My daughter's birthday is coming up. She is almost five and fascinated by princesses so I am organizing supplies for a princess-themed party. I was in the process of placing my order with a cake decorating supply house when their online system crashed. Frustrating as I had a window of opportunity to take care of this and now I have to go back and do it later. Lucky for them I will be back because they had just what I was looking for. If that wasn't the case, I might find another supplier and place my order with them.

I am not sure if they know that they are having a problem so I thought I would call them and maybe place my order over the phone. I tried doing a Google search thinking that their phone number would be included in their description but it wasn't. Because it is an online store and I don't know where it is based I could not do a search with yellow pages.

All I can do now is wait and check back later to see if my order is still in the cart.

I know coaches and consultants who very purposefully put their phone number in the description that is returned by the search engine.

I think it is a great thing to do.

What do you think? Do you have your contact details in your website or web pages meta description?

I am reading the book 'Your Brain At Work – Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus and Working Smarter All Day Long' by David Rock. I am only a chapter or two into it but I thought I would share a few thoughts.

Just like our bodies need fuel for movement, our brains need fuel. Focused thinking take much more energy than doing something like driving a car. We tend to drive our cars on automatic pilot but creative thinking takes real effort. Just like our body, our brain can't run at top speed all day. We need to take a break and do more mundane jobs throughout the day to give our brain a break.

We need to feed our brain. Like pandas whose diet almost entirely consists of eating bamboo, our brain's only source of fuel is glucose which is moved through our body in our bloodstream. When we don't eat, the glucose levels become depleted and our brain gets starved for energy. We find we can't think through an issue, can't stay focused and generally feel 'fuzzy'. Avoiding this downtime is a very good reason to keep our bodies fueled with the right foods consistently through the day.

In addition, we are all different. We need to figure out when we can do our best thinking and when we need to focus on the more mundane jobs of the day. Prioritizing your day is hard work for your brain. That is why at certain times of the day we are unable to figure out what we should be doing, we get distracted, can never get organized and waste time.

Working smarter all day long involves understanding our bodies and designing your work day so that you are making the best use of your time.

I will continue to share thoughts that come to me as I read this book.

Is there a book that you have enjoyed reading and would like to share here?  I would love to hear from you.

I was out on my morning walk and noticed a girl plucking her eyebrows as she waited for the bus. Now I am not suggesting that we all pluck our eyebrows on the bus or subway but you have to admit, she was making good use of her time. She had a few minutes before the bus came, the equipment she needed was small and compact and it obviously made sense to her at the time. 

I am also not suggesting that we cram our days so full of tasks and jobs that we reach the end of our day breathless and exhausted. I know that there are times when I am in the groove and get a lot done. There are other times when I am not as productive. Sometimes my ineffectiveness is the result of the actual job I am doing. I am easily distracted, don't really want to be doing it or am simply not organized enough to get it done efficiently.

Often I can attribute my productive days to my being more organized, having everything that I need at hand and feeling truly excited about getting it done.

Like the tides, our energy and enthusiasm can ebb and flow. Now I have heard some say that we should just plow through even though we are not feeling motivated.  I prefer to acknowledge the ebb and not force myself into spending time doing a project when I know it is not the best use of my time. 

However if there is a specific project that I am continually putting off,  I ask myself what is going on. What is in my way? Am I afraid or worried that I won't do it well enough or that I don't know enough? Am I waiting until I have everything else done before I start?  Sometimes I do what is easy rather than what is important.

Do you make the best use of your time??

In Boston, just a few blocks from where I live, is the newly painted 114th Boston Marathon Finish Line. Tomorrow many thousands will test their hard work and determination over the tough 26+ mile course.

We find a vantage point about 1 mile from the finish line and I find it to be a very emotional moment watching the runners come past. I completed an IronMan Triathlon many years ago and maybe I remember all the feelings of accomplishment (along with the exhaustion and blisters) of completing my goal.

I can't say that I was all-consumed with my triathlon training but there was an expectation that my training was a priority. I needed to build structure into my days so that I had time for the different aspects of my training. I am reminded that we need to keep on eyes on our priorities and keep focused so that we can complete the goals that we set for ourselves. 

It is not the size of the goal that is important. Accomplishing any goal is great, whether it is big or small. Focus is key. Telling others your goals help spur you on. I have a girlfriend who has two young children and was feeling like she needed a goal. She is running her first half-marathon in a couple of weeks in New Hampshire. She doesn't talk about it to everyone but appreciates the encouragement from her friends. She downplays it since as she says "it is not the marathon" but we don't let her get away with it. It is a major accomplishment and only the start to bigger goals.

There are dreamers and those who make things happen. Tomorrow we are going to watch thousands of people make their dream happen running the Boston Marathon. Congratulations to you all!!!

Take a moment – Do you have a dream that you would like to make happen? I know I do. Break it into manageable pieces and make a plan. Focus and just do it.

Get ready, set, GO!!!!!!

Whenever I dial a new number, I have found that within a few hours or days I will need to call that number again. I have gotten into the habit of automatically saving phone numbers into my home phone or iPhone.  The same goes for when I receive calls.  I enter those numbers into my phone as soon as I am off the call. My friends and family are always amazed that I have this information stored away. It is such a little thing but saves me time and I also like to know who is calling me.  I don't know how many numbers my iPhone will hold but I know it is more than 600. 

I was reminded of this when I overheard someone saying that if they think of something twice, they write it down. My rule is if I dial it once, it is highly likely that I will need to dial it again. It has saved me a couple of times and just looks impressive at other times.

What are your rules for putting numbers in your phone??

You are working at your computer, backing up your website and you are looking for the downloaded files. You have your files ordered by date and you can't figure out why you can't find today's files. It is only when you look up that you find it has passed midnight and that they are already a day old.

You have done it again. You swore you would be in bed early for a change but time got away from you. You have so much to do. It happens to all of us.

Automating some tasks helps, ignoring some tasks might work in the short term but having someone helping you might be the best solution, freeing up your precious time to be doing other things that bring you joy and money!!

Something to think about.

Do you make it easy for those who introduce you at meetings, presentations, and interviews? It is stressful even when it comes to introducing someone. Your host wants to do a great job but might miss a great opportunity to lead effectively into your presentation. You want to link your presentation together along with your website and web presence. This consistency looks and feels professional and helps build your brand.

I was on a call recently where there was confusion over the guest’s introduction and it did not go very well. 

As a contrast, I have a friend who is so prepared. She has her introduction ready so that she always gets introduced how she wants and needs which sets the stage for the rest of her presentation. She has worked hard on her presentation and does not want to be let down by a poor introduction.

Are you making it easy for those around you so that you get the results that you want and need??? Preparation, anticipation and organization are the key!!

We were talking about creating websites and a social media presence when the topic of autoresponders came up. I mentioned that I like to consider an autoresponder like a puppy – you will have it for many years, it will grow into something amazing and will serve you very well.

I hear people talk about building a list using an autoresponder.  It seems to me that you will be building many lists with your autoresponder. You will be able to make offers to your list and whoever responds to an offer will be put onto a more focussed list.

When you offer an free teleseminar or special event you will have a list of people who attended that event and you can send them further promotions knowing that they are becoming more qualified as potential clients or partners.

There is so much more to this topic but in a nutshell, your autoresponder is an amazing tool. Find a quality system and it will serve you well for many years to come.

Good doggie!!!

I was speaking with a friend today about websites and niches and I had a thought about specialization, niches and shopping.  There are stores that I know that if I go in them, I will come out with something because I know about their products and services and then there are other stores that I go into where I don’t know what I will find.  What is the difference in these stores???  A specialty or a niche!!! 

On occasion, I find marvelous things at the non-niche store but I can’t count on it and it is usually something that I wasn’t even looking for.  In my busy life I unfortunately don’t have the time required to hunt for the gems. 

Does this theory hold up when it comes to websites, content and niches? 

When I do an internet search, I am hoping to find someone who can take care of my specific needs.  Are you missing out because your site is too general??  You may be able to help me with my needs but I can’t tell. 

When a site is too general, are you required to do more selling?  Do prospects self-select when they visit a site that has a much more specific niche?  Does it require less selling or effort to convert these prospects into clients???

I think that the answer is yes and I would love to hear your thoughts.