Small Business Straight Talk | Time Management, Productivity & Business Strategy

In this app-heavy episode, I sit down with Zachary Sexton, a business productivity coach who specializes in helping entrepreneurs create simple systems to save time at work. Zachary and I discuss how you can use automation as a powerful tool to gain leverage, how to automate routine processes using simple software, and why you can't just keep doing things with brute force, the old-fashioned way.

We also talk about Zachary's favorite automation apps that save him time, money, and energy, the effectiveness of theme days and batching activities, and tips for using automatic scheduling, follow-up, and lead capture.

This was an awesome discussion with Zack I hope you enjoy. Now let's jump right in and get to the straight talk!

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

✔️The Benefits Of Automation

✔️Some Of The Must-Have Automation Apps

✔️How To Reclaim Time Using Templates

✔️My Hack For Effective Follow-Up

✔️So Much More!

Important Resources & Links From This Episode:

AutomateYourBooking.com

Boomerang

Contactually

SingBox

Followup

Close.IO

ConvertKit

Grammarly

Calendly

MeetingBird

ScheduleOnce

TextExpander

In this episode, I share with you the power of affirmations and how they're essential to reprograming your mind for success.

I also share my own personal affirmations and elaborate more on why I have chosen those specific affirmations to reprogram my own negative self-talk. You will get to meet my son Erik as he shares with us his personal affirmations and how they have helped him in school and Jiu Jitsu.

I hope you'll enjoy my episode on affirmations and I encourage you to take action and create your own customized affirmations.

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

• The Power Affirmations Have Over Your Success
• The Link Between Your Thoughts And Your Results
• How To Create Transformative Affirmations
• Why It's Necessary To Reprogram Your Negative Self-Talk
• So Much More!

Now let's jump right in and get to the straight talk!

In this episode I introduce eight common misconceptions about productivity, discuss how believing in and abiding by those myths actually hinders your productivity, and talk about how real productivity can seriously grow your business.

I also discuss how tweaking productivity strategies to work for you can help you maximize your success and answer the question What's your favorite productivity app?

I hope you'll enjoy my episode on productivity myths and hope you start taking the necessary actions to make effective changes in your business today. Now let's get to the straight talk!

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

• The true meaning of productivity
• Why some of your behaviors are preventing you from being productive
• How following strict rules for productivity is often counterproductive
• How working against your natural tendencies keeps you from maximizing your productivity
• So much more!

Important Resources & Links From This Episode:

• There's No App For That
• ProductivityCommunity.com

In this episode, I sit down with productivity author, speaker, and host of The 5 AM Miracle Podcast, Jeff Sanders, as he walks us through how practicing productivity by default forced him to transition from being a "last minute guy" to a productivity expert. He dives into his mental shift that made him look at his time, calendar, tasks and projects differently, how he reverse-engineered his schedule to accomplish more, and his strong opinion on our abundance of free time.

We also talk about methods to take back control of your time, ways to take advantage of theme days, and how taking care of yourself will result in taking better care of your business and everything else in your life by default.

This was an awesome discussion with Jeff I hope you enjoy. Now let's jump right in and get to the straight talk!

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

✔️ How To Go From Victim To Victor Of Your Time

✔️ Why You Have Way More Free Time Than You Think

✔️How To Be Busy By Choice Instead Of Letting Busyness Define Your Life

✔️The Importance Of Having Margin In Your Calendar

✔️ So Much More!

Important Resources & Links From This Episode:

• The Free Time Formula (Book)
• JeffSanders.com
• The 5 AM Miracle (Book)
• The 5 AM Miracle (Podcast)

In this episode, I decipher the different types of business support to help you gain clarity on the type of support that would best serve you and your business based on the stage of business you're in, your current challenges, and your personality.

I also deep dive into my personal journey of finding support, lay out the seven-step method I use to choose who I obtain support from, and discuss why the best support with the highest ROI in the world, may not be the right support for you.

Finally, I mention an awesome opportunity to buy my business coach Todd Herman's 90 Day Year online program IF it's a good fit for you with the FREE added bonus of bi-weekly Execution Masterminds facilitated by me throughout the duration of the program.

I hope you enjoy my episode on the different kinds of business support and encourage you to thoughtfully consider all your options, so you can choose the right support for where you're at in your business. Now let's jump right in and get to the straight talk!

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

✔️When The Right Time Is To Invest Your Time And Money Into Support

✔️Why The Different Types Of Support Each Provide Different Results

✔️How To Choose The Right Support For Where You Are In Your Business

✔️The Key Trait That Will Make All The Difference In Your Support Success

✔️So Much More!

Important Resources & Links From This Episode:

Todd Herman's 90 Day Year

The 5 Stages Of Business

Eps. 012 | Planting The Seeds Of Tiny Habits With Linda Fogg-Phillips

In this episode, I sit down with productive leadership author and speaker, Dave Crenshaw, as he walks us through his previous struggles with ADHD, productivity, organization, and time management. We go on to discuss the inherent problem with multitasking, how to tell if you're suffering from Short Attention Span Syndrome, and the effect of multitasking on the amount of work you get done, the quality of your work, and your stress level.

Dave also offers his best advice for content creation, explains why writer's block is just an excuse, and reveals what you're really admitting when you say you're a good multitasker.

This was an awesome discussion with Dave I hope you enjoy. Now let's jump right in and get to the straight talk!

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

✔️ The Great Paradox Of Multitasking

✔️ The Effects Of Multitasking On Your Relationships, Work, And Stress

✔️ How To Recognize When You're Working In An Inefficient Manner

✔️ Ways "Iron Butt Time" Can Work For You

✔️ So Much More!

Important Resources & Links From This Episode:

• GetYourResult.com
• The Myth Of Multitasking
• DaveCrenshaw.com/exercise

In this episode, I introduce the concept of your productivity sweet spot and walk you through how to exploit its different components so you can consistently show up as your best, most productive self in your business and life.

I also talk about time blocking techniques, working within the confines of your unique zone of genius, maintaining a degree of balance, and creating a schedule in alignment with your energy levels and natural tendencies.

I hope you enjoy my episode on exploiting your productivity sweet spot and encourage you to start doing so today. Now let's jump right in and get to the straight talk!

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

✔️ What Components Factor In To Your Productivity Sweet Spot

✔️ Strategies To Show Up As The Best Version Of You In Business And Life

✔️ Ways To Stop Setting Yourself Up For Failure

✔️ How To Recognize The Energy Vampires In Your Life

✔️ So Much More!

Important Resources & Links From This Episode:

Eps. 011 | How To Get Sh!t Done: Time Blocking Strategies That Work

Eps. 053 | The Fast Track To Achieving That Elusive Entrepreneurial Balance

10 Ways You're Screwing Your Productivity

In this episode, I sit down with Tanya Conner-Green of the How We Hustle Podcast as she walks us through her entrepreneurial journey and discovery of automation which drastically improved her production. We dive into the problem with perfectionism, why you should get the client before you design the system, dealing with money mindset issues, and how automation can help you set up your business for success down the road.

We also discuss how your sales funnel should work, the automation system you absolutely must have, and why it's important to engage even when you think it's a bot.

This was an awesome discussion with Tanya I hope you enjoy. Now let's jump right in and get to the straight talk!

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

✔️How Automation Takes Away The Need To Hustle For Clients

✔️The Cheap Hire You Should Make Who Might Wind Up Your Best Employee

✔️The Automation System You Absolutely Must Have To Keep Money Coming In

✔️ The Secret To Getting To "Home Base" With Your Potential Clients

✔️So Much More!

Important Resources & Links From This Episode:

• How We Hustle Podcast
• Whole Hearted Business Coaching
• Quit Hiding And Get Visible Training
• Strips Video Sketchbook Maker
• PayPal
• ClickFunnels
• Zapier
• The Gifts Of Imperfection
• The ABC of Affirmations5

In this episode, I discuss how to create and maintain entrepreneurial balance so you can lead a more well-rounded, fulfilling, and rewarding life plus rock your business. I offer two actionable strategies for achieving entrepreneurial balance, provide tips for ensuring certain aspects of your life don't bleed into the rest of your activities, and uncover why saying yes is a must.

I also weigh in on what you're likely doing that's anything but sustainable, how your plan for creating balance might not work, and why having a passion outside of your business is vitally important.

I hope you enjoy my episode on entrepreneurial balance and encourage you to pursue creating and maintaining your unique vision of balance. Now let's jump right in and get to the straight talk!

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

✔️ My 7 Categories Of Entrepreneurial Balance

✔️ How To Identify And Achieve Your Ideal Balance

✔️ Ways To Carve Out Quality Time For Those Who Matter

✔️ The Truth About Saying No

✔️ So Much More!

Important Resources & Links From This Episode:

• Eps. 023 | The Practice Of Guilt-Free Self-Care
• Eps. 052 | Taking A Stand For Your Health And Wellness With Dr. Valorie Davidson
• The 5 Love Languages
• Productivity Straight Talk Community On Facebook

Freebie Download:

TimeMaximizers.com

In this episode I sit down with my doctor, Dr. Valorie Davidson of Progress Your Health, as she discusses the effects of adrenal fatigue on your life and business and becoming an advocate for your own health. She provides a glimpse into her world of functional medicine and reveals why her patients never face a wait time.

We also dive into carrying the minutia of life, dealing with chronic stress, the different types of energy, and my perfect storm of stress and hormonal issues.

This was an awesome discussion Dr. Davidson I hope you enjoy. Now let's jump right in and get to the straight talk!

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

✔️ Why You're Feeling "Off" And Lacking In Energy

✔️ How To Stay Off The Cortisol-Glucose-Insulin Roller Coaster

✔️ The Impact Of Adrenal Fatigue On Your Sleep, Libido, And Energy

✔️ What Your Bloodwork Isn't Telling You About Your Health

✔️ So Much More!

Important Resources & Links From This Episode:

• ProgressYourHealth.com
• Progress Your Health Podcast