Jorge ( LatAmConnect ) and I were IM’ing about this subject the other day.  We’re both in very similar positions - although different countries, different professions, different places in life.  It’s interesting how we’re facing so many of the same challenges.

Jorge, at 26 years old, is just starting his business career.  I’m almost twice his age and you’d think I’d be slowing down, but a series of events have led me to starting my businesses again with renewed passion.  

For both of us, we need earned income now to pay the bills but want to create longer term streams of passive income.  Two focusses like that often mean that you’re working twice as hard for awhile.  The earned income is a quicker and often bigger reward.  The passive income is slower to come, but once that pipeline is set up, it runs for a long time unless a big event wipes it out.  

So, how do you juggle all the priorities and, in my case, family responsibilities as well, without going crazy.

Here are three tips that I use:

(1)  I plan my business day closely.  Except for family and emergencies, everything for me is by appointment.  That includes even when I talk to the people I work with (other than personal conversation) Jorge is working with a number of web projects with his employees.  So, he needs to stay in close communication with his guys.  That reminds me of how I’ve worked with my CPAs in my practice.  But, if you get interrupted by 5 people each hour, pretty soon you’re not getting anything done yourself.  Plan for the questions from staff so that you’re controlling your day, not the people who are interrupting you.

(2)  Give them an outlet for questions, but on your schedule.   I plan a weekly meeting where we handle all questions and system issues.  We also have an internal forum, just for staff.  We post written procedures, questions and comments so that everyone can learn at once.  (I like to use leverage on everything - why tell one person, when you can tell everyone?)  

(3)  Keep in touch with their projects, but with a schedule in mind.  One of my favorite techniques for a business in transition is the 5 minute meeting.  Every morning, the whole group meets for 5 minutes.  Nobody sits.  This is fast, don’t get too comfortable.  Around the room, everyone answers two questions:  (1)  This is what you said you’d do yesterday.  Did you do it? (2) What are you going to do today?  This is not the time for excuses or whining - just the reporting of the facts.  It’s amazing what the peer pressure of others will do to get people in line quickly with getting through what they need to do.

Tomorrow - Part 2.  Tips on organizing your day.