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This month we wanted to try something different. Our top five tips for time management and personal productivity are based on quotes from well-known characters, from Taoist thinkers to Nobel Prize winners.

These choice messages are designed to remind you of the obvious, and get you thinking about how to make more out of your working days. If you find them valuable, stick them on your wall for those moments when your productivity wanes.

“Out of clutter find simplicity” . Albert Einstein
- ORGANISE

The problem with organising is it can become nothing more than a distraction from the act of doing. Everyone has different approaches to organising themselves, and there’s no right or wrong. But whatever your approach, remember: organisation is about minimising disorder and freeing yourself from clutter. It’s about knowing what’s next and what’s important. It should make the doing easier.

“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion” . Cyril Northcote Parkinson
- SCHEDULE

Parkinson’s law states that if you give yourself a day to do a task, it will take a day to do - even if it might be done in half the time. It is of course not always true, but it makes a valuable point. It’s often wise to give yourself leeway in case things take longer than expected, but such flexibility can rule your productivity. Too much time can lead to distraction and procrastination. Remember: the time it should take to do something is not always the same as the time you make available to do it.

“You may delay, but time will not” . Benjamin Franklin
- START

We waste time for different reasons, but procrastination always begins in the mind. That makes it a difficult beast to beat. It happens when a task is difficult, daunting, undesirable or seemingly unachievable. The tragedy is that when something must be done, procrastination just makes things worse. The obvious solution is to just begin. But that’s easier said than done. Being conscious of when you are procrastinating at least gives you a chance to beat it. Keep an eye on yourself, and if you find yourself procrastinating, find a way to stop.

“Concentration is the secret of strength” . Ralph Waldo Emerson
- FOCUS

Sometimes we look for reasons not to focus, other times distractions smack us in the face. And there are many: email, the web, the coffee machine, early lunch, office banter. Such distractions detract from our productivity one minute at a time. As far as you can, you need to minimise them. Switch off email, or find a quiet space free from the phone or chatty colleagues. As with procrastination, it’s about making a conscious effort to maintain focus upon the task in hand.

“Action without action” / “Wei wu wei” . Terence Gray
- STOP

Sometimes, the best action is inaction. Or to be less dramatic: take a break. As the legend of Archimedes teaches us: a break can provide the rest and inspiration the mind needs to solve problems, reach those ‘eureka’ moments, or just work more productively. It’s when we are under pressure and during our busiest times that we forget the value of taking a break. If you find your productivity is waning don’t battle on: take action through a little inaction.

1. Build a customer profile
First, write down five characteristics, which, in your mind, define your ideal customer. Second, analyse and group your existing customers, breaking them down by value. Look at customers that bring in the most cash for the least effort, or those that are the most loyal, engaging or fun to serve. Identify any common characteristics or attributes. In doing so, you have defined a profile not just for your best existing customers, but your best prospects too. Third, consider how you acquired them. Again, patterns may emerge. For example, if your most valuable customers are 30-something females that you acquired via e-marketing, you have identified both a target market and a method of reaching them. Finally, compare your analysis from steps two and three with the original ‘ideal customer’ you defined earlier. If there are differences, you may need to re-evaluate your own perceptions about who your ideal customer is.

2. Plan, define a strategy
As ever, a little planning counts for a lot. Your time and resources are limited, so you need to focus your efforts on activities that return the greatest possible results. If you have defined who you want to target, you need a strategy for the how. How exactly are you going to reach your targets? Evaluate the methods at your disposal and define an action plan. It doesn’t have to be pages long, but it should be dynamic. Don’t be afraid to change things, ditching methods that fail, and focussing extra resource on ones that succeed. Such steps may seem obvious, but businesses often fail to think strategically about customer acquisition - a failing that only serves to slow down the search for new customers.

3. Word-of-mouth
Few other methods of promotion come close to the power of a personal recommendation from a family member, friend or colleague. In many ways word-of-mouth is an organic process; providing a quality product or service and an excellent customer experience will invariably get people talking and lead new customers to your door. But you can actively pursue word-of-mouth. For example, you could collect testimonials from satisfied customers and publish them on your website, or get people talking through email or flyer campaigns that provide an incentive for spreading the word. The Internet is making it easier than ever for satisfied customers to share their experiences, increasing your scope for capitalising on word-of-mouth and viral marketing approaches. The challenge is to figure out clever ways to get people talking about you - online or off. Foster strong relationships with customers as much as possible, because close customers are customers that care about your success. If they get the chance to promote your business on your behalf, they will.

4. On and off
More and more, businesses are adopting online methods of finding customers, whether this be through their website, online advertising, email or new media communications. This is all very well, but don’t forget the value of offline channels too, such as the direct mail letter, flyers, brochure packs, poster campaigns, or even marketing messages on the side of a bus or a cup of coffee. If anything, the more firms fight to gain exposure online, the more the offline world becomes a clearer playing field. Both online and offline methods of finding customers have their unique value, and are complimentary to each other. Think about how you can capitalise on both worlds side-by-side.

5. Something for nothing
Whether you sell products or services (at high or low value per unit) there may be scope for offering a little something to potential customers for free. This may serve as the taster reluctant consumers need to engage with your brand. But be careful, giving away too much is an obvious drain on your time and resources, so plan such promotions carefully. And ‘freebies’ are not always appropriate, so think about whether the approach suits your brand. But remember, there are many ways to offer something for nothing. Introductory discounts, special offers such as voucher coupons, recommendation schemes, buy one get one free, samplers, competitions or prize draws. If you are 100% confident in your product or service, you could also offer a money back guarantee for the first sale.

6. Keep your eye on new technologies
The internet wasn’t the first new technology that allowed businesses to reach out to new customers in new ways, and it certainly won’t be the last. The next big thing, so they say, is mobile and pervasive (location-based) computing. Mobile devices that are aware of user location and capable of communicating with their surroundings may one day promote your business and its products or services. Plug that potential into the existing online world, and you have a next generation platform to talk to potential new customers. Ok, it may be unrealistic to think that you can become a pioneer in cutting-edge technologies. But at the very least, having an awareness of such trends could mean that you can capitalise on them before the competition, winning new customers in the process.

7. Monitor success
As you acquire new customers it’s important to monitor your success. If you are not doing so well it may be time to change your direction. If you are succeeding, identify which approaches are working and pump more resource into your winning formula. Either way, monitoring your success at acquiring new customers gives you the intelligence you need to move forward effectively.

5 tips to help you get the most out of 2008:

1. Face your demons

Make a list of your worst nightmares. The loss of your most valuable customer(s); a competitor undercutting your prices and squeezing your margins; losing your customer data. Whatever your key issues, make 2008 the year to face up to your demons by devising action plans that aim to avoid the worst case scenarios that keep you awake at night. At first there may be more questions than answers, but facing up to such uncomfortable issues is often more healthy than burying your head in the sand. It could make 2008 your best and least stressful year yet. Or may simply ensure your business survives into 2009.

2. Develop yourself

If 2007 was all about your business, make at least a small part of 2008 about you. Consider your weaknesses and identify areas for self-development. Then explore your opportunities for training, which may include local training events, workshops and seminars, one-to-one training or coaching, bespoke training sessions or online interactive courses. Or even just a holiday and a good self help book! After all, your personal skills contribute to the overall success of your business, so it makes perfect sense to develop yourself.

3. Watch your finances

Continued fears of a credit crunch hitting the UK economy may or may not be realised, but such uncertainties serve as a useful reminder that financial stability is not a certainty. Even if you’re confident that your finances are in order, consider the unexpected - such as how a financial squeeze might affect your customers, suppliers or money lenders, and think about what this may mean to your business. Ensure the basics such as your cash flow, balance sheet and profit and loss accounts are taken care of, and review financial forecasts regularly so that potential issues can be avoided before they happen. The unexpected may not occur, but a solid grasp on your finances means that if it does you are well prepared to ride the storm.

4. Go green

In October 2007 we reviewed a NetRegs SME-nvironment survey indicating that although many businesses have the motivation to go green, a large proportion fail to understand exactly how their business impacts the environment. An estimated 48 per cent of all businesses have taken steps to minimise their environmental impact, but many businesses continue to believe that they don’t undertake any harmful activities and as a result do not implement environmentally friendly practices. It’s likely that during 2008 those NOT acting will become the minority, but many businesses will still need to implement changes if they are to turn environmental consciousness into action.

5. Do something new

The choice is yours, but here’s a few suggestions: Learn a new IT skill. Put a plant in your workspace. Attend a networking event. Make a website. Write a business plan. Delegate. Join an online business community. Reward yourself. Backup your data. Ask someone for help. Review your business performance. Reward your employees. Diversify. Take a holiday. Think of a new way of doing things.

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