non-working ours, and working well into the night.

To help prevent these negative habits, set up a separate office space, maintain set working hours with a clear start and end time to your day, shut your computer down, and turn off your work phone during non-working hours.

Not Getting Any Exercise
Sitting on your butt for 8+ hours a day is never a good recipe for physical fitness and health. If you do work from
home, then make sure you are scheduling time for your workouts or participating in some sports or activities to stay active. The body and mind are all connected. Without a strong body, your mind will lack the energy it needs to be productive day in and day out. Without energy and a high level of fitness, you will not produce the same results.

Lack Of Sales Motivation & Procrastination
When you are on your own working from home, it can be easy to slip into procrastination mode. You can help prevent this by setting weekly and daily goals. Make sure you complete your toughest work activity first thing in the day. Consider finding some accountability partners to help you stay on track.

Distractions
This can range from laundry, to cleaning, to TV, to personal calls, to running errands, and to nice weather. I have heard of sales professionals and sales managers who simply were so distracted at home, that they wanted to find an office away from home, even if it meant driving well over an hour each way. You must minimize your distractions and set clear guidelines of what you should be doing and should not be doing during working hours.

Not Feeling Like “Real Work” Was Accomplished
Despite working from home being more popular than ever before, a lot of people still don’t see it as “real work.” They think if you don’t commute an hour each way, dress up in a suit, drink coffee with your peers in the morning, and sit in a daily sales meeting, that it isn’t “real work.”

To others, working from home means you have a license to do what you want, when you want. Although this is not true, you need to make sure you set the boundaries with your friends and family. Just because you are at home, does not mean you are free to help them with favors. They need to understand the hours you work, and that you are serious and disciplined when working and can not be disturbed.

Trouble Getting Up Early
Most people don’t like getting up at 5:30AM or 6:00AM to get ready and drive into work. Working from home will
often give you some degree of flexibility in this regard, however, be careful that you don’t take advantage of this too much. Make sure you are getting up, taking a shower, getting dressed, and eating before the time you want to start working. Give yourself a solid hour to prepare for the work day. So, if you want to start work at 8AM, make sure you have an alarm going off at 7AM. Here are some tips on how to wake up early.

Trouble Sleeping
The fact that you can feel like you are always at work means it becomes hard to shut down. Too often sales professionals will check email a few minutes before going to bed. This means the last thing on their mind are emails from their management, clients, and prospects. This is not a good way to prepare and relax the mind for sleep. To avoid this, make sure you do not log into your email within 1-2 hours before getting ready for bed.

I love working from a home office, but it is not the paradise that many people presume it is unless you are very disciplined and regimented with your approach. Avoid these dangers, and you too can enjoy working from a home office productively and successfully for many years to come.

You might also like to read: Top 10 Tips To Increase Productivity When Working At Home

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What if you could create all the positive habits you wanted in your life, business or career, right now, to make an immediate impact?

Well, you can, and below are 4 tips to get you started on creating new positive habits.

1. Identify What You Want To Change: Find the areas in your life, business or career that you want to change. Make a list of all the changes you want to make. Next to each item, write down the new habit or habits that would need to be formed to make the necessary changes. At this stage, do not worry about how you are going to form all of these new habits.

2. Pick One Habit: People often have a tendency to sabotage themselves by trying to change everything at once. Instead, just pick one major habit that you want to form. For the next 5 to 30 days, (depending on your plan) this will be the habit that you will create and focus your attention on.

3. Take Baby Steps: Now that you have the habit you want to focus on creating, design a daily and/or weekly routine that is easy to follow. For example, let’s say that you want to wake up one hour earlier so that you can be more productive each day and get more done. Instead of setting your alarm one hour earlier right at the start of your habit forming program, set it 10 minutes earlier each morning until you reach your goal. In this scenario, in about one week you will have created the new habit. Remember, the new habits you are creating will be forcing you to often make very challenging changes. Sometimes, yes, absolutely go for implementing the entire habit right away! However, in some cases it will be good to take it one step at a time to ensure you stay on course. This is especially true since you are doing this on your own.

4. Repeat The Process: Once you have created your new habit, move on to the next habit from your list that you want to create. Before you know it, you will have created a whole new life or business full of success filled habits.
Imagine where you will be in one year if you follow these four keys to creating successful habits. If you can form a new habit each month, you will have developed 12 new habits in one year!

1. Decide To Be Successful: Make the conscious choice to be successful. Own it now! Deciding to do something is the first step towards success. This is a critical step which is often overlooked.

2. Focus Your Mind: Get clear on what you desire. Ask yourself: What do I truly want? What does success look like to me? How will this achievement change my life, business or career? How can I use this success to make a difference for others? Understand what you want, why you want it, and what it will do for you.

3. Set Clear Goals: You may have heard of SMART goals before. The standard definition of SMART goals is as follows: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time Sensitive. I prefer the following definition: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Resonant, Thrilling. Learn more about How To Set and Achieve Goals.

4. Commitment: Make a commitment to yourself to have success. Find an accountability partner or hire a coach to help you stay on course. Remember, Tiger Woods has multiple coaches. The “best” surround themselves with support.

And there is no “trying” in commitment. As Yoda once said to Luke:

Luke: "All right, I’ll give it a try" - Yoda: "No. Try not. Do… or do not. There is no try."

5. Belief: This is sometimes the greatest challenge for some people to overcome to be successful. Most people have an entire series of self-limiting beliefs that will hold them back from success. Thoughts like, “I’m not good enough” or “I’m not smart enough” or “I can’t do this” are just a few of the self-limiting beliefs that people will often hold. I help my clients identify these thoughts and to shed these non-supportive beliefs, and replace them with beliefs that will help them to accomplish their goals.

6. Take Action: Put everything into play and execute your plans! Don’t let paralysis by analysis set in. Dive in, don’t hold back, and get started.

How To Motivate Your Sales Team

Have your tried everything possible to motivate your sales team but still are not seeing the results you crave? Have you tried everything listed below?

Common Tips to Motivate A Sales Team:

• Create a clear sales plan
• Provide ample sales training (learn why sales training alone fails)
• Set achievable goals
• Empower your sales team
• Establish a solid base salary in addition to their commissions and bonuses
• Provide positive feedback and recognition
• Celebrate the successes
• Communicate frequently with your team and have an open door policy
• Involve your sales team with setting quotas, sales plans, sales goals
• Set challenging goals
• Motivate with significant bonuses
• Established sales contests or sales games
• Provide sophisticated sales tools, from the best CRM, to marketing support, to internal support
• Spend time helping out on sales calls
• Grant sales’ awards, such as sales person of the month or sales person of the year
• Adjust compensation plans to increase motivation
• Hire motivational speakers

Many of the items I list above can help you motivate your sales team. They each have different levels of importance given your particular situation. However, I was looking for something new, something dare I say, revolutionary that would catapult my team into a thoroughbred sales force, possessed with energy, passion and motivation.

I have developed a breakthrough sales solutions that deliver results.

To create dramatic results in a short period of time I use a customized sales coaching process, which produces extraordinary results for sales leaders, sales managers, and sales professionals of all levels. Please visit this link to learn more about Sales Coaching.

I also recommend attending a Public Sales Workshop or having an On-Site Private Sales Workshop at your organization.

How To Motivate Your Sales Team With Sales Coaching & Sales Workshops

Article Source: Red Eye Chicago, A Chicago Tribune publication, redeyechicago.com, By Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz

They’re young, powerful and successful-you may be surprised how they reached the top of the career ladder so fast.

Julie Smolyansky was 27 when she became a CEO. Her father died suddenly of a heart attack, leaving her to run the publicly traded yogurt company he’d founded 16 years before. ”The outside world didn’t believe I could handle it,” Smolyansky, now 34, recalls. “But failure was not an option.”

For the next three years, Smolyansky said, she slept an average of three hours per night as she worked to save Morton Grove-based Lifeway Foods. It paid off.

Last year, the company’s revenues were more than triple what they were when she took over, having risen from $12.2 million in 2002 to $44.5 million.

Smolyansky, who lives in Lincoln Park, credits her success to her instinctive knack for marketing, a dedicated staff, some strategic product initiatives–and most of all, a genuine belief in the product.

“You have to live it, love it,” she said.

Every now and then, you come across a young person who seems to have sprinted up the career ladder. A 27-year-old CEO. A 26-year-old high school principal. A 28-year-old congressman.

For the masses toiling at more modest posts, such a swift upward trajectory is met with a mix of awe and envy. How did he or she get there so quickly? What is it about this person’s talent, work ethic, connections or luck that propelled him or her to such prestigious heights so early?

And what am I doing wrong?
While there’s no magic formula, young Chicagoans in high places say good mentors, positive attitude, willingness to work every waking hour and humility are among the secrets to their success.

That’s not exactly groundbreaking insight, but it bears repeating as job dissatisfaction rates sit at 35 percent, according to a survey published this year by salary.com, with Millennials reporting the most job dissatisfaction (65 percent).

Jeremy Ulmer, a Chicago coach, said he gets a range of clients, from recent college graduates to CEOs, who are seeking support or looking for a sounding board in order to be more effective, attain higher leadership roles or get a lift out of the quicksand of their stagnant careers.

Sometimes, he said, it’s hard for clients to answer the most important question of all: What is it that you really want?

“If you can find what you love to do, it doesn’t even feel like work,” said Ulmer, 32. “When you’re that passionate about it, the likelihood of success is 10 times greater.”

Talking to young Chicagoans with impressive career paths, passion is the common ingredient.

“It’s about love,” said Eboo Patel, 33, who recently was appointed to the Advisory Council of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Patel founded the Interfaith Youth Core when he was 22 and continues to spend “every spare moment” working on the nonprofit, which brings together young people of different faiths for community service projects to highlight the goodness of religion.

Patel ran the organization with no budget for four years, working as a professor to make a living, before he got his first grants for the Youth Core, totaling $100,000. This year, he said, his budget is $4 million.

Of course, love isn’t all you need. In Patel’s case, a prestigious Rhodes scholarship and substantive knowledge of religion and foreign affairs helped win him supporters and funding because they allowed him to smartly and seriously convey his vision. Mentors also are key.

Read the rest of the article here.

How To Stay Motivated – 45 Tips To Help Stay Motivated

I posted the following question on LinkedIn.com: “What is your best single tip to help an individual stay motivated?” Below are some of the perspectives, ideas, and tips. Do you have other ideas or suggestions on how to stay motivated? Please add them within the comments section.

1. Do what you are passionate about! The rest comes naturally. -Kimberly Yow

2. “The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win.” Quote by Bobby Knight -Kevin Maloney

3. Attitude— if you are negative, that’s the result you’ll get from your work. Having a strong/positive attitude allows you to brush off any distractions and focus on what’s important to you (life/work….)

–Too many people worry about stupid things, but worrying is like a rocking chair…..gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere. -Jared Grinkis

4. Don’t we all find motivation in different ways? Some are motivated by the carrot, which could in itself be anything from money, commendation, etc. Others are motivated by the stick, temporarily at least. The trick is to find that motivating factor in each person. Have you tried asking the unmotivated person the direct question…what motivates you? -Krystal Jordan

5. I try to sum up the question by replying with the rotation of some quotes in my e-mail signature. They are as follows:

When I Dream Alone it is a Dream, But When we Dream together it is the beginning of reality — Brazilian Proverb

The World is a Better Place Because of Those Who Refuse to Believe they Cannot Fly

EXCELLENCE is the result of: CARING more than others think wise;RISKING more than others think safe; DREAMING more than others think practical; EXPECTING more than others find possible — Anonymous

“Anyone can slay a dragon he told me, but try waking up every morning
and loving the world that’s what takes a real hero” – Seen on the wall
of a retail shop

Hope that helps. I have always believed that everything happens for a reason, even if we do not understand what that reason is. -Daniel Bloom

6. For me it has always come down to goal setting. If I want my goal, more than I want to goof off/avoid the work that I need to do to get the goal, then I will stay motivated. Even if it’s over an extended period of time. -Cathy Jo MorrisJack Raifer LION

7. All I can say is keep moving forward. No matter where you are, keep moving forward. Life is action and movement. No matter what happens or where you are, keep moving forward.

Think of it like this, if you are in a slump, where you think things can´t get worse, only way to get out is moving. If you reach a point were everything seems to be going down the drain, move and you will get a new perspective.

Even in nature, the lazy Gazelle is the one that get´s eaten. A sleepy lion gets no lunch and in the world of humans the ones that are successful are those that took an idea, no matter how mediocre or good, and went with it no matter what. Think about bottled water and how many people were sure it was the lousiest idea ever. -Jack Raifer

8. The best way for an “individual” to stay motivated is to become less of an individual! Interdependence is key in “staying up”. No matter what drives us we will need support when we are weak. “Pity the man who has nobody to help him up”. -Rick Bailey

9. When in doubt, get out of the office and go talk with customers! My outlook always improves when I’ve had a chance to get out of the office, talk with clients, learn more about their businesses and find new ways to help them.

When I sit in the office I see WORK everywhere. When I’m out with clients, I see possibilities. The possibilities are much more fun, even though they lead to more work. -Eric Engwall

10. I would say hope that a goal (or dream) can be reached if the individual works at it, step by baby step. Once hope is gone, it is impossible to stay motivated. -Ellen Kirchman

11. Hang out with winners, not whiners. Successful people breed optimism and hope. -Gene Urban

12. One easy tip – reality. Call out the SWAT (Stop Whining And Try) team – it’s not everyone or everything else that is preventing your success; it is up to you and only you. Reality is a great motivator – in sales there is no prize for second place and you can’t pay for groceries with “well, I tried”. If you are in sales and not motivated please get out. Motivation is a professional gut check.

Now, inspiration is another issue. People can be inspiring by their actions and their words. This is personal to each individual, but stories of triumph and perseverance over adversity are usually a good form of inspiration that can lead to personal motivation. Look to successful people for inspiration, but the motivation needs to come from within. -Eric Hastings

13. Get hungry — either physically or emotionally for something you love doing. -Susan Shwartz PhD

14. When it comes to motivating others, just remember this simple question. “What happens when I see people doing things right?” All of learning takes place through either association or consequences. Make sure that positive productive behaviors get recognized and rewarded. A salary does not pay someone to perform, it pays them to show up. Praise and recognition are both infinite and free, yet rarely used in any systematic way that focuses effort and produces outstanding results. As the great psychologist William James once said, “A man’s greatest desire is to be appreciated for his contributions.” -Thomas Haizlip

15. Setting goals based on our values, mission and roles (as per Covey’s 7 Habits) has helped me stay motivated — because the goals were in alignment with what “matters most”… thus motivation seemed to flow from within. Just my two cents. -Keith Kail

16. The best tip is to write out your goals and review them often. Put the goals in a place where you will stumble upon them. Also, I personally have a board that keeps track of my goals and ideas and have a “started” column and “finished” column. Finishing a task or accomplishing a goal is the best motivation. -Jeffrey Chubb

17. Think of yourself as being in a competition for a bag of gold, or whatever your heart desires, that can be yours, all yours, provided you are willing to strive hard enough, to really push yourself beyond your comfort zone to truly excel. -Judy B. Margolis

18. The dream plus the belief that the dream can be converted to reality.Nothing motivates more than the realisation of the fact that you are capable enough to materialise whatever you desire.Its only your own imagination which is stopping you from achieving the best. -Swati Panda

19. First, take out the head trash. Throw out the negative record collection playing in your head. Set a goal in your mind and think on it daily. Control your thoughts and control your life. The essence of “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. -Chris Metcalf

20. We’re all individually motivated but you could make the generalisation that some are more motivated by a goal and others by solving problems. Often when you’ve lost motivation it’s because you don’t know where you are in relation to your goal or the problem you’re trying to solve. So my tip is – periodically stop and review where you are in relation to either of the above and then work out what you need to in terms of resource. Always congratulate yourself on progress! -Liz Labrum

21. I normally don’t quote others, but this one has seen me through a very rough patch!

“You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life, but it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.” Quote from Rocky Balboa. -Krunal Desai

22. Keep smiling…even if you have to fake it. -Kelly Gabel

23. Have goals in all six areas of your life. Pick one from each area. Find a role model. Be an understudy. Use visualization and affirmations. Cash the check, enjoy your family…become the person you aspire to become. Motivation is an outcome not an input. Motivation is the belief, held in expecation, that something personally important to you is acheivable. Motivation only comes when you can imagine what you want to have, hold or become. -Greg Deming

24. You can follow the standard “hold a gun to their head” motto in most companies today–do a good job or get downsized–since that has worked so well in the markets…  Seriously though, give the person a short start-to-finish project or add a game to the task. A sense of accomplishment helps people to stay focused on the unending tasks of life and work, though, it cannot be busy work–people smell placation like a fart in a car. Adding a game to the task-like “pick the number of new leads that will call today” does the same thing. It involves people in the task at hand and works in short terms to motivate people.

In a previous job, hurricane season brought about a series of tedious tasks every year. To make it go faster/better, we started a contest to pick the number of named storms. Instead of being a dreaded time, people actually started looking forward to the next season to see if they could be the winner of the poll. (The only reward was being the one who got it correct.) -Joe McComas

25. Fear. -Mark Schaefer

26. Surround yourself with what YOU consider to be successful people and strive to be more like them. -Paige Dumoulin

27. This is what works for me, and others that I’ve observed: find out what interests and excites the individual and then find related achievable problems for them to solve, with them receiving the recognition for solving the problem. -Paul Esler

28. When I feel overwhelmed and need motivation, I keeping reciting the old adage that “every journey begins with the first step”. -Vanessa Jackson

29. Winners never quit …. and quitters never win.

Find a way to lift yourself …. smile, volunteer, be in the moment and know
that you are never ever alone.

If all else fails, send me an email … I promise to motivate you.  -Lori-Ann Jakel

30. ”Carry a bottle of water in one hand, fertilizer in the other. Put water on the employees who are seeds and watch the GARDEN grow.” -Shatru Naik

31. Say “Thank you”. There’s little more motivating than knowing your time and effort is appreciated. Of course, monetary, or material reward helps, but there’s not much of that around at the moment. -Laura Shapland

32. Go help someone less fortunate than you. The first time I worked in a soup kitchen I realized what really is important. Afterwards I felt silly for some of the things that used to concern me and felt extremely appreciative for the good things that have happened in my life. -Kevin Sasser

33. Don’t try to take on the world alone. Network and build relationships with people who are “for” you. -Eric Pennington

34. Encourage appropriate self-nurturing and energy management. Energetic people who feel loved and loveable will naturally do a great deal more than the minimum expected (and will happily never even think of goldbricking), because they’re fulfilled and enjoying themselves. Needy people who feel ripped off and wanting will naturally avoid giving anything to anyone that they don’t feel has already vastly overpaid for it, and then only give the minimum they can get away with — grudgingly. -Linda Clement

35. Since the question narrows us to focus on a “single tip”… I would say that everyone needs to get absolutely clear as to what their own “WHY” is. Meaning… Why are you doing what you are doing? When your WHY is big enough it will motivate you to rethink, do and evaluate anything that will prevent you from not accomplishing what is most important to you! I believe that when we get discouraged or lose motivation it is because we stopped believing we can actually accomplish our WHY or we havent identified a WHY that’s big enough. Remember; a barrier is what you see when you take your eyes of your WHY (goal). WHY’s are often bigger than any material possession or fading trophy. It’s deeply rooted in your values, beliefs and core philosophy of life or business.

Why do people run into burning builidings where children are inside? Because the WHY YOU MUST is bigger than why you shouldn’t! And “musts” get done while “shoulds” don’t. We have to ask ourselves: Are you absolutely clear as to WHY you are doing, working, or sacraficing as much as you are right now? Are those around you just as clear?
Thanks for asking and for reading! -Sean Oliver

36. You must understand that you are in control of your life. Once you take responsibility for yourself no one can take it away from you. -Charlene King

37. I have an interesting view on Motivation. I used to believe that as a sales rep it was all about the money. Although money is important, being important is more motivating than just money. For me I need to know that what I’m working on, pre and post sales is important to the organization.

The one thing I learned as a sales manager is that as a boss you can’t make people motivated. The individual has to have an internal drive to do whatever it is that they do. That being said, as a manager you can kill motivation faster than anyone else if you are not careful. -Simon Hanauer

38. Always use positive reinforcement and, more important, empathy! If you are able to put yourself in the individual’s shoes, then your clients feel you understand their problem/position and they listen. -Monica Stevens

39. Do you love (whatever you want to stay motivated at) ? If yes…Tip would not be needed. If no…You really need to find something that you love doing… -Sudeep Bhaumick

40. Achievement is by far the biggest self-motivator for anyone. It breeds a inherent and latent feeling of personal success, which in turn builds self confidence to “keep trying more” This achievement doesn’t have to be big, or small, just positive and acknowledged.

A successful Swedish friend of mine is obsessive about writing lists, both at work and in his personal life. Why? Because everytime he achieves something he crosses it off the list. He even writes things on that he’s already done – just to cross it off immediatey.

At the end of the day, he goes to bed with a huge sense of achievement, self value/worth and looks forward to another day.

Try it for a week . . . it actually works. -Paul Stokes

41. Remind yourself of times when you smashed targets and were generally very successful, remember how it felt to be top performer or when you brought in your biggest deal… self motivation is very useful in tough times. -Matt Rogers

42. Only 20% of your effort generate 80% of your sales. Analyze your sales record and focus only on the targets and activities that meet that 20%. You will close more business in less time…very motivating! -Tina Kerkam

43. The biggest way to motivate some1 is showing money on the table. Have a monthly recognition party at your office. Recognize the best performer of the month. It has made wonders for me in my company….-John Smith

44. To truly stay motivated towards what ever profession or goal you are trying to attain, a person must truly understand the core motivation in his/her life. Many salespeople and sales managers love to say or hear “I’m motivated by money.” The flaw in this logic is that money is a means, and not the end. Unless you truly know a concrete reason how much money you need to make and what that is getting you, you will not achieve your goal and not stay motivated when set backs occur.

A single parent that needs to pay mortgage, car payment, day care, food, etc…, and needs to leave by 5 to get home in time to get his/her child, knows how much money he/she needs to make to survive and what needs to happen during the day. This concrete reason will keep them motivated even when rejection and setbacks are knocking them down.

Bottom line, know your core motivation. Why you get up every morning and why you bother to work hard every day. If you don’t know this, no amount of inspirational quotes or motivational CDs will keep you motivated. -Teh Chen

45. Put on your mental body armor each day before hitting the streets. You do so by putting good things in your head such as: 1) Inspirational Storie, quotes etc  2) Comedy , , , Its hard to be negative when you are laughing your tail off!  3) Good Pump Up Music: Music that gets you going, foot tapping, I want to rip bumpers off of cars stuff!  4) Positive inventory of all the things you are grateful for!  5) Review of your goals so you remember to keep moving towards the things that are most important to you! -Paul Castain

Tips To Stay Motivated

What Does It Take To Be Successful In Business?

This list is an attempt to shine a spotlight on what it takes to achieve great success in business. Please add your ideas in the comment section below. Which of these would make your list and what should be added?

(These are listed in no particular order)

• Follow Your Passion and Dreams
• Be Genuine and Authentic
• Practice A Great Work Ethic
• Surround Yourself With Successful People
• Be Enthusiastic and Passionate
• Enlist Support From Coaches, Peers, and Mentors
• Maintain Focus and Discipline
• Create Well Defined Goals
• Exhibit Internal Energy and Drive
• Create A Positive Attitude
• Grow and Learn by Experimenting
• Do Not Be Afraid To Fail
• Keep Your Business Aligned With Your Values
• Maintain High Standards
• Visualize Your Goals and The Future You Want
• Believe In Yourself
• Exhibit Self-Discipline and Self-Management
• Take Risks
• Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
• Make Your Health a Priority
• Recognize Your Strengths and Weaknesses
• Dream Big
• Be Persistent and Assertive
• Celebrate Your Successes
• Live In The Moment
• Follow Through With Commitments
• Learn To View Challenges From Different Perspectives
• Maintain Optimism
• Develop Your Communication Skills
• Be Likeable
• Laugh At Yourself
• Learn New Things

Are you ready to make a breakthrough and take your business and life to the next level? Contact Me for a Free Consultation.

Want to cut stress for your company or department and improve productivity? Contact Me to learn more about my Team Building and Stress Reduction Programs.

Zen To Done: The Simple Productivity E-Book

The below is from by Leo Babauta’s Website:

Zen To Done is a simple system to get you more organized and productive, and keep your life saner and less stressed, with a set of habits.

Zen To Done takes some of the best aspects of a few popular productivity systems (GTD, Stephen Covey and others) and combines them with the mandate of simplicity. It makes things as simple as possible, and no more.
Buy the ZTD system in a handy e-book, with additional material, resources and forms:

Reader testimonial: “I had always dabbled in trying to establish some sort of productivity habits, but GTD and everything similar seemed too intensive to realistically implement. ZTD and its simplicity make perfect sense to me.” Christopher

What is ZTD?

Simply put, ZTD teaches you:

• The key habits needed to be productive, organized, and simplified … and no more than that.
• How to implement these key habits … tips on forming a habit.
• How to organize these habits into a simple system that will keep everything in your life in its place.
• How to simplify what you need to do.
• Minimal ZTD. Also includes an even simpler version called Minimal ZTD.

Hundreds of readers have written to me with comments about how ZTD has changed their lives, made them more organized and less stressed, and has worked better than other productivity systems. It’s definitely worth a try.

Why buy the e-book?

Buy It Here: The Simple Productivity E-Book

A number of reasons:

It’s handy. All the articles are gathered in one easy-to-read e-book, making it easy to print stuff out, read it on any computer, or take it with you.

There’s more material. This ebook includes the essential productivity concepts written about here on Zen Habits, and more, from an FAQ to a practical application of ZTD in my everyday life to resources to forms and more. More on this stuff below.

Forms. I decided to give a sample of how you could set up ZTD with some simple forms. Of course, ZTD is flexible … you don’t need to use these forms, but I thought they’d be useful.

Resources. Links to articles and tools are available in the e-book.

FAQ. A number of readers had questions/comments about ZTD that I thought I’d answer in the e-book. I think this will be a useful feature.

Snazzy new look. The e-book was designed by James Wondrack, and he did a great job.

Pricing: To keep the book affordable, I’m pricing it at $9.50 … less than $10 for something that can improve your life right away … and again, with author tech support!

Buy the e-book now here: Productivity E-Book

Reader testimonial: “I’d say that the minimalist system is a safe first step. The beauty is, of course, that it needn’t be just a first step: it works as it is and some people don’t need to go any further.” Jeff

Table of Contents:
Introduction
1 Why ZTD?
2 Overview – What is it?
3 Minimal ZTD – the simpler alternative
4 Forming the 10 Habits
5 Habit 1: Collect
6 Habit 2: Process
7 Habit 3: Plan
8 Habit 4: Do
9 Habit 5: Simple, trusted system
10 Habit 6: Organize
11 Habit 7: Review
12 Habit 8: Simplify
13 Habit 9: Routine
14 Habit 10: Find Your Passion
15 A Day with Zen To Done
16 ZTD FAQ
17 Resources

Get The E-Book Now Here & Increase Your Productivity Today

Other E-Books:

Motivation E-Book
Minimalist Life E-Book
Productivity E-Book

Many studies, such as Amen Clinics Research, illustrate the importance of a positive mind for physical health, mental health, creativity, productivity, focus, discipline, fulfillment, imagination, and dedication. All of these benefits have a direct impact on living more fulfilling lives and experiencing better results in business.

Brain scans show that a positive mind is much more active than a negative mind, and active in the areas critical for many of the benefits above. My focus here is on how to be more positive and if you are already in a positive state, how to enhance it further.

Below are a few approaches that may be helpful for you. Try them out and find what works for you.

Question the negative thought.
1. Ask yourself what it feels like to experience this thought?
2. How does it limit you?
3. What would be different for you and what becomes possible without this negative thought?
4. Flip the negative thought upside down to create a positive thought.
5. Consciously decide which thought feels better for you.

Acknowledge the negative thought.
1. Choose to separate yourself from the negative thought and view it as separate from your true self.
2. Notice your negative voice, (ie- “I can’t do this” or ”I will fail”) and then ask yourself what you truly believe.
3. Consciously decide which way of thinking is right for you.

Ignore the negative thought and tell it to get lost!
1. Tell your excuses or negative thoughts to go away and back off.
2. Then you can focus on what is most important to you.

Enhance your positive mind-set by asking these questions.
1. What is going well for me right now?
2. What keeps my energy going?
3. What values, natural gifts, or talents are present when I am feeling positive?
4. Who else can I count on to have positive energy?
5. Is there a place in my business or life, where I can tap into positive energy?
6. How would being more positive benefit me?
7. What changes can I make to put more focus on a positive mind-set?

Would you like to have more positive energy at your business? Learn more about my team building programs.

Spread positive energy throughout the world. Please share this with others who may benefit from reading this.

Life Coach, Sales Coach, Business Coach, Jeremy J. Ulmer on finding your passions and not giving up on your dreams.

Public Speaking Tips

This is Dorothy Carnegie’s summary of her book, The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking, from 1962, which is based on Dale Carnegie’s Public Speaking and Influencing Men in Business, from 1931.

There are some great public speaking tips here:

Fundamentals of Effective Speaking (Public Speaking Tips)
1. Acquiring the Basic Skills
Take heart from the experience of others
Keep your goal before you
Predetermine your mind to success
Seize every opportunity to practice

2. Developing Confidence
Get the facts about fear of speaking in public
Prepare in the proper way
Predetermine your mind to success
Act confident

3. Speaking Effectively the Quick and Easy Way
Speaking about something you have earned the right to talk about through experience or study
Be sure you are excited about your subject
Be eager to share your talk with your listeners

Speech, Speaker, and Audience (Public Speaking Tips)

4. Earning the Right to Talk
Limit your subject
Develop reserve power
Fill your talk with illustrations and examples
Use concrete, familiar words that create pictures

5. Vitalizing the Talk
Choose subjects you are earnest about
Relive the Feelings you have about your topic
Act in earnest

6. Sharing the Talk with the Audience
Talk in terms of your listeners’ interests
Give honest, sincere appreciation
Identify yourself with the audience
Make your audience a partner in your talk
Play yourself down

The Purpose of Prepared and Impromptu Talks (Public Speaking Tips)

7. Making the Short Talk to Get Action
Give your example, an incident from your life
State your point, what you want the audience to do
Give the reason or benefit the audience may expect

8. Making the Talk to Inform
Restrict your subject to fit the time at your disposal
Arrange your ideas in sequence
Enumerate your points as you make them
Compare the strange with the familiar
Use visual aids

9. Making the Talk to Convince
Win confidence by deserving it
Get a Yes-response
Speaking with contagious enthusiasm
Show respect and affection for your audience
Begin in a friendly way

10. Making Impromptu Talks
Practice impromptu speaking
Be mentally ready to speak impromptu
Get into an example immediately
Speak with animation and force
Use the principle of the Here and the Now
Don’t talk impromptu–Give an impromptu talk

The Art of Communicating (Public Speaking Tips)

11. Delivering the Talk
Crash through your shell of self-consciousness
Don’t try to imitate others–Be yourself
Converse with your audience
Put your heart into your speaking
Practice making your voice strong and flexible

The Challenge of Effective Speaking (Public Speaking Tips)

12. Introducing Speakers, Presenting and Accepting Awards
Thoroughly prepare what you are going to say
Follow the T-I-S Formula
T stands for TOPIC. Start you introduction by giving the exact title of the speakers talk.
I stands for IMPORTANCE. In this step you bridge over the area between the topic and the particular interest of the group.
S stands for SPEAKER. Here you list the speaker’s outstanding qualifications.
Be enthusiastic
Thoroughly prepare the talk
Express your sincere feelings

13. Organizing the Longer Talk
Get attention immediately
Avoid getting unfavorable attention
Support your main ideas
Appeal for action

14. Applying What You Have Learned
Use specific detail in everyday conversation
Use effective speaking techniques in your job
Seek Opportunities to speak in public
You must persist
Keep the certainty of reward before you

Public Speaking Tips

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?’ Actually who are you not to be? Your playing small does not serve the world.There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. And as we let our light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” -Marianne Williamson (Nelson Mandela used this passage in his 1994 Inaugural Speech.)

This applies to life, business and sales. It is important as a business leader or a sales professional that you do not hold back who you are. Sell as your authentic and most genuine self. You will have the best results when you are in tune with your values and are honoring them daily in your sales efforts to attract new clients.

It is my belief that you must first become highly aware of your own values before you can design the most effective sales system and process to establish new client partnerships. With my training in professional coaching (career, business, & life) combined with my sales expertise, I help my clients achieve breakthrough results. I encourage you to evaluate your own values to ensure they are in line with how you are seeking to establish new clients.

As a professionally trained coach in life coaching as well as business and sales coaching, I can provide a total support system for my clients to reach breakthrough results.

Jeremy J. Ulmer, Professional Coach, Sales Coach, Sales Mentor, Business Coach, Life Coach

The Essential Motivation Handbook – Learn How To Motivate Yourself Now!

With The Essential Motivation Handbook you’ll have all the tools you need to push past any obstacle that might be holding you back. ‘The Essential Motivation Handbook’ is your ticket to finally getting things done and moving past the mundane!

Here is the table of contents, listing the powerful insight you’ll find in this ebook about motivation:

1. How To Motivate Yourself
2. The Only Two Secrets to Motivating Yourself You’ll Ever Need
3. A Guide to Beating the Fears That Are Holding You Back
4. Task Ninja: Form the Action Habit
5. Top 20 Motivation Hacks
6. The Ultimate Guide to Motivation – How to Achieve Any Goal
7. Progress, Progress, Progress! 5 Tips To Keep You Moving Forward
8. 7 Steps to Turn Your Self-Improvement Desires Into Reality
9. 25 Killer Actions to Boost Your Self-Confidence
10. 6 Small Things You Can Do When You Lack Discipline
11. 16 Ways to Motivate Yourself When You’re in a Slump
12. 5 Tips For Motivational Recovery
13. The Magical Power of Focus
14. 10 Ways to Beat the “Can’t Get No Satisfaction” Syndrome
15. 30 Incredible Places to Turn When You Need Inspiration
16. How To Deal With Negative Feedback
17. How to Doggedly Pursue Your Dreams in the Face of Naysayers
18. Achieve Your Dreams Despite Pressures of Work and Family
19. Why You Should Celebrate Your Mistakes
20. How to Actually Execute Your To-do List
21. The Yin And Yang Of Persistence
22. Enduring the Valley to Get to Success
23. How To Relax And Why It’s So Important
24. The Simple Guide To Single-Tasking Success
25. Stop Reading About It and Do It

How Much?
The book is packed full of over 100 pages of powerful content and yet you can get your own copy for only $14.95! And not only that, but if for any reason you believe this book doesn’t deliver, we offer a full 100% money-back guarantee, so you can buy with confidence!

This is a must-have for anyone in need of drive, inspiration and the tools to achieve any goal!

Get your copy here: The Essential Motivation Handbook

Receive 3 bonus video podcasts on motivation for those who buy this ebook! Don’t wait, learn how to motivate yourself today.

About ebook author Leo Babauta
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Aristotle

“Zen Habits is about finding simplicity in the daily chaos of our lives. It’s about clearing the clutter so we can focus on what’s important, create something amazing, find happiness. It also happens to be one of the Top 100 blogs in the world, is uncopyrighted, and goes well with anything chocolate. Zen Habits features three powerful articles a week on: simplicity, health & fitness, motivation and inspiration, frugality, family life, happiness, goals, getting great things done, and living in the moment.”

Other E-Books:

Motivation E-Book
Minimalist Life E-Book
Productivity E-Book