Over 5 years ago I learned one of the most valuable KICKASS Business Tips ever… No really I am not kidding.

I learned it from Cameron Herold who read it somewhere….and used the concept for himself with some…OK lots of success…check out his bio…and, at that very small conference that he happened to be at 5 years ago…actually he was not supposed to be there at all, he was the stand in speaker…he shared a very simple yet profound concept that not only changed my life but all the people I share it with.  Just in case I never said it personally…Thanks Cameron for that nugget.

That nugget is The Top 6 things I must do Tomorrow . It is a story about Ivy Lee and Charles Schwab.

Around 100 years ago, Charles Schwab, president of Bethlehem Steel, wanted to increase his own efficiency, and of the management team at the steel company. Ivy Lee, a well-known efficiency expert of the time, approached Mr. Schwab, and made a proposition Charles Schwab could not refuse:

Ivy Lee: “I can increase your people’s efficiency – and your sales – if you will allow me to spend 15 minutes with each of your executives.” ….read the rest of the story

Over the years I have modified Ivy’s method and have come up with my own version, it goes like this.

• At the end of the work week take 15 minutes and think about your annual goals.
• Take a simple recipe card and write down 5 things you want to accomplish that feed into your annual goals.
• Any paper or files that are related to the 5 goals needs to be gathered together.
• Take those 5 things and put the most important on the top and organize the rest in descending importance.
• E-mail a copy of this list to yourself and mark it important.

What you have now is your game plan for the next week. Wow…you can actually relax this weekend knowing that you have a game plan. It is out of your head and on paper…what a stress reliever.

Oh and did I mention that they are the goals for the WHOLE week…not for a single day. So by the end of the week if you accomplish only the first 2 items you have tackled 2 very important tasks that add to your bottom line.

Now I have to ask…”Is that the most awesome KICKASS Business Tip Ever?”

As a side note here is my Top 5 for this week.

-Mail Organizing Connection Home Organizing Videos to Costco Head Office Buyer.
-Add Clutter to Clarity Lunch and Learn page to website and promote to 10 local companies, get testimonial from past clients for the page.
-Send E-Mail out to Professional Organizer Biz 101 participants regarding the schedule, payments and what we are doing each week.
-Add 6 Blog posts this week
-Finish reading “Made to Stick” and do a book review live on Ustream .

Please note that all these goals feed into my annual goals. This is not everything I will do this week as urgent things come up and to be honest you need to address some urgent stuff when it happens. If I accomplish one of these items every week for the next year I will have completed 52 strategic steps towards my goals. I would say that is better than nothing!