200 WAYS to Be More Productive in Life, and in Business

How'd You Do?

Nine weeks and 199 tips ago, we started by asking you to set some goals. We asked you to reflect on what you wanted in your work and your life. We then challenged you to target areas where, by increasing your productivity, you could make the most of both the time you work and the time you play.

And then we delivered six experts--in time management, leadership, technology and mobile tech, money, work space and work/life balance--to give you 200 concrete pieces of advice to help you be more productive. Now it's time to revisit your goals and see how you fared.

As we said when we introduced this series, "200 Ways to Be More Productive in Life, and in Business," it's critical that you chase the right rainbow--one that will make you happy, fulfilled and energized. It's easy to fall into the trap of either chasing the wrong one--one set by your family or your peers, or one you just happened see--or not giving yourself credit for the successful steps you take along the way. That's why your goals should be specific and measurable, and the process should be ongoing.

So how'd you do? Go back to the goals you set on day one, Tip No. 1: Know Who You Are and Know What You Want. Did you accomplish all that you set out to do?

If you did, give yourself a great big pat on the back, keep up the good work and, by all means, be an inspiration to others by sharing what you've learned with other entrepreneurs via Twitter or on our Facebook page.

But if you haven't quite made it yet...well, you're probably not alone. Dr. David Javitch, our leadership expert, offers these ideas to help you get back on track:

1. Rethink your goals. Do an objective assessment of what you intended to accomplish. Ask yourself these questions: Was I shooting too high with my aspirations? Am I capable of meeting those goals? What went wrong? Do I need more resources--people, time, money and/or equipment?

2. What will my revised goals look like? What can I do differently to ensure that this time I will make it?

3. Ask someone you trust to give you some insight into what went wrong.

4. Set interim goals to check your progress on your new or revised ambitions. That way, you can redirect your approach before the deadline arrives.
Finally, never stop looking for inspiration. During the course of our productivity program, we heard great comments from so many of you, including @NikaStewart ("Remember that good enough is good enough and just get something out. Fight perfectionism and get so much more done!") and @Wabisabibklyn ("Set a timer and alternate 40 minutes on different tasks: computer, noncomputer. Good for work--and blood flow!").

We're all human, and it will always be easier to do nothing than to do something--to cling to the familiar rather than try something new. But if you want to lead a happier, healthier and more productive life, you need to be on a constant quest for ways to work smarter, not harder.

By the way, our tips aren't going to disappear. Feel free to read and reread them. Follow other productivity gurus, too. You can't go wrong with Lifehacker.com and Makeuseof.com. What are your favorite productivity sites? Sharing is good.

In the meantime, we hope to see you poolside, or at the gym, or on the cover of Entrepreneur magazine if your goal is to achieve that level of success.

Encourage Employees to Take Risks

"Be careful." "Don't make any mistakes." "Errors can be costly." "Your job is on the line." This is what employees hear in their own minds and from their bosses. The result is that people become gun-shy and don't take a chance for fear of reprisals. In the current economy with employees being terminated, furloughed or laid off, it's no wonder that they are reluctant to take risks.

But an effective leader needs to encourage appropriate amounts of risk-taking because it leads to growth, change, improvement and innovation. Without it, organizations remain stagnant and therefore behind the competition.

But how do you stimulate risk-taking without encouraging catastrophes? The answer lies in taking "appropriate" amounts of risk. First, you as leader need to model to your employees that you believe in taking a risk--a middle-range risk. If you are successful, you are encouraging others to do the same. If you fail, admit it: Analyze what went wrong and what you will do next time to ensure errors are not repeated.

This is what you as a responsible risk-taking leader need to do. Then encourage employees to look at possibilities--things that do not yet exist but could with a little effort and forethought. Nothing new will come about without people stepping out of their comfort zone.

To ensure that employees do not take on enormous risks inappropriately, encourage them to brainstorm with colleagues or bosses to get a second opinion, though not necessarily permission. The key here is encouragement. Or support them in trying something new in small amounts or with a few teams before launching their new venture on the entire department or company.

Provide the Correct Amount of Direction

A key source of motivation for leaders is the opportunity to respond to questions from their employees and provide assistance and guidance. The providers feel a sense of importance, a sense of being able to help others, and a pride that they knew the answer or the "right way" to do something.

But how much direction is really needed or wanted? Often, the easiest way to resolve an issue is to ask for help. Then, the leader can step in, offer the "best answer" and let the employee implement the solution. But has the leader really helped that person? Probably not. What the leader has accomplished is to encourage dependency.

Instead of resolving issues, leaders need to challenge employees to figure out the situation on their own. That is not to say that the leader ignores employees. Rather, the leader asks the individual to try to devise a few solutions and then come back to discuss them. In that way, the employee learns self-reliance yet still benefits from the knowledge and experience of the leader.

It's also important to think about how much feedback is necessary. Some individuals simply need a few guidelines; others need more detailed responses. Giving too little input to someone who needs a lot leads to frustration and inactivity; giving too much to the individual who needs little results in an employee who feels overwhelmed and underappreciated or undervalued.

So size up the issue, size up the individual, and make sure your guidance and direction fit the situation.

Become the High-Value, High-Price Provider

Let your competitors fight over the pennies while you slip off with the dollars. Customers are willing to pay more for perceived value. They don't buy designer clothes because they're going to last longer; they buy them as a status symbol. Find a way to set yourself apart from the competition by offering better customer service, better image, better packaging, a green advantage, a good citizen image, etc.

Focus on the Cash Cows

It's easy to waste time and on things that offer very little return. In other words, don't lose a $600 sale with a 50 percent profit margin to a $12 T-shirt.

I learned this the hard way when I had a vintage airplane ride business. We found that we spent a ton of time fussing with our T-shirt inventory--having them designed, finding printers, keeping all the sizes in stock, and so on. That time would have been much more productively spent marketing our $600 WWII airplane rides.

Develop Strategic Alliances or Joint Marketing Relationships with Larger Companies, Customers, Distributors and Even Competitors

A truly symbiotic relationship will result in higher productivity levels for both of you. For example, if you have a new iPhone add-on, approach an established provider about distributing it for you. If you sell shopping services to house-bound adults, join forces with someone who offers reliable home repairs.

Expand Your Business

Think about offering new products to the same customers, or the same products to new customers, or new products to new customers--and think about it in that order. The least-risky, highest-payoff opportunities generally lie in doing business with your existing customer base.

Cut Your Workday by 30 Minutes

You will get more done. A deadline forces you to eliminate all the little time-wasters (silly interruptions, procrastination, perfectionism). Just because you can work all the time doesn't mean you should. If you work in an office, stick to your scheduled hours. If you work at home, set an alarm to end your workday, and dedicate evenings and weekends completely to your personal life.

Define an Outcome for Every Meeting

Identify a topic and outcome for every meeting, and send it to all participants a minimum of 24 hours beforehand so that everyone comes prepared. Well-run, useful meetings provide enormous value--they can solve problems, generate ideas, save you time, clarify direction, tighten work bonds, build teamwork, and reignite passion for projects.

Reduce Paper Clutter

Eighty percent of what is filed is never looked at again. Before saving any document, ask yourself whether you would trust that the information is up to date next time you look for it. If not, it's time to pitch, shred or recycle. For printing, use duplex printing to generate fewer pages. When it comes to printing information from web pages, consider using software such as Canon Easy-WebPrint EX--and print only the information you really need.

Create Templates

As entrepreneurs, we write many proposals, thank you notes, customer e-mails and press releases to various contacts. However, there is no need to write from scratch every time. While you don't want your correspondence to sound like a form letter, writing every letter from scratch is an enormous waste of time. Creating a template for every document that must be sent more than once opens up your schedule for other work. Just be sure to customize your template based on the contact to whom you are writing.

Set the Due Date

No matter how much room you leave for creativity in the delegation process, never be vague about the due date. If you leave the due date vague, other priorities will usurp your delegatee's focus, or not leave you enough time to correct the work, if necessary.

Leave enough of a cushion so that if the work doesn't come back as you'd hoped, there is enough time to correct it before the real deadline. It's sometimes helpful to give the person an estimate of how long you think the task should take and how long you want them to spend on it. Put a reminder in your planner to follow up the day the task is due.

Let Employees Make Their Own Choices

Many leaders wrongly believe that they have to control everything that happens in their organization. After all, they are ultimately responsible--to themselves, to their board, to their stockholders and to their stakeholders--for the outcomes. But total control curbs enthusiasm, decreases morale, diminishes independent thought, and ultimately squelches productivity--the exact opposite reaction leaders are looking for.

An effective approach to turning around these negatives is to offer employees choices. When that is done, they usually feel more ownership of what they are doing, they are more interested in the process and product, and they are happier and more motivated.

At first glance, you might fear that anarchy will reign; but it probably won"t. Here"s what you can do: When assigning tasks, instead of assigning a particular task to a particular individual, offer that person a choice between two, three or four activities. The one selected will be the one he or she is most interested in, and the task will probably stimulate and challenge that person to be more productive.

The same process can be used with teams. First, suggest several possible teams for employees to join. Again, their interest will lead to motivation. Then, given the topic and goal for the team, have them devise effective and hopefully creative approaches to addressing the challenge. Rest assured that the ultimate result of the tem effort will be far more creative and powerful than the status quo.

What kinds of choices have you offered your employees?

Create Opportunities for Community Service

Many companies have found that when their employees give back to the community, they are proud of themselves. So it makes perfect sense to encourage employees to get together and volunteer. This will help build teams, camaraderie and pride in your own organization.

Be Sure Job Descriptions Are Accurate

Sometimes the most embarrassing moment for a leader comes when an employee shows up for a performance review, is criticized for not fulfilling a certain task or responsibility, and the employee simply responds "That"s not in my job description."

The job description is a key component of any performance review. It"s the legally binding contract between you and your employee, and it provides clear guidelines for what the employee needs to do and how--or it should. It is not unusual for that contract to either omit certain tasks the employee currently performs or include ones that the employee is unaware of.

As an exercise in honesty, accuracy and effectiveness, you need to perform a regular review of what each employee is supposed to be doing, matching up reality with the job description. This process will also tell you whether or not you have the necessary human capital to effectively carry out your mission.

Make Sure Employees Have What They Need

You can"t drive your car if it has no gas. Musicians can"t play without instruments. And employees can"t perform their jobs effectively if they do not have the correct materials in the correct amounts.

Leaders usually see their employees busily doing their jobs, but what accommodations and adaptations are they making because they do not have what they need to be even more productive?

As a leader concerned with productivity, employee satisfaction and morale, you need to find out. You can conduct a formal survey or simply ask each person about their needs and requirements to fulfill their responsibilities. The results may be a real eye-opener.

Investigate the Compensation System

Everyone wants to be paid as much as possible. But do you know how your compensation system compares with other companies of equal size, product and output? There"s a good chance that some of your employees know the answer--the ones who are thinking of leaving your organization to work with a competitor. The cost of a noncompetitive pay-and-benefits system is very high in several respects. Underpaid employees do not produce at top levels. They tend to be unhappy and undermotivated. And they kill office morale by complaining to other employees, who will then also be concerned about their own pay and benefits.

They want the system to be different but they are unable to effect any change. They spend company time thinking about other jobs, often researching and applying for them on your time.

As costly as it may be to your bottom line, it is well worth your time to make certain that you have created an equitable compensation system for your employees.

Know What It Takes to Be Successful in Your Organization

What are the specific attributes of your organization"s culture and of its employees that lead to success or failure? Many leaders are unable to answer that question. But it must be answered if success is your ultimate goal, however you define success.

Achievement looks very different depending on where you are in the hierarchy. Front-line workers may simply want to do their jobs. Managers may want to ensure that their workers are in fact doing what they are supposed to be doing. And leaders like you may want to ensure that the organization"s revenues exceed its expenses.

Assemble a team of employees up, down and across the hierarchy. Define a goal of identifying which traits, characteristics and factors lead to the accomplishment of the organization"s stated goals, and which ones are obstacles in the way of attaining success. This will take time, so be patient.

Then empower them to identify specific improvements in policies, procedures and norms. This multifaceted team will certainly find sources of success (and failure) that you were not aware of.

Turn It Off

The verdict is in. Technology is addictive, say the researchers, and answering and checking messages incessantly can drive impulsive behavior and stress. You need to control the devices, instead of the other way around, to be able to bring full attention to your work and decisions and clear space for your life. Turn off the BlackBerry and check it manually. Don't check e-mail at home. Make sure you have daily disconnect time to remove yourself from the fray. Send less mail. Ask before you click: Is this message critical? Does it rise to the importance of a phone call? Are you sending the message because you can? Congratulate yourself on how many messages you resist sending each day.

Get Organized

Entrepreneurs are great at action and the big picture but not so good at keeping piles of junk at bay. Invest in a smoother, less stressed operation by bringing in a professional organizer or by taking a Franklin-Covey or "Getting Things Done" course. Let go of stuff that's bogging you down and cluttering up your desk and thinking. File, act, or toss, as organization guru Barbara Hemphill puts it. Getting organized frees up clarity and vitality that can increase your performance for the tasks that are the most important and may be getting sidetracked by the jungle of low-priority chaos.

Keep Your Office Stocked

Small businesses often run a tight ship. But many fumble on an alarmingly simple task--keeping the office stocked with the necessary supplies. If workers don't have sufficient pens, paper, paper clips, toner cartridges, battery chargers, mobile device accessories, and so forth, that can seriously slow down the flow of productivity. Every office needs a central supply of oft-used items so that workers don't face slowdowns due to a lack of resources. Whether you have a walk-in closet or a single lockable drawer in an accessible credenza, make sure your office manager or de facto office manager keeps your inventory stocked with the necessary goods to keep the team on task. Warehouse clubs and big-box office supply stores will deliver, so consider a standing order.

Provide Tools for Visual Collaboration

Ideas and brainstorming are central to the evolution of any small business. That's why many smaller companies introduce write-on/wipe-off boards or even plastics/glass wall surfaces. Teams can create living diagrams, team leads can spec out how a product or plan will evolve, and on-the-spot brainstorms can all emerge when there are both space and tools available to visualize and draw out how an idea might work. Think of it as "back of the napkin" space in your physical office. Sure, at some point these ideas will need to be committed to the screen, a list or a mobile device--especially if office housekeepers might erase them during a zealous cleaning--but offering write-on/wipe-off space encourages workers to hit the drawing board, and then go back to it, again and again.

Choose Where to Communicate

Small offices are noisy, and even with the best noise-baffling materials and technologies there's no denying that workers will need to talk one-on-one and in groups. As the discussion gets more productive or animated, the decibels rise. And then there's always that person who talks in a booming low voice just because that's their disposition. If you're running the business, create a communications culture by using electronic shortcuts for small talk and leaving live conversations for more important matters. While it may seem cold or unproductive to encourage workers to use instant messenger programs, when used mainly for the little things ("Coming to the meeting in five minutes?" or "Do you know if so-and-so is working from home today?"), it cuts down on a lot of chatter about little things. Likewise, the occasional group e-mail with updates and notes that workers may want to reference later is a useful way of side-stepping the need for a long meeting. Still, there are obvious times when one-on-one communication or group meetings are best. One-on-one is best for disciplinary, difficult or awkward chats. And group meetings are necessary when delivering extremely good or extremely bad news. (You can e-mail follow-ups, if need be, once the news has broken.)

Discipline Squawkers

A small office is often full of single-minded workers bent on hitting their numbers, meeting their deadlines, and landing new clients--and it's also often full of big egos and people who are highly invested in their jobs. They may forget that others are working around them, and this can be a shame--especially if these workers like to put their calls on speakerphone and then leave the door open, or convene Skype meetings without using headphones or microphones to cut down on noise. Create rules about noisy devices and choices like these, so other workers aren't driven to distraction. Alternatively, encourage workers who must use "open air" Skype or video chat calls to do so in an enclosed room--and make the necessary tools available so they won't disturb colleagues.

Keep the Client in Mind

Do clients come to your office for meetings? Who's coming? Is it prospective accounts you might service? Vendors you're interviewing to hire as subcontractors for a project? Investors who might fund your technology? Depending on your business's life stage, your office design needs to take into account who may be coming to visit. Is there a waiting area--at least a comfy chair and table with some magazines or company literature--near the front door? Is there a meeting table or room? And, if so, how is that meeting table arranged? Is it a classic conference table? A casual dining table? These minor-sounding distinctions send subtle messages to potential business partners about how you'd interact with them once a contract is signed. Will you be a communicative, equal partner--or a domineering dictator? An investor might not mind seeing your office bursting at the seams (what a sign of productivity and expansion!) and taking a meeting by the coffee pot, but a potential client interested in hiring you for graphic design or an event plan might worry that the space is so chaotic, no one can get work done. Consider your office as seen from an outsider's eyes. Better yet, ask an objective friend who's never visited to drop by and then ask them their impressions of the space.

Shrink Tasks To Get Them Done Faster

When time is limited, you need to find the quickest way to your goal. Finding shortcuts is not about "cheating" or taking the easy way out--it's about becoming more efficient. For you perfectionists out there: Remember, it's usually preferable to have something completed (even if it's imperfect) than never done at all.

For each item on your to-do list, ask yourself: Is there a quicker way to get this done? Skipping certain steps can shrink one-time projects. Writing a proposal or thank-you note? Instead of starting from scratch, use a previously accepted proposal or thank-you note as a template, and just change the details.

Focus on Completion

Tackling items on your to-do list can be a daunting activity when you don't focus on the payoff. Whenever you sit down to tackle items on your to-do list, ask yourself "What can I finish?" rather than "What can I start?" Break large projects down into smaller, completable steps. Energy and sense of accomplishment come from getting things done.

Empower Your Subordinates

Having a team that works for you can take a huge chunk off your workload if you delegate properly. However, if they do not feel confident in their roles, they will be unsure about the work they are doing. If you're supervising people, empower them to make decisions so you're not constantly inundated with tiny questions. Next time someone comes to you with a problem they could handle on their own, turn it back around. Try these responses: "Can you make that call? I won't be able to get to it for two days" or "Come up with a few solutions, and then let's meet and talk about them."

Use the WADE Formula to Manage Your Time

One of the most common mistakes people make when creating their to-do list is generating an endless inventory of everything in their heads--which is not particularly practical for getting things done. The secret sauce is creating what I call an "intelligent" to-do list, which goes way beyond just asking "what" we need to do; it addresses how long each item will take, and when we are going to do it--so that we can make realistic plans for each day.

The WADE formula is a practical plan for sorting through your to-dos, making wise decisions and feeling the unbeatable sense of accomplishment that comes with checking things off your list. Plan your to-do list intelligently and realistically so you feel excited, rather than overwhelmed. Try it:

W: WRITE IT DOWN. Record every meeting, appointment, to-do, call, and project in your planner, utilizing the monthly calendars, planning pages, and/or accessory notebooks. Once you get into the habit of consistently writing everything down in a single location, you'll stop worrying that you're forgetting something and will be able to actually concentrate on getting things done.

A: ADD IT UP. Estimate how long each task will take. Is there enough room in your day for all that needs to be done? If you only have four open hours but have scheduled six hours' worth of tasks, you need to make a few adjustments.

D: DECIDE. In most cases, once you add up your tasks, you'll discover that you have many more tasks than you have time for. When you reach the limits of your time, you need to make some strategic decisions. Use the 4 Ds (Delete, Delay, Diminish, Delegate) to create a more doable plan.

E: EXECUTE YOUR PLAN. "Plan your work; then work your plan." There's no point to making a plan if you aren't going to implement it. This means referring to your planner frequently and completing the tasks you set forth on the days you decided to do them. Once you've assigned each of your to-dos a place in your schedule, you are free to focus on the moment.

Make a Master Travel Checklist for Business Trips

When you prepare for a business trip, it is important to spend time planning your work rather than making sure you have everything you need in your suitcase at the last minute. Make a checklist of everything you need for travel. Include on the list categories such as clothing, tickets, passports, files, medicines, toiletries, etc. You can customize quantities and garment weight according to the length and climate of each trip.

Reduce the Strain on Your Cash Flow by Requiring Customer Deposits to Cover Upfront Costs

Offer incentives for your customers to pay early. Collect progress payments on large jobs. If you're using subcontractors, have the customer pay them directly--it may cost you a bit of profit, but if cash is tight, it's worth it.

Develop and Use an Effective Financial Reporting System

Look for one that tracks income and expenses, gross profit margins (by product or service), operating expenses, cash flow, current ratio, quick ratio, accounts receivable agings, account payable agings, inventory agings, debt-to-worth ratio and trend data (e.g., comparisons to last month, last year, etc.). Make sure the information is timely. It won't do you any good to know that your cash flow was more of a cash trickle three months after the fact.

Take Advantage of Trade Discounts

If you can borrow at less than 37 percent in order to take a 2 percent discount and pay 20 days early, you'll save money. I know that doesn't seem possible, but the fact is you're earning 2 percent for a 20-day investment (paying 10 days instead of 30). Annualized, that really adds up. Here's the math if you care to check it out for yourself.

Consider a Cash Management Service

If you operate multiple locations or receive a large number of checks, consider using a cash management service that consolidates the balances from multiple locations into one account (cash concentration account), automatically deposits incoming checks via a lock box, and automatically sweeps excess cash into an investment account.

Find Employees Who Are Under-Performing

How often does your organization complete performance appraisals? Many executives say never; others say only once a year. Ideally, they should happen every quarter to ensure optimal performance and growth for both the company and the individual.

Let's take a look at the company, perhaps yours, that evaluates its employees only once a year. That means for the overwhelming majority of the time, you are not providing employees with a check on their goals, their performance or their progress. Some may be working off-target, innocently diverted onto ineffective pathways. Others may be repeating errors or omissions. Yet others may not be working up to speed for a variety of reasons, usually rooted in uncertainty and fear of making mistakes. Your task, as you "manage by walking around," is not only to find people who are doing a good job, but also to uncover those who are not. They probably won't come up to you to ask those so-called "dumb questions" out of fear. But these are the very people you need to find. You need to ask them specifically what their task is and how they are progressing. You need to create the positive atmosphere that encourages them to speak up and honestly share their progress and approach. Only then can you determine if they are effective or not. And if they are not working at an optimal rate or they're not on the right pathway, then you need to provide immediate feedback and guidance to help them improve. After all, when they succeed, you succeed.

Improve Working Conditions

No one enjoys working under sub-par conditions, and certainly no one works optimally in poor conditions. What are they? Take a good look around, and do it with a small group of employees from various levels in your hierarchy. 

What could be improved? What needs fixing? Here are some questions you and your Working Conditions Improvement Team can ask yourselves:

1. Is the desk lighting optimal? How about the overhead lighting?
2. Do the size and shape of the desks leave enough room for working, or is the workspace too crowded?
3. Is the machinery up to date? If not state-of-the-art, is it at least well-maintained and clean?
4. Could the walls use a new coat of paint?
5. Are there any interesting posters or works of art on the walls?
6. If purchasing or leasing something new could improve productivity and employee satisfaction, what would that be? How soon can it be ordered?
7. Do all employees have the materials they need to perform at the highest level? You may not know the answer, so ask the individuals you greet as you walk around.
8. Are the floors clean, or are they cluttered or dirty?
9. If you have a cafeteria, is the food appealing, yet reasonably priced?

Answering these questions and taking action on them will have a direct impact on improving working conditions, employee satisfaction, morale and productivity.

Follow Up on Your Directives and Actions

Often, leaders are so busy that they cannot keep track of all of the tasks they have assigned to others. Many executive colleagues wrongly believe that if the task doesn't come back to them, then it must have been completed.

This is a serious error in judgment for several reasons. First, employees do not always check back with the boss, especially if they do not exactly understand what the task involves, what they must do with it, or if it is too difficult or complex. Rather than appear stupid or incompetent, they simply put the task off, hoping the boss will forget about it. Second, if you do not go back to the person you delegated to, that person may correctly or incorrectly assume that you do not really care about the project, or that you do not care about the employee. If an employee thinks that, the reaction often is "If the boss doesn't care about it or about me, then why should I care?" To increase your effectiveness and your employees' productivity and morale, when you delegate a task or a responsibility, be certain to go back and check on its progress and outcome. Don't forget to provide specific feedback on the success or failure of the effort.  And certainly, praise the person's efforts in accomplishing the task or at least attempting to accomplish it. --David G. Javitch

Provide Encouraging Advice When Something is Not Going Well

One of your main goals as a leader is to establish a positive rapport with your employees.  This means delivering both good and bad news, but in a positive manner. Most employees are accustomed to hearing negative feedback from their bosses. The usual result is that this news creates a large chasm between boss and employee.

While not all feedback can be positive, negative information definitely can be conveyed in a way that people will accept. Here's how:

1. Be convinced that providing feedback, whether positive or negative, can have an encouraging effect.
2. Be certain not to raise your voice or come off as yelling or highly annoyed. All this accomplishes is that the employee shuts down, disregards your diatribe and becomes angry. Sometimes this results in the employee looking for ways to sabotage you and your efforts.
3. Be specific and helpful.
4. Find something good to say about the employee. This allows the recipient to open his or her ears to receive you message.
5. Continue with a clear but not lengthy statement about what is wrong.
6. Be encouraging and optimistic about finding a solution.
7. State how you think the situation can be improved.
8. Ask the employee how it can be improved.
9. Offer to work with the employee to jointly devise a solution.

What other ways do you have of sending your message?

Identify Conflicts Between Individuals and Departments

Conflict is all around us. Whether it's a minor or major difference, a mini-competition to get the next taxi, a disagreement as to who can be served next in line, large or small, we all experience it.

But conflict does not have to be negative. When defined simply as "neutral tension that may become negative," it takes on a new meaning. It does not have to be difficult or irritating. In fact, some degree of tension in the workplace is definitely positive. Low to moderate levels of stress, disagreement, discrepancy and disparity can actually lead to creativity and innovation. One of your tasks as a leader is to identify the sources of tension, decide if it is positive or negative, and then work with the parties to iron out an agreement or resolution to the conflict. Demonstrate how these issues, when left unaddressed, detract from the organization's goals, productivity and culture. Ensure that all parties involved try to find the positive aspect of their seemingly negative interaction. Follow these steps:

1. State how conflict can be seen as neutral and even positive for the reasons previously stated.
2. Emphasize the importance of all parties working out their differences.
3. Identify aspects of the conflict that all parties have in common.
4. Ask each person to state how the other person sees their viewpoint.
5. Correct any misunderstandings.
6. Ask each party to suggest a resolution that the other party can live with.
7. Find similarities on each party's view.
8. Agree on a solution that meets each party's requirements.
9. Review the final solution and garner commitment to work toward implementing the agreement.

Control Obsessive Anxiety

Entrepreneurs have to be very good at withstanding risk, which basically comes down to tolerating ambiguity. The profit picture can be very hazy for a long time, and entrepreneurs have to be able to hang in there with all the vagaries. Withstanding uncertainty requires an ability to regularly get the anxiety down. One of the best tools for this is the relaxation response, also known as meditation. It's a fantastic tool for calming the mind and eliminating obsessive thinking, and it's used in thousands of clinics, hospitals and homes throughout the country. All you have to do is sit quietly for 15 or 20 minutes and repeatedly think of a phrase in your mind, letting thoughts come and go as they will but always returning to the phrase. You'll be amazed at how this practice can cut down on anxiety. Pick up a copy of the classic on this technique, The Relaxation Response, written by Dr. Herbert Benson, for an easy introduction.

Avoid Burnout

The same traits that can drive you to success can push you over the edge into chronic stress and the last stage of incessant anxiety--burnout. When you're burned out, your gas gauge is on empty. All your resources have been depleted. It's a three-way shutdown--emotional, physical and mental. It's a serious condition that needs to be fixed immediately before it leads to the likes of stroke and depression. Changing schedules, reducing workload, increasing support, and making sure you get regular recharge time can keep burnout at bay. Recognize the signs of burnout--no sense of accomplishment, depersonalization of others, lack of enjoyment, nothing left to give, depleted emotional resources, physical exhaustion and cynicism. One thing that has been shown to fix burnout: a vacation, which regathers crashed resources--but it takes two weeks for that process to occur. So you need a real vacation.

Get a Smarter Browser

Need to surf the web on the go but hate the browser that came with your smartphone? Check out free alternatives such as Opera Mini and Skyfire; the latter is one of the few that supports Flash, so you can watch, say, an instructional video posted on a site.

One caveat: Even the best mobile browser doesn't always deliver a satisfying experience. That's a major reason why smartphone apps were created--and why they're so popular. So if switching browsers doesn't help with the sites you've got to have on the go, check to see if those sites offer an app.

Use Social Networking to Keep in Touch with Clients, the Media and More

Depending on your industry, social networking services such as Twitter and Facebook can be more effective than e-mail for spreading the word about new products, promos and press releases. Most of those services now offer smartphone apps, which means you don't have to wait until you're at a PC to post something.

To save even more time, consider apps--such as Pixelpipe and ShoZu--that let you upload to multiple sites simultaneously from your smartphone.

Beat Malware

Viruses and other malware can be a huge problem for Windows PCs. At the least, they hog processing power and slow down performance. At worst, they can lock up a machine to the point that everything--even the operating system--has to be reinstalled. At both extremes, productivity takes a hit.

The obvious solution is to install anti-malware software, such as the products available from McAfee and Symantec. But prevention doesn't come cheap--it'll cost you $30 to $90 per PC per year. For the smallest of small businesses, one relatively new alternative is Microsoft Security Essentials, which is free. Technically, it's available only for home use, but if you're like many entrepreneurs, you're starting out basically as a consumer, so it's worth considering as a way to balance security and your budget during that crucial first year.

Pick the Right Portable PC

If you or your employees spend much of the workday out of the office, there's a bewildering array of PC choices, from netbooks to the iPad to laptops. Each choice has its own set of productivity considerations.

For example, netbooks are inexpensive because they typically have less processing power and memory than laptops, particularly business-class models. As a result, netbooks can undermine productivity if their performance is sluggish or they frequently crash.

A laptop might be a better choice if high performance is a key consideration, but the trade-offs can include price and weight. An iPad, meanwhile, can get you through airport security faster because it doesn't have to be unpacked, and its roughly 10 hours of battery life let you stay productive even on long flights. One downside for some users is the lack of a physical keyboard, which can slow down typing.

Don't Look to the Past During a Time of Change

Looking to the past when the rest of the world is trying desperately to move forward prevents all involved from moving swiftly. You become the anchor, the weight, holding yourself and everyone else down. It may feel like an abrupt shifting of gears--but that's precisely what you have to do. During a time of change, you can't make assumptions. The old rules don't apply. Pay attention and stop interpreting things in relation to what used to be. Don't compare. Take in the new facts so you can respond to reality instead of your images of the good old days. Be willing to look forward and embrace new ideas.

Let People Know the Most Efficient Way to Reach You

If you travel frequently or work in a time zone that is different from your main contacts, inform your colleagues how best to get in touch with you. How you decide to communicate will vary according to the other person's style. You may prefer to communicate with some people via e-mail because it is available 24 hours a day, while you may find a quick phone call or in-person chat more efficient with others. Let the nature and importance of your relationship dictate your mode of communication.

Leave Yourself a Bread-Crumb Trail

If you must remove paper documents from folders, it can sometimes be very difficult to locate the file again. Then, you end up having single sheets of paper on your desk that need to be filed. Make it extremely easy and mindless to return items to their original homes by leaving yourself a bread-crumb trail. When you remove a paper from a file, put a Post-it flag in the spot from which you removed the document, and place a matching Post-it on the actual document. This way you don't have to remember where you pulled the document from, and when you go back to put your papers away, all you need to do is match up the Post-its. Three minutes is all it'll take to return everything to its original home, as you match up Post-it flags.

Delete Tasks to Streamline Your To-Do List

Deleting tasks means deliberately deciding not to do them at all. Take a hard look at every item on your to-do list and ask yourself: What is the worst thing that would happen if this task or project weren't done? Would my life change drastically? Would anyone else be irreparably hurt? If the answer is no, cross it off your list. Let go of the obligation and guilt of tasks you will never get to anyway, and free your energy for what truly matters most.

More often than not, the act of eliminating tasks involves saying no to other people. If it is hard for you to say no, you will always end up doing things you don't really want to. You have to learn how to balance doing things for those you care about with honoring your own priorities and goals. Only you have your eye on your big-picture goals, and only you can decide what fits into your overall life balance and what does not.

You need to get good at saying no. Think about the situations you often get trapped by. Be prepared to turn down requests gracefully by composing a few tailor-made responses; then practice delivering them. For example, to decline a request for committee work, you might respond "That sounds like a great project. I'm flattered that you think I'm the best person to handle it, but my schedule is far too jammed for me to do it justice right now. It wouldn't be responsible for me to say yes."

Delay Tasks for a Time That Works with Your Schedule

Delay does not mean procrastinate. Procrastination is about indefinite postponement; delaying is about consciously rescheduling something for a more appropriate time. Delaying in this sense is actually proactive--you are choosing the best time to do something so that it works with your schedule, work style and priorities.

Scan your list of to-dos and ask yourself: What absolutely doesn't have to happen today? Even if you've determined that a task is important, consider whether it can be postponed a day or a week to a more logical and practical time. For example, your first day back from vacation may not be the most effective time to tackle that presentation, even though it is due in two weeks. Better to go through your backlog, get reoriented and schedule the project for a few days later, when you are able to truly focus. Instead of going to the electronics store this weekend to shop for a new computer, you may want to delay it until next month, when the stores are running electronics sales.

Delaying sometimes requires that we fight our own impulse to gravitate toward tasks we enjoy or consider easy at the expense of more important, difficult ones. Delaying also involves resisting your tendency to instantly respond to requests from other people. Just because someone asks you to do something the moment they think of it doesn't mean it's urgent; perhaps they just wanted to get it off their own list.

Form Quality Improvement Teams

The quality movement has been around for quite some time. Unlike many new management concepts, quality seems to be here to stay, fortunately. The Toyota debacle certainly ensured that fact! Quality involves change: Looking at processes, policies and procedures takes effort. Most people do not like change because it involves them having to do something differently, like learn a new skill or technique, move to a different office, or interact with different people, software or machinery. However, when employees truly understand the need to investigate and improve the quality of operations in an organization, they are usually willing participants, interested, and even excited about the change, as long as they can see the benefit of it.

Although the interest may be there, the knowledge and skill base may not. This is a wonderful opportunity to stimulate the growth and development of some of your employees. Form quality teams to investigate any of a variety of aspects of your company. In fact, empower the people who will be on the team to decide what aspect of organizational life to look at. Then, either send them to an external seminar or hire an expert to come in and teach the basic quality improvement methods to the team. Then set them loose on your organization. You are almost guaranteed to see an increase in enthusiasm for the job, morale, self-esteem and productivity.

Ask Employees What Will Make Them More Proud of Their Work

Most people come to work to have their self-esteem reinforced. They enjoy coming to work. They enjoy being productive. They enjoy taking pride in their accomplishments. Pride, progress and productivity can almost always be improved. If the goal is to increase individual satisfaction and pride in one's accomplishments, then many employees would work earnestly to do so. They just might not be sure how to increase their pride in the workplace.

Create a "Pride Development Team" to look at various job functions and help determine what can be done by management and by individual employees to improve pride in the work. The key here is to look at how easy it is for employees to see the direct or indirect impact they are having on the outcome of their work. When the work is done well, when an employee feels he/she had an impact on the outcome, pride follows.

Create Mentoring Relationships For Employees

There are many advantages to creating mentoring relationships in organizations, especially for new employees. "Learning the ropes" can be a daunting and time-wasting period; usually, it takes months or even longer, depending on the complexity of the job description. New employees often learn by "On the Job Training" that is replete with errors, omissions and compromises. There is a better way.

Pair up a mature, experienced individual with a new employee, but make sure there is no direct reporting relationship between them. The role of the long-term person is to educate the new employee by providing informal guidance and direction on how things work. (What are the unspoken norms, processes and procedures for accomplishing a certain task? Who are the key people to get to know; who are the ones to avoid? What does the new employee have to do, learn and experiment with to become a success?)

Create an Effective Performance Appraisal System.

We need to know how we are doing on the job. This most likely comes from being evaluated so often in school, by our parents and by friends. So why should it be any different in the workplace? Employees need to know when to continue performing in a certain way and when to stop or change. Management has the distinct opportunity and responsibility to make that happen.

First, the manager or the leader needs to agree with the employee on exactly what the specifications are for the job description. Then they need to set up goals and objectives for how the job will be performed and what the markers are for success.

Ideally, once each quarter the boss and the individual need to meet for an evaluation of the progress toward accomplishing the goals. Unfortunately, in reality, this process usually only occurs once per year. The value of the more frequent meeting is to provide more timely feedback and advice on how to maximize employee performance. Prior to this information session, both the manager and the employee need to fill out the performance appraisal questionnaire and evaluation form. This way, both parties are prepared for meeting and can share their perspectives. Finally, the tenor of this meeting needs to be positive, not punitive. That is not to say that negative or incorrect performance should not be discussed; it should. It is to say, however, that performance appraisal needs to be geared toward learning and improvement.

The end result is that both the leader and the employee will know exactly how well the latter is doing on the job, what improvements, if any, need to be made, and how far along the route toward completion and success the employee is.

Go Out and Find Someone Doing Something Right

We are all social animals. We need and like to interact with others--some more, some less. And during this process, we need to receive feedback. Am I liked? Am I doing good work? Am I doing the right thing? Do I need to change my behavior in some way? Should I be working with a team or continue independently?

These pertinent questions and others can easily be answered both informally and formally. You as a leader create positive morale when you simply Manage By Walking Around (MBWA). As you stroll though your building, stop and ask people how they are, what obstacles are in the way of getting their work done, what works well, what does not, and what their successes are. When you ask these and other questions, be sure to identify something positive that the individual is doing; in fact, make a definite point of finding something good to say, and be clear when you state it to your employees. You will certainly see a smile on their face. First, they will probably be surprised that their leader found something good to say about their work, and second, they will feel an increase in self-esteem. Both are clear motivating factors that also improve morale.