Balance

I’m Stopping The Insanity…

November 28, 2011 by admin

In 2012, I’m taking some time back for me.

I’ve been on overdrive again for the last 18 months. Largely, I poured myself into working full bore again, because I was avoiding some personal issues I wasn’t happy with. Now that I’m working through those, I’m taking back some time for me again.

Time to reconnect with what matters. My kids. My friends. Myself. My family. My girlfriend.

Time to remain interested in my hobbies. Tennis, reading, skiing, golf, and cooking. Time to start hiking…

Time to stop working around the clock. Time to start saying NO to speaking events I don’t want to do. And only say yes to the ones that inspire me. Time to say NO to coaching clients that aren’t a great fit for me. And time to stop working Fridays. I’m finally hiring an assistant too. Yes it will cost me some money – but I’d rather have the free time.

I’ve just blocked off EVERY Friday in 2012 as Free Time. Time to not work. So if you want to go for a hike, a run, play golf, tennis, etc. drop me a note – as long as we don’t talk biz – I’m in. What are you doing to keep balanced ?

What My Friends Say

July 12, 2011 by admin

I went out to my vast network on Twitter, Facebook, my blog subscribers and LinkedIn to get ideas on living a more productive and balanced life..

Here are some of their answers. I think I like the last one the best. 🙂

· It’s not about balancing work and life. It’s about paying respect to the individual relationships we cultivate: the relationship with self, the one with work and (hopefully) with the person you get to put your cold feet up against at night.

· I turn my radio off and my cell phone off so I’m 100% present and in the moment with the kids for the 15-minute drive or walk to school.

· I not only get ‘me time’— I also work to get one-on-one time with each of the kids. Even an overnight trip somewhere with each of the kids.

· If you’ve got job flexibility, avoid rush hour traffic to and from work and travel off–peak hours. Use that saved time for time with the kids before they go to school or when they come home or for exercise.

· Whatever you choose to make a priority, you will make happen! You also lead by example as your kids will watch and learn. For example, choose stairs over escalators; choose walking over moving walkways like at the airport. When I take an elevator I play a game where I do a squat (only when no one else is in the elevator with me!) and have to stay in that position till I get to whatever floor I’ve pressed.

· Travel with a skipping rope and tubing so you can exercise in your hotel room. In 15 minutes, between those very light weight easy to pack items and push ups, ab crunches and dips you can get a very good workout without leaving your room. No need to travel with runners or worry about finding a gym or taking the time to go to they gym. Watch your CNN and exercise.

· First, I realize that balance is an illusion. Life is never in balance, so I work to manage the imbalances to ensure that first, critical issues are always taken care of (first things first) and then I work to optimize.

· I book vacations before we even know where we are going.

· Write out your priorities and think about which ones you are neglecting. Like recently my kids got very annoyed that I was constantly checking my BlackBerry so I looked at my list and reminded myself that they are top priority…so I decided that off work times and in their presence I would not look at emails.

· Start the year by booking your holidays/time-off in advance.

· I have a weekly half-day volunteer commitment. Forces me to have some mid-week time not working.

· At work, I pretend I have no personal life. At home, I pretend I’m jobless. *Grin* Doing both forces me to be 100% present on what ever I’m doing or supposed to be doing.

· Pretend that your iPhone only works when the sun is up and not at all on weekends. Kids and spouses need to believe they are most important things in your life.

· The iPhone is like a huge “presence” condom. It numbs the feeling.

· Do a Vivid Vision for your company as well as your business. Focus on it like you do your business one too. Company’s come and go – family is forever, paint the family future together and enjoy the journey.

· I realized email & cell calls are never urgent. It dawned on me that nobody has ever called me to buy $1M of stuff… I only sell when I am doing the calling…so why am I thinking their emails or calls are so urgent?

· Ask women what they’re doing – and do that. Women tend to really get balance a lot more than men do. Learn from them. They get it. And they live it a lot better – or they sure try to.

Work Out Harder and Hire Fit People

March 30, 2011 by admin

If you’re not currently setting goals to be in better shape, you know what you need to do.

Trust me – your back problems and evolving double chin will disappear faster than you think.

“Ya I just don’t have time to work out.” Neither does Barack Obama, but he’s hard in the gym for an hour in the morning, 6 days a week.

Don’t you hate it when I’m right?

Also, when recruiting, look for athletes and hire people who play sports actively.

Look for team players. Look for those with athletic goals as adults. Those who wake up working out hard will work hard in their jobs. Those who sit on the couch watching TV that makes them dumber will produce similar results at work.

pic Eden Prairie News

Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Already Taken

September 30, 2010 by admin

I must admit I always struggled with writing down what the core values for my company BackPocket COO would be. In fact, I found it easier to put them in place for companies I’ve built in the past because I had teams of people. Now my company is me, and some awesome virtual people doing design, research, assistance, SEM, writing, etc.

A few months ago after helping a client’s company nail their core values I was on a flight home, and I realized the core values for my company were already inside me, I just had to close my eyes, and feel them. Then in a rush, they came out:

Do What You Love – Be Authentic – Deliver What You Promise – Balance Is Key

Once I scribbled them down, I knew they were right. They were values I already lived by and felt energized by. They fit like my Saturday comfy hangover jeans and sweatshirt do.

Do What You Love – is based on the concept of Unique Ability by Dan Sullivan. Coaching, Mentoring & Speaking are fun for me. I’m great at them. I get energized doing them. And others get energy watching me. I love em. And I’d do them for free – but my kids like to eat.

Be Authentic – It drives me nuts when people put on a game face, or a professional voice etc. I’ve always found that when people are REALLY themselves, they resonate with everyone around them. My energy vibrates when I’m being me. I become a magnet, and I know it. When I wear what I want, say what I mean, and let my vulnerabilities out, others are attracted to me – and I am to them. It feels great being me. Besides, I might as well be myself, everyone else is taken.

Deliver What You Promise – Period. Nuff said. If I need to explain this one – ummm, we can’t be friends.

Balance Is Key – I get one life. And I’m not going to live it working 65 hour weeks any more. I once did 117 hours in a week and wore it like a badge of honor. What an ass I was back then. Now I try to live by a couple mantras: 1) Remain Interested to Remain Interesting (thanks Jillian Dixon Boxer) and 2) The Lazy Entrepreneur (thanks Dave Feller). I know ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ but damn it, I do too…

What are your core values ?

Tennis anyone ?

For more information on this topic, check out: Building a World Class Culture.

Force Your Staff to Rest!

July 7, 2010 by admin

One of my favorite lines at the office used to be, “great day—take the rest of it off.’ I used to tease people with that and say it at 6pm. I’d also say it to people at 10:30 am and blow them away.

Tell people to go home and relax once in a while.

We all know that as entrepreneurs we duck out of the office for our little stress breaks. Let your team take some once in a while, too.

And if you really like your employees as much as you say you do, let them take the same amount of vacations, as you’d want. Most employees feel that five weeks’ paid vacation (including their sick days) in addition to the statutory government holidays is about right.

Let them take it.

They won’t quit. They won’t come into work sick. And we all know the most productive time at the office is the day before vacation.

So give people time off.

To be sure they take this time off, force them to or they lose it. The idea is to recharge your batteries regularly and not stockpile the time and have a meltdown. As a business coach and mentor, I advise CEO’s to give their employees five weeks’ time, however, make them take all five weeks of time during the calendar year.

For more information on this topic, check out: Building a World Class Culture and Leadership at 100MPH.

Schedule Family Time

June 14, 2010 by admin

Put family time in your calendar first and schedule everything else around it.

I’ve always wanted to walk my kids to school. So I do. Every day I have a standing appointment from 8:45am – 9:15am when I can walk them to school. I book breakfasts, meetings and calls around that time.

Sometimes I need to use that spot, but I bet I walk my kids to school more often than you do. And I’ll remember that more than the meeting I could have had.

Ask for your kid’s school calendar from September through June like I do. Book off time on all the dates your kids are available. Those ‘professional development days’ that teachers get off are so random, but they make great days to play with the kids. This is way better bonding time than some school play we watch them in once and try so hard to attend.

I just got the school calendar today for the 2010/2011 school year. I’ll be blocking off ALL the dates they are off school in this week so I’m off work on those days to play with them and make more memories. I’m already looking forward to September. What do you do to have more balance & time with your kids?

pic Chris Lopez

Access Cameron's Best Ideas For FREE!

Back To Top