Some parts of the video are a little windy, but in this episode of Wealth Insights I'll show you the role effective time management plays in your business and investment success. I'll also give you two resources to help you improve your time management.

In the latest episode of Wealth Insights I'll show you my personal Profit Dashboard that will allow you to increase the net profit of your business instantly.

This is week three's update on the development of the first property for the alchemist mentoring program that is currently running at www.theAlchemistMentor.com. It's coming along nicely, although there’s a lot to do still. What do you think?

What with the world being in what many are calling a recession, there are obviously a lot of people who are suddenly finding that they are out of a job and more often than not they allow this to have a very negative impact on their life as a whole. However this need not be the case if you are able to understand that this might just be the universes way of telling you it was a time for change.

• Be very honest with your family – Be sure to discuss your job loss openly with your partner right from the beginning, many people will try to cushion the news of their job loss, but rather be open and honest about it with your partner right from the start so that you are able to handle it together.

• Consult with your previous employer – When you get laid off, do not simply walk away and leave it at that, be sure to consult with the company which was employing you as to what severance package you will receive and how many months of advance salary, be sure you get all you can before it is too late and you realize you could have been better off by simply talking to the company which was employing you.

• Update and distribute your resume – What with the internet nowadays, it is far easier to get your resume out there and to a wide variety of potential employers. Be sure that your resume which you are sending out is completely up to date and that you list absolutely everything which you have or can do, it might not be a bad idea to not only focus on the area where you are now, but look further afield as this might yield better results.

• Consider self employment – Ask yourself if there are a few things which you feel you are really good at and then take the time to invest in yourself and find ways to market yourself, there are many free courses available such as my Build a Web course which teaches you how you can build your own website for free which might hold within them much potential if you simply decide to take action and become the designer of your own financial future.

  ...

We all are now living in a technologically advanced society which operates at high speed and can sometimes seem to be totally chaotic, if we don’t allow ourselves to take a breather every now and again it can become very energy draining. The very computers and cell phones which we invented to make our lives easier have actually just picked up the pace.

• Slow things down – While we are very often expected to multitask, I am of the opinion that this does nothing more than cause people to scatter their thoughts and therefore not be focused on what it is which they are actually doing. Decide what the most important thing is which needs to be done to achieve your goal and give it your complete attention until you have completed it.

•  Allow for essential breaks – Allowing for occasional short breaks so as to catch your breath and calm your mind will also do wonders for increasing the harmony which you feel and boost your productivity. This does not mean that you need to get out of the working environment, rather allow yourself a minute or two to quiet your mind and relax, learning simple breathing exercises or instant meditation techniques will help greatly in this regard and help you to improve your focus.

• Keep yourself positive – No matter how chaotic things might seem around you, by simply being able to see the positive in any situation you will greatly increase the harmony within yourself while everything might be chaotic around you. Look around at all times for something positive which you can take out of any situation, it might be something as simple as a song you like, a smile or a picture which will increase the harmony within you.

• Meditate – As I teach my Kaizen Wealth students through the daily mental exercises which they receive, meditation is a fantastic and effective way to bring order into your mindset and day and is very effective at creating harmony within you which allows you to perform at your peak without letting the chaos get a hold on you, by simply taking a few minutes of your time every day to quiet your mind you will be able to focus better through the day and effectively aid yourself to become the best that you can be.

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Time is one of my most treasured commodities, so beating the biggest thief of time, namely procrastination is vital to me. Far too many people fall into procrastinations trap as they look at what they need to but end up doing precious little to further their goals as some of the items on the list don’t look like fun or are to daunting.

• Apply the Kaizen Principle – Often when we are faced with something which we need to get done, the hardest part is getting started. This is where the Kaizen Principle comes in, this principle teaches us that in order to progress, and we need only take one step at a time but in a continuous motion. So what you need to do is simply take the first step towards achieving your goal and then gradually continue to move forward.

• Always have a definite goal in mind – If we are headed somewhere but we are not sure where it is, how can we expect to get there? This is often the reason for procrastination creeping in as it is easier to postpone doing something if we are not sure what it is. Always try to write down what it is which you need to achieve and the time frame in which you need to complete it.

• All work and no play – Be sure that you allow yourself time to breath while working. Try to break the task at hand up into smaller steps and when you have completed a step take a brief break so as to give your mind time to breath, not only will it seem less like work this way, but you will also realize that you will meet the next step with more enthusiasm and renewed energy.

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1. Be sure to have a visible list of your daily goals – The moment that you take the time to make a visible list of your goals for the day, is the moment you are beginning to structure your focus and concentration. Be sure to list your goals in order of importance and address those which you know can have the most impact first. Do not let trivial time wasters creep onto this list but rather have a short list of Power Goals than a list of trivial nonsense. Begin at the top and do not continue until you have met the first goal which you have set yourself, don’t worry if you do not get everything done in the day, but rather spend your time and effort focused on a goal which counts than the trivial time eaters.
    

2. Avoid email distractions – Far too many people feel obligated to check their email every five minutes and this can become a really time consuming habit. As soon as you do this you are opening yourself up to the trap of reading all the jokes and other trivial emails which circulate and this can seriously eat away at your productivity. Rather make a scheduled routine as to when you check your mail, perhaps once or twice a day and allow those who might be sending you important information to understand that this is how you work and if it is really important they should contact you to let you know that it is something for your immediate attention.

3. Avoid unnecessary disturbances such as noise – Now many people are in open plan offices and feel that this might be difficult to do, but there is a solution, invest in ear plugs or noise blocking headphones, this way you will have less distraction due to the conversations and noise going on around you.

4. Keep a clear workspace – Try to keep the clutter on your desk or in your workspace to the minimum. By effectively doing this you will reduce the chances of allowing other work which ‘needs your attention’ from bothering you. It is a proven fact that if you keep only the work which is relevant to the task at hand around you, you will be far more productive and less likely to worry about other tasks which you might still have to handle, take it one step at a time and concentrate on the task at hand and you will get far more done and in a shorter time.
    

5. Work to a schedule – Try to teach yourself and those around you that you need to stick to a schedule so as to be as productive as possible. Make it clear to those around you that you have certain times which you need to be left alone to get the job done and that they can consult with you if they have to, but not in those times. So if you find you are able to concentrate effectively in the morning hours, make it clear to them that you will only be available for consultation later in the day, try to stick to these schedules and you will be amazed at the results and difference which it makes.

6. Avoid social networks while concentrating on a task – We are all aware of how amazing it is to be able to keep up with everybody on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or MXIT, but these social networks can also lead to a very negative drop in productivity. Rather be sure to focus on the task at hand first which can benefit you, before allowing yourself time for social networking. There is nothing wrong with these types of social networks, but if you are constantly monitoring responses on them, then there is no way that you will be able to achieve your goals or focus on the task at hand.
    

7. Work in comfort – Are you aware of the fact that your productivity and your comfort in your working environment are actually very strongly linked. The comfier you are while working has been proven to have a significant influence on your productivity. Now this need not mean ordering new office furniture, rather find ways to make yourself as comfortable as possible such as buying a chair cushion.

We are all living in changing technological times and as the tools which we use such as computers, cell phones and other such equipment get faster and better, so too do the expectations concerning productivity and the amount of work which we are expected to be able to handle increase.

• Prioritize and be rid of time wasters – Many people allow trivial or unimportant tasks to eat away at their time on a daily basis. Always be sure to be able to recognize these time wasters and get rid of the habit of allowing them to eat into your time. Rather focus on the main tasks or goals which you have so as to be as productive as possible.

• Keep it simple – If you know you are using the same format for documents which you need to do on a regular basis or emails which you need to send, try to create effective templates so as to reduce the amount of time you need to spend on these repetitive tasks. If you know you have regular calculations which need to be done, design a spread sheet which only needs the input of the variable values so as to do the calculations for you.

• Automate standard procedures – Most daily tasks will follow a routine and those that do not fit into the typical daily routine are often the ones which are able to generate the most productive results as they are supporting change and change results in growth. So instead of taking of your precious time to do these tasks when you could be doing something constructive, try to automate these tasks, for example if you know you have to do daily backups put a system in place which will do these backups for you automatically later at night.

• Don’t be afraid to delegate – Far too often we want to believe that we are the only one who can do things the right way and therefore become afraid to delegate some of the work to competent people around us. By delegating some of the less important tasks you need to get done to those around you who are there to support you, you will find that you have a lot more time to give quality focus to the important tasks at hand which will bring you closer to achieving your goals.

• Be able to say no – In many instances people allow themselves to take on more work than they can handle for no other reason than they have not yet learnt how to say “No”. Before you can comfortably take on more work from others and not have it interfere with your own work, you will have to learn how to say “No”, otherwise you will be spending far too much time trying to get stuff done for others and this can come at a great expense to your productivity and effectiveness.

• Maintain focus – Learn how to focus on your responsibilities and goals and not those of others. Once you have given your own responsibilities your full focus and been able to achieve what you had set out for yourself to do, only then will you have time to worry about the responsibilities of others, in this way you will be doing all you can to be able to achieve your goals before allowing others to distract your focus.

We all are now living in a technologically advanced society which operates at high speed and can sometimes seem to be totally chaotic, if we don’t allow ourselves to take a breather every now and again it can become very energy draining. The very computers and cell phones which we invented to make our lives easier have actually just picked up the pace.

• Slow things down – While we are very often expected to multitask, I am of the opinion that this does nothing more than cause people to scatter their thoughts and therefore not be focused on what it is which they are actually doing. Decide what the most important thing is which needs to be done to achieve your goal and give it your complete attention until you have completed it.

• Allow for essential breaks – Allowing for occasional short breaks so as to catch your breath and calm your mind will also do wonders for increasing the harmony which you feel and boost your productivity. This does not mean that you need to get out of the working environment, rather allow yourself a minute or two to quiet your mind and relax, learning simple breathing exercises or instant meditation techniques will help greatly in this regard and help you to improve your focus.

• Keep yourself positive – No matter how chaotic things might seem around you, by simply being able to see the positive in any situation you will greatly increase the harmony within yourself while everything might be chaotic around you. Look around at all times for something positive which you can take out of any situation, it might be something as simple as a song you like, a smile or a picture which will increase the harmony within you.

•  Meditate – As I teach my Master Key students through the daily mental exercises which they receive, meditation is a fantastic and effective way to bring order into your mindset and day and is very effective at creating harmony within you which allows you to perform at your peak without letting the chaos get a hold on you, by simply taking a few minutes of your time every day to quiet your mind you will be able to focus better through the day and effectively aid yourself to become the best that you can be.

• Don’t accept the negativity of others into your life – Don’t let the negative opinions of other people to influence your own positive mindset. This does not mean that you should cut yourself off from those around you but rather that you should make sure to be an effective gatekeeper of what you allow to influence your mindset. Remember the negativity of others is merely their opinion and need not become part of your way of thinking.

• Eliminate the drama – People generally love drama, but it has a very negative influence on the harmony and positive mindset which you have and is not necessary. If a problem does not concern you, do not let yourself get involved. Take the time to evaluate problems effectively and by doing so you remove the drama from the problem and can be more focused on solving the problem rather than wasting time adding drama to it.

• Respect earns respect – We must always remember that respect is a two-way-street, if you are not willing to show respect to those you are dealing with, the chances that they will respect you are minimal. Regardless of who the person is that you are dealing with, if you have strong enough character and strength to be able to show respect for them and what it is you want them to do for you, you will go a long way to improving the results and enthusiasm which they will produce for you. All of us have the desire to be respected, irrelevant of what it is which we are doing.
• See things from their prospective – Try to constantly be aware of as to how you would feel should you be in their position, would you like the way in which you are approaching them and would this way be the best in terms of getting the best reactions and results out of them? Productive people managers know how to see negativity or unhappiness amongst their teams and know how to react and find ways to change these feelings, remember, a happy team is a productive team.
• Effective delegation – If you take the time to be sure that you are delegating the correct tasks to the correct people, you are automatically giving them the chance to excel at whatever it is which you are giving them to do. The end result is that each and every member of the team is doing whatever it is that they are best at and morale is boosted and productivity goes up.
• Be sure to show appropriate gratitude – When we are working with others, we often might feel grateful for all the good work which they do for us, but how often do we actually express this gratitude so as to let them know they and the work they do are appreciated and noticed? Take the time out to say “Thank you” when someone in the team has performed well and you will be amazed at how much it does for morale and productivity. Try to once in a while find special ways of showing this gratitude, it does wonders for the productivity of the team.
• Honesty first – This is a principle which applies not only to people management skills but life in general. Always try to be honest at all times with all those around you and yourself, this way you will earn the trust of those around you and they will know exactly where they stand with you. When people are able to trust you, they believe what you say more easily and your opinions and actions mean far more to them.
• Remember the compliments – Always look for the points which you really admire in the team or person you are working with, this way you can be sure to make sincere compliments on a regular basis so as to motivate them through your recognizing their strong or good points and not focusing on the negative.
• Lastly learn to listen – Far too many of us are not willing to actually listen and learn what it is that others are actually trying to say. Listening is actually 50% of all communication, so if we neglect to do it correctly, all communications could possibly be negatively influenced. By simply taking the time to listen correctly and try to understand what it is that others are really trying to say, you will gain great insight into being able to hone your people management skills and the results which you achieve.
   

• In order to have positive results, one must be positive within oneself!

What with the world being in what many are calling a recession, there are obviously a lot of people who are suddenly finding that they are out of a job and more often than not they allow this to have a very negative impact on their life as a whole. However this need not be the case if you are able to understand that this might just be the universes way of telling you it was a time for change.

• Be very honest with your family – Be sure to discuss your job loss openly with your partner right from the beginning, many people will try to cushion the news of their job loss, but rather be open and honest about it with your partner right from the start so that you are able to handle it together.

• Consult with your previous employer – When you get laid off, do not simply walk away and leave it at that, be sure to consult with the company which was employing you as to what severance package you will receive and how many months of advance salary, be sure you get all you can before it is too late and you realize you could have been better off by simply talking to the company which was employing you.

• Update and distribute your resume – What with the internet nowadays, it is far easier to get your resume out there and to a wide variety of potential employers. Be sure that your resume which you are sending out is completely up to date and that you list absolutely everything which you have or can do, it might not be a bad idea to not only focus on the area where you are now, but look further afield as this might yield better results.

• Consider self employment – Ask yourself if there are a few things which you feel you are really good at and then take the time to invest in yourself and find ways to market yourself, there are many free courses available such as my Build a Web course which teaches you how you can build your own website for free which might hold within them much potential if you simply decide to take action and become the designer of your own financial future.

• Be sure to learn about yourself – Knowing yourself and what it is that you are actually capable of instead of believing what you have told yourself or been told you are capable of. Very often people tend to underestimate their ability and the freedom which rightfully is theirs, this is a principle which I teach my Master Key students and believe me it can make the world of difference when you actually know who you are and what you are capable of.

• Climb out of your comfort zone – Far too many people who have been in a so called stable job year after year have got so entrenched in a comfort zone that when it falls to pieces around them they feel that their life has come to an end.

When it comes to getting organized whether it be at home or in the office, the principles stay the same. There are so many excuses or crutches which people use on a regular basis so as not to have to be confronted with the initial task of taking time to be organized in their lives, excuses such as “I don’t have the time!” or “I work better in the chaos!” are often used.