"Walk and Talk" - I have been famous for this technique at virtually every place of business I've ever worked at. People think they have to stop moving to talk - these are the same people who can't walk and chew gum at the same time. Now that may sound funny, but notice how many people have to sit down to have a conversation or totally stop in their tracks when someone starts to talk to them. You will see this all the time.
I love this technique because it costs me no extra time to have the conversation and the conversation is kept brief because I have a ready excuse at my place of destination to cut the conversation short. People also understand intuitively that if they are "walking and talking" they had better get to the point quick because very likely it's a short walk. This technique has saved me gobs of time and has taught my staff to take my time very seriously, to be brief and succinct, and to think through what they're going to say thoroughly before approaching me.
Education - Education is a great time-saver! If you research a good field and get through college in a timely fashion - you can do very well - Particularly in the Business fields. Expertise in specialized areas can be highly valued. On average a college grade (with masters) will earn almost double the income of a High School grad in his/her lifetime!
Education is a great time-saver ... If done right! Remember, some degrees and forms of education create greater income and save you major time! Others degrees and forms of education can waste time and money! Watch out! A college education doesn't always pay for itself based on the alternative ... It typically does ... But there are "holes" in the system. Getting a doctoral degree in English Literature so you can be a Manager at Blockbusters - and make ½ of what the 19 year old "Hooters" Girl who serves you your beer after work is making - is not the best use of your time ... and not a good financial plan. In each industry you can get paid more to do some things with the same degree than others. I switched from Counseling clients to teaching psychology at local Universities and more than tippled my income! Nurses and bartenders/waitresses make great incomes (well above average) with 0-2 years of training. Most government jobs give full pensions ... Freeing you form many extra years of saving to retire with the same amount. Check career guides to see who earns what, how much education is required (and other requirements, i.e., licensure, etc.), current and future demand, and opportunities for advancement.
Also see if you can boost your income, or get a promotion, by doing some additional training in your field. Remember, some training only takes a few days, not years. It only took me a couple of weeks to become fairly expert in real estate and real estate financing. I then bought and sold multiple properties. Many people have similar tales. Minimally, this extra training will put you in a good light with your boss, for starters.
And, as always, keep doing your own personal development training going on the side. This kind of continuous self-improvement reaps huge benefits over time that can snowball and make a huge difference.
15 minute lunches - Eating lunch only takes 5-10 minutes - what takes an hour or so is driving or walking back and forth to the restaurant, waiting for the waiter/waitress (*notice that the root word of their name is - "wait!" Coincidence? I think not!), placing your order, waiting on your order, waiting for the check and deciding on how much you should tip for all this waiting! If each meal (with tip) costs $9.00, you spend $2,250.00 per year on this habit (enough for the average individual to retire on nicely over the course of their career) and lose over 185 hours per year or 1 months work per year! Wow!
Personally, I have always brought my lunch bucket to work filled with wonderful treats my loving wife makes me (and prior to that I used to make one heck of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!). I still go out for lunch occasionally, but as a treat or to do some business ... this comes up often enough to keep me happy (and well fed).
I also found that if I went to lunch with co-workers, they would spend the whole time complaining, worrying or talking about junk I didn't want or need to hear about. And I hang out with pretty positive people ... what is it about lunch that brings this out in people (they are much more optimistic over dinner!)?
Networking - Few people fully realize that a good network of contacts can take years off meeting your financial/career goals and can bring benefits you haven't even thought of yet, but will be glad you have when the time comes. There is a huge population of people out there who have made their fortunes from networking effectively.
Examine your own life, I'll bet you owe the bulk of everything you have, and everything you are, to a small number of influential people that you can easily count on one hand. Although everyone likes to think they can do it on their own - we can't. The reality is that we are not Independent - we are Interdependent. It is our interdependence that makes us strong, and good people help us to grow and build our strengths. I would not want to be independent if I could. Why would I want to cut that many good people out of my life?
In actuality, most people are successful in direct one to one proportion to how many people know them, and like them. Likeability is huge!. We like to do business with people we like, we help people we like, we hire people we like, promote people we like and give breaks to people we like. Get the idea? The list goes on and on.
Networking helps us to realize what opportunities are out there and gives us the opportunity to help people and advance in ways we would never have thought of. Being good isn't enough when your network is limited. Think of a limited network, as limited options. Get good at networking, or get good at going through life trying to live off the scraps instead of living in abundance.
Nobody teaches us how to network - but it is a key life skill. This is a case where others are not excluding you - you are! Get in their and just be yourself, draw on what is best in you, come to serve, and you will do great!
Look, you could write an entire book on how to network, but my goal is simply to give you a sense of how important this area is and point you in the right direction. Get out there and get some books on networking and the time spent studying them will come back to you a thousand fold.
That's it for now ... but look for more soon!
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