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A Routine is Something That is Learned

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Books Are a Good Place to Start

Last week we discussed how a routine can help us get more done. Too many times, people drift through life without any plan. They neglect to take control of the things they can control.

I know how this is. I used to feel this way.

Early on I had big dreams. Then when they didn’t happen, I felt like my messy life was just what I was stuck with, and I gave up on my dreams.

Then God got my attention with a board upside the head.

I’d never been a reader, but while recovering from the concussion I began reading. Most of the books I started with were ones that were either written by or recommended by someone that I was listening to on the radio or podcasts. I admired these people and what they had accomplished or experienced.

This was a turning point in my life.

I began reading more and more. Then I began implementing the things from these books and their authors. I was taking back control of my life. This doesn’t mean that I can control everything. What it does mean is that I can control how I react and respond.

Here are twelve of the books that have had a major impact on my life and showed the importance of taking control:

Reading these books helped me to see what was possible if I was intentional and did something rather than just waiting for the next bad thing to happen. Part of what I learned was how a daily routine was a big part of taking control.

Having a routine helps control life.

My routine has been developing over the past fourteen years and will continue to do so every year going forward. The important thing to remember is that learning is something that we should do as long as we’re alive.

Taking control of my life and business makes me a much happier person than I was when I felt hopeless. Some things from these books are included directly into my daily routine, some are more peripheral.

We’ll go into more specifics of how these books are connected to my routine next week.

Wouldn’t You Like To Get More Done?

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A Daily Routine Can Help You

Over the past several weeks we’ve been going through the Hero on a Mission online course. This is one of the courses offered by Business Made Simple University designed by Donald Miller. These online courses are great for helping small businesses.

I’ve taken this course before, but to reinforce my business, I’ve gone through it again as a refresher. The Hero on a Mission course shows the importance of having a life plan and incorporating it into your daily routine.

Routines are regular procedures, chores, or duties done at specific intervals. We are creatures of habit and routines will happen to some degree (even if they are unplanned). The key is to not let your routines be unproductive or random.

A routine requires intentional action.

Too many people live their lives mired in regret. They leave things up to fate, wondering why their life feels so meaningless. We shouldn’t give fate control over our lives.

Having a life plan and routine for implementing that plan is how you can take control. An intentional, daily routine will help you focus and stay on track.

A routine can be as simple or as detailed as you want it to be. We’re all different and what works for one person may not work for another.

I’m a detailed person and I like having control, so my routine is a little too intense for some people. My routine is broken into three parts: morning, midday, and evening. The morning actions help me get a clear plan and focus for the day on the things that are the most important to me. The midday portion is a break from the chaos and a recentering. The evening is an opportunity to look back at the day and review.

I use a combination of an Outlook calendar and OneNote action lists for my daily routine.

My daily routine overview:

Morning routine – I start my day with making a pot of coffee and taking a shower to wake up. Then I read my Bible, have prayer time, read the Traveler’s Gift Daily Decision, journal, pack my lunch, review the plans for the day, check emails. Then I review the day’s action list, my calendar, and the action lists for business planning, administration, finances, production, sales, and marketing.

Midday routine – This routine is shorter. It involves eating lunch, watching or listening to something educational, reviewing the Scripture of the day, and journaling.

Evening routine – I review the weekly action plan, the day’s action list, the calendar, and the action lists for business planning, administration, finances, production, sales, and marketing. I read the Traveler’s Gift Daily Decision, check my emails, journal, and pray.

This is a brief overview of my routine. Next week, I’ll break it down into more detail, the tools I use, and how I use them.

Do you have a daily routine?

Whether you’re looking to improve yours…

or would like to create one…

I can help.

Set up a free 30-minute consultation and let’s get started building your daily routine.

How to BUILD a Well-Balanced Life 

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Like Everything Else, It’s a Choice 

Last week we discussed being busy. It’s easy to find ourselves with too much to do. There are just so many important and fun things that need done. This leads to burnout. 

It’s all too common for people to get burnt out. 

I’ve seen this happen a lot over the years. One place this happens as much as any is in the church. There’s no work any more important than that. When we have a desire to help it can take over our lives … and burnout is the result. 

I know this, because I’ve been there.  

This is why it’s important to BUILD a well-balanced life. 

Finding and maintaining the balance in everything is one of my core values. Finding and maintaining balance is what keeps a busy life from crashing.  

Balance in life is more than just two things. It’s not like a set of scales with one thing on each side. Life is full of a whole lot of things. Life balance also doesn’t mean an equal amount of time and energy spent on each to the things. 

I see BALANCE as a large platform centered on top of a small point. Without anything on the platform, it is level. When one thing is placed on top of the platform near the center, things go pretty well, and it stays relatively level.  

As more things are put on the platform and things begin to be crowded out from the center, it starts to get heavier at different areas. This causes the platform to lean. If one heavy thing–or too many things–are moved too far from the center, the platform will tip far enough that things will fall off.  

Keeping things on the platform is all about weight and location. 

Our lives are like this platform. God has balanced our platform perfectly on this point and given us the responsibility of keeping it there. The difficult part of this obligation is the number of things we get to choose to put on our platform.  

The choices are endless. There is spiritual, family, work, friends, fun, community, etc. Each of these areas are full of an endless number of specific things that we can put on our platform. Some things carry more weight than others. As we go through life the things we have on our platform will, and should, change. 

FINDING AND MAINTAINING THE BALANCE is a responsibility given to us. Will we be perfect at it? No. Can we learn and get better at it? YES!  

If you want to BUILD a well-balanced life, then you need to do something. A well-balanced life doesn’t just happen. 

Here’s an acronym to help you BUILD a well-balanced life. 

B is Being Aware – A well-balanced life starts with being aware of the problems that come from being out-of-balance and that it’s even possible. 

U is Understand – It is the mental grasp or comprehending of something. It is the knowledge about a situation, how something works or what it means. You need to understand what balance is and what it takes to get it. 

I is Intentional Action – This is the most important.  If you don’t do something, nothing will change. This is where most people get hung up. To this point, everything sounds great. Intentional action requires ACTION.  

L is Learn – This is the step that will take the longest. Construction of buildings isn’t instantaneous. You don’t show up on a job site your first day knowing everything about building. You come back the second day and LEARN more and the third and the fourth. And years later you have LEARNED how to build. And you will continue learning for the rest of your life. 

D is Delivery of the Dream – This is where all the hard work pays off. It’s where you can still be very busy, but your life is balanced. You are in control of the things you say yes to … and the ones that you say no to.  

It feels really good to be in control of your life and your business.  

Building a well-balanced life include a well-balanced business. To help with this we have some business BUILDing tools, systems, and services that can help you. If you have questions about getting your business balanced you can schedule a free 30-minute consultation.

You Have More Control Than You Think 

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Take Control

It’s Up to You to Take Control

We like being in control of our lives, but most people feel like they aren’t. I contend that we all have more control than we think we do.  

it starts with you to taking control

Control doesn’t mean you control everything that happens. It means you confidently move forward with your goals and priorities, understanding that there are things that happen that are beyond your control. 

This means that you are clear about who you are and what you want. It requires you to take intentional action.  

You have the superpower of choice, but you have to use it. 

This control starts with being aware that this is possible and understanding what it is and how to get it. Then you have to decide you want control and take intentional action to get it. 

Here are 11 small intentional actions that will help you get control: 

  1. Clarify your core values and beliefs – Chasing other people’s dreams will pull you in a million different directions. Taking control of your life requires you to be clear on what you want. 
  1. Identify internal vs. external motivations – Internal motivators come from within – those dreams that fill you with passion and purpose. They’re determined by your own values and goals.  External motivators come from outside of yourself. They refer to the goals and expectations set by your parents, partners, friends, or community. They can also be standards set by society that you feel pressure to live up to. 
  1. Create a vision – Visualization fills your mind with a picture of what you want your life to become. 
  1. Believe that you can: Overcome limiting beliefs – Most people have an internal dialogue. Many times, this thinking comes from an earlier part of your life. It’s that voice of a parent who didn’t give you enough praise, or that kid in school who was always waiting for you to mess up. 
  1. Take personal responsibility – Regaining control of your life means finding the balance between what you can and cannot control and taking responsibility for the things you are responsible for.  
  1. Let go of what you can’t control – God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can’t change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference. 
  1. Respond instead of reacting – You can’t control everything. But you can control how you respond. Don’t react to situations without thinking first.  
  1. Unpack emotional triggers – Self-awareness will help you manage your emotional reactions. When you know your fears and identify situations that make you feel anxious you will be better prepared to control them. 
  1. Make a plan of action – Many people get stuck talking about their dreams and never do anything about them. Often we’re waiting to feel inspired. The truth is, inspiration comes through action. 
  1. Implement a daily routine – Daily planning helps you get and stay focused on what matters to you the most. It helps keep you on track, removing opportunities for getting caught up in unimportant tasks.  
  1. Know when to take a break – Control doesn’t mean cramming in as many tasks as possible in one day. You need to create a balance that works for you.  

Implementing these eleven things will help you take control of your life and business.  

It’s up to you to take control! 

Over the past few months, I’ve written a lot about taking control of your life and business. Here are some of those posts:  

If you would like help finding solutions for taking control of your life and business schedule a free 30-minute coaching consultation.  

It’s Never Too Late to Learn

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You CAN Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

You’ve probably heard the saying, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks“. This means that it is very difficult to teach someone new skills or change someone’s habits, especially when they’re older. This phrase is often used to express the challenges of altering deeply rooted behaviors or learning new concepts. It is not typically about actual dogs, rather it reflects human experiences concerning change. 

We’ve been talking about how to build a better construction business and the tools and systems to make that possible. The importance of knowing who you are and your core values. This can seem like a lot of work. Especially with the limited time available in the construction industry.

Younger construction companies get a rude awakening when they find out how much they didn’t know about running a business.

I thought I knew everything I needed to when I started my construction business over forty years ago. Boy was I wrong!

I got to a point where what I thought I knew … I didn’t. I gave up and accepted that this mess-of-a-life was just the way things were. I needed to accept it and just continue through the rut. And I did, until I was smacked upside the head.

This event changed my life.

There were nudges that I became aware of before the accident that were a part of this change. I was listening to talk radio programs that were speaking to what I was feeling. These included things like Dave Ramsey, Michael Hyatt, Donald Miller, Andy Andrews, etc.

These guys seemed to have figured out how to get out of the rut and I was intrigued. One of the things these guys all had in common was…

The importance of reading.

I had never been a reader up to that point in my life. I saw it as something that required time that I didn’t have. But after the accident, I felt as though I had been given a second chance. Listening to them and what they were sharing resonated with me.

It’s like they knew what I was going through and had a way out of the rut. And the way out was learning. And a big part of learning is reading. It was clear to me. If I wanted things to change I needed to learn, and learning required me making a decision to do it.

Before then I had given up on learning. Learning was for kids in school. As an adult there wasn’t anything else that I needed to know. Boy, was I mistaken!

I’ve learned more since I decided to read than ever before. Learning is something that should never come to an end as long as we are still alive.

Learning is a choice!

Learning will lead to a better business and a better life.

Don’t become an old dog. It’s never too late to learn. If you would like to learn how to BUILD a better business and life for yourself, schedule consultation to get started.

How to Organize Your Daily Plans

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Getting Your “To Do” List and Calendar to Work Together 

As is normal, early in a new year there is a lot of focus on being better organized. Looking for new ways to get more done. This has been a topic that has come up in several conversations over the past few weeks. At the same time, there can be a sense of despair, knowing that you’ve been trying to be better organized over and over without much success.  

We all have way more on our to do lists than there is time to get them done. The days come to an end and there’s still things that need to be done and we feel like we’ve failed. 

Last week, we discussed the importance of taking the first next step. It’s about breaking big, overwhelming things down into small, manageable pieces.  

Ultimately, it’s not going to get done if you don’t do something. 

I know this feeling of wanting to do more and not having enough time to do it all. Then we beat ourselves up, frustrated that we didn’t get more done. 

The question is … what are you going to do to change this? 

I don’t know what you’re going to do, but here’s what I do. 

I have a long, long list of things that I want to do. This list covers big dreams I want to do someday like: remodeling and adding on to our home, keeping my truck in “like-new” condition, having a lifted 4×4 project truck, owning properties, having a second home in the mountains. Keep in mind that when these big things are broken down into more detailed lists, each list is pretty big.  

Then there are the lists of everyday work and life. Like spiritual, family, vocation, financial, personal, church, community. Just like the someday lists, these lists are made of more detailed lists. 

How am I ever going to get everything done? 

For me the lists are great. It helps me to keep track of the things I want to do so I don’t forget something. This, however, does not get them done.  

To get them done, I have to do something. But what do I do first? How do I know which things are the most important? 

The answer to this question comes down to choice. You can choose what is the most important to you. This is where I align my thoughts with God’s. What is it He has put me here to do? 

Now that I have a prioritized list, this still doesn’t mean there’s enough time to get everything done. We are limited in the amount of time we have. 

For me, this is where the calendar comes in. People that see my calendar are shocked at how full it is, the detail, and the color. 

I take things from the to do list and plug them into the calendar. I estimate the time I think it will take and schedule accordingly. Sure, things don’t take exactly the time scheduled, but it’s a place to start.  

This is where being flexibly rigid comes in. This is the act of organizing the most important things around the unpredictability of life. 

Next week, we’ll go deeper into the details of how my list and calendar work together. 

What’s the First Next Step? 

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Breaking Big Things Down into Little Steps 

Over the past several months we’ve been talking about building a successful construction business. We’ve compared it to an actual building. You need to know what it is you’re building, what kind of ground you’re going to build on, and why it is you’re building.  

Clarity of what you want to build and having a plan is critical to success. 

Then comes the hard part … if you’re going to get it built, you have to do something. Making a decision and then taking action is hard. Especially when it involves something as big and overwhelming as building a business. 

This is the place where most people fail. 

So, how does one move forward when faced with a large, daunting project? 

You don’t focus on the huge, intimidating thing. Instead, you break it down into bitesize pieces. Then you start by taking the first next step.  

I closed last week’s post by talking about how I chose to incorporate The Seven Decisions into my daily routine and how something as small as a butterfly moving its wings can lead to amazing outcomes. 

I use my computer for keeping me on task each day. This next section is part of my daily routine. I use OneNote to organize and track these things. 

After I read through the decision for the day, I read through the overview of all seven decisions.  

Next, I step back and think big. Why am I here and what is it that I’m supposed to be doing? 

Being a believer in Christ, I remind myself that it’s important to not be afraid to dream big (Mark 11:23-24) because nothing is impossible for God (Luke 1:37). 

 This is followed by the illustration below of how I can turn those big dreams into results:

DREAMS   →   VISIONS   →   GOALS   →   ACTIONS   →   RESULTS 

Start with Dreams – Turn Dreams into Visions – Visions into Goals 

Goals are bitesize Visions 

“A vision that is ready to go to work is a Goal” 

ACTION – I can only do ONE thing at a time, what will it be? 

If I’m going to accomplish the big things, I need to remember to break them down into small ACTIONS.  

At this point, I read through a list that I call the “FIRST NEXT STEP”. This list starts my day off in a proactive mindset. By reading through this list daily, it helps me to incorporate these things when I start something new or switch from one project to another.  

FIRST NEXT STEP:

  1. Start with prayer 
  2. Get off my “BUT”, stop making excuses 
  3. Put it on the calendar 
  4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help (delegation / accountability / education) 
  5. Take goals seriously (create a sense of urgency early) 
  6. Maintain positive forward momentum 
  7. Celebrate wins 
  8. Don’t overthink it 
  9. Break the goals down into brick size pieces  
  10. Make goals about giving and not about getting 
  11. Review progress regularly, and be accountable 

    This process helps me make big things doable. Sure, it takes time to incorporate this into my daily routine. Ultimately, it comes down to making a decision. I can choose to do this or do something else. But for me the time spent is worth it.  

    The same process isn’t going to work for everyone. This is where you need to decide if you just want to roll the dice on the outcome of your business or if you want to take control. 

    Breaking big things down and taking the first next step makes big things doable. 

    Ultimately, it is up to you to do something different to get a different outcome. Or you can just keep doing things the way you are.

    Success Starts with the Superpower of Choice

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    How I Put This Superpower to Work

    The past couple of weeks we talked about my “aha moment” and how the Seven Decisions in Andy Andrews’ book The Traveler’s Gift were a part of that.

    In the book, David Ponder feels like a failure and is ready to give up. That is until his amazing, supernatural journey through time. On this journey, he makes seven stops, each one providing a ‘Decision for Success’.

    He is instructed to keep them with him—reading each one every morning and every evening for twenty-one days—committing these seven principles to his heart. Only then will they become a part of who he is, leading to a changed life.

    Here’s how Andy determined what these were and their value:

    After both of his parents died when he was nineteen he had no money and was living under a pier in Golf Shores, Alabama. From this place of despair and anguish he asked himself, 

    “Is life just a lottery ticket or are there choices one can make to direct his future?” 

    Then something amazing happened, a turning point in his life. He became friends with an old, homeless person, who gave him a remarkable gift- a library card.

    He started reading the biographies of famous, successful people. He became more and more interested in learning how these people achieved success.

    Over time, he read more than two hundred biographies of great men and women. He wondered if they were simply born this way. Or were there decisions made that led to success?

    It took several years, but he determined that there were seven characteristics that each successful person had in common. 

    Each one of us has the ability to change the world.

    Every choice you make matters. Even more important, every choice you don’t make matters just as much.

    The Butterfly Effect is the belief that even the smallest, tiny actions can have dramatic consequences. The flap of a butterfly’s wings can be inexplicably intertwined with the birth of a hurricane around the world.

    Even the smallest things we do can have a tremendous impact on our world.

    Andy points out that even though these seven principles don’t seem very profound. “They can have impact once you really grasp how they’ve been used by other people. Then they become an amazing key to releasing incredible personal power that allows you to explore the world of opportunity that surrounds all of us.”

    After reading The Traveler’s Gift and learning more about Andy and his story I felt like I needed to put this into practice.

    I took the advice given to David Ponder in the book and read through each of the Seven Decisions every morning and evening for twenty-one days. This is part of my daily routine. At the end of each twenty-one days, I read the corresponding chapter from the book. When I get to the end of reading the seventh decision for the twenty-first time I then read the whole book again.

    I know that this seems like a lot, but it comes down to this.

    I decided to incorporate these Seven Decisions into building a better life. Like the “butterfly effect” small actions can lead to big results.

    No matter how small the action is, if it’s not done, nothing is going to change. If you don’t do something, nothing is going to get done.

    You have the superpower of choice…are you going to use it?

    The Next Step in Building Your Business

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    Going Forward from Core Values

    Building a business is like building a construction project. You need to know what you want the end product to be. You need to know what you have to work with. You need to have a plan for building and then build accordingly.

    Who you are is like the ground you build on.

    Just like building on sand is different than building on clay. You need to know who you are and then build the business so that you will be able to support it. Your why is the thing that supports everything else. This is who you were made to be.

    Previous posts about this –

    Next comes the foundation. This is your core values. The things that you choose based on what you believe. These can be different for different people.

    Just like foundations can be different depending on what they’re built on, there are some things that are required regardless of what the ground is like. The foundation is more flexible than the ground it’s built on. It can be modified and improved.

    It’s important to be clear on your core values.

    Previous post about this –

    Now that you have a solid foundation built on solid ground you can start framing.

    This part is where it’s really important to have a plan. There are a lot of different styles of building, and you need to have clarity.

    I know that when I started my construction business, I thought I knew what I was doing. Then after several years of struggling, I decided that what I was doing wasn’t working. I concluded that this mess was just how construction and my life were going to be.

    I was aware of the problems but didn’t know what to do.

    Then I had an “aha” moment. It involved being smacked upside the head.

    In December of 2012, I was literally hit in the head with a board. It was a pretty big one too (a 14’ long 2×12 plank).

    We were installing wafer board boxing to the second-floor wall of an addition. I was standing on the plank approximately 8’ above the ground when it broke. Luckily, I don’t remember any of the ordeal from the time I was measuring until I woke up in the hospital three days later. Based on what I was told, I fell, I hit my head on one of the ladders, then on the concrete slab, and then the board hit me in the head.

    It sure is good that I have a hard head. Seriously, I was fortunate that I came away from this accident with only a concussion.

    The reason I’m telling you this is that while I was recovering I read The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews. I really connected with this story and where I was.

    Forty-six-year-old David Ponder feels like a total failure. Once a high-flying executive in a Fortune 500 company, he now works a part-time, minimum wage job and struggles to support his family. Then, an even greater crisis hits: his daughter becomes ill, and he can’t afford to get her the medical help she needs.

     When his car skids on an icy road, he wonders if he even cares to survive the crash.

    But an extraordinary experience awaits David Ponder. He finds himself traveling back in time, meeting leaders and heroes at crucial moments in their lives—from Abraham Lincoln to Anne Frank. By the time his journey is over, he has received seven secrets for success—and a second chance. The Traveler’s Gift offers a modern-day parable of one man’s choices—and the attitudes that make the difference between failure and success.

    After reading this book I realized that if things were going to change, I would have to do something. I was the one who had control. I had the power of choice.

    Next week we’ll look at the Seven Decisions presented to David Ponder and how I incorporated them in my life.

    You can incorporate them in your life too.

    A New Year, A Clean Slate

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    Why Did the Turkey Cross the Road?

    It’s just a few days until the beginning of a new year. This start represents an opportunity for new possibilities. The thought of this can be exciting. The chance to do better…to be better. This is what encourages us to make ‘New Year’s Resolutions’.

    The process of making resolutions but failing at them over and over makes us hesitant though. Most of the time people give up on resolutions after a few weeks. Only about 8% of people that make resolutions will stick to them.

    Most resolutions are good, and if kept, would make us better.

    The possibilities are exciting, we want to be better. Most resolutions are admirable, so why don’t we keep them?

    I think most of the time it is the lack of a clear plan.

    It reminds me of some wild turkeys that were crossing the road near my home. There were fifteen or twenty birds going across as I approached them in my truck. Some continued on across, some turned and went back, but one couldn’t decide which way to go.

    It ran back and forth going in circles in the middle of the road. This indecision and lack of clarity put this bird at risk of failure…and in this case, failure could have been really bad.

    Good thing I was driving slowly.

    If we don’t want to be like that turkey we need a clear plan. We need to know where we want to go. Then take the necessary actions to get there.

    The first thing to do is determine WHY. WHY do we want to accomplish this thing? The WHY will be the motivating factor. The WHY gives us the reason to move.

    WHY do I want to cross the road?

    Next, we need to know HOW. HOW gives us the map to get from here to there. The HOW gives us a direction to go.

    Now I know HOW best to cross the road.

    But, this is where things begin to get tougher. There are a lot of different systems that you can use for this. The problem is that what works for one person may not work for another.

    I’ve used several different things over the years. The conclusion I have come to is this. It matters less what the system is and more about whether you use it or not.

    You have to move, otherwise you’ll be left standing in the middle of the road.

    As I’m thinking forward to the new year, I will be working on a plan for 2025. Each year, I modify and tweak my systems so that they work better. I schedule time between Christmas and New Year’s Day for working on my ‘Life Plan’.

    It starts with scheduling it on my calendar. It’s critical to being intentional.

    I will look back at what worked and what didn’t throughout the past year. I will look to the future to see where we want to go. Most importantly, I will plan to take action. And I will have a way to measure progress, so I can see how we’re doing.

    Resolutions are only as good as our actions. Like Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, we have to decide to be different if we’re going to be different.

    Don’t be a turkey. Make a plan before you start crossing the road and stick with it. Don’t stop in the middle of the road. You can continue to improve on the plan every day if you keep moving.

    Make a plan and get out of the middle of the road!

    Sometimes, the best plan includes seeking guidance from someone with 40 years of experience in refining and implementing business systems. One of the most impactful systems for construction businesses is a well-designed proposal system.

    To help one lucky construction company break free from the chaos, we’re giving away a free, customized construction proposal system!

    Win a free construction proposal banner and start the new year off right

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