Lately I have been speaking to many perspective clients who aren’t having their best year this year. As I’m listening to them, I’m wondering why don’t we have our best year every year? What I’m hearing leaders and business owners say is that the economy is bad, we’re in a recession, gas prices are too high, my company is restructuring and the list goes on. For many of us life is punctuated by difficult events that we believe we can do little about. Many of us and our teams are left feeling hopeless and out of control.

Just last week I met with a company who wanted some time management and effective meeting training. They had brought me in because employees were feeling overwhelmed by the number of meetings they were attending and in turn they believed they did not have time to do their ‘real’ jobs. The more I spoke with different members of the organization, I realized that this company had a belief that was holding the entire organization back and causing stress and burnout throughout all levels. This belief was “drop everything for our most important clients because we are dependent on them.” Now when this organization first started 5 years ago, that belief was perhaps valid and it got them through some hard times. But today, as they are continuing to grow and build their client base, that belief is causing problems.

So what CAN we do? While there are forces outside of our control, sometimes I think it is easier to blame those forces than to look inside ourselves, our teams and our companies and reflect on what stops us from having our best year yet DESPITE those events that we can truly do little about. But there are things that we CAN control – it’s just that we don’t always take the time to get a grip on them.

So here are five things you and/or your team CAN do that, when done with consistency, will transform your results:

1. Learn the lessons that life offers you: I speak often about the Cycle of Productivity which explains how something goes from creation/idea stage to completion. The 4th stage of the Cycle of Productivity, and I believe the most important, is the 4^th stage in the cycle – Acknowledge. Acknowledge means to take a step back and review what has happened in the past, both the successes and the disappointments. When an individual or a team takes the time do this, what they find in the process are those lessons, that when applied to new situations will transform the result. Maybe the lesson learned is to trust your instincts. Maybe the lesson is to never let the customer down. Maybe the lesson is to focus on relationships. Whatever it is, take the time to learn the lesson and review them on a regular basis to ensure the lesson isn’t lost.

2. Deal with the things that hold you back once and for all: Sometimes the things that hold you back are tangible like poor computer systems, high turnover rates, and bad accounting systems. But more likely, what is really holding you back are the beliefs that are running your company culture or in the case of an individual, your mind. How do people think in your organization? As an individual, what thoughts run through your mind on a daily basis? Do you have beliefs that stop you from getting the results you need? Maybe there are beliefs that you don’t share information. Maybe it’s normal in your team to criticize those in another team. Have you noticed that it’s ‘okay’ not to perform up to expectations. Do poor performers get rewarded? Do you think you don’t have the time? Often our beliefs are not readily apparent to us – hey, we live them every day. But taking a step back and becoming aware of the thoughts and beliefs that are ingrained in your culture or your own head and then dealing with those that don’t help you get results, will go a long way to ensuring your success.

3. Live your values. This is the principle that most people would say is common sense, but what I know is that it isn’t common practice. So many individuals and organizations state their values – Customer Service is number one, live in integrity, honesty is the best policy – but their ACTIONS go against those values. Why is living your values so important to transforming results? Our values are the standard by which we make decisions and take action – they reflect what is most important to us. Defining strong values and living them allows us to evaluate our actions to make better decisions – those decisions that are important to us. To live your values you need to review them regularly, tell the truth about what must happen to improve the alignment between what you are doing and what you believe. When you do this, you deliver on your promise.

4. Focus on what is really important: The demands and complexities of the real world pull you in many directions. By gaining clarity and focusing on what is really important – the vital few goals that you need to achieve no matter what – you will be guided to make the best choices about how you spend your time and energy. How do you determine what is really important? First look to your values. Then take time to determine what will really engage you and your team, what will move you closer to your overall vision and mission, which would the rest of the organization or our customers care most about, which offer the best return on your investment of time, money and energy. What will make the greatest difference?

5. Adopt a process for accountability. When I work with clients, we have something called a say/do ratio. In other words, what is it that you say you are going to do and what actually gets done. My clients strive for at least an 80% say/do ratio. In order to do this, you need a system or process to ensure that people take personal responsibility and are accountable for their results. A Harvard Business Review article titled “Turning Strategy into Great Performance” states almost 15% of the total average performance loss is due to poor accountability systems. Issues such as actions needed to execute are not clearly defined, there are unclear accountabilities for execution of strategy, inadequate performance monitoring and inadequate consequences or rewards for failure or success are cited as reasons for the loss. What can an individual or company do to help? First of all, create plans that are clearly defined and ensure there is alignment on your values and your mission. Ensure the plan is communicated to everyone. But the most important discipline is to review the plan on a routine basis – at least monthly. Review goals and track your say/do ratio. Review the lessons you have learned and make sure that actions being taken are in line with your values and your focus on what is most important.

By consistently applying these five principles above, you CAN do something about your results despite everything else that is happening around you and your team.

Kimberly Kniveton is founder of Ascent Coaching & Consulting (www.ascentcoach.com). With 14 years of organizational development, training and coaching experience, Kim supports others on gaining focus, clarity and most of all, results in what matters most. Her clients comment that her fun, positive and engaging personality all contribute to helping individuals and organizations achieve success year after year. Kim has a BA in psychology and communications, obtained Her MBA in 2000 and received her coach specific training from CoachU. She is an ACC certified coach with the International Coach Federation, a certified member of the 6 Seconds Emotional Intelligence Network, qualified to various assessment tools, and is licensed to run both team and professional Producing Results programs with Best Year Yet. Kim is on the adjunct staff at the University of Utah Professional Development Center and sits on various board positions including the local chapter of the ASTD and the Utah chapter of the International Coach Federation. Kim’s passion is supporting changes that make a difference!

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80% of unfocused efforts will only produce 20% of desired results. However, 20% of time focused and well managed effort will produce 80% of desired output. The 80/20 rule is not always accurate but it is a good gauge in time management and planning.

Some people view time management as a list of rules that involves scheduling of appointments, goal settings, thorough planning, creating things to do lists and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop an efficient personal time management skill. These basic skills can be fine tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire.

But there are more skills involved in time management than the core basics. Skills such as decision making, inherent abilities such as emotional intelligence and critical thinking are also essential to your personal growth.

Personal time management involves everything you do. No matter how big and no matter how small, everything counts. Each new area of knowledge you acquire, each new piece of advice you consider, each new skill you develop, should be taken into consideration.

Having a balanced life-style should be the key result in using personal time management. This is the main aspect that many practitioners of personal time management fail to grasp.

Time management is about getting results, not about being busy.

The six areas that personal time management seeks to improve in anyone’s life are physical, intellectual, social, career, emotional and spiritual.

The physical aspect involves having a healthy body, less stress and fatigue.

The intellectual aspect involves learning and other mental growth activities.

The social aspect involves developing personal or intimate relations and being an active contributor to society.

The career aspect involves school, work and business.

The emotional aspect involves appropriate feelings and desires and manifesting them.

The spiritual aspect involves a personal quest for meaning and purpose in life.

Thoroughly planning and having a “to do” list for each of the key areas may not be very practical, but determining which area in your life is not being given enough attention is part of time management. Each area creates the whole you, if you are ignoring one area then you are ignoring an important part of yourself.

Personal time management should not be so intimidating a task. It is a very sensible and reasonable approach in solving problems big or small.

A great way of learning time management and improving your personal life is to follow several basic activities.

One of them is to review your goals often, whether they be immediate or long-term.

A way to do this is to keep a list that is always accessible to you. You can use either a paper based planner, a PDA, or a smart phone

Always determine which task is necessary in achieving your goals and which activities are helping you maintain a balanced life style.

Each and every one of us has a peek time and a time when we slow down, these are our natural cycles. We should be able to determine when we are the sharpest.

Here are a couple more points:

1.Learn to say no even if it involves saying the word to family or friends.

2.Pat yourself on the back or just reward yourself in any manner for an effective time management result.

3.Try and get the cooperation from people around you who are actually benefiting from your efforts of time management.

4.Don’t procrastinate. Attend to necessary things immediately.

5.Have a positive attitude and set yourself up for success. But be realistic in your approach in achieving your goals.

6.Have a record or journal of all your activities. This will help you get things in their proper perspective.

These are just a few steps you can initially take in becoming a well rounded individual who manages their time effectively.