Well, what can I say?  I ended last year very unorganized and all over the place to say the least.  I got to say that when all things get hectic in the last quarter of the year, and a consultant such as myself has more than 3 projects, you have to imagine that you will be going crazy unless you organize yourself better.

A couple of things I suggest to do when things go hectic as a consultant:

1.  Stay organized by keeping your daily, weekly, monthly plan up to date.   

This is something that got me in trouble.  Not because I didn’t get my projects done on time or anything like that, but since I wasn’t as organized as I wanted to be, I couldn’t work on my life goals outside of work, including this blog.

2.   Get deliverables done before you move on another project.

This almost goes hand-in-hand with number 1.  Yes, I got my deliverables done, but I had 3 at one time since I let everything bundle together due to the number of projects I was juggling.  It would be worth your while to take a couple of hours on your day off to end the project by sending the client the deliverables than having to take all the time in calls and emails of clients wanting their deliverables, which is worse since you are in the middle of another one while this is happening.

3. Make time for your Family and Friends

This is an easy one for me, because I almost always do this whenever I am home.  One policy I have in my life with work is that when I am home, I spend most of it with my family and friends.  Work isn’t everything so enjoy the good things in life, especially the ones that love you.

These things seem simple and maybe you say that you have read about this same kind of advice, but some of these things are never repeated enough.  When you are in the middle of chaos, it is good to have these hints fresh in your mind.

If you aren’t living in a show or in outer space, you already know that things have gone awry in our economy.  I am sure some people have used other words to describe the state of the economy, but don’t fret.  This is the time as a consultant, or for other professionals, or anyone that has a job and wants to keep it, to improve your skill-sets.

Become an Expert

If you are living off a trust fund or your parent’s house, maybe you don’t ever have to worry, but with the sense of urgency, this is a great time to light a fire on your behind and start to learn something new or become an expert at what you do.  Reading Seven Years to Seven Figures by Michael Masterson, he outlines some great guideline and some activities that can help you in becoming an Expert or Master in your specialization, a new one, or whatever you want to learn.  He describes that you should be doing and studying the subject you want to specialize in  for 1000 hours, and you should be doing it for  5000 hours in order to master it.  The way you can track it is by having a sheet with 1000 squares, and once you complete an hour, you cross out a box. The same to master the subject of choice but using 5000 squares.  I have started this for my golf game, but I have a long ways to go.  I have a template so I will post it in the next week or two.

Dog Eat Dog World

As most of you hard-working, over-achieving people know, this is a very competitive world.  We should always be on top of things in our field, or even learn something new to branch out.  Who said that Doctors were the only ones that had to keep studying and keeping current.  I know that keeping current and ahead of the curve in the Tech field has helped me a great deal, and I have gotten to the place I am at because of that.  Let’s keep evolving and keep ahead and learn more things.  Get off the couch and do something!

I am not a 7 figure consultant yet, but I will be posting several things that I have done in order to get to my goal, which is to get to 7 figure profits per year as a consultant.  I welcome comments and questions on the subject.

Your Daily/Weekly/Monthly Goal Action List

I agree with Michael Masterson in the subject of planning ahead daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly.  In Seven Years to Seven Figures, Masterson goes over making a daily, weekly, and monthly to-do type of list.  I have also done Tony Robbins coaching, and he also has a similar philosophy in planning ahead, but it is more in terms of goal setting.  Making these to-do lists are more like a Goal Settings Action list. I call it a “Goal Action list.”

15 Minutes Daily

Putting ideas to paper is far more effective than just daydreaming. If you wake up 15 minutes earlier each day to write down your to-do list, your day can be far more effective.  You do this every day first thing in the morning, and then you plan for your weekly list for 15 minutes on Sunday afternoon. The weekly list are more general and will be used as a guide for your daily lists.  The monthly list can be created in 15 min during the weekend prior to the month ending. This list will contain high level goals that you will accomplish weekly/daily.  I have templates for jotting down your daily, weekly, and monthly actions.  I will be posting them on this blog very soon.

Taking Actions

Creating these Daily/Weekly/Monthly Goal Action lists are not just for jotting down what you have to do or think you are obligated to do.  You want to have at least 10 - 25% of your action items be things that will be getting you ahead or to the next level.  For example: If you want to be on your way to being a millionaire consultant, you want to put aside time to learn new things, get referrals, or prospect for new business.

Evaluating Your Lists

It is a good idea to put each Goal Action list’s paper in a notebook and evaluate them each week/month.  You should start to see trends pretty quickly. Basically, what you want to do is to see how much of a percentage of the action items you write down are being done.  If you see that only 25% are being done, find a way to be more productive, or jot down actions that you think will inspire you more.  You can also be creating a wish list instead of an action list. Do not focus on too many items. You might want to start with just 8-10 items a day.

The next post should have templates for you, and I will explain what system I use to make sure I prioritize and finish these Goal Action items.

Yes, the title is deceiving.  I wouldn’t have it any other way than working as a consultant (until I get to my financial goal and who knows then).

Starting in Consulting

Starting as a consultant can be tough. First, you must master a type of job. Then you must convince a consulting company to hire you and pay you the big bucks. You can also go into consulting on your own or amongst a few consultants in which you can be a partner.

Mastering a Subject

In the book “Seven Years to Seven Figures,” by Michael Masterson, he describes mastering a specific job or task requires at least 1000 hours to master, and about 10,000 hours to become an expert.  The way he suggests in doing this is to make up your mind what it is you want to master, and create a matrix with 1000 squares on it. Then you check off one square for every hour you spend attaining your goal of mastering the subject.

Other Advice

I am in a high demand area of technology consulting.  It is not enough to just be a consultant.  You have to keep sharpening the ax all the time.  To keep in demand, one must keep up with trends and new technologies.  I will have another post in which I will describe how to be a consultant on your own, and the best way to be successful to be profitable your first year as an independent consultant.

As a hurricane potentially comes through South Florida, I thought of the following question, How should a consultant handle his or her business during an emergency?  I believe that family comes first, and I will be doing whatever is possible to help secure my parents’ and my house and our safety before the potential hurricane comes through.  I will be notifying my clients that I will be available by phone all day, but I may not be on my computer due to the potential hurricane coming through Florida.

There are some other things to keep in mind to protect your business. Remember to backup your files. A remote backup service such as mozy.com or carbonite.com is highly recommended.  Remember to keep your important papers and files in a fire/water proof container or safe.  Send emails out to your clients or bosses if you work under someone to tell them that you might be unavailable for a certain period of time.

What would you do during such an emergency?