Have you ever welcomed the arrival of Friday only to look back at the week and realize there were a few things that somehow got off your radar? This week, there are no excuses. The goal: By the end of this week, everything we can realistically accomplish will be checked off our to-do list.

How will we ensure there are no excuses?

Carefully organize our time.
This week, we’re taking extra pains to organize. Perhaps we need to wake up an extra hour early to get in that workout or plan dinner menus and shop ahead of time so we can spend quality time with our families each evening.

Our agenda book is our friend.
This week, we’re going to carefully schedule (and not over-schedule) or time. Take a look at what you did or didn’t accomplish these past few weeks. Do you have a habit of over-sheduling or a habit of making excuses. Avoid these types of mistakes when planning for the week because this week, there are no excuses!

Take a few tips.
Have you ever met someone who seemingly has time for everything? How does s/he do it? If you don’t know, ask. Trust me, they’ll love your question and be more than willing to share a few time-management secrets.

Get off your rear.
Sitting on your behind and not doing anything is precisely what, later on, causes you to create excuses as to why something is not done. This week, there is no sitting on your rear.

Remember: This week, there are no excuses. Make the most out of your time and remember to have fun and also take time to relax. You’ll be more productive if you do.

It seems as though everyone either knows someone or knows of someone who has been laid off in the past year. Being laid off a job you love or a job you’ve sacrificed so much for over the years can be both excruciatingly painful and fearful. So much is going through your mind: What will people say? What will people think? Why me? What did I do? What could I have done differently?

If anything, understand the following:

Layoffs are about numbers, not people.
Companies have grown so big, everything is about the bottom line on a spreadsheet. The majority of people do realize that companies don’t differentiate between the employee who has dedicated two-dozen years to the company and the person who was just hired last year to push papers. Corporate layoffs are, for the most part, conducted in a very numerically efficient and institutional manner.

It doesn’t matter how hard you work, your company can still lay you off.
When employees first hear of corporate layoffs, their first reaction is to work harder and make themselves indispensible to the company.  You can work as hard as you want, but in most cases, it won’t change a thing when the person at the tops takes a look at spreadsheets.

Openness is the best policy.
No matter how many rumors circulate around the company regarding layoffs, nothing in the world can prepare you for the shock of actually losing your job. Anger, hurt, embarrassment, and fear are a few of the many turbulent emotions that circulate through your mind and body.

How do you pick yourself up and move on with your life? Openness, I believe, is the best policy. People want to help, but you need to be open and tell them what you need from them. Be open about your experience, qualifications, and new direction.

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Quite frankly, it’s hard not to take business personally. When someone compliments your business, your heart swells with pride just as your heart sinks when someone has something negative to say. It’s human nature, and perhaps as women, we tend to internalize these feelings a bit more.

Here are a few ways in which you can stop taking business so personally:

“Cut to the chase” mannerisms:
For some businesses, relationship building is the key to success. In other companies, fast turnover is what brings in the cash.

I run into a lot of new small business owners who don’t quite grasp this concept.

Looking back at the earlier days of my solopreneur career, I was intent on lunches, cocktails, and coffee all in the name of establishing business relationships. The reality is that I could have cut out at least half of those outings and been just fine. But, live and learn.

Now I think before making the effort. I assess:

1.    What’s in it for my business? Is this person a potential client or well-connected? What am I looking to gain from the meeting? Can I do this over the phone or would it be beneficial to meet in person?

2.    What is in it for them? How can I help this other person? Do I have potential connections for them and if so, can I do it over the phone or by email?

Lesson: Don’t take it personally if someone doesn’t feel that it’s necessary to meet face-to-face for the moment. This is business and people need to consider their bottom line. Time is money and money is time.

Rates:
Too many people get unnecessarily worked up over pricing issues. It’s unfortunate when friends and family expect (or assume) a discount when they should be the ones happiest to fully support your business.

As a business owner, you are the one who determines your value based on your skill set, time, effort, and overhead costs. It’s important that you stick with those rates if you want to stay in business. I’ve seen too many entrepreneurs go out of business from spending their own time and money on friends and family.

If the person you are doing business with doesn’t want to give you a discount just because they know you from such-and-such, don’t push the issue.

If you’re doing business with a close relation or someone you know socially, here are a few tips:

1.    Assume you are going to pay the full price or fee. Want to pay them for every penny they are worth.

2.    If they offer a discount, tell them you’re happy to support their business and work by paying like any other client.

3.    If they still insist on the discount, graciously accept.

Lesson: Don’t take it personally if someone doesn’t want to give you a discount. Business is business and they need to do business to stay in business. Get it? Got it? Good.

Criticism:
No matter who you are or what you do, one thing is certain: criticism is inevitable. There will always be someone who doesn’t like your work or the way you do business. That’s life and there is nothing you can do to change their mind.  As hard as it is to not take the criticism personally, you have to stay strong. If you let every person like this get you down, you’ll spend your whole life in fear and feeling bad.

What you can do, however, is look at the criticism objectively:

1.    Is the criticism from a purely artistic standpoint? If so, there’s not a lot you can do about it. Some of us like Monet whereas others prefer Van Gogh. It’s that simple. Instead, find them a competitor who might be more their taste or style. You have nothing to lose by losing them as a client.

2.    Does this person have a valid point? We all make mistakes in business and if the person is upset because of the way you handled a situation, you need to take the steps necessary to fix it.

Lesson: Criticism can sometimes result in great learning experiences. Either way, don’t take it personally, it’s business and we are all human.

Want to read more about handling criticism in the business world? I recommend this article for another point of view:

• Nataly Kogan: Business is Personal and Anyone Who Tells You Otherwise is Lying

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Make it a day on…not a day off!

Do you have the day off? If so, what are you doing to help your community?

During the 1950s and ’60s, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. recognized the power of service to strengthen communities and achieve common goals.

Here’s how it all began:
In 1994, Congress started the King Day of Service to build on his legacy by turning a federal holiday into a national day of community service. This holds true to King’s teachings of nonviolence and social justice. The idea is that people from all walks of life (socio-economic backgrounds, races, religions, sexual orientation, etc) come together to improve lives and bridge barriers. It’s about creating Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community.”

What are you doing to help your community on your day off? If you’re like me, you’ve been too busy with everything on your plate to even contemplate participating in King’s Day of Service (I’m in the office!).

Good news. We don’t have to make it a one-day-only deal!

Here are some ideas:

TODAY, make a commitment to help your community.

TODAY, contemplate how you can be of service to your community for the rest of the year.

TODAY, find organizations or projects to volunteer your time, services, or money.

TODAY: Make a plan of service and action for the next year.

TODAY, go out of your way to help someone in need.

For more information, visit the MLK Jr. Service Day website.