Like Any Project That Has Some Size…It Takes Some Time to Build
A few weeks back I told you about my plans to convert my blog posts into podcasts. We started by discussing the WHY question. We came up with the answer of – being able to help more busy people find solutions for building their dreams.
Next, we talked about HOW we would ever get blog posts turned into podcasts. It was determined that if I was going to do this…I was going to need some help, i.e., Nic at AdWise Creative. Nic’s help has made a huge difference in what we were able to accomplish.
Then, we reviewed our progress, which included –
Having written the intro and outro for the construction company focused podcasts
My recording of the construction company focused intro and outro
Nic having put together the intro and outro sound effects
Nic combining the intro, outro, sound effects and reading of the blog post into a preliminary episode
This got us to a point considered WHAT the next step of the journey would be. Which included –
Designing artwork for the podcast landing page – check
Researching and deciding where we would host the podcasts – check
Recording more construction company focused episodes – check
Write the intro and outro for the construction customer focused podcasts – check
Record the intro and outro for the construction customer focused podcasts
This is good progress. Four of the five things on that list are done and the things on this list aren’t easy.
Like I wrote about in the second post in this series, I would need some help to pull this off. Thanks to my assistant Katie and Stacey my IT specialist at Custom Internet for their help in getting the first couple of things on the list moved forward to where we are.
Let’s take a look at these things that we done.
First is the Solution Building podcast landing page. I’m very happy with the way this page has turned out. Thank you, Katie and Stacey, for all of your hard work on this beautiful site!
Before we could even have a podcast, we needed to decide where we host them. We decided on Castos as our podcast hosting site. There were a few reasons we chose them, but the main ones are…their connectivity with WordPress, which is the host platform of our other websites, unlimited storage of content, both audio and video, and an affordable price.
Yes, we have more recorded episodes done and you can listen to them here.
We’re still working on the intro and outros for the customer and life building podcasts. We also are working on getting the podcast page connected to our AWeber account. This will let people know when the most recent episode become available.
We’ll keep you updated as we go forward.
Go check out the podcasts and let me know what you think.
The Strength of These Two Things Together Can Increase Your Productivity
As business owners, entrepreneurs, hardworking employees of companies, and active people, we find ourselves busier than ever during this time of the year. As we approach the end of one year and begin preparing for next, there just isn’t enough time to get everything done. Add to this the Holiday season and everything that goes with this…it can get overwhelming.
As busy people we struggle trying to get everything done. The thing we need to remember is…
We don’t have to get EVERYTHING done.
Instead, we should prioritize our actions and focus on the first next thing. What is the most important thing currently on the list? At the same time we need to remember there is a limited amount of time available.
Recently I had a day that made the importance of a calendar and the limits of time very clear.
I typically have my calendar packed tight. Some of you have seen my calendar and know what I’m talking about. On this particular day, I had no meetings or events scheduled. I was lazy about putting things on the calendar.
As always, I had a long list of things to do. More than I could ever get done. The problem with not having things scheduled on the calendar is…the importance of time available is lost. At the end of that day, I was disappointed in how little I got done. I should have put things on the calendar.
This is why it’s important to use a list and a calendar together.
A calendar is a visual view of the time available. As you put things on the calendar, the day, the week(s) and the future begin to fill up. It’s a gauge for what you can get done. It isn’t an exact science; you already know that some things are going to take longer than you plan for.
Seeing this limited amount of time packed to the point of running over amps up the sense of urgency. This increased urgency improves productivity. It’s a black and white way to see the limited time available, a list of things to do doesn’t show you this.
A calendar is a great way to measure the time you have to do the things on the list.
The purpose of lists is to keep track of things that need to be done. We all have lists of things to do, whether it’s in our head, on paper or electronic. I use OneNote for my lists because of its simplicity, connect-ability, flexibility and options available.
The thing that I like about my OneNote list is that it improves my ability to keep track of the things on the list and allows me to easily move things around and add or remove as things change. And we all know that things never change. 😊
A list is a great way for prioritizing things that need done first and keeping track of the rest.
A calendar is a time focused tool. The “to do list” is just what it says…a list of things to do. These are two different tools, with different purposes and abilities that work well together.
Most of us business owners, entrepreneurs, hardworking employees of companies, and active people want to be more productive. Using these two tools to support each other is a good place to start.
Too Often Once the Goals Are Planned…We Forget the Achieving Part
This is like having plans to build a building and once you get the blueprint drawn…you stop. You have a picture you can hang on the wall, but the building never gets built.
Having a plan before you start is good, but it’s not enough. If you don’t dig some dirt and drive some nails, nothing is accomplished.
Accomplishing anything requires action and action requires decisions.
This book gives us Seven Decisions shared with David Ponder while on his travels bout how we should live our lives. I review and contemplate these decisions daily.
We’re nearing the end of another year. The closer we get, the more we beat ourselves up because of the things we didn’t get done. It’s easy to get caught up in the things that we didn’t accomplish and overlook the things that we did. We all have visions of what our dream life will look like. This can be frustrating and depressing when things don’t turn out like we planned.
We need to remember that we can’t change the past, only the future. The key is to not give up.
Giving up is like dying while you’re still alive. Don’t give up!
Last week I wrote about how we can use urgency to accomplish more. Urgent things become a higher priority. This moves them up higher on the list. As an example of how this works, let me tell you a story that happened just this morning.
As Katie (my awesome assistant) and I were working on some website things, I realized that I couldn’t log in to the Solution Building site because I had waited too long in setting up my two-factor authentication. This is something that Stacey (my amazing IT person) told me to do a month ago.
This meant that I wasn’t going to be able to publish this week’s solution until I got this taken care of.
As it is with busy people…I kept putting it off to do other things. The level of urgency ramped up though when I couldn’t get into the website. I had to decide what I was going to do. At that point, it became the highest priority.
We all deal with these kinds of choices. The key to accomplishing more is to decide early on what is important and what isn’t. No matter how clear we are on our life and business plans, things are going to happen. Some are within our control, and some aren’t.
The more answers we have to big life question, the easier the smaller questions are to deal with.
Ultimately achieving goals comes down to decisions and deciding is up to us.
As I think about life and decisions, once again, I’m brought back to Andy Andrew’s book, The Traveler’s Gift. I know, I refer to this book a lot. As I was thinking about goals and decisions, I was reminded about the profound impact this book had on my life as I recovered from my concussion.
The Responsible Decision
I accept responsibility for my past. I control my thoughts. I control my emotions. I am responsible for my success.
“THE BUCK STOPS HERE.”
“If decisions are choices…and our thinking dictates our decisions – then we are where we are because of our thinking.”
President Harry S. Truman
The Guided Decision
I will be a servant to others. I will listen to the council of wise men. I will choose my friends with care.
“I WILL SEEK WISDOM.”
“God moves mountains to create the opportunity of His choosing. It is up to you to be ready to move yourself.”
King Solomon
The Active Decision
I am courageous. I am a leader. I seize this moment. I choose now.
“I AM A PERSON OF ACTION.”
“My future is immediate. I will grasp it with both hands and carry it with running feet. When I am faced with the choice of doing nothing or doing something, I will always choose to act!”
Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
The Certain Decision
I will not wait. I am passionate about my vision for the future. My course has been charted. My destiny is assured.
“I HAVE A DECIDED HEART.”
“Truth is truth. If a thousand people believe something foolish, it is still foolish! Truth is never dependent upon consensus of opinion. I have found that is better to be alone and acting upon the truth in my heart than to follow a gaggle of silly geese doomed to mediocrity.”
Christopher Columbus
The Joyful Decision
I will greet each day with laughter. I will smile at every person I meet. I am the possessor of a grateful spirit.
“TODAY I WILL CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY.”
“Our very lives are fashioned by our choices. First we make choices. Then our choices make us.”
Anne Frank
The Compassionate Decision
I will forgive even those who do not ask for forgiveness. I will forgive those who criticize me unjustly. I will forgive myself.
“I WILL GREET THIS DAY WITH A FORGIVING SPIRIT.”
“Forgiveness is a secret that is hidden in plain sight. It costs nothing and is worth millions. It is available to everyone and used by few. If you harness the power of forgiveness, you will be sought after and regarded highly. And not coincidentally, you will also be forgiven by others!”
Abraham Lincoln
The Persistent Decision
I will continue despite exhaustion. I focus on results. I am a person of great faith.
“I WILL PERSIT WITHOUT EXCEPTION.”
“Great leaders – great achievers – are rarely realistic by other people’s standards. Somehow, these successful people, often considered strange, pick their way through life ignoring or not hearing negative expectations and emotions. Consequently, they accomplish one great thing after another, never having heard that something cannot be done. God may have been waiting centuries for someone ignorant enough of the impossible to do that very thing!”
Archangel Gabriel
Achieving our goals comes down to decisions.
Starting by deciding what our priorities are.
Deciding to be responsible. Deciding to be wise. Deciding to take action. Deciding to believe in ourselves. Deciding to be happy. Deciding to forgive. Deciding to persist.
I Find That Intentionally Creating a Sense of Urgency Can Increase Productivity
How you view and handle urgency is a choice. You can choose to use urgency to your benefit, or you can let urgency be a negative thing.
When something has urgency, it requires speedy action. If you’re standing in your front yard and a tornado is coming straight toward you…there would be some urgency to take cover from the storm.
Urgency is a pressing importance requiring speedy action.
Some people view urgency as positive…others not so much. The perspective with which you view urgency is the choice.
I have a relatively extensive and structured morning and evening routine. It might feel a little daunting to some people. 😊
As I was going through the goal portion of my morning routine a few days ago, I realized we are rapidly approaching the end of 2022 and we are not where we need to be to accomplish our goals.
As I thought about this, my sense of urgency became elevated. We are going to need to start pushing extra hard to even get close to those goals.
This is where urgency, as a negative, begins to set in. One of the things that often happens in a situation like this is, you start running around like a chicken with its head cut off and no clear direction.
Or you can take control of the situation, choose to make the decisions needed and start moving forward.
Another part of my routine is to narrow the overwhelming number of things that need to be done down to the first next thing. This is a part of how I prioritize. What is the first next thing that needs to be done? One of the ways I do this is by reading through this list of eleven actions.
FIRST NEXT THING
Start with prayer
Get off my “BUT”, stop making excuses
Put it on the calendar
Don’t be afraid to ask for help (delegation / accountability)
Take goals seriously (create a sense of urgency early)
Maintain positive forward momentum
Celebrate wins
Don’t overthink it
Break the goals down into brick size pieces
Make goals about giving and not about getting
Review progress regularly, and be accountable
#5 Take goals seriously (create a sense of urgency early)
As I read through this list I was thinking about moving forward with our goals. When I got to #5, take goals seriously (create a sense urgency early) I remembered where this came from.
Before I started Timber Creek Construction, I was a partner in another construction company. My role in this partnership was production management.
One of the things that seemed to happen constantly is that as we got nearer and nearer the completion date, the sense of urgency picked up. And with that, productivity picked up. I was amazed at how much more got done as the deadline approached.
That’s when I realized that if we would create that sense of urgency early, it would increase productivity throughout the entire project and the company. Now that was easier said than done.
The tricky thing is how to consistently create that sense of urgency early.
Just like our company is behind on our goals and the sense of urgency is ramping up…
I should have created the sense of urgency EARLIER.
I can’t go back and change the past, but I can learn from it and change the future.
It Doesn’t Have to Be One or the Other…It’s Our Job as Businesses to Find Both
When thinking about business ownership or leadership, the focus often is on making a lot of money. Not that there’s anything wrong with making money. The problem is when money becomes the driving factor.
We’re all aware of those people who have been super profitable in their business. You know…those rags to riches stories where someone started out with nothing, came up with a new idea and became wealthy.
Making a lot of money is a big reason why so many people decide to start a business.
It doesn’t help that we are constantly being bombarded with some new product, formula or process that is a “shortcut to wealth”. The problem is…most of them aren’t.
This isn’t to say that they can’t or won’t work. What I’m saying is…more often than not…these things sound better than they really are.
After my wakeup call in 2012, while recovering from my accident, I began researching ways to share my construction expertise and business experience with others. I thought, I’ll help construction companies and customers through coaching and consulting.
The problem was…I knew how to run a construction company…not do virtual coaching and/or consulting.
So, I subscribed, bought, downloaded and joined multiple programs, courses, classes and trainings in an effort to turn this new idea into a business.
It didn’t go as well as was expected.
Not that I didn’t gain a lot of valuable knowledge, insight and things that I can and will use.
The problem is that it was the proverbial “getting the horse ahead of the cart” thing. We’re being bombarded through commercials, emails, social media, etc. with the next shiny new thing that is going to be the answer to all our business prayers.
All those things that I was sure were what I needed to get my next business up and going…weren’t.
This led to feeling like I was, “wandering, lost in the business dessert”.
After feeling this way for a while, I began to doubt myself. Maybe that great idea I had wasn’t so great after all. Too often this kind of thinking leads to saying to heck with it and giving up.
In our mastermind last week, Becky Warner shared that she had an aha moment when she realized that starting out trying to sell too much, too early, was a mistake. She said, we need to start with connection and community.
Connection and community…these are the same as SERVICE!
When I heard her sharing her thoughts about this, I felt relief. It was a confirmation that I wasn’t the only one feeling like this.
Starting the journey across the business dessert with unrealistic expectations leads to wandering.
The information that Becky shared with the group confirmed what I had been feeling. I needed to look back at what had worked in my construction business and that was…focus on service, not on sells.
This isn’t to say that sells don’t matter. What I am saying is…
Our businesses are more than just profit.
We have all been given skills and abilities that provide a service to others. If we figure out what that purpose is and use it, we can sell more and make more.
97% of businesses fail within 10 years. This is in large part to their focus on sells and not service. I don’t know about you, but I want to be part of the thriving 3% of businesses that succeed.
Like note taking, the storing of construction project information is going to be different for everyone.
So, what do I consider to be “construction project information”?
When I talk about project information, I’m referring to things like –
Project Overviews – A OneNote document for gathering customer info, project info, project goals, meeting notes, preliminary scope of work, production teams and resources needed, etc.
Bid sheets – Word document where specific notes regarding dimensions, locations, materials, quantities, etc. are made and the scope of work is started.
Worksheets – An Excel spreadsheet where information from the data base is combined with the quantities needed for specific tasks to determine what the price will be for each task.
Supplier quotes – This provides a history of what was used previously.
Contracts – This Word document is what completes the proposal process and moves the project forward into production.
Payment applications – This Excel spreadsheet is used for preparing progress payments.
Invoices – QuickBooks documents that correspond with the payment applications.
These are examples of the things that I have saved electronically and/or physically.
I’m not going to tell you that you should gather and keep as much information as I do, but this works for me. The purpose of sharing this topic today is to give you some pros and cons to consider when it comes to saving project information.
The thing that prompted this discussion today is the preparing a window project proposal for a customer. We did the same basic work for them twice previously. Once in 2013 and once in 2015.
A lot of contractors would not still have any information from those projects.
I have everything.
The benefit to having saved all the information from those two previous projects is that it saves time in preparing the proposal for the current project. And we all need to save time everywhere we can.
The benefits include…
First – Having done the previous work it provides a jumpstart to the information gathering process. Reviewing the previous notes saves time when it comes to gathering and clarifying the details of what the project includes.
Second – The scope of work is almost identical. Whatever the differences are, it’s much faster to save a copy of one of those earlier ones and make the necessary changes. This saves a lot of time over typing it from scratch.
Third – The pricing worksheet has a few more changes than the scope of work because of price increases, but it still provides a jump start to the pricing process.
The downside to keeping this information is similar to note taking issues.
If you don’t know where it is and can’t find it…what’s the point of keeping it?
This is one of the great things about computers and storing things in the cloud. You can do a search and find it.
Knowing myself, I’ve figured out that I’m much happier with too much information saved rather than not enough.
Okay…Now I need to get back to work on that window project proposal. I sure am glad I saved all that info to give a head start.
The main reason why we should…more people listen rather than read.
The next week we talked about how we would get these blog posts turned into podcasts. This post focused on how more can be accomplished if we share the load, especially in areas where I’m not an expert, i.e., recording, sound, etc.
I spoke about my friend Nic at AdWise Creative and how he’s going use his skills to help me get those blog posts into podcasts.
Here’s an update on where we are in the podcasting journey.
We have written intro and outro scripts for the construction company focused podcasts
I have recorded…and recorded, and recorded…the intro and outro getting them to a usable albeit less than perfect recording 😊
Nic has put together the intro and outro sound effects (one of my favorite parts)
Nic has combined the intro, outro, sound effects and the reading of a blog post into a preliminary episode
We’re making progress. More than I thought possible. So far, this has been less painful than I expected.
There’s still more to do before these podcasts will be available to listen to, but we’re another step closer thanks to Nic. Before they’ll be ready for public consumption, we have more work to do.
Here’s what will be included in the next step on the podcasting journey.
Design artwork for the podcast landing page
Research and decide where we will host the podcasts
Record more construction company focused episodes
Write the intro and outro for the construction customer focused podcasts
Record the intro and outro for the construction customer focused podcasts
Adding this to our already busy schedules, means it isn’t going to happen overnight, but we’re on the journey. I’m looking forward to getting these podcasts to more people to help them build their dreams.
Finding solutions and building dreams is what we do.
I don’t know about you…but I’m excited about getting these podcasts out there.
It’s a little like the rush I get when seeing the progress being made on a construction project.
Check back to keep up to date on the progress of the podcasting journey as it happens.
If you know someone you think would benefit from these blog posts/podcasts, share this blog post or send them to the Solution Building web site. Because people signed up to receive the blog posts will be the first to get access to the podcasts before anyone else.
The why question is where things start, but if you don’t do something it’s also where things stop. Answering the how question is the next step.
Like anything, if you don’t do something…it’s not going to get done.
Most problem solvers or solution finders think that doing something means doing everything. There’s just not enough time to do everything. This is why the blog posts aren’t podcasts yet.
Back to last week’s post, I told you that I was going to be meeting with Nic at AdWise Creative later that day. We met and things are happening.
Just because Nic is going to help me with this, doesn’t mean I don’t have anything to do. It’s just different things. I don’t have to learn everything about podcasting to get this done. Learning everything takes a lot of time. I will work with Nic, do the things that I do and let him do the things he’s good at.
One of the things I’ve been struggling with since I started thinking about making podcasts out of my blogs is a lot of professional marketers, people that I trust, told me that I needed to use my own voice for this.
They would say…it’s not that hard, you can do this, it will sound more authentic if it’s your voice.
All these things are true. The problem is time. There just isn’t enough time.
So, consequently…there still are no podcasts.
As I’ve thought about this, I began to relate it to construction (imagine that, as a person whose life revolves around construction). The construction process makes total sense to me. It’s like second nature.
Just this past week I’ve had several different situations where people have asked me for help or guidance regarding construction projects.
What’s harder for them is second nature to me
Me doing my own podcasts is the same. It’s like a novice DIYer doing their own construction project. They can do it, but it takes a lot longer and there will be mistakes.
Construction done by a contractor or guidance from an experienced construction consultant will make the project go much quicker and better.
Quicker and better and getting it done sounds like a good plan.
We all have our God given purpose. It’s up to us to focus on that and not try to do everything.
Back to the podcasting. I need to focus on my gifts and strengths and hire others to do the things that aren’t.
At this point it would be better to help people build their dreams by getting the weekly solutions out there…even if it’s not my voice.
Currently the plan is for me to record a short intro and outro for each of the three different areas.
Systems and training to help construction companies searching for business solutions be more successful
Education and assistance to help overwhelmed construction customers navigate the construction process
Sharing lessons for building a better life using construction processes and a Biblical perspective
Nic will read and record the blog post turning it into a podcast. He will take care of the technical “podcasty stuff”. This is both of us focusing on our strengths.
I’m excited about getting these blog posts turned into podcasts. I hope getting the content out there in this audio format will reach more people and help them build their dreams.
Check back to follow along as we move forward in this process of building something new.
It’s Simple Really…To Help More People Build Their Dreams
As a society we are moving at a faster and faster pace. This leaves less time to do all those things we’re trying to do and we’re trying to do a lot.
Add to that, the overwhelm of information that’s out there. It’s hard for people to find the time to read no matter how great the content is.
I’ve been writing two blog posts a week now for almost seven years. Even though they’re short, most people don’t take time to read them.
Of the 31 active subscribers, 8-12 people open them regularly…4-6 click and read. That’s a lot of information not being used.
This can be a little depressing.
Granted, I don’t know how many people who aren’t subscribed read them, but still…
Multiple times I’ve considered quitting. It takes a substantial amount of time to write, edit, find pictures and publish each one. I’ve often wondered if I should be spending my time on this.
Here’s the bottom line…if my message helps one person build their dream…it was worth my time.
Early on in my blog posting I talked with several people who told me they simply didn’t have time to read them.
This is exactly why I listen to audio books and podcasts. I can consume content through my tablet or phone while driving or doing other things.
Okay…we agree, an audio version of my blog posts would increase the likelihood more people would get my message.
I’ve thought about this for years but…it’s the time issue again. It’s going to take time to figure out how to do it, learn how to do it, then actually do it. I don’t have time. So, I just put it off.
Putting it off is easier, but you don’t accomplish much by putting things off.
I’ve been talking with Nic Natarella at AdWise Creative about turning my blog posts into podcasts.
Even if I have Nic do this, there are still decisions that need to be made…and decisions take time.
Not to mention I’m a recovering perfectionist and I struggle with wanting things to be perfect.
I had a conversation about this with my friend Shep this past week. He said it will take some time, it won’t be perfect, but it’s not going to get done if you don’t do it.
He’s right.
So, what are we going to do?
We’re going to move forward.
It’s going to take some time. It’s not going to be perfect. We’re going to do it.
Whether building a building, a business or a life, the hardest part is the early planning. The thing to remember is…it won’t get done if all you do is plan.
I want to help construction companies searching for business solutions and customers who are overwhelmed by the construction process.
I want to help both achieve their dreams by providing businesses with systems and training while educating and assisting customers through the construction process.
Podcasts will be a way for me to help more busy people accomplish their dreams.
I’m meeting with Nic today and we’re moving forward with this podcasting thing.
After This Past Week…I’m Trying to Get the Apples Gathered Back Up
Something happened this past week that has never happened before.
Since I started writing weekly blog posts in October of 2015…I’ve never missed a week.
When I started, I committed to myself that I would write and post weekly.
The question is…should I still be committed to this?
Commitment is a good thing. We just need to be careful what we’re committed to. Why did I make this commitment? Is it still a valid commitment? Is it worth the time it takes? All questions that need to be answered.
This past week was spent moving some furniture from Salem, Missouri to Spearfish South Dakota for my mother-in-law. This was done to help my wife and her family, who are dealing with a difficult situation.
Life is full of difficult decisions. The question is…what is the highest priority?
This past week it was helping family over posting.
Being a routine motivated person, disruption to my routines spilled apples everywhere. Routine gives me a since of control and I don’t like it when things are out of control. I like things organized.
As I’m gathering the apples back up, I’m asking myself how I can better deal with disruptions in the future? Because I know who I am and how I operate, it’s up to me to decide.
I may need to replace some bad apples with some new ones.
We need to be careful that routines don’t become the reason that we’re doing things. It’s important to periodically step back, review what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.
A cart full of organized apples is no good if we don’t enjoy an apple pie once and a while.
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