This article is from one of our favourite author and speaker........

Boost Your Productivity
By: Brian Tracy

Push to the Top
All successful people are very productive. They work longer hours and they work better hours. They get a lot more done than the average person. They get paid more and promoted faster. They are highly respected and esteemed by everyone around them. They become leaders and role models. Inevitably, they rise to the top of their fields and to the top of their income ranges, and so can you.

Everything is Learnable
Every single one of these tested and proven strategies for managing your time and doubling your productivity is learnable through practice and repetition. Each of these methods will eventually become a habit of both thinking and working.

The Payoff is Remarkable
When you begin applying these techniques to your work and to your life, your self-esteem, self-confidence, self-respect and sense of personal pride will go up immediately. The pay off for you will be tremendous, for the rest of your life.

Make A Decision!
Every positive change in your life begins with a clear, unequivocal decision that you are going to either do something or stop doing something. Significant change starts when you decide to either get in or get out, either fish or cut bait.

The Vital Quality of Success
Decisiveness is one of the most important qualities of successful and happy men and women, and decisiveness is developed through practice and repetition, over and over again until it becomes as natural to you as breathing in and breathing out.

Why People Are Poor
The sad fact is that people are poor because they have not yet decided to be rich. People are overweight and unfit because they have not yet decided to be thin and fit. People are inefficient time wasters because they haven't yet decided to be highly productive in everything they do.

Become An Expert
Decide today that you are going to become an expert in time management and personal productivity, no matter how long it takes or how much you invest in it. Resolve today that you are going to practice these principles, over and over again until they become second nature.

Action Exercises
Here are two steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, hold your own feet to the fire. Resolve to start earlier, work harder and stay later. Don't let yourself off the hook.

Second, become an expert in time management. Learn and practice time management techniques every day until they become habits.

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It was a busy three weeks in January working in twelve schools across St Helen's. We ran KidsRthebiz sessions with Years 3 to 6 providing a fun learning environment where children were taught business basics and got the opportunity to create their own business. One child said

"It's like having fun and learning Maths and English isn't it, Miss?

Feedback from teachers:

"A well worthwhile session which introduced the children to business basics using a theme/product which was of general interest.  I would definitely be interested in another session"

" Fast paced morning which covered many skills. The group work and final presentations were very good"

KidsRthebiz is a young entrepreneur schools programme working with children aged 7-11 to provide a good introduction to business in an interactive and creative way.

For more information about KidsRthebiz, visit here or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Children working on their product design.

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Ten Tips for Overcoming Procrastination

1.   Look at your excuses rationally. In fact, make up a list of the excuses you use which prevent you from getting a job done. Then examine each excuse and beside it write out a more realistic thought. For example, “I’m not in the mood” can be reinterpreted to “Mood doesn’t get the job done.”

2.   Use self-motivating statements. How we define a task can alter our motivation for completing it. Many people repeat phrases to themselves, or even tack notes in visible places, which serve to spur them on. Try out phrases like:  “There’s no time like the present.”

3.   Make up a To Do List. Write out a list of things you need to do this week (or day...or month) and then cross them off, one by one, when they are done. With this list you can see exactly what needs to be accomplished, and you can get a great sense of fulfillment as the list gets whittled down.

4.   Set priorities. On your To Do list, rank the jobs that need to be done in order of their importance. Then just focus on one job at a time.

5.   Break the task down into smaller pieces. This is one of the most important ways to combat procrastination. Write down all the steps involved in your project and see each step as a manageable job that can get done with little effort. Even if we dislike some duties, we can handle them if they last only for a short time.

6.   Take a stand. Write yourself a contract to complete a job and sign it. Or tell a supportive friend that you plan to finish a job by a certain date. Make your project a public endeavor rather than keeping it to yourself. It helps to gain the support of others when you feel stymied.

7.   Manage your stress. There are a number of techniques one can use to deal with anxiety: deep breathing, progressive relaxation, visualization, physical exercise, relaxation tapes, humor and music. These techniques can be learned in therapy.

8.   Just get started. You don’t have to wait until you feel inspired to write that speech. Just write whatever comes to mind, and you can revise it later. A journey begins with one small step.

9.   Reward yourself when you accomplish a small goal. Rather than procrastinating a whole afternoon by calling friends, call a friend only when you have written a page of the report as a way of rewarding yourself.

10. Look at all you have accomplished. Rather than punishing yourself for not having done enough, take the more positive approach of examining all that you have done. Celebrate the completion of your task. Have a specific reward in mind for when your project is finished. Go out for dinner. Go to a movie. Take a weekend trip. Have a party. The celebration should be equal to your task.

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There is a line in the popular Bobby McFerrin's song "Don't worry, be happy" which says 'In every life we have some trouble, but when you worry you make it double'.

Worry bothers almost everyone periodically.  An emotional, mental, and physiological response to a situation, worry has negative and postive aspects to it. It could motivate us to action in a particular area, for example worrying about the future could propel us to make better plans to ensure our livelihood. On the other side of the same coin, prolonged worry about the same situation can cause anxiety, depression and inaction.

Worry is to be managed. It should not become a constant companion to us and affect our daily life.

The following principles from Dale Carnegies' How to stop worrying and start living" provide a useful guide.

Overcoming Worry

1. Live in "day-tight compartments."
2. How to face trouble:

• Ask yourself, "what is the worst that can possible happen"?
• Prepare to accept the worst
• Try to improve on the worst

3.  Remind yourself of the exhorbitant price you can pay for worry in terms of your health

Analyzing Worry

1. Get all the facts.
2. Weigh all the facts - then come to a decision.
3. Once a decision is reached, act!
4. Write out and answer the following questions.

• What is the problem?
• What are the causes of the problem?
• What are the possible solutions?
• What is the best possble solutions?

Break the Worry Habit

1. Keep busy.
2. Dont fuss about trifles.
3. Use the law of averages to outlaw your worries.
4. Cooperate with the inevitable.
5. Decide just how much anxiety a thing may be worth and refuse to give it more.
6. Don't worry about the past.

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