Graduated And Clueless

How to Make Every Moment of Your Day Productive

Jeff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:16:44 +0000

Photo Courtesy of lastquest (flickr)

I am super type A. Personality tests tell me to see a doctor. My OCD is mild, but very apparent if you watch me work. My wife catches me talking to myself constantly, but she has gotten used to it. If you leave me alone in a room with a to-do list on a post-it note, I will build a spaceship out of toothpicks. Maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but I do put my quirks to good use. I spend much of my time finding ways to create more time. I focus a lot of my energy on productivity, effective habits, and useful ways to make my day more efficient. If you’re anything like me, you’re busy. Busy people need more time. From my own experience, if I successfully create more time I usually fill it with more stuff instead of meaningful activity. I don’t want you to take these strategies and simply make yourself busier. Focus on making your life more meaningful by filling your time with activities that enlighten your mind, stimulate your senses, and simply make you feel more alive.

First, in order to maximize our productivity we need to create more time and then fill it back up with the right stuff. In order to make every moment of your day productive you’ll need to analyze what you do on a daily basis. Make a list, create a calendar, or somehow put together a visual of a typical day for you. Be very specific and list every activity from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to bed. Now figure out everything you can get rid of completely. This will be hard, so take a look at some suggestions below. The goal is to eliminate everything that isn’t essential to the accomplishment of your goals. Always be asking yourself, “WWJD?” What would Jeff do? (Please don’t compare me to Jesus, you’ll be sadly disappointed.)

Things to Subtract

Television (except right before bed if you choose)
All forms of News (your co-workers will fill you in on anything truly relevant)
Surfing the Internet (use the web for specific tasks, not browsing)
Unhealthy foods that zap your energy (have lunch with a vegan to get some ideas)
Repetitive tasks (like cleaning, organizing, or checking your email)
Decrease time on Social Media Websites (I’m a sucker for Facebook . .)
Shopping just to look (if you’re not looking for something specific, leave the store)

Now that you’ve freed up an enormous amount of time, let’s brainstorm some meaningful activities to add that will progress you further towards your goals.

Things to Add

Reading during lunch (read non-fiction books that teach you something)
Writing before work (write anything, even journal entries, just write)
Audio Podcasts in the car instead of music (consider audio that makes you think)
Dancing & Music (preferably done together and done often)
Exercising and Meditation (you will have more energy if you’re healthier)
Social Activities (friends and family are almost always a good choice)
Naps (practice makes perfect, be sure to master this skill)
Pets, Children, or both (try to add one at a time so you don’t go crazy)
Smiley Face Stickers to your Business Cards (I do this and it makes people happy)

If at this point your day isn’t quite complete or you’ve run out of time to squeeze everything in, take a look at the considerations below.

Things to Consider

Quitting Your Job (make a plan before you jump to this choice, but don’t rule it out)
Increasing Your Self-Discipline (hang out with an on-duty Marine)
Doing at least one thing every day that scares you (this is powerful, do it)
Vacationing Alone (this can really help you focus if you need time to think)
Batching Your Chores (like doing laundry once every three weeks)

Conclusion
Busier people are more productive. Focus on filling your life with meaningful activity and removing anything that isn’t beneficial. If you have any questions about things to get rid of or you need some more clever ideas about things to add just leave a comment below. Thanks!

Remember, every day is a Great Day!

- Jeff

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Ambitious Goals: What it Takes to Get Rich

Jeff — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:51:46 +0000

Courtesy of AMagill (flickr)

I love the fact that many challenges in life have very simple solutions. Becoming wealthy is one of those challenges. I’ll break down the basics of what it takes to get rich and you’ll see very quickly that it’s not as complicated as you thought. It will be hard to achieve, but it’s easy to understand the process.

How to Become Wealthy

1. Maximize Your Income
2. Minimize Your Expenses

Seems simple enough, make a lot of money and don’t spend a bunch of money. You’re probably thinking that spending less seems easier than making a lot. I’d agree with you at first, but most people I know are very talented spenders, including myself. I don’t keep cash in my wallet for one reason, I’ll spend it. It’s harder for me personally to spend money on my debit card but for whatever reason I throw cash around like I have an endless supply. You may struggle with making cash or even with spending it, but let’s explore how to get rich in the most simplistic way.

1. Maximize Your Income

If you’ve ever read a great book about money or talked to a knowledgeable financial advisor they will generally give the same advice: if you want to be wealthy, find a wealthy person and do what they do. Well, I read a great book where I came across a startling statistic. In the book No More Mondays by Dan Miller, there is a breakdown of the millionaires in America and how they reached their millionaire status. I was shocked to learn that less than 1% of all millionaires in the US consisted of movie stars, politicians, pro athletes, and lottery winners combined! About 5% were salespeople and consultants, 10% were doctors, lawyers, or other professionals, and 10% were senior executives in large corporations. However, the stat that really gave me hope was that 74% of the millionaires were entrepreneurs. It didn’t take long for me to realize what my next goal in life would be. I immediately took my business ideas more seriously.

If three-fourths of the millionaires own a business, then I will too. Think about it. If you want to get an A in your class then you cheat off the guy who aces every test, not your friend with the 1.5 GPA. If your goal is to get rich and most of the rich people are business owners, it’s time to work smart and cheat off the rich guy. If you want to take it a step further you can continue to research which types of businesses make the most money, or which ones are easiest to get started with the smallest capital, or which businesses in your area are the most successful, etc. The goal here is to identify what works well for the wealthy and find an easy way to incorporate their success into your own life.

2. Minimize Your Expenses

Not surprisingly, the strategy for minimizing your expenses is closely related to the strategy for maximizing your income. Once again, I read a great book that enlightened me to this perspective. In the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, the author, Robert Kiyosaki, discusses personal corporations and the tax implications of the rich. He explains how wealthy people own businesses and store their personal assets under the umbrella of their business. Why would someone want their business to be the official owner of their car, house, or other property? One reason is liability protection. If you get personally sued, your property that is owned by the business is almost untouchable.

The better reason is taxes. If you’ve ever created a budget, even a very simple personal budget and listed your expenses from largest to smallest you will almost always see taxes at the very top. This becomes even more apparent as you earn more because you will jump up to the higher tax brackets and owe the government even more money. Knowing that taxes will be your greatest expense means you have one mission, minimize your taxes. The great news here is that there are significantly more tax breaks for businesses than citizens. This is why hiring a CPA to file your end of the year tax return is a must for everyone, especially business owners. A smart CPA may be able to find thousands of dollars of deductions you might have missed because they know the tax codes and how to manipulate the dollars you’ve spent to get some cash back. This is way more profitable than trying to save a few bucks with a credit card cash back offer (read my blog: Finances 101: The Truth About Debt to learn more).

Conclusion

1. Maximize Your Income by Starting a Profitable Business
2. Minimize Your Expenses by Hiring a Great CPA to Do Your Taxes

Obviously, this is a very simplistic view of wealth, but trying to over complicate your finances is never helpful. Do yourself a favor, make a list of your financial goals and brainstorm the easiest solutions to make those happen. Let simplicity be your guide. As always, feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions or leave a comment below. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not have any formal financial education and I am not a certified financial advisor. Every bit of information I have is from personal experience and extensive research on the subject. If you are looking for professional financial advice you should seek a qualified CPA or your own financial advisor. This information is intended to educate and entertain, but is not the final word on the subject.

Remember, every day is a Great Day!

- Jeff

Why Getting Fired is a Blessing

Jeff — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:27:33 +0000

Photo Courtesy of JS's (flickr)

Getting fired was one of the scariest things I could imagine when I entered the job market fresh out of college. I feared having to explain to a future employer why I sucked at my last job so badly that a security guard had to throw me off their property. I feared having to fill out an application and check the box that asks if you’ve ever been fired or asked to resign, and then having to list the reason. I thought getting fired would somehow put me on a public “Do-Not-Hire” list and I’d be banned from employment forever. I imagined only being able to work as a janitor or simply giving up with no possibility of a future. Scary stuff.

I’ve worked a number of different jobs since college and I’ve seen someone fired at every one of them. The best story was when I worked at Steak ‘n Shake and the guy that makes the shakes beat up my boss in the parking lot while the entire restaurant watched. He then tried to beat up the cops that came to arrest him. Good times. If you have any great stories about people you know getting fired, include them in the comments below.

So, how could getting fired possibly be a blessing?

1. Goodbye Crappy Job (You probably should have been fired)

The reality is that you were probably fired for a good reason. Even if you weren’t, you were working somewhere that doesn’t want you there anymore. That’s reason enough to feel free of any burdens you can now leave behind. Losing this job can now become one of the greatest blessings because that source of stress is gone forever.

2. Learn from the Experience (Figure out what went wrong)

Don’t let an experience like this one slip away. Treasure the fact that you have a story to tell and a lesson to learn. Share you experience with others and be sure to discuss what you could have done differently to improve the situation. Unless of course you were trying to get fired, then you can brag about how brilliant you were.

3. Eliminates Fear of a Future Firing (Don’t Make it a Habit)

What doesn’t kill you just might make you a little stronger for next time. Believe me, if you’ve been fired once you’ll probably be fired again before retirement. But don’t make pissing off your boss a habit. Just focus on how you are able to handle the opportunity if it presents itself again.

4. Collect Unemployment (Use Sparingly)

You might be thinking that unemployment checks will start rolling in as soon as you’re fired, and they might if you qualify and apply on time. You could get up to six months of income from the government; just try not to abuse your fellow taxpayers for too long. At the very least, a few checks will help you avoid a crazy financial mess if you weren’t prepared with an emergency fund. Make a plan today assuming you’ll be fired tomorrow.

5. Personal Time (Use Wisely)

Free time will be your greatest source of happiness but it can quickly become your greatest source of stress if you don’t keep busy. Take a few days off and enjoy the freedom. Then get to work. Work out, take naps, clean your house, read a good book, read this blog, and begin work on steps 6 and 7 immediately.

6. Time to Start a Business (Move Quickly)

If you’ve had a business idea roaming around in your head, now is the time to take action! Seriously. This is the best time to start planning and executing that business idea you’ve only been dreaming of until this golden opportunity struck. Move as fast as possible to get the building blocks going while you’re still unemployed. Then make a plan to continue it if you choose to head back to the 40-hour work week thing.

7. Hello New Career (Make an Intentional Decision)

This should go without saying, but I’m going to kick the elephant in the room anyway. This is your chance to start over. This is your chance to begin life on a brand new journey, one in which you are the captain of your ship. Sound lame? It shouldn’t. It should sound like the best thing you’ve ever heard. Do some research and start applying to the best jobs in your new field now.

Being fired won’t prevent you from getting another job. Many of my previous and current co-workers have been fired before. The reality is that if an employer likes you and thinks you’d be a great addition to their business, they will overlook past “hiccups” because you’re that awesome. Just make sure to impress them that much more.

At the time of this writing I have never actually been fired. I got really close once, but I quit before they took action. Strangely enough, I wrote this article because my fear of being fired has almost disappeared. I would say that has happened for a few reasons. First, I have confidence in my own abilities to find a replacement job. Second, I never expected any job to last forever. Third, I view being fired as an incredible opportunity to send my life in a new direction. And fourth, I like change. I have complete faith that being fired would ultimately benefit me, even if the initial shock is a little unnerving.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your comments below about your experiences with being fired, or especially if you’re the one doing the firing.

Remember, every day is a Great Day!

- Jeff

Your First Real World Job 101

Jeff — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:27:40 +0000

Photo Courtesy of Brandon Godfrey (flickr)

I’m poking my head out of hibernation to write this blog post. Back in December I suspended my blogging to work on my book, which is chugging along. I’ll give you a quick update. First, writing a book is about as difficult as any other enormous goal, it’s always harder than you originally hoped. I have, however, converted my sole proprietorship into an LLC. I also recently opened my first business bank account and setup my account with the company that will help me self-publish the book. Additionally, I’ve written the first 3 chapters and outlined the remaining chapters. It’s a challenge to write a book while maintaining a full-time job, a personal life, and training for another marathon, but somehow it’s all coming together. Patience is truly a virtue, and I haven’t mastered it yet.

I received an email from one of my avid fans who is preparing to graduate from her Master’s program in a few months and she had some very common and very important questions. I want to take a few minutes to highlight some quick answers to some touch topics. I’ll go into more depth in the future, but like I said, I’ll be heading back into the cave to finish what I’ve started.

Job Searching
Don’t rely on Internet job search engines for everything. Seriously. In fact, you should only spend about 10% of your job search on Craigslist, CareerBuilder, Monster, and Indeed combined. Make it simple. Find a niche, find the top 5 employers in that niche in the area you want to work, and harass them until someone hires you. What I mean is that if you focus your energy on a few select employers in a very targeted market, you will be able to customize your resume, cover letter, and knowledge to the companies where you as passionate about working.

Interviews
The same principle applies. After you have submitted a resume or application, call the employer and directly ask them for an interview. This is what I mean by harassing. Make it very clear to the employer that you are insanely passionate about working for THEIR company and helping THEM. (Hint: It’s not about you.) During the interview, continue to show your passion, highlight your skills, and make it clear how you can benefit them.

Salary
Negotiable. Learn that word and use it often. Never give them a number, let them tell you the range the position typically pays and you choose the highest number they can stomach. Learn your market and research the job you’re applying for. Be knowledgeable of what you’re worth and what you can expect to negotiate. If you say you want $30k a year and they were prepared to offer you $40k, you just lost $10k. Ouch. Ideally, you should leverage another offer against them, which will force them to pay you more if they really want you.

Insurance
Jobs are NOT secure. Job security is an oxymoron. As soon as you’re laid off, fired, or quit your first job in disgust, you will see my point. Therefore, I don’t give typical advice about benefits. My recommendation, get Self-Employment Health Insurance. You can apply for this even if you’re unemployed and it will cover you wherever you work or live. If you move, change jobs, or start a business you will keep your coverage as long as you pay your monthly premium. The same goes for Disability and Life Insurance. Also, the price you’ll end up paying is almost identical to what an employer will offer you.

401(k)s
I’m a Dave Ramsey fanatic. What this means is that I don’t recommend you start saving for retirement until you are completely out of debt, excluding a home mortgage. That means Zero credit card debt, Zero student loan debt, Zero car payments, etc, etc. Save up a HUGE emergency fund, about 6 months of expenses, and then you can start saving for retirement at around 10-15% of your net income. Use employers for this one because they’ll match a lot of your own contributions. After you leave a job, roll over your old 401(k) into an IRA and keep saving.

Entrepreneurship
If you’re like me and the idea of working for yourself is more appealing than working for someone else, then do it and do it now. The best advice I ever received about business is to start immediately, even if you have no idea what you’re doing. If you can afford to start your business full-time then get going, otherwise get a full-time job that works well for your schedule to maximize your time to build the business. I prefer Internet Businesses because you can start one for under $100 a year! Seriously.

Want More?
I’ve got great news! That book I was talking about will cover all of these topics and more. It’s not finished yet, obviously, but it will be available in the next few months. If you want to receive email updates about it’s release just sign up in the form on the bottom right of the page. Until then feel free to contact me with any questions you have about being Graduated and Clueless! Thanks to Rachael for submitting your email and prompting this blog post.

Remember, every day is a Great Day!

- Jeff

The #1 Way to Guarantee Success

Jeff — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:26:24 +0000

Photo Courtesy of Pixel Addict (flickr)

In the spirit of setting big goals for 2010, I wanted to discuss this topic because I can’t stop thinking about it. Could I actually guarantee that I will accomplish the commitments I have set for myself? Assuming that I can, how will I make them a reality? This has been bugging me because I have a lot on my agenda right now. I have the feeling that I have overbooked myself and have bitten off more than I can chew. So, I have prioritized my personal and professional goals and now I’ll be making cuts. I have realized that in order to accomplish the goals I care the most about, I have to sacrifice the goals that are of least importance in my life right now.

Obviously, focusing all my energy on one or two big goals will make this process more focused and probably easier, but will intense focus alone be enough to guarantee they will happen? I think the answer depends on a few factors. One, how much do I care about the goals? What is my level of desire? Secondly, how easy would it be to fail? Can I force myself to succeed, leaving no other alternative? I believe the desire needs to be a given. If you don’t have a burning passion to complete the goal, it simply won’t happen. However, the second part is what intrigues me the most. Is it possible to force myself to succeed? I think the answer is yes, and it will take a little creativity to make it possible. Let’s break down some examples.

In my previous blog, Why Running at 5 AM is Awesome!, I discussed how I have two alarm clocks in my room that force me to get out of bed in order to ensure the morning workouts actually happen. This strategy has proven to be very effective because I have only skipped one or two workouts in the last few months, as opposed to sleeping through every single one like I used to.

I have another idea, although I will say that I haven’t yet tried this. If you wanted to run a specific distance, say 26.2 miles, but you weren’t sure if you would have enough personal stamina to do it without help, I have a potential solution. Have someone drive you 26.2 miles from your house and leave you there with only a water bottle, some gel packs, and a cell phone that only dials 911. I don’t think those exist, but you get the point. With this scenario, you’ll either run the entire distance or die trying. Sounds awesome!

Last year my wife and I were trying to move to Nashville but we hadn’t yet figured out how to do it because we didn’t have jobs lined up or a place to live. So, we did what any normal couple would do, we quit our jobs, subleased out apartment, and rented a moving truck. One week prior to moving day we signed a lease to an apartment we found online but had never visited. In fact, neither of us had ever even been to the state of Tennessee. The moral of the story is that if we had waited until we found the perfect job and the most ideal place to live, we would probably still be searching. Instead, we’re living in a great apartment (the same one we signed originally) and we’ve both found employment.

The trick to this process is to get creative and figure out how you can force yourself to accomplish your goals. Your adventure will definitely involve risk, faith, sacrifice, and a lot of determination while you work as quickly as possible to make your goals a reality.

In light of my revelation that I personally need to focus on my most important goals, I will be putting the blog on hold for a few weeks. This post will be the last one I write until my book has been written. I have been working off and on with my idea for a book since June and it isn’t finished yet. So, I have made the decision to force success into my own life my eliminating distractions from my top priority. In the mean time you can feel free to read and comment on the posts and send me emails. I will still be around, but I will most likely be completely immersed in my 1st big goal for 2010.

Until next time, good luck on your goals and enjoy the holidays!

Remember, every day is a Great Day!

- Jeff