Contentment can sound like a dirty word in business. There’s a thought that we should all be striving and pursuing and achieving and other go-getting verbs! And I agree I’m all for continuous improvement, for making things better and easier for clients; for being as good as I can be. That is my business mantra, as I know it will be for many of you. But things can start to turn sour if the constant exposure to social media makes people start to feel unworthy and discontent by comparison with peers. I read recently that this is happening and starting to undermine people’s self-worth. So today I want to share with you a short story which I hope will shore up any flagging self-esteem and draw learning points to restore or protect your self-belief.

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin…

Long, long, ago in a land far, far away there lived an old man. Each day he went to the stream with two earthen pots hung from either end of a pole. One was perfect, always full of water, the other was cracked and leaking, only half full when he got back to the house.

One day the cracked pot said (stick with me) to the man, ‘I’m so ashamed’.

‘Why on earth would that be?’ asked the old man.

‘I’m hopeless!’, said the pot, ‘water leaks out of my cracks all the way back to your house and you never get home with two full pots of water. I’m a failure.’

‘You couldn’t be more wrong’ laughed the old man, ‘you’re a wonderful pot. On the way back home look carefully at the side of the path and tell me what you see.’

All the way home the cracked pot paid attention, and at the end of their walk the old man asked him what he’d seen.

‘Flowers’ answered the miserable pot. ‘I know they’re beautiful, but it doesn’t help me. It was nice to look at the flowers but here I am only half full again. I’m still leaking. I’m still a failure. I’m so sorry old man.’

The old man smiled. ‘You daft old pot,’ he said, ‘there’s no need to be sorry. Did you not notice where the flowers were growing?’

‘Well, yes,’ said the puzzled pot. ’On my side of the path; why?’

‘All these years I’ve planted seed on your side of the path. And every day as we walked back from the stream, you’ve watered them, and the seeds have grown, and the flowers have bloomed for all the villagers to see. You are a wonderful pot. Because you are the way you are, the village path is full of beautiful flowers.’

The cracked pot glowed with pride and happily watered the path for ever after, content that he was after all, a wonderful pot.

Sweet story, but how does it relate to you and your business? There are a few key learning points:

• Don’t compare yourself to others; focus on what you do best. All too often we focus on what we haven't done, what we're not good at. Take time to look at just how far you have come, what you've achieved already and how much you've learned.

 

• Never think you have to be perfect or that someone else is; we all have flaws. Others you compare yourself to may have different values, backgrounds and ambitions. They may have totally different definitions of what success means. Remember you are unique and special and have a lot to offer the world - look for the flowers in your life.

 

• Value yourself and what you do for others. Your business helps the local and national economy, you may be providing people with jobs, you may support the local community, you may be a great dad, mum, child, you may simply make people smile every day…

 

• Make sure you make the people around you feel valued too. Tell them how special they are; the positive impact they have e.g. in your business, with your customers; because you can train them and then trust them to do the job to your standard. If you’re thinking something good about someone, tell them, (unless it will get you arrested!) otherwise it’s a wasted thought. Don’t assume they’ve seen the flowers growing.

Do one thing: Brainstorm all the good things you do and all the value you add in your life as a whole, and in your business specifically, as a person and as a business owner. Then take the time to celebrate your YOUness.

Thanks for reading.

So, you have a big Vision that gives you goosebumps and it’s plastered on your wall in huge letters. You’ve started to plan with your team about how together you’ll make that Vision a reality. And you’re all buzzing about the future and cracking on. Great stuff! I can feel the energy from here.

Now, all that’s missing is an effective Personal Management System. Not the sexiest title I’ve come across but even the most inspiring vision, and the smartest of plans will be wasted if you don't have the means to keep yourself on track.


A Personal Management System

Your daily routine is the cornerstone of your personal management system, and should be crammed full of habits that will maximise your productivity, and move you closer to your Vision. 

1. Get into the habit of planning your day the evening before (and your week on a Sunday evening). At the end of the day, you’re usually very clear about what still needs to done, what the priorities are, what tomorrow’s frog* will be. Advanced planning like this makes sure that you hit the ground running. 

2. Chunk your work into 90 minute segments. This is a good timeframe for focus, and FOCUS is the key word - don’t multi-task - if you’re going to work on a sales letter, work on it for the full 90 minutes, or until it’s done, if you can do it within the 90. 

3. Peak Practice - Work out which part of the day you’re at your peak - for me it’s first thing in the morning - and use that 90 minutes to ‘eat your frog’ - *do the thing that you don't necessarily want to do, but that’s weighing you down mentally, because you know you really need to get it done. 

Just get focused and eat the damn frog! It’s a really good success habit to get into. 

4. Set yourself mini deadlines - always good for those of us who like a bit of last minute pressure - make them ‘drop-dead’-lines too! Absolute must delivers! Breaks are always a good deadline. Holidays are also excellent. Ever noticed how much more you get done in the days leading up to a holiday, or the minutes leading up to any deadline.

5. Switch Off. Both breaks and holidays are essential for your long-term productivity too - refreshing and re-energising your mind and body. The most successful businessmen and women really get this, and have made breaks long and short, a habit they will always keep. 

6. Daily Exercise. Other daily routines and success habits that are good for your mind and body, include taking at least 30 minutes exercise a day - even if it’s just a walk down the road and back - and drinking plenty of water - two litres is the recommended amount isn’t it? I’m no scientist, but I can testify to the power of a lunchtime walk for clearing your head and setting you up for a productive afternoon. 

For budding entrepreneurs, there are three other personal management essentials: 

1. A second in command. This may be one person or a whole team who can work self sufficiently, enabled and empowered to make the right calls in your absence. If you want to grow your business or create new ones you can’t afford to be stuck in the daily minutiae.
2. An assistant or PA.  There are only so many things that you can be brilliant at, or that really get your juices flowing; for everything else, you need an assistant - someone who will keep you organised, do the really important, but really boring (to you) stuff that eats away at your time. A mentor of mine refers to the £10ph, £100ph and £1000ph tasks in your business. Which are you spending all of your precious time on? And talking of mentors, the third essential is
3. A mentor.  What I’ve learned from the mentors I’ve worked with, is that they get you to the next level faster; they get you to raise your game - to see things from a different viewpoint - they share their expertise to help you grow. Your mentor is a key member of your support team - the sounding board and advisor who speeds up your journey to the results you’re looking for.

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A Personal Management System takes discipline and time to develop, but when you learn to manage yourself, the business will be a piece of cake!

Do one thing: look back over today/yesterday. Did your work take you towards your Vision? Did you have frog for breakfast? If not, look to adopt these good habits and improve your routines.

For more information on how MPL can help you, contact us here: hello@mariannepage.co.uk

You’ve probably noticed I’ve been talking quite a lot about McFreedom and having a McFreedom mindset recently.

And you’ve possibly been thinking ‘ What on Earth is this McFreedom thing all about?’

Well McFreedom is a word I use to describe ‘The freedom to scale, grow, sell or franchise your business or run it from a beach somewhere if that's what you really want to do.’

The Mc of McFreedom is a little nod to McDonald's who inspired it and the Freedom, because that's what The McFreedom System®️ will give you.

Ok. But why the focus on Mindset?

Because most people have a very strange mindset around systems in relation to their business. They see them as really hard work; something that they have to do in addition to their day job and the thought of systemising really doesn’t rock their boat.

Personally, I don't like the word 'process', largely again because of what it inspires in people. It makes them think of bureaucracy and box-ticking and all of that really boring, soul destroying stuff that they think they’ll have to do.

McFreedom - and The McFreedom System®️ - is all about making your life easier, and to do that you need to change your mindset around systems.

Mindset is one third of something I like to call my big MAC ... what a surprise!

Mindset because you really do need to change your mindset around systems and what they will do for you.

Action because you absolutely have to take action. What’s the point in learning something new if you don't take action on it. And

Consistency because you need to be consistent in the action that you take. You need to make it routine. You need to follow it, if not religiously, then with a real fervour and a relish and a belief that it's going to make your life that much easier.

So Mindset, Action, Consistency ... your big Mac.

Do you have a positive big MAC when it comes to systemising your business?

Do one thing: Think about it!

[Adapted from Marianne's new book Simple Logical Repeatable available from an Amazon near you https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simple-Logical-Repeatable-Systemise-McDonalds/dp/1781332266]

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk

Over the past few years I’ve talked to a lot of business owners who are struggling with how much they have to get done, and let’s face it, us business owners have a lot of ‘stuff’ to do. So much stuff and all of it urgent. A bulging inbox controlling our day, forcing us to react, impossible to prioritise.

Just overwhelming!

Of course, everyone has days like this – where you can’t see the wood for the trees, where your to-do list for the day is so long it will take you to the middle of next week just to get through half of it. Those days when you don’t feel like your life is your own; when you’re working to other people’s priorities and everyone wants a piece of you; when you feel completely chaotic and out of control.

As one-offs, these days are manageable – there are simple tools and techniques to get you through them, to deal with them, and still get stuff done. But it’s when these days start to merge, when as a new client said to me, ‘Overwhelm becomes the norm’, when you forget where the hell you’re going, let alone how you’re going to get there.

That’s when overwhelm has become a real issue. That’s when you lose focus on your vision; when what’s really important to you seems a million miles away. So what do you do? You go chasing off down rabbit holes looking for the answers – in time-management programmes and apps.

You start subscribing to lots of ‘successful people’ – you know, those people who seem to have it all – looking for the magic pill that’s going to bring you their success. And of course, that’s exactly what it is – their success. You start to believe that success only comes through long hours and even harder work. You lose sight of what’s really important to you; what success means to you; what your ideal future looks like.

Arghhhhhh.....

So, what can you do about it?

Well, you can start by asking yourself this one killer question:

What am I trying to achieve, and why?

I’m a pretty organised person these days, and this one question (ok, technically two) still has a massive impact on how focused I am, and how much I get done on a day-to-day and month- to-month basis.

It’s a powerful question, whether you’re thinking about the next year, or the next hour.

To find your answer, go back to what I talked about in this blog a few weeks ago, when I asked you to look at your personal vision – what you really want for yourself – the Big Dream.

Are you really clear about what you’re trying to achieve, and why? Because when you are, you’re ready for the simple exercise that will get rid of overwhelm every time it raises its ugly head.

And here it is:

Step 1
Decide on the timeframe that’s overwhelming you. Is it what you have on today, tomorrow, the coming week, the coming month?

Step 2
Next, get yourself a big sheet of paper and a pen.

Step 3
Write down everything – and I mean everything you believe you have to get done in the coming week: personal, business, everything...

Step 4
Once you’ve done that–once you’ve exhausted everything – and you’re sure you have it all on that sheet of paper, grab a big, black marker pen.

Step 5
Go through your list and cross off everything that doesn’t move you towards what you’re trying to achieve; everything that doesn’t move you towards your big vision.
Be ruthless here, look for other people’s priorities on this list and get them crossed off. Look for things that are easy to do, or that feed your inner procrastinator – like setting up a to-do list app, or reading through all those emails you’ve subscribed to – and get those crossed off too.
Cross off anything that doesn’t move you to where you now know that you want to be. Ruthless is the key word.

Step 6
There will be things on your list that do have to be done, but most of them should not be done by you; things like book-keeping, expenses, managing your database.
These things can stay, but they get moved onto a second list, called ‘Delegate’. Add all the things that need to be done, but not by you, to this list

Recognise those things that you may be busying yourself with that are not moving you, or your business, or your life in the right direction.

What you are left with after this exercise are three lists:

• Your Do list – the things you’re going to do because they move you towards your vision
• Your Ditch list – full of other people’s stuff, and things that you’ve just got into the bad habit of adding to your list every day
• Your Delegate list – things that you’re going to get other people to do

In a future blog we’ll talk about who to delegate to, and how to delegate effectively, but for now, just give this a go and see what it does for your overwhelm. I promise you, it works like magic.

You have to be ruthless though, and you have to get over your guilt about ditching other people’s priorities. Just remember that’s exactly what they are – other people’s priorities, not yours! You have plenty of your own to be getting on with.


Do One thing today: Your DO, DITCH OR DELEGATE exercise! 

[This is an excerpt from Marianne’s new book, Simple, Logical, Repeatable, available now on Amazon at: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1781332266]

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk

‘I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, 'Where's the self-help section?' She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose..’  George Carlin

It's very easy to get stuck in a rut.  Sometimes we don't even recognise that we're in one. 

A rut's boring, same old same old, dull...right?! And that's not our life!

Well what if it is?

Many successful small business owners get stuck in a rut.  It's called The Struggle, and while it's anything but boring, it's definitely a rut. Some find that they can't get out of it. Many more don't want to.  It's comfortable, they know where they're at with it, it's their norm.

They tell themselves that they've already stepped out of their comfort zone to create their business.  They tell themselves that they are successful, and that running a successful business comes at a price - no time and no life beyond it.  They tell themselves they're ok with that, and they're surrounded by other Strugglers who confirm that they're right.

They revel in war stories of their 80 hour weeks, and comfort themselves that they are still working to improve themselves by attending weekend seminars and late evening webinars, while other 'less successful' people are enjoying time with family and friends.  They've created a new comfort zone, and their rut's too deep to see beyond it.

Your personal management system will get you out of your rut, but it needs 3 things to be be successful

1. Discipline - in developing your success habits and daily routines, in ditching the stuff that doesn’t serve you and delegating to your assistant and your team, in listening to your mentor.
   
2. Celebration - celebrating all of your wins, no matter how small they are.
   
3. Integrity - keeping your commitments to others, and to yourself, persevering with your habits and sticking to deadlines.

Learn to manage yourself, and the business will be a piece of cake!

Do one thing: Ask yourself, 'Does my business run me, or do I run my business?'

[This is an excerpt from Marianne's new book, Simple, Logical, Repeatable, available now on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1781332266]

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk

When I worked for McDonald’s I learned that planning is a team sport; most effective when it involves the people it affects as well as those who’ll deliver on it.

I learned that you listen to those with the skills and experience, but you also consider the new and the different; that it’s ok to re-visit that might once have been considered crazy or just plain wrong for the business, as things change, and the ‘right time’ comes along.

Just like every other area of the business, I learned that you have a system for planning that makes it routine, regular, consistent; that keeps you focused on the end goal, even when you need to adapt, or change your route.

A robust planning system keeps everyone in the business, focused and on track. Because everyone knows where you’re all headed, there’s less stress, and less chaos, which also saves you time and money. And it gives you the opportunity to celebrate with your team when you reach your milestone markers along the way.

Planning is a team sport at McDonald’s - they invest an awful lot of time and money, in bringing together people from all areas of the business - Operations, Support, Franchisees, Suppliers - with the aim of developing challenging plans and goals that everyone buys into.

They want everyone engaged in the business Vision, the direction of travel, and the route map that’s going to take them there. They want to be able to celebrate milestones, achievements big and small, and then, when the tough times come, they want everyone to see the fight as theirs, to work together to turn things back round.

The investment in their Planning system delivers a huge return. It’s a foundation system that they would not be without.

Many business owners don’t see Planning that way.

• They view it as a pain - something you have to do for investors or the bank manager
• They feel they don’t have time, preferring to ‘go with the flow’
• They see it as restricting - they’d rather be flexible, able to grab opportunities as they come
• They feel they have a plan, when all they really have is a spreadsheet full of numbers
• They consider it unnecessary - why do I need to write down what’s in my head?

Many business owners are missing a trick. But the fact that you’re even reading this tells me you’re not going to be one of the many.

Your team are never going to be heard asking ‘are we there yet?’

Your team are going to know exactly where they’re going, how they’re going to get there, and when they’ve arrived.

And then you’re going to celebrate...big style!

Your Planning system is the first of 4 Foundations that will underpin your future success.  Over the next few weeks, I’m going to help you get ready for the coming year, by sharing The McFreedom System blueprint for planning.

Do one thing: Come back next week for the next instalment.

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk

Tomorrow is the 1st October, maybe as you read this that was yesterday, or even the day before, it doesn’t matter - what matters is that you have 3 months stretching out before you ’til the end of the year; 90 days that could make all the difference between having a good year and a GREAT one.

So what are you going to do with them?

As you know, I’m a big fan of planning, it’s one of the 4 Foundations of The McFreedom System™ for a start, but even if it wasn’t I get that even if you don’t create an action plan for each goal and work your plan, there is a huge amount of power in thinking about what you want/ where you want to get to, and getting the outcome you want down on paper.

I read a great blog the other day on a site called Asian Efficiency (all about time management and productivity) where they were talking about the 90 day timeframe as ‘the range where ambition and planning actually fall reasonably close together’.

And it’s true, we all have a really good feel for what we can get done in 90 days - how far we can move towards a big goal, and plan the steps that we need to take to get there.  Our longer term plans, even though it’s valuable to have them, can’t be planned right down to concrete steps; the goals are too big, there’s too much to get done, and if we try to plan the detail we just get overwhelmed, which in turn leads to inaction.

Working with 90 day goals keeps us moving forward, keeps us agile and on our toes; able to tackle challenges and grab opportunities as they come along; adjusting our plans for the next 90 days to accommodate them.

So have a look at your coming 90 days - what do you have to get done?

What are you going to get done?

How are you going to turn this good year into a GREAT one?
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For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk

'When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.' - African Proverb

Are you a reflector? Are you that person who looks back over the day and week and reflects on how it’s gone?

Great. That’s a really good thing: it’s how we constantly learn and improve. It gives us time to think about how effective our behaviour and decisions have been, how they’ve impacted on the business and the team. It can highlight what we’re proud of and what we could have done better. It’s great for increasing self-awareness and self-improvement.

But:

• Are you the person who can never find your rose-tinted spectacles?
• When you think back do you mainly focus in on everything that went wrong?
• Do you magnify things that could have gone better?
• Do you spend time, not just thinking about how you could improve, but wallowing in what went wrong?
• Can you not forgive yourself for mistakes or failings that you would readily forgive in others?

If this sounds like you, you’re turning reflection into masochism. This behaviour is not only draining but it’s a total waste of time.

Tips for positive reflection

1. Remember - you cannot change the past only learn from it
2. Think about the event that you’re churning over, where does it really sit in the scale of things?  Get some perspective
3. Talk it over with a trusted friend, get third party perspective if you’re just too close to rationalise
4. Ask yourself ‘If a colleague had done x how would I react?’ If you would tell them, ‘It’s no big deal, no harm done,’ or ‘it’s easily put right, not to worry,’ then start applying these sentiments to yourself
5. Reflect on both good and bad in equal measure, learn, (make amends if that’s appropriate) then draw a line under it and move on.
6. Give yourself a break or even a pat on the back (go on, be daring!)

Do one thing: spend 10 minutes at the end of every day reflecting on what went well, and finding something you’ve done that you’re proud of.

PS Don’t forget, you can always join us for a McFreedom Secrets workshop, if you’d like to improve the way you run your business and cure some of those headaches.

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk
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I’m not a great one for reality TV, but I found myself watching ‘Lose weight for love’ the other day (don’t ask).

If you haven’t seen it (and why would you have), the show is based around the concept that in order to lose weight, couples need to spend time apart to work on their individual issues, then come back together to move forward as a team. It was quite an uplifting watch, and I found myself willing them to succeed.

What’s amazing is that each person knows they are slowly, or in some cases quickly, killing themselves, yet they haven’t succeeded in changing their habits. Some had been yoyo dieting for years and some you felt had given up, until this tv opportunity came along.

What the consultants had to do was find out WHY these individuals continued to do what was bad for them, and then adjust their mindset away from the idea of ‘a diet’, a programme they had to suffer through, an add on to their already busy lives, to focus on building a new and sustainable way of life.

To make eating well and exercising, ‘just how we do things round here’.

I come across a lot of successful small business owners who operate in a similar way to our ‘weight loss lovers’.  They talk about wanting to change, wanting to have an easier life, wanting to spend more time with those they love - but what do they actually DO about it?

They know that they don’t need to work such long hours; that there is a way to keep their commitments to their partner,
their children, their friends; that they can have a business that runs like a well-oiled machine - but just like our overweight friends, they see the remedy (systemising their business) as something they have to do ‘in addition to the day job’, something that’s going to cost them, something that’s going to be a whole heap of pain and effort.

So they do nothing, and plough on with the fourteen hour work days, grabbing a few days holiday when the business that’s running their life, allows them.

And the truth is that systemising does take effort, possibly as much as 12 months’ effort.  It takes time to build a High Performing Team and a business that runs like a well-oiled machine whether you’re there or not. And yes, if you wanted to be guided down the simplest route to systemising, you have to invest in support from those who’ve been there and done that, many times.

But isn’t it worth it for the rewards you would reap?  Don’t you love yourself and your family enough to make the changes? Don't you want that ideal future?

Why wait another 12 months? Why waste another 12 months?

Today is the day to change your MINDSET, to think about your big WHY, to take ACTION.

Do it for Love.

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk

‘If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done'

It’s a little known fact that Jane Austen produced her best work when there was dusting to do. I’ve also been known to ‘get creative’ with housework hanging over me, and I know others whose shelves get built, gardens cleared, just at the thought of having a blog to write.

It’s known as avoidance by activity and it’s a great way of procrastinating while feeling productive!

‘If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done', as the saying goes.

How many of us do our best work when we’re really under pressure to meet a deadline? Last-minute-itis seems to galvanise the little grey cells; but is it healthy?

As our business grows, there are more demands on our time and more deadlines to be met. We realise that there’s just not enough time in the last minute, that one day a deadline may become a ‘drop dead’ line.

Still we avoid.

Does the task get any easier?  No.

Do we know that we have to do it eventually?  Yes.

So the only thing we do by avoiding it is waste time and increase our stress levels. It’s crazy when you think about it - totally counter-productive. Time stressing about what you have to get done is time you’ll never get back.

So turn stressing time into doing time.

But how?

Simply by following the MAC way.

M is for Mindset
Work on the way you think about time and how precious it is.  Check out Stephen Covey’s work on Big Rocks and little rocks.  Read ‘The One Thing’ by Gary Keller and /or ‘Eat that Frog’ by Brian Tracy.
Recognise that this is something you’re going to have to work at, every day - but when you crack it, it’s going to have a huge impact on your life and the success of your business.

A is for Action
Take Action. Develop a routine (I’d call it a system but I don’t want to freak you out!) for your daily activity, and make it challenging, but realistic.  I like to work in chunks of 90 minutes during the day, with 15 minute breaks in between (which I’ll sometimes use for social media).
The first 90 minutes is always used to crack a big rock - to eat the frog - to do the one thing that I may not be looking forward to, but that will have the biggest impact.  The second 90 is for the next biggest rock, and so on through to the end of the day. 
I include personal rocks that I want to get done, because that stuff’s important too. And I focus on just one thing at a time. Then finally, in the last 15 minutes, I review how I’ve done, and plan my next day for maximum productivity.
Simple, but it works, and the sense of achievement, having cracked the big rocks, even when you don’t get everything done that you’d planned to during the day - is enormous.

C is for Consistency - work at your routine, work at it every day, until it becomes a habit that’s hard to break.  Become consistently productive.
Then relax and enjoy that last minute before your deadline.

Do one thing: move away from the hoover, the lawn mower, the coffee machine and check out Stephen Covey’s 'Big Rocks' here.

[If time freedom is what you’re after, check out The McFreedom System™ via our 90 minute online training session, which also gives you a great little system for giving effective feedback.  Click HERE now to access]

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk
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