Productivity Archives - Kristen Poborsky.com

A Few of My Favorite Productivity Boosters

Kristen Poborsky — Sun, 21 Jan 2018 23:04:58 +0000

One goal that always comes up on my list each year is to be more focused and find ways improve my productivity.

My team and I work with a number of different clients so keeping my to do list up to date and staying on top of projects and tasks is one of the most important things I do on a daily basis.

My list of my favorite tools that keep me on track & boost my productivity

1. Evernote – I use Evernote to take notes with my clients during my strategy sessions with them. I have pretty much gone paperless in my office during 2012. Gone are the yellow legal pads with notes and scrambling to find that important detail. Everything is right there and organized by month. I have even created marketing plans for the entire year and can even keep them easily updated and share with my clients.

2. Team Work Live Project management tool – I have a team I work with to be even more efficient and I delegate and track their tasks using this tool. One of the many things I love about this is that I can see what tasks are open, overdue and keep all of my clients files here.

3. Passpack – how do you manage your passwords? Do you have them all written down, in your head or in a spreadsheet? I love Passpack! It allows me to be mobile and I can access any password I need from my office or on the road! Plus the 1-click login makes me more productive.

4. Social Oomph – Want to ramp up your content marketing efforts with out compromising your productivity? Use Social Oomph as a dashboard and automate your social media efforts into a central place.

If you aren’t already using Social Oomph to set up your social media and content delivery to your audiences then it’s time to get this set up!

The number one thing I like best about Social Oomph is that you create content queues (think of them like a bucket of rotating content) that you set up once add your content and it keeps on rotating your content for you.

Adding Social Oomph to our content marketing really boosted our productivity levels because we do not have to go back in and continually set up content each month.

Instead, all we do is to add new content to the bucket.

When I set up a content campaign for my clients using Social Oomph, I see their lists growing and more engagement with their ideal clients. If you do not have a regular plan to send content to your audiences, then you need to get on board! This is guaranteed to build your list and create loyal followers.

And last but not least….

5. Infusionsoft – I use infusionsoft for marketing with quite a few of my higher end clients. I have used other shopping carts and autoresponder services and this is hands down the best product on the market for marketing funnel automation and productivity.. If you are serious about growing your business and creating effective marketing campaigns you will want to check it out!

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How to make effective use of your blog writing time

Kristen Poborsky — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 22:20:05 +0000

The step by step guide to getting focused with your blog writing and help you work smarter on your blog.

Daily, you’re juggling lots of balls in your life and business….

You know you should be blog writing on a regular weekly basis but you’re not. Over and over the thought “where do I start?” keeps you from actually doing it.

I’ve put together this post on how to make effective use of your blog writing time so you have all the steps you need to blog effectively.

This system is based upon my personal experience blogging since 2009 and from handling the 1000+ blog posts a year for our clients.

Step 1: Brain Dump

I always start by setting a timer and grabbing a piece of paper and writing down all of my blog topics and ideas.

When I write them down blogging stops feeling so overwhelming

Setting a timer also really works for me. Even though I have the brain dump to accomplish it can be easy for my mind to wander and start thinking about what’s next.

When I have that timer running, I tend to focus more on the task I’m working on and ultimately I get more done in a shorter period of time.

Step 2: Prioritize

Create a system to help you manage and prioritize your blog posts.

This is how we effectively manage 1000+ blog posts for our clients with a very small team. Everything goes on a content calendar organized by month and week so our clients know what they are blogging about for 1 quarter at a time.

Then copy goes on a template in google docs so that nothing gets missed when the blog post is written.

I break my writing into several sittings:

Research – brain dump
Content calendar – topics are researched using buzz sumo to make sure they are popular topics before going on the calendar.
Keywords – I do the keyword research on month at a time for all of my blog posts
Writing – I start by copy stalking blog posts on the same topic to see what comments are being made to make sure I’m using the same language as my audience and answering their questions. Then I create an outline and finally come back later and write the copy for the entire post.
On Page SEO – I spend about 10 minutes making sure this is completed after my post is written. Having the Yoast SEO plugin makes this part of the system painless.
Images – I select the image after my post is done and on the blog.
Content upgrades – often I will include a content upgrade for a blog post and I do this after the post is written because most of what I have written goes into that useful document for my readers.

Step 3: Time Block

I make sure I have time set aside on my calendar to write my blog posts each week…otherwise it won’t get done.

It’s too easy for me to find other things that I would much rather do than write a post so adding it to my calendar and having it on a to do list really work for me.

Step 4: Use the Pomodoro Method

I’ve just started using this method to take my blog writing productivity to the next level. Being an entrepreneur who works on my own business, manages a team and work for many clients I have to be super productive.

Using the Pomodoro method where I time block blog writing on my calendar then set a time for 25 minutes while I dive into completing the task is pretty darn effective.

I’ve tried a timer for 90 minutes and I’ve done the 25 minute timer and I’ll tell you from experience I get a lot more blog writing done in a shorter burst than the longer ones.

Step 5: Rinse and repeat!

Set aside time for blog writing, use a system and stick to it.

The more you write the easier it gets. And it is the BEST way to grow your online presence with great content.

Time to get blogging….My hope is that you cannot wait to sit down and follow the steps I have outlined in this post!

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Entrepreneur Mindset: Use Teamwork to Accomplish More

Kristen Poborsky — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 22:54:29 +0000

In this post, I share my heard learned lessons learned about how to use teamwork to accomplish more in your business.

I was listening to Darren Hardy’s daily video about success the other day, he was kicking off a series on team building and he mentioned that teams should emulate ducks…

He threw out a statistic that ducks have 71% more range when they fly in formation.

Okay, so you’re probably wondering what does this has to do with this post on how to use teamwork to accomplish more…right?

Stay with me and I’ll explain why and how when built right, teams can accomplish more.

Trust me, I’ve got a lot of experience around this.

I’ve been managing teams virtually for close to 10 years now and I’ve managed and been part of many in the corporate world for over 15 years. So you could say I’ve seen the good and the bad.

Let’s get back to the ducks…

When they fly together, they take turns leading and their formation creates an updraft which gives them an increase of 71% more flying range (they can fly 71% further) than if they flew solo.

Are you flying solo and wouldn’t you like to be able to accomplish 71% more?

Yes, it’s the same in your business…

You can accomplish so much more when working as a team than flying solo.

And if you allow your team to take turns leading you really begin to tap into their strength.

Smart leaders allow their team members to lead in their areas of expertise.

I know I can design a website, but my lead tech/designer Valerie does it so much faster and more efficiently than I can. So I hand over the lead to her when we build websites for our clients.

I tell her where we want to go and she gets us there.

A smart leader knows when to ask questions and hand off tasks to those who are the experts and let go of control.

I’m working with a client right now who has a great team but won’t let go of control and allow them to work independently…

Every person that they work with has to see her at least 1-2 times before being handed off.

So when she is away from her business, the rest of her team isn’t as productive as they could be and no new clients can work with them unless they have seen the client first.

A bottleneck has been created, the client is frustrated and overworked.

Her brilliant team is also frustrated and worst of all the client experience isn’t what it could be.

Worst of all…they’re losing money as a result of the bottleneck.

The solution is simple…

The client needs to let go and allow the team to lead in their respective areas of expertise.

And understand that there is more than one way to serve their clients well.

When you build systems, tasks, and operating procedures you create a way to guide your team to accomplish projects for you.

Trust me I know first hand about this.

I’ve worked with teams and with many other clients who won’t let go.

And frankly, it was exhausting.

I’ve had big teams that weighed me down because they did not have the right procedures and guidance.

I’ve been able to find a better balance with a smaller team.

We’ve got clear operating procedures, timelines, and a kick-ass project management system that gives me the desired results without micromanaging them.

And as a result, my team knows what to do and when…and they are happy about having that freedom.

Gone are the days of doing it all myself.

No more burnout and frustration from trying to be and do all things I’m not loving or suited to do.

I’m in my zone of genius working on testing new strategies to create better results. I’m better off measuring performance, tweaking systems, and developing new strategies.

My team is happier behind the scenes handling the implementation.

Lesson learned…

Using teamwork to accomplish more has allowed me to be happier and have the freedom to do what I love.

My business is flourishing.

So let me ask you…

Are you a lone ranger…trying to do it all by yourself?

Are you tired, frustrated and burned out?

Are you the control freak, the person causing a bottleneck and afraid to let go?

Or are you just drifting along, never really doing anything to accomplish your goals?

Take a hard look at yourself and your management style…you might need to let go and use teamwork to accomplish more in your business.

Let me know what you see in yourself!

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How to Become a More Productive Writer: 7 Helpful Tips

Kristen Poborsky — Fri, 27 Jan 2017 01:19:55 +0000

Content marketing involves not only just planning your content but writing your content.

It’s all to easy too be overwhelmed at the thought of writing a weekly blog or two so here’s how to become a more productive writer using these 7 helpful tips.

Not only will this help with writing your blog but with creating any kind of written content.

We all want to be able to write more and do it effortlessly….

Become a more productive writer with these 7 tips

Tip 1: The right tools

Use the right tools to maximize your productivity and I start with using Google Spreadsheet, Google docs and a timer.

Yep it’s that simple just 3 things….

I research and plan my blog writing out 1 quarter at a time and it all goes on a google spreadsheet.

I’ve got each of my weekly blogs set up in a template in Google Docs organized by month….it keeps it all organized and ready for me.

As for the timer, I just sit down at the time I’ve blocked out and turn on my timer. For some reason having a timer on just pushes me to make the most of the time I’ve set aside to write and less distracted.

Tip 2: Batch Process Your Writing

Break it down into separate tasks and your productivity will improve.

Here’s a simple blog post process:

Research & Planning
Writing
Gather Images & Edit Them
Set up on your blog
Promote on Social Media
Rinse & Repeat
Re-purpose

By breaking these into 7 separate tasks and time blocking the entire process is much simpler. And where you can delegate to someone else so you can focus on the important stuff in your business.

Tip 3: Find your best time to write

I’m sure you know when you are at your best mentally right?

That is the time you should set aside to write on your calendar. Use that time to bang out a couple of posts.

The smart thing here is to batch out the process. What I mean by this is to just sit down and write. Don’t research, look for pictures or get on social media…

Just focus on one thing and write.

Do this a few times and keep track of how long it takes you to write your content. You’ll have a good idea of how much time and when to set aside for writing on your calendar.

Tip 4: Use Journaling Daily

Set aside time daily to journal, the mere act of writing in any form helps to improve your production.

I’ve become a much better writer the more I write. I seen it countless times with the clients I work with as well.

Another tip here is to pick things to write about that you are passionate about.

Don’t write what you think people want to hear…write from your heart, your soul and your perspective.

Tip 5: Eliminate Distractions

Go offline…turn off all distractions and avoid multitasking.

Multi tasking is not beneficial to getting things done according to research conducted by the American Psychological Association:

Experience a 40% drop in productivity
Take 50% longer to accomplish a single task
Make up to 50% more errors

Tip 6: Give Yourself a Deadline

“Parkinson’s Law states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for it’s completion.”

Avoid giving yourself too much time to complete your writing If give too much time to the task, according to Parkinson’s law the task will increase in it’s complexity to fill that time slot.

Not just that it will add unnecessary stress and tension to your life when you worry about getting it done.

Ugh….

Track your time, practice writing and work to assign smaller amounts of time to getting your writing done. You’ll find that you’ll gain back more time and writing will become more enjoyable.

Tip 7: Structure Your Content

The best content has a structure to it….so set aside time when you begin to creating a structure for your post.

You want to make sure your content flows, has a beginning, middle and an end to it. So planning this out first makes is much easier and faster to fill in with your content.

Here’s two great resources from Copy blogger to help you out:

Finish Up With An Edit

Feeling stuck?

Then find someone to take a look at your post or just step away and come back later.

Here’s my 3 step process for editing:

Spelling & Grammar – turn on spelling and grammar
Structural – make sure my content is scannable, that I’ve used headers, bullets and shorter paragraphs
Content – read it over and make sure what you’ve written flows smoothly and makes sense. This is a good place to get a second (or even a third) set of eyes on your content.

Over to you….

Take action today to become a more productive writer by taking at least one of these 7 tips (and hopefully all of them!) and start implementing them into your writing process. You’ll see results and even enjoy the process more.

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10 things your infusionsoft team can do for you

Kristen Poborsky — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 23:00:02 +0000

As an Infusionsoft owner you should not spend your valuable time trying to become an Infusionsoft expert.

This post covers the top 10 things your infusionsoft team should be doing to help you get the most out of your application.

There are so many great infusionsoft experts who can help you make best use of this software and take over the daily tasks.

Its definitely smart to know at the very least a bit about infusionsoft and how it can help your businesss. And what I mean here is that you should an idea of what kinds of marketing you want and need for your business so that when you hire an infusionsoft expert you can share your vision

Here’s a my list of 10 things you should be delegating to your infusionsoft team:

1. Set up and send emails and newsletters

Delegate those weekly emails or newsletters you currently send to your team. You should be spending your time working on income producing activities instead of setting up, testing and scheduling those emails. All you need to do is write your copy, hand it off to your team and approve the final copy to be sent to your list. It is simple as that!

2. Import and add contacts

Building your list is important and an ongoing activity for any business. You should have a few campaigns built around this to automate the adding and marketing to new people on you list. Here are 3 that you should have set up in your infusionsoft application:

A. Main Mailing List Opt In.

This is the very first campaign you should have set up in your application! It goes without saying that giving your website visitors a way to easily get on your mailing list is one of the most important ways that your website can help you build your business. And following up with the right email follow up sequence over 21-30 days will help to build your rapport with your new subscribers.

B. Networking Campaign

Anytime you are out networking, you should be collecting business cards and asking them if they would like to be on your mailing list. The snap by infusionsoft app can really help automate this process. The key this campaign is to personalize it to your networking event and to follow up with some really great content that your new contacts will find of value. Again, this follow up sequence should span 21-30 days.

C. Speaking Engagement Campaign

Like the networking campaign, you should have a sign up sheet or collect business cards at each of your speaking engagements. This campaign can be easily set up to tag the names and a personalized follow up sequence to continue to build your rapport with your audience.

And let’s not forget that if you have names that need to be imported from another autoresponder system, those names can be easily downloaded and uploaded into infusionsoft. Then a tag can be applied to keep these contacts organized for you.

3. Clean up data

Your Infusionsoft team should routinely perform Data Cleanup to merge any duplicate records to keep your list clean.

4. Build new Campaigns

Here’s where your Infusionsoft team can make a big difference Have them bring your marketing campaigns to life by setting up all of the parts and pieces that need to be implemented.

They will know how set up your campaigns with emails, tasks, tags and reminders and everything you need to automate and create a great customer experience. In addition to this they will ensure your campaign functions properly by thoroughly testing each part of it. Here are 3 great campaigns I love straight from the Infusionsoft marketplace and step by step instructions on how to set them up.

5. Create and manage your affiliate programs

Your team can up a system in which people and sign up to be affiliates either automatically or manually, assign commission programs to your products, link these to the right affiliates andbuild a center with information that affiliates can use to promote your products and programs.

Once your affiliate program is in place, they will manage it for you by providing customer service helping affiliates locate promotional links and prepare commissions for payment processing.

6. Manage eCommerce

In order to take payments in infusionsoft you need to get your ecommerce area set up.

Delegating this to your Infusionsoft team takes the headache of getting your payment gateway set up along with setting up your individual products and programs. They will also set up recurring payments, discounts and add products links to your website plus much more.

I like to set up follow up campaigns for each of the products I set up for my clients. This way we can let them know what to expect and touch them through out their product experience to provide them with a great customer service.

7. Run reports

Your infusionsoft team can set up reports that will help better understand what marketing efforts are working and identify where improvements need to be made. They can also customize your dashboard so you can easily see what information you need when logging into your account.

Here’s my quick guide on how to set up your infusionsoft dashboard.

8. Set up & mange your membership site

Whether you chose to use Customer Hub, Wishlist or iMember, the right infusionsoft team can set this up to integrate seamlessly. Not only will they set it up for you, they will provide customer support on your behalf.

9. Locate and set up 3rd party apps

Need to get hooked up with a great scheduling system so you can have your clients book their appointments with you and get timely reminders?

No problem! Inside of the Infusionsoft Marketplace there are great 3rd party apps that can handle this for you. Your infusionsoft team can easily set this up and put them to work for you.

Automated scheduling is just one example of some great third party applications in the Marketplace – see more here Infusionsoft becomes a lot more|more powerful with Third party apps which your team can locate and implement for you.

10. Keep up to date with Infusionsoft training

The folks at infusionsoft provide ongoing training calls and your infusionsoft team has access to these calls. Infusionsoft usually has twice yearly major updates and your team must stay up to date on all of the new releases.

Need some help with Infusionsoft? I’d love to help! Please contact Kr*****@*************ky.com and set up your complimentary Infusionsoft Session today!

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Mindset And Productivity: Why Implementation Matters

Kristen Poborsky — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 23:00:11 +0000

I have to say that implementation is hands down the #1 thing you must do to grow your business.

Sounds easy right?

Maybe not….

The shocking reality is that only about 2% of you out there are implementing. So if you are in this 2% count yourself lucky and take a moment right now to congratulate yourself.

Haven’t you listened to coaching where you get about 1/2 through (or even 1/4) of the way through and the coach starts congratulating and motivating you on your progress?

The hard reality is that only about 2% make it to the end of training they purchase and even fewer than that actually implement what they’ve learned.

Trust me, I know I’ve been in both the 2% and the 98% groups myself.

So if you are serious about building your business you need to get yourself into that 2% and start implementing what you’ve learned.

Probably the biggest reason people do not implement is because of mindset and then after that is technical ability and time.

I was listening to Hal Elrod’s podcast (http://themiraclemorning.com) and he says that if something is really important to you then you will make time to make it happen.

Why aren’t you implementing? Is it fear, time or lack of skills?

It upsets me that every year people spend millions of dollars on coaching and never implementing what they’ve learned!

I have realized that my mission, my purpose is to help more people build their business through implementation.

I see a real need for people to get the help they need to make their vision a reality.

Trust me this can be a daunting thing for most people and I’ve struggled even with this myself. For a long time I did not do what I asked my clients to do – list building, follow up marketing, blog posting ect… And when I did these basic things, my business began to shift dramatically.

I’m not going to lie and say it shifted overnight, because in truth it takes hard work and perseverance to build a business. And yes there were times that I questioned myself too.

The good news is that I plugged through and am now beginning to see that this is paying off. And I see this with my clients who are committed as well.

What’s your vision and what are you going to do today to get started?

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Entrepreneur Mindset: How to Tap into Your Creativity

Kristen Poborsky — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 22:10:05 +0000

I admit it, I’ve been working like a dog!

I realized this when I started feeling resentful and grumpy when everyone else in my family was relaxing on the weekends and pursuing enjoyable activities.

So what was I doing on my weekends?

I was cleaning house, working on my website and marketing pieces. There was nothing left of me to help me tap into my creativity, I was out of ideas and ambition.

You see, I had put together an overly ambitious plan for myself and I was back in the mode of thinking I had to do it all myself .

Yes, I’m guilty as charged – I do fall back into that space from time to time and find that I push myself too hard and end up feeling burnt out. I turned to my spiritual guide, mentor & coach the fabulous Dr Lin Morel who told me I was suffering from thinking that my best wasn’t good enough. I realized from my session that my best is good enough and that to be even better I needed to round up those boundaries once again and step away from my work to be better at what I do.

Studies show that when we step away from work we become more creative and productive. Haven’t you noticed how a flood of creative ideas or solutions show up when you are away from your desk?

I’ve written about this very subject before when I wrote about taking time away from work to be more productive. Well it seems that taking time away is also good for both creativity and problem solving according to scientific studies on the brain.

Scientists have identified a part of the brain called the default mode network which becomes active when we are not performing a task. What happens is that your brain gets into this active mode and then it begins performing cognitive processes which are similar to brainstorming.

The Default Mode Network is capable or activating thoughts in your brain that we may not be able to reach through normal logical reasoning so that is why all of those creative thoughts may be flooding your brain when you are doing something totally unrelated to work.

Scientists have found that many times creative thought processes may be stopped when the mind it in task mode say when you get a
writers block. Take that as a cue to step away and do something different or take a complete break from your work.

So you may be wondering what did I do to get myself out of my grumpy overworked mode? I stepped away from my office on Friday afternoon and headed down to the Pike Street Market and smelled the flowers, felt the warm sunlight on my face and tuned into the wonderful sights and smells that make up this area. And when I came home, I felt filled up and energized.

The whole weekend was about being unplugged and not pushing myself to be the best by working on my biz all weekend. I allowed myself some space and it felt wonderful! Today I am ready to step in my office and know that my best is good enough!

What are you doing to tap into YOUR creativity? Leave me a comment, I’d love to know!

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Three Planning Resources to Keep You Inspired & Motivated

Kristen Poborsky — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 01:00:23 +0000

Just like a lot of you I start off the New Year with lots of grand plans and I often end up losing my focus around the middle of February. This year is proving to be different for me as I am taking a new approach to my planning and staying focused.

Here’s a peek into how I’m planning

and where I get my inspiration

1. Planning inspiration from Marisa Murgatroyd

I started off the year by listening to Marisa Murgatroyd’s wonderful training on the system she uses to plan out her entire year – you can listen to it right here at Live Your Message. Yes the training is an hour and it is totally worth your time to listen and see step by step what she does to get the amazing results in her business. She will even show you her personal plan which I found to be both inspiring and helpful when creating my own.

2. Don Crowther’s Planning Tool to get my year on paper

Marisa talks about Don Crowther in her training and this great planning tool she uses – here’s the link for you to grab your copy of his strategic plan template and get started planning your year: http://doncrowther.com/social-media-strategy/strategic-plan-template I have to be honest, I drug my feet a bit at getting this completed but once I did, I found that having this printed out and on my desk is keeping me focused on what daily actions I need to be performing to keep me moving towards my bigger goals.

The beauty of this style of planning is that you create big picture goals and then break them into smaller incremental goals month by month. I love this tool as it isn’t an overly complicated process! I’ve invested in a few different planning tools over the years only to find myself bogged down by too much work to get the goals in place so I gave up and never completed them. This is the perfect solution for the way I work.

This year I have set aside time in December to get my planning done in advance so that I can use January to start the year off quickly.

3. Hal Elrod – The Miracle Morning Book and Inspirational Podcasts

I recently wrote a post about How to Have a Miracle Morning all Day Long because I found this to be an invaluable tool for getting my day off to a great start. Not only do I do that, I have subscribed to Hal’s Podcasts and religiously listen to them every weekend while I’m doing my one hour elliptical workout. I find him to be full of practical advice on how to create new habits and stay motivated.

You can find his book The Miracle Morning right here at http://themiraclemorning.com. And Hal’s podcast is right here on his website at: http://halelrod.com/

Right now I have my yearly plan printed out and on my desk where I look at it daily in the morning before I start working. The beauty of this is that I can see exactly what I need to accomplish for the month and as I get things done, I can cross them off the list. At the end of the month I take some time and celebrate everything that I accomplished that month. It’s important to do this rather than just plowing ahead because you really need to pat yourself on the back for taking those smaller steps each month towards achieving your bigger goals.

Whatever you do to plan and create your plans, I hope you take the time to check these resources out and discover what works to keep you motivated!

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How to have a Miracle Morning all day long

Kristen Poborsky — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 01:00:32 +0000

I am a person who has learned to begin my day filled with optimism. You won’t find me in bed past 7 or 8 am – even on the weekends!

For a lot of you, the day starts and you find your mornings are a mad rush to get yourself and your family ready and out the door.

By the time you reach the your workspace (even if you work at home) you’ve probably already dealt with the stress of family and just getting yourself up and running. Unless your morning goes perfectly, you’ll carry all that stress along with you and it will be reflected in everything you do or create.

While I don’t have an issue with getting out of bed or being optimistic – at least most of the time, I do have those days where I have dreaded the morning and what I was facing when I stepped into my office.

Last year I discovered a wonderful book called The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.

I discovered after reading this book that by creating a morning ritual it is possible to consistently start my mornings off feeling great!

Try these Miracle Morning rituals each day of the week or combine them.

Either way, you’ll be prepared to make it a great day.

Make sure you have your Miracle Morning plan in place and look it over the night before.

Why start your Miracle Morning unorganized?

If you organize your to-do-list, breakfast menu and your clothes the night before, you’ll wake up feeling in control and relaxed. Taking 20 minutes to lay out everything can save you a 30-minute fashion crisis or search for the car keys. With a little efficiency, you’ll save the frustration and scrambling, leaving you ready to tackle more important issues.

1. Set your alarm and get out of bed!

Do it before anyone gets out of bed so you can have this time to yourself.

I personally love the mornings when I am the first person out of bed. There is a certain calmness that I experience when I am the only one awake in the house.

2. Start by meditating.

Just taking 10 minutes to sit in silence helps to you to take some time to look inward and just observe what comes up.

You might be afraid that your meditation session early in the morning will put you back to sleep. Adopting a morning meditation ritual stimulates your brain in a deep and thoughtful way. Meditation will help you to clear distractions from your mind and purge negative energy. Center yourself with thoughtful introspection or prayer and be open to the positive energy the world brings your way.

3. Spend time reading – devote 10 minutes in the morning each day and you will find that you have read a lot of books by the end of this year.

Part of my morning ritual easily allows for reading first thing. Many read the news, which can be a depressing way to start the day. I do read the newspaper but I am VERY selective on what I read and doing that helps me to stay positive. I never ever watch the new as you cannot control what you watch.

I’m sure you have a few books sitting around that are uplifting, inspiring, or even funny that will energize and put you in a positive mood.

4. Practice Visualization.

Do you have a vision board?

If you want to be inspired every day you should have a vision board that reflects what your goals and visions are for your life. Spending time – just 10 minutes a day looking at your visions of what you want to create and closing your eyes and feel what it would be like to manifest these things in your life.

Studies have shown that when you visualize you trigger the Reticular Activator in your brain and then you start to see opportunities where you weren’t able to before.

5. Exercise or practice yoga. Get up and get moving!

Exercise is a perfect way to wake your mind and body up, and you’ll end up feeling more energized. I find that some of my best ideas for my business and especially for writing come while I am working out.

6. Journal – grab one and start writing.

Start each day by writing your gratitudes.

I was introduced to this concept and given a gratitude journal at a Jack Canfield event many years ago. I’ve been doing this religiously for years now and even when I was facing some pretty serious stuff in my life this practice served to get me in a good frame of mind each day. I have even woken up in the night and journaled my way through some pretty difficult times.

It has helped me to be able to examine situations put things into perspective allowing me to move forward in a more positive way.

Creating a Miracle Morning ritual not only helps you get started each day in a positive way, it helps can you to transform your day AND your life.

If you want to experience more happiness, productivity and make a dent in your reading list, I suggest you give this a try! And if you really want to be inspired, check out http://themiraclemorning.com, Hal Elrod has a amazing story to share.

Need a book to read to help you create your Miracle Morning then grab your copy over there too!

The post How to have a Miracle Morning all day long appeared first on Kristen Poborsky.com.

Success: How to stay on top

Kristen Poborsky — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:16:31 +0000

Once you get your first taste of success, you want to keep experiencing it over and over again. I seen entrepreneurs become successful only to burn themselves out trying to keep up the frantic pace they think is necessary.

It’s important to set your level of achievement in your business to support you so that your success is both satisfying and maintainable.

This is where having a plan and goals are important and being mindful that you don’t go about working at a breakneck speed day in and day out. And to that end, having a support team that is experienced at building the right foundations for you business is equally important.

Knowing what you need and at what stage is the question I get asked all the time by prospective clients. If you’re a business or a life coach, you want to focus your time around the following activities:

Speaking
Writing
Coaching

Your team should be building and managing all of the systems needed to support these activities and the rest of your business, including the following:

Website
Social Media
Product and Program – set up and management
Marketing – both online and off line
Customer Service
Administrative/Support

This list is a very high-level and broad sweep of things you need to have in place and running smoothly in your business. There are many more parts and pieces that go into building the right systems for your business. And, your needs will change an grow as you build your business. In order to grow, you need these foundational pieces in place and running smoothly or your business will fall apart like a house of cards.

Done right and in the hands of the right team you can build a business that is both successful and satisfying.

The post Success: How to stay on top appeared first on Kristen Poborsky.com.