According to Michelle Villalobos, Founder, “Everyone is selling something. Whether it’s your products, your services, a point of view, an idea, a cause or simply yourself, every woman can benefit from learning how to SELL. Miami’s largest women’s conference returns to Miami for the 5th Summit – The Big CLOSE. Learn from, get inspired by and connect with top professionals from South Florida… and beyond. Featuring appearances by some of the business world’s most interesting, successful and educational speakers, panelists, gurus and prodigies.”

The video below tells the story of some of the past summits

The Faculty – including Nell Merlino, Mike Michalowicz and Michelle Villalobos, among dozens of other experts will share with the audience amazing insights, trends and vision.

And the content is RICH! Two days of non-stop expert presentations including:

Make Mine A Million & “Take Our Daughters To Work Day” Founder, Nell Merlino:

What Motivational Speakers Won’t Tell You About Building A Million Dollar Business

Toilet Paper Entrepreneur Author, Mike Michalowicz:

The 8 Secrets To Getting More Customers, To Buy More Things, More Often

“Chief Badass” & Founder of BadassBusinessWomen.org, Jessica Kizorek:

The Badass Guide To Selling Yourself… Without Selling Your Soul

Annette Nathan, Creator of Women & Wealth:

“Mission Control: A System To Manage EVERYTHING In Your Life”

The Male Panel:

How The Other Half WORK: Men On Success, Unscripted & Uncensored

Join hundreds of smart, successful, influential women from around South Florida and around the country on May 17th and 18th from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.

Venue: Miracle Theater, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables, FL 33134

General Passes, VIP Passes and the ALL-NEW VIP PLUS Pass are available! Go here to register: http://www.womenssuccesssummit.com/

I will be there! Hope to see you there…

WE Magazine will be collecting cards and doing a drawing for Four full-page ads for our Summer Issue. Be sure and find me and give me your card!

WE Magazine for Women is delighted to support the WBENC National Conference taking place in Orlando Florida on June 20, 2012.

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

For more than a decade and a half, WBENC has helped to open the doors of opportunity for WBEs. This important tradition will continue at the 2012 conference as WBENC continues to implement the Roadmap to 2020. The three-day conference will promote WBENC certification as the framework supporting the procurement requirements of corporate and government entities interested in doing business with women business enterprises. The event will also support WBENC-Certified WBEs who seek better access to procurement opportunities in these markets.

WORKSHOPS

Workshops will focus on economic impact and job creation; entrepreneurial training; innovation, technology and sustainability; and the best ways to access capital and develop new markets.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Several well-known personalities, including New York Times best selling authors, nationally recognized business leaders and C-level executives will offer valuable insight on business trends, economic forecast and how to succeed in today’s marketplace.

VIEW THE SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

BUSINESS FAIR

Boasting more than 3,200 registered attendees, last year’s Business Fair was a resounding success. The one-of-a-kind event drew 325 exhibitors, including more than 100 WBENC-Certified WBE exhibitors from across the nation.

There is so much more! Including a Matchmaker Program, Silent Auction, Sponsorship Opportunities and more.

Visit the site today: http://www.wbenc.org/wbencconf/

REGISTER HERE: http://www.wbenc.org/wbencconf/reg.php 

ABOUT WBENC The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), founded in 1997, is the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned, controlled, and operated by women in the United States. WBENC, a national 501(c)(3) non-profit, partners with 14 Regional Partner Organizations to provide its world class standard of certification to women-owned businesses throughout the country. WBENC is also the nation’s leading advocate of women-owned businesses as suppliers to America’s corporations.

Borrowed Time – 75 Years and Counting

I read about 2 books a week and Borrowed Time was not only a quick read, it was entertaining and kept my interest! We need more books like this. I loved that it was not a typical “linear” book, but was one that told about pockets of a life as oppposed to as they happened. It was refreshing.

Here is an excerpt submitted by the author:

Fitting In

You just want to fit in. When you’re a little girl of six or seven or eight or nine, that means jacks, jump rope, hopscotch. If you’re not very good at it, that’s ok, but you do have to play. At school and in your neighborhood, games set the standard for belonging. Redlight-Greenlight, Hide-and-Seek, Red Rover-Red Rover, Follow the Leader, Crack the Whip. You join in, whatever the game.

At little later, in high school, you join clubs, go to the sock-hops and football games. Wear the right saddle oxfords and sweater sets. Go the movies with the gang every week.

Get good grades and worry about college.

Later still, you marry and have children and worry about them. Go to church. Join the PTA and the Women’s Club. Play bridge or canasta. You just want to belong, to fit in.

You have friends, or at least a lot of acquaintances. You show up at the Garden Club meetings and you’re greeted, welcomed. You help with pot lucks and community projects and donate to the local charity or theater or museum. Go to the fundraiser dinners. Oh, yes.

Much later, but sooner than you could ever have imagined, you’re joining AARP and the Senior Center and thinking about retirement homes.

Much, much later, when at last St. Peter checks you in at the pearly gate he’ll give you a great big smile and say, “Welcome, my friend, don’t worry, you’re going to fit right in!”

To learn more about Borrowed Time and the author visit: Xlibris.com

WE Magazine is delighted to announce our newest AWARD – The Top 100 Who’s Who Among Women in Ecommerce™ for 2012!

Imagine being in a room full of 100 of the top women doing business on the web! And being able to chat with them and find out what makes them tick (or click), why they do what they do, and do it so well, they are considered role models in their industry. Well, maybe you will never get the chance to meet each one of these face to face, but you can connect with them in a way that only a few short years ago we could not. Via the vastness, unending universe known as the internet. In fact you can have access to any of these women with the simple click of a mouse!

You can reach out to Charly Leetham in Australia, Linda Pereira in Portugal, Daisy Wright in Canada, Debbie O’Connor in the UK, Gisele Rufer in Switzerland and several women across the United States.

There are 100 Women in Ecommerce™ who represent their industries and professions as artists, astrologers, authors, internet marketers, photographers, coaches, consultants, manufacturers, clothing designers, inventors, event planners, personal trainers and everything in between.

Some of the women have been in business for more than 20 years and others as few as two years. And what does each of these women have in common? They all promote their products and services on the Internet. Successfully.

According to Susan Ward of About.com, “Ecommerce (or e-commerce) is the art and science of selling products and/or services over the Internet.”

And art and science it is! You have to be a creative person to get people to pay attention to you online and you have to balance that with the science of self-promotion or hire experts to do it for you.

In all, we have gathered 100 women who WE believe truly represent doing business on the WEB.

They are (drum roll please): 

Nan Akasha, Betty Audish, Walethia Aquil, Wendy Y. Bailey, Ruthi Backenroth, Leesa Barnes, Melanie Benson Strick, Cathy Berger, Stacy Blackman, Toby Bloomberg, Ali Brown, Holly Buchanan, Karla Brandau, Rosana Santos Calambichis, Anita Campbell, Heidi Caswell, Stephanie Chandler, Claudette Chenevert, Shannon Cherry, Lorraine Cohen, Myriam Cohen, Danna Crawford, Louise Crooks, Debra J. “Debbie” Cunningham, Baeth Davis, Faith M. Davis, Nicole Dean, Elena del Valle, Marla Dennis,Jody DeVere, Yvonne DiVita, Sally Falkow, Andrea Feinberg, Dale Filhaber, Kelli Fox,Stacy Francis, Kathleen Gage, Rosalind Gardner, Sabrina Gibson, Eva Gregory,Christine Guld, Donna Gunter, Penny Haynes, Sandee Hemphill, Jessica Herrin, Rebecca Herwick, Angie Hicks, Linda Hollander, Kyra Howell, Mary Clare Hunt, Kristina Jaramillo, Marilyn Jenett, Nancy Juetten, Lorrie Kazan, Simone Kelly, Jessica Kizorek,Donna Kozik, Lisa Ann Krutzik, Charly Leetham, Diane MacEachern, Beverly Mahone,Nancy Marmolejo, Allison Maslan, Alexis Maybank, Shari McConahay, Sheri McConnel,Fay McLean, Stephanie Mulac, Marie Myers, Andrea R. Nierenberg, Cindy O’Connor,Debbie O’Connor, Kelly O’Neil, Maritza Parra, Michele Pariza Wacek, Linda Pereira,Lisa Marie Platske, Ana Poirier, Rev. Anne Presuel, Morgana Rae, Giselle Rufer, Kerri Salls, Kate Sanner, Lisa Sasevich, Katrina Sawa, Michele Scism, Lynn Scheurell, Beth Schneider, Colleen Slater, Felicia Slattery, Faith Smith, Susan Wilson Solovic, Sheryl Stanton, Kendall SummerHawk, Karen Talavera, Ivana Taylor, Lynn Terry, Tracy Terry,Denise Wakeman, Maureen Whitehouse, Carrie Wilkerson, Alexandra Wilkis, and Daisy Wright!

You can read their stories in the latest edition of WE Magazine for Women (along with some great articles on doing business on the WEB). Here is the link to the Turning page (FLIP) version:  http://wemagazineforwomen.com/whos-who-2012/

Here is the link to the press release announcing the award: http://wemagazineforwomen.com/pdfs/WhosWhoRelease2012.pdf

For the PDF version click on the cover or visit: http://bit.ly/whoswho2012

Please join me in congratulating the 2012 Who’s Who Among Women in Ecommerce™. Click on their links, visit their sites and offer your own personal congratulations! Special thanks to all our advertisers, those returning and those who have joined us for the first time. Because of their support, WE have been able able to provide you with great content and the amazing women WE continue to showcase on our site and in our magazine (since 2006).

Warmest regards,

Heidi Richards Mooney, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

ps. There are so many amazing women who do business online that this was one of the most challenging lists WE magazine has EVER had to create.  If you know someone who should be included in a future Who’s Who list, be sure and leave a comment below so we can add her to our potential candidates! And of course, self-nominations are welcome too!

Every once in a while I take the liberty to promote one of my own products and services and with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I thought it would be a perfect time to share a book I wrote that never goes out of style.

Romance on a Budget: 199 Cheap Thrills, Romantic Antics and Love-Changing Experiences.  This book is a small hard cover keepsake book the two of you can enjoy reading together. And more importantly find out what each other prefers when it comes to Romantic Antics.

Being Romantic is about… being creative.

It’s about being willing to take a risk. Sometimes it’s being sweet. Sometimes it�s being silly.

Romance is about … the right attitude.

Romance isn’t about how much money you lavish on another. It’s about making dreams and fantasies come true. Romance is about the little things that make a BIG difference in a relationship.

The antics in Romance on a Budget are designed to inspire you, and spark your own creativity.

Some of the antics in Romance on a Budget include:

#18 Spray the perfume or cologne you wear on a light bulb. When the light is turned on the scent of you will fill the room.

#87 Celebrate Love Days every month such as March on over to your love and celebrate Share a Smile Day (Mar. 1st), Call her up on Telephone Day (Mar. 10th), Lips Appreciation Day (Mar. 16th), Flower Day (Mar. 21st ), and Make up your own Holiday Day (Mar. 26th).

#5 – Recipes for making Whippy Do – that can lead to Whoopie!

#138, 139 and 140 – Recipes for Love Potion #9 and so much more…

Romance on a Budget is filled with 199 cheap thrills, romantic antics and love-changing experiences to add ignite your souls, without spending a fortune. Whether you’re a man or a woman, you’ll find many ideas to Raise the Romance Meter in Romance on a Budget.  Want to lead a happier, more love-filled life? Want to bring more passion into your relationship?

Order Your Copy of Romance on a Budget and save $7 Today!

Special Price for WE Magazine Readers only $8.95 each (regular $15.95)

Click her for your copy of Romance on a Budget $8.95 plus standard shipping ($2.95) Total $11.90

To order your copy for expedited shipping 2-3 day click here ($8.95 plus $6.95 shipping) Total $15.90

*U.S. shipments only

With help from her two daughters Chris Cone and Lucinda Cone, they worked with the member’s of her writing group to compile a 144- page manuscript of original short stories which were all created in the latter part of Cone’s life.

Making her dream of being a published author a reality, Cone’s gift as a writer will be preserved, thanks to her family and literary friends. In her unique collection of contemporary short stories, her writing reminds all of us that it is never too late to leave a legacy. Not only do Cone’s characters exhibit vital, engaging, and rich inner lives, her crisp dialogue and subtle insight into the human condition deliver a delightful mix of laughter and tears.

Here is what Chris had to say about her mother’s book:

Q: What made you and your sister, Lucinda, decide to support the request to publish this collection of short stories?

A: Mary is primarily devoted to the process of writing rather than the business of publishing. Her family and writing group, however, were always interested in seeing her work published. When FolkHeart Press approached us about publishing a collection of Mary’s short stories, my sister and I were thrilled. The book project involved a team of Mary’s colleagues and family. Mary’s writing group (Amy Ingersoll Beauchamp, Claudia Bloom, Terri Tate, and Margit Liesche) assisted Mary in the selection of the stories and provided the book’s foreword; Wordsworth of Marin, owned by family friends Larry and Barbara Brauer, provided copy editing and pre-press services; Mary’s daughter, Lucinda Hitchcock Cone, provided the book cover illustration; I helped facilitate the book production; and Karen Pierce Gonzalez, owner of FolkHeart Press and a dear family friend, provided the introduction, imprint and publication services, and book promotion.

Q: Is it important for writers to see their work published?

A: I believe there is value in publishing one’s work. Not for fame or fortune, but to complete the sacred creative journey from that very personal place in which all that exists is you and the blank page to that community of readers who will find meaning in your story, novel, or article. This is why writing is an art, because it creates a bridge between the personal and the community.

Q: What message do you hope your mother’s work sends to other writers?

A: Mary focused her attention on the humanity in ordinary lives. Her stories bring insight and humor to the life journey we all share. Despite her duties as a parent, her career, and later caring for my father as his health failed, Mary, 88, kept faith with her art and produced a body of work that we are so very proud to debut with FolkHeart Press. Some, like Mary, are writers by calling. I hope my mother’s story inspires other writers to keep writing and share your work with the world. It is never too late.

Q: Do you have a favorite story? Tell us why it is your favorite.

A: “Point of No Return” is near and dear to my heart because it is based on a true story from our family. I’m not going to name names, but as I child I remember gift giving was always complicated by an eccentric relative (not my mother’s sister) who, like Aunt Lila, had a penchant for returning gifts. No matter how thoughtful or useful, all gifts were returned, sometimes the same day as in the story. And yes, it was Mary who doggedly searched for the one gift that would stick. I don’t remember if there was a happy ending to the real life story; I just remember driving back from Christmas dinner with that one lonely rejected gift tucked in the trunk, again.

Through dedication, support and a love for writing, Cone and her daughters prove that anything is possible at any age. For more on information on Moose Mash and Other Stories go to www.moosemash.com.

About Mary Hitchcock Cone: She is a fiction writer specializing in short stories and mystery novels. She began her writing career in mid-life while working for San Francisco Supervisor William C. Blake and later in the environmental field on staff with the Trust for Public Land and Nature Conservancy. In 1997 Mary joined a Marin County–based writing group inspired by author Anne Lamott, whose members meet weekly to share and critique their original fiction works. Mary was married for fifty-three years to the late Russell Cone, a journalist for the San Francisco Examiner, and raised two daughters. She instilled in her children a strong creative spirit founded on the idea that living a life of meaning is an art — that each choice, each risk, each moment of love and understanding is a colorful brush stroke on a ever evolving self portrait. She has traveled to Europe, across the U.S., and throughout California. Mary currently resides in Sacramento, California.

 About Chris Cone: She is an Energy Efficiency Implementation Manager for the Climate Protection Campaign, overseeing energy efficiency initiatives for residential and commercial buildings. Chris helped develop the Energy Upgrade California™ program (one-stop-shop for building efficiency/solar generation providing education, rebates, qualified contractors, and financing). She has over twenty-five years’ experience in the publishing, journalism, and environmental advocacy.

What is my purpose in life?

Deepak Chopra says: “An important part of our purpose in this life is to discover our purpose, and Lissa Coffey shows us how to do that in her beautiful new book “What’s Your Dharma?”

Something within each of us yearns to find meaning in our lives, and to discover the reason we are here in this time and place. The search for purpose is age-old, and it compels us to move forward, to learn and to grow. Lissa Coffey, well known for her inspiring blend of ancient wisdom and modern style, brings us Vedanta’s Four Yogas, and explores how each one can help us to define our unique purpose. What’s Your Dharma? guides us on a journey of self-discovery, and shows us how to create a lifestyle where we can express ourselves creatively and feel fulfilled.

To help celebrate the launch of her new book, Lissa has lots of fabulous gifts for you with your purchase today. In addition, you can be entered into drawings to win some amazing prizes. All the info is here: http://www.whatsyourdharma.com/promo/index.php

Add Joy & Passion To Your Relationship With The Wabi Sabi Approach To Loving Your Mate

Love. It’s right up there with air, food and water as the most necessary of ingredients for existence. And yet, for many people, it’s the hardest thing to find and perhaps even harder to hold on to. The truth is you’re not perfect, and neither is your partner. But you can be perfectly imperfect together.

Arielle Ford’s new book, Wabi Sabi Love: The Ancient Art of Finding Perfect Love in Imperfect Relationships is firmly rooted in the belief that how you choose to see things informs the way they appear for you. For anyone in a long-term relationship, you know how quickly a little quirk and idiosyncrasy can progress from a rub to a burn. How often do you find yourselves arguing over the same little things? But what if, instead of focusing on trying to change that one thing about your partner, you had the ability to actually change the way you look at that one thing? Suddenly, the focus of everything in your relationship would shift.

Here is a message from Arielle about the book:

This concept is based on the ancient Japanese art form known as Wabi Sabi that honors all things worn, weathered, imperfect and impermanent. It is the imperfections that make something beautiful and unique. By applying this concept to love relationships, Wabi Sabi Love allows you to go from “annoyed to enjoyed” with simple, fun, and effective ways to embrace this life-changing shift in perception. Your relationship will never be the same.

You can learn more about the book and grab five special gifts from her friends and colleagues when you buy Wabi Sabi Love here: http://thewabisabibook.com/

Because this story is your story!

If you have been reading WE Magazine for a while you know that I seldom recommend books written by men. Why? Because there are just too many great books written by women that still need to be shared and since this is a magazine by, for and about women, I generally stick to that. However, I had to share this one with you because my friend Paul Streitz just launched this wonderful book and I think you should check it out. Read on to learn more…

Here’s what Brian Tracy has to say about it:

“This wonderful, warm, inspiring book will motivate you to set bigger goals and then persevere over all obstacles until you succeed.” =

A new book has convinced me that the most addictive kind of story does not come from Hollywood. Rather, it’s the story of someone like you and me, facing the kind of dramas we all face. It’s called Blue Collar Buddha, by Paul Streitz.

This is a story of tragedies and triumphs, love gained and lost, ups and downs and lessons learned. The details may differ, but you know Paul Streitz’s hopes and heartaches as well as you know your own. In thirty uplifting stories of personal and professional enlightenment, Paul shares the hard-earned wisdom he gained from overcoming debilitating childhood insecurities, shocking betrayals at work and at home, and two life-changing bouts with cancer.

Ultimately, with integrity, ingenuity, and indomitable will, he created a rich, fulfilling life and a business worth millions.

Following each story are self-reflection questions that challenge you to consider similar experiences in your own life, the effect they’ve had on you, and how you can learn from them as Paul did.

Blue Collar Buddha provides a powerful reminder that life will present you only with obstacles you can overcome, and that adversity is the gateway to greatness. You’ll come away better equipped to face tough times and use them to fuel your drive towards a new level of success and fulfillment, as Paul Streitz did.

Order Blue Collar Buddha through the link below and get valuable FREE BONUSES: http://www.bluecollarbuddha.com/

Enjoy the read!

Heidi

Today I was contemplating what to write about that would inspire our readers to action. I like to share my typical New Year list of resolutions that have worked for me all these years. After all, the New Year brings each of us another chance to get it right. A clean slate, a chance to re-evaluate our goals and mission in life.  

Looking around for inspiration, I came upon this article sent to me by my good friend and PR professional Dottie Hart. It is everything I would like to share with you… and then some.  Be sure to read this in its entirety. Take notes. Better yet, print it out and look at it every day. Its great advice for living a fuller, more productive, happier, less stressful life.  There are a couple of things on this list I plan to implement immediately! What about you? Let me know what YOUR plans are to start anew.  And if you have a tip that has worked well, be sure and share it in the comments below.  Our readers will appreciate it, and you.  Thank you to everyone for reading WE Magazine for Women. For your support from the time you became a fan to today… and beyond.  You are the WHY WE magazine exists for.

Happiest of New Years to you and yours!

Heidi & the Editors of WE Magazine for Women

Avoiding Death by To-Do List  - 15 Ways to Overcome Overload and Work Smarter in 2012

If you’re like many Americans you’re dreading your first day back after the holidays. Your to-do list and bursting-at-the-(cyber)seams in-box loom large. Workplace performance expert Jason Womack explains how to get a handle on both—and maybe even find the wherewithal to finally change your life.

Now that the presents have been unwrapped and the halls have been undecked, it’s back to the daily grind. And while you’d love to feel energized and excited about jumping into 2012, instead you’re weighed down with dread. You know the second you step foot in your office you’ll be hit with 20+ tasks to add to your to-do list and an inbox full of e-mails begging for an immediate response. You’ll start January 2 feeling overwhelmed and incapable of getting everything done—and 2012 will become another year of wishing things were different.

It’s true, says Jason Womack: For too many of us, feeling anxious and overwhelmed has become the new normal. But 2012 can be the year you finally get a handle on your to-do list and start working—and living—at your best.

“Most of your dread doesn’t come from the work itself—it comes from how you think about the work,” says Womack, a workplace performance expert, executive coach, and author of the new book Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More. “The psychological weight of unfinished tasks and unmade decisions is huge. There is a constant feeling of pressure to do more with less. You can’t change that reality…but you can make peace with it.”

“The first step to changing the way you get things done is to accept that you’re never going to get it all done,” says Womack. “You’ll always be updating your to-do list by crossing off completed tasks and adding new ones…and that’s okay. When you improve the way you approach the things you need to get done, both on the job and off, you’ll stop wishing things were different and start really making new things possible.”

Read on to learn more about the essential good habits you can create in 2012 and make it your most productive year yet.

Purge and unsubscribe. When Womack suggests reducing your psychological burden, in some cases that means reducing your literal burden. Start 2012 by deleting and recycling to make room for the “new” of the new year. Too many people let a backlog (paper AND digital information) pile up over the last six weeks of the year.

“Get rid of everything you can and reduce what might be coming in,” advises Womack. “Unsubscribe from e-mail newsletters, magazines, book-of-the-month clubs, perhaps even the ad-hoc committees you’ve joined recently. Try the ‘unsubscription’ for three months; at the end of those 12 weeks, you can re-up if you want to!”

Block out your time and prioritize. Ask yourself this: How much time do I really spend each day clicking through e-mails and making my to-do list? The answer is probably a lot. When you spend your day making giant to-do lists or flagging “urgent” e-mails, you’ll never get any real work done. Instead look at your day and figure out where you have blocks of time to really focus and engage on what needs to be done.

On that first day back after vacation, you might also designate specific “Interrupt Me” times during the day for the first couple of weeks of the year. This lets people know that you’ll be working “head down” for larger blocks of the day and encourages them to “think-bunch-interrupt” so you get more done at once, instead of getting interrupted multiple times per day.

Change how you manage e-mail. The moment you click on your inbox, your focus goes and your stress grows, as you proceed to delete, respond, forward, and file the messages you find there. You see names and subject lines and suddenly your mind starts racing; all you can think of are the latest projects, the “loudest” issues, and the high-priority work that shows up. If you’re not careful, all you’ll do all day is manage your e-mail.

Rather than simply flag e-mails that require action, use the subject lines to catalog and organize them, suggests Womack. For example, you might put “Follow-up Call” in the subject line of an e-mail about a meeting you just had with a client. Also, don’t look at your e-mail unless you have a block of time to devote to prioritizing them and responding to them. When you are going through your e-mail, use subject lines to catalog them and organize them so that you’ll easily be able to go back to less urgent e-mails later on.

Take technology shortcuts. Womack writes about a client of his who easily wasted over three hours a week organizing her e-mails into the 300+ folders she had down the left-hand column of her Microsoft Outlook. And those three hours didn’t include the time she knew she’d have to spend catching up—putting most of her 7,000 inbox e-mails in those folders! Womack shared with his client a few specific features (rules and search folders) of Microsoft Outlook that would enable her to cut down considerably the time she spent organizing her e-mails.

“My client now spends less than an hour a week filing her messages,” says Womack. “And while an e-mail system is what worked for her, practically every kind of software you use daily has tricks and shortcuts that once implemented could save you a lot of time. Sit down with those who can teach you more about these systems. The more you fully understand the tools you use the easier it will be to learn even more about their features and how to use them to your advantage.”

Break inertia. Ever watch a freight train start to move? That first forward jolt takes the most energy; keeping the train rolling is much easier. Do some small things to get rolling on getting caught up at the beginning of the year. Then pace yourself. You’ll probably find it’s much easier to keep rolling along at a comfortable clip.

Keep your BlackBerry out of bed. Womack writes about a client who listed “Check e-mail on Blackberry (in bed)” as part of his daily morning routine. Note that he didn’t do anything about those e-mails while still in bed. He waited until he was commuting to work (he had a 40-minute train ride to the office each day) to start taking action. Then, he said, he rushed through his morning worrying about the e-mails he had read in bed.

“Together, he and I designed a five-day experiment during which period he would leave his mobile device in another room and use an alarm clock to wake up instead of his phone,” says Womack. “He would shower, dress, eat breakfast, and then check e-mail on his train ride to work. Initially, he expressed concern that he might miss the ‘thinking about what I have to think about’ time he had built in to the early part of the day, but he was willing to give the experiment a try.

“When I called him the following week, he had good news,” Womack continues. “The experiment had worked. He was less stressed and was using his morning more productively. This change in his routine gave him a higher quality of life with less stress and increased productivity—one he didn’t know was possible without falling behind in his work.”

Always be prepared for “bonus time.” This is a great strategy for increasing productivity throughout the year, but it will be especially helpful in the days following your holiday vacation (or any break). Bring small chunks of work with you wherever you go. Then, while waiting for a meeting to start or for a delayed flight to depart—Womack calls these unexpected blocks of free time “bonus time”—you’ll be able to reply to an e-mail or make a phone call. In other instances, you might have enough time to review materials for another meeting or project you are working on. If you’re prepared, you can also confirm appointments, draft responses, or map out a project outline.

Reduce meeting time lengths. If meetings at your organization are normally given a 60-minute time length, start giving them a 45-minute time length. You’ll find that what you get done in 60 minutes you can also achieve in 45 minutes. You’ll also gain 15 extra minutes for each meeting you have.

“Usually, we fill the time we expect to fill,” says Womack. “Give yourself less time and you’ll get it done in less time. The shorter time frame really gets you focused. All that extra time will really add up and provide you with more time to work toward your goals.”

Figure out what distracts you. It can be extremely helpful to discern exactly what it is that gets in the way of your focus. Identify what is blocking your ability to give all of your attention to what needs your attention. Is it the constant ding of e-mails popping up in your inbox? Is it employees or colleagues who need “just a minute” of your time? Once you have this inventory, you can begin to make subtle changes so that you wind up getting more done, in less time, at a higher level of quality.

“I look for what I call the ‘big two’ when I’m coaching clients,” says Womack. “Together we uncover just two common interruptions or distractions that are getting in the way of their getting more important work done each day. My goal is to minimize the kinds of distractions in my clients’ work world that can easily pull them away from doing the meaningful, important, prioritized work they need to get done.”

Divide your projects into small, manageable pieces. Take one step at a time and don’t worry about reaching the ultimate goal. Make use of small chunks of time. In fact, a great way to approach this is to break the yearly goals down into quarterly goals. Now that you’re back, there are X number of weeks left in the first quarter. If you worked on a goal only two hours each week (perhaps over four 30-minute sessions) you’ll have a total of X hours to invest in that goal. Set milestones, decide actions, and make progress faster.

Identify the VERBS that need attention. (And here’s a hint: Smaller is better.) Organize your to-do list by verbs in order to manage your productivity in terms of action, delegation, and progress. Actions such Call, Draft, Review, and Invite are things that you can do, generally in one sitting, that have the potential to move the project forward one step at a time.

“If your to-do list has ‘big’ verbs—by which I mean verbs that are mentally demanding or longer term in nature such as plan, discuss, create, or implement—replace them with action steps to just get started,” says Womack. “That is, pick ‘smaller’ verbs, by which I mean verbs describing tasks that are easier to start and faster to finish. This will save you time and reduce the sense of overload you’re feeling.”

Learn to delegate clearly (much, much more clearly). Come to terms with the fact that you can’t get it all done yourself. Identify exactly what needs to be done and by when. Over-communicate and (if you need to!) track what you have given to whom.

“Check back weekly with your ‘Waiting on…’ inventory and follow up with people who you think may wind up falling behind,” urges Womack. “Be relentless. After all, if the people you delegate to aren’t productive, you won’t be productive either.”

Hold yourself accountable with end-of-day notecards. At the end of each day, for the first 20 or so workdays of January, write down (on a 3×5 notecard) basic things about each day: Who you met with. What you completed. Where you went. What you learned. At the end of the month, you can use this “inventory of engagement” to identify what you want/need to do more (or less!) of.

Implement a weekly debrief. Take time after every five-day period to stop, look around, and assess where you are in relation to where you thought you would be. Look at three key areas: 1. What new ideas have emerged? 2. What decisions need to be made? 3. How do I track this information?

“Not only does the weekly debrief help you hold yourself accountable, it allows you to course-correct if necessary,” notes Womack. “Things usually don’t go the way we expect them to, so these weekly debriefs give us the opportunity to ask ourselves, Does this still make sense? And if not, what does?”

Forecast your future. Open your calendar to 180 days from today. There, write three to four paragraphs describing what you’ll have done, where you’ll have been, and what will have happened to your personal/professional life by then. This kind of “forecasting” is good to do from time to time, and by spending ten or so minutes at the beginning of the year thinking about the next six months, you’ll put your goals into action.

“What we think about is what we do,” says Womack. “Identifying what we’d like to experience is the first step in developing the habits and actions that move us closer to our goals. That ten minutes is the starting point in moving off the ‘thought trails’ that force you into thinking what you’ve always thought—and doing what you’ve always done.”

“There’s a reason we’re so drawn to New Year’s resolutions,” says Womack. “On a deep, fundamental level we want to get better and better, both on the job and off. There is no reason to remain mired in frustration and struggling to catch up. Life can be a wonderfully exciting journey, and it can start whenever we want it to start. January of 2012 is as good a time as any.”

About the Author: Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA, provides practical methods to maximize tools, systems, and processes to achieve quality work/life balance. He has worked with leaders and executives for over 16 years in the business and education sectors. His focus is on creating ideas that matter and implementing solutions that are valuable to organizations and the individuals in those organizations.