Monthly Archives: October 2015

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Lessons from the MLB Playoffs

October is Rocktober at our house. Rocktober is a special time of the year. Fall is in the air. College football is in season. More importantly it is Playoff and World Series time for Major League Baseball.Gordon HR World Series

Sports can teach you a lot about life. This season I have witnessed several life lessons during the MLB playoffs.

Lesson 1: Never Give Up

The Kansas City Royals were down 2 games to 1 going in to Game 4 of their series with the Houston Astos.

The defending AL champions saved their season. They rallied for five runs in the eighth inning to beat Houston 9-6, forcing their playoff series to a decisive Game 5. We all know what happened in Game 5.

First baseman Eric Hosmer said,”We always feel that we’re still in games, and we still have a chance. That’s the mentality for this whole entire team. It’s never quit, and the character we showed today. That’s what a championship ballclub does.”

The game is not over until after the bottom of the last inning. There can be 2 outs bottom of the 9th down by 5 and you still have an opportunity to tie and send the game to extra innings or better yet win the game.

Lesson 2: Hire Great Leaders and Surround Yourself with the Best

The Chicago Cubs did a fantastic job of hiring great baseball leaders. They hired Theo Eptein as President of Baseball Operations and Joe Maddon as their manager. These were great hires. Theo and Joe are two of the best in the game. They also brought in veteran pitcher Jon Lester to provide the young pitching staff with an experienced veteran who has been in the World Series.

They changed the team from the top. The results speak for themselves. The Cubs finished in last place in the National League Central Division in 2014. They finished 17 games back.

In 2015 they finished 3 games back and earned a Wildcard to the playoffs. This is a dramatic turnaround in one year.

If you want a great team you need to have great leaders. Speed of the leader, speed of the team.

Lesson 3: The Highest Payroll Does Not Guarantee Results

If the top payrolls were the ticket to the World Series, the Dodgers would be playing the Yankees. The Top 4 MLB payrolls in 2015 are:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers $272,789,040

2. New York Yankees $219,282,196

3. Boston Red Sox $187,407,202

4. Detroit Tigers $173,813,750

The two teams in the World Series are not even in the top 15. The Mets are #21 and the Royals are #16 on the total payroll list.

Having the highest paid teams and individuals doesn’t necessarily mean you will get the best results.

Lesson 4: Prepare for the Unexpected and Be Flexible

The St. Louis Cardinals essentially had 5 of the 9 players that started the regular season injured at year end. They still finished with the best record in baseball with a .617 winning percentage.

You have to prepare for health issues, injuries and life issues. You also have to carry on even when the team is not at full speed. You have to be flexible and use your resources.

Lesson 5: The Best Team Does Not Always Win

The St. Louis Cardinals had the best record in baseball in 2015, yet they did not make it to the World Series. They won over 100 games this year.

You can have a great team and win the most games, but still not win championships. You have to get hot when the victories count.

Be Great!

 

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How to Get More Done in a Shorter Time

Have you ever wondered why some people get so much more done than others in a day? Why is that?28259640_s

There are a lot of reasons. Some people are naturally gifted at this skill of prioritizing their time. Others have learned how to be more effective with their daily tasks.

There are some skills that you can learn to help you get more done each day. Here are some tactics:

1. Take care of yourself first

  • Exercise for at least 20 – 30 minutes per day. Exercise is one of the key factors in giving you the energy you need. Many people work out first thing in the morning to start the day alert and ready to go.  Some men work out during lunch to give them energy for the rest of the day.
  • Sleep 7 – 9 hours. Sleep is key to being productive. The most productive people get 7 – 9 hours of sleep per night. Test this to see what works best for you. There are those that brag about how little sleep they get. Sure you can do this for periods of time, but eventually you are going to get sick or suffer burnout symptoms.
  •  Power naps. Many highly productive people take naps during the day to stay fresh. These are 10 -20 minute power naps. This will be dependent on your work environment. Some large companies actually have nap areas or rooms.  If you can’t do this at work, you may want to experiment with it on weekends.
  • Eat Well. Eat protein in the morning and as the day goes on add carbohydrates. Food consumption will depend on how many calories you burn during the day. Don’t have a huge carbohydrate load at lunch time. This will leave you feeling sluggish.
  • Stay Hydrated. Drink plenty of water during the day.

2. Plan the day.

  •  Take time in the morning or evening before to plan your day. Take the time your prefer, either at the end of your work day or in the morning before you get started, to plan the work day and list out what you want to accomplish for the day.
  • Rank you list. Rank the things you want to get done during the day from most important to least important.
  • Schedule harder tasks first when fresh. Take your list and take the hardest task and get it done first.
  •   Take Scheduled Breaks. Schedule breaks into your day. You should take a 5 – 10 minute break every 30 – 40 minutes.
  •   Get away from the office for a break. Take 30 – 60 minutes to get away and have a break away from the office between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. depending on what works best for your schedule and work cycles. If nothing else just go for a walk to get some exercise and fresh air.

3. Stay focused

  •  Use a timer. Use a timer to remind you to take breaks. Most cell phones have timers on them.
  •  Turn off email and instant message reminders. The pop ups are distracting and will make you want to go off task and answer them.
  •   Do not answer the phone and emails when you get them. Do not start the day by answering email. Block time increments of 15 – 30 minutes in the morning and afternoon to answer emails and your phone.
  •   One time as many emails as possible. Trash the ones you just read and don’t need. Set an offline folder for the ones you can read later. Take action and return the ones that are important. Delegate emails that can be answered by another team member.
  •  Block Time for Social Media. Block 20 – 30 minutes to read social media and do posts.
  • Take Scheduled Breaks every 30 – 45 minutes. Use your timer to not miss these.
  •  Keep a notebook and pen by you to prevent yourself from multi-tasking. As you get ideas or things you want to do jot them down so you can do them later.

4. Delegate

  • Determine the value of your time. Take your annual pay and divide it by 2080. This will give you your hourly value based on a 40 hour work week. When you are going to do a task determine if it is worth it for you to do the task or to delegate it.
  • Delegate the tasks to an assistant or team member that can do the task for you. If you are fortunate enough to have someone you can delegate to then make sure you are using that person’s skills effectively. Delegation can be hard because many highly efficient people usually like control. Delegation to a qualified team member will help you to get more done during the day. The sooner you learn that the sooner you will become more productive.
  • Hire a virtual assistant. In today’s world of technology many people are using virtual assistants to help them be more productive.

Be Great!

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Tips on How to Allocate Your Paycheck

The best rule I have for allocating your paycheck is the 70-10-10-10 rule. I came up with this rule years ago after reading the excellent book The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason. This book is a classic fable that gives the timeless rules for money management.

33777928_mThere are several other great resources: Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey and Money Master the Game:7 Simple steps to Financial Freedom by Tony Robbins.

The 70-10-10-10 Rule

  • The first 10% goes in a charity account. The funds in this account are disbursed at 5% to your church and the other 5% goes to charities that you are passionate about. I have found over the years that if you follow this rule you will get back much more than you give.
  • 70% goes for living expenses. Use these funds to pay your monthly living expenses. Pay credit cards off monthly and strive to keep your debt minimal.
  • 10% goes to savings and investment. The first step is to have 3 months of living expenses saved in a money market account or savings account. Max out your 401k. Any additional funds should be invested as you and your financial planner see fit based on your risk.
  • 10% goes to investing in yourself and/or business. These are funds to invest in your learning and education. These funds are for books, workshops, seminars and business retreats. They can also be used for side businesses.

A good plan is to meet with a financial advisor to help you to meet your financial goals. A good financial advisor can help you with wealth strategies, insurance strategies and tax strategies to help you to maximize your financial future. You should meet with your planner at least annually to discuss strategies and update your plan.

Be Great!

 

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How to Make Your Marriage More Successful

Are you trying at your marriage or are you committed in your marriage? Those that “try” at anything are usually not committed. They will stay with something until it gets hard. Committed means you do what ever it takes to make something work.  Those that commit generally succeed, while those that try will generally fail.

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A deep level of commitment in a marriage can lead to a lower divorce rate. According to Thomas Bradbury, Benjamin Karney and Dominik Schoebi from the Relationship Institute at UCLA couples that both people were willing to make sacrifices for the sake of the marriage were significantly more likely to have lasting and happy marriages. Of the  172 couples in the study, 78.5% were still married after 11 years and 21.5% were divorced.  This is significantly better than the average divorce rate.

Ways to make your marriage more successful:

  • Compromise.  Good marriages are not based on I win or you win.  It is not a winning or losing proposition. Commit to the relationship rather than committing to your own immediate needs and agenda. Sometimes you need to sacrifice your needs and wants.
  • Communicate. When you don’t see things eye to eye talk to your spouse. There is a good chance that your spouse can not read your mind.
  • Pray together and for each other.  Pray for strength and unity in your marriage. Pray for others and their needs on a daily basis. Men, here is a prayer for your wife.
  • Commit with actions. Let your actions reflect your commitment. Make yourself available when your spouse wants to talk. Spend time alone with your spouse. Laugh together. Have date moments. Plan for your future together.
  • Commit with words. Tell your spouse that you are committed to your marriage for the rest of your life. Tell your spouse you love them in front of your kids. Let your kids know that you and your spouse are committed to each other through thick and thin. This will put your kids at ease. They see a lot of divorce through their friends.
  • Learn your spouse’s Love Language.  There are only 5 to learn. Here is a post I did on The Language of Love.
  • Be Grateful for your spouse. What are you thankful for? Ask God to bring these things to mind. Make a list and review it often.
  • Do a check up. Ask your spouse how you are doing for him or her every 6 months. Ask what you can do to improve the relationship. 
  • Model other couples that have successful marriages. Ask a couple that has been successfully married a long time to mentor you.
  •  Renew your wedding vows every 5 – 10 years. Recommit to each other. My wife and I did this the last time, in Cana, for our 25th wedding anniversary.

These are just a few ideas to make a marriage more successful. Please feel free to share this with others.

Be Great!