How to Create the Life You Want

It really isn't such a big mystery.

When my family and I moved back to South Florida from Texas, people wanted to know "why?". Everyone thought there was a big juicy story to be told.

But, the bottom line was that it was simple. We did not enjoy living in Texas. Now don't get me wrong; there are some perfectly lovely people in Texas. However, it just wasn't for us.

You see, I'm a New Yorker at heart and quite frankly every time I heard the word "dang" or "y'all" it was like nails on a chalkboard.

Once the decision was made that we were leaving Texas, my husband and I sat down and talked about where we should live.

It was so exciting; we spoke about a multitude of spots we could raise our family. We talked about the pros and cons of each. We considered our kids ages and interests, as well as our own.

The beauty of this conversation was that we were able to choose any destination. We knew that my primary business was my Working Moms Only.com and all of my other revenue sources like speaking; consulting and book writing were derivatives of Working Moms Only.

Since I live that laptop lifestyle, we could choose any spot on the planet to live.

Ultimately, we decided on South Florida. We wanted beautiful beaches; great weather and we missed our friends and family. Plus, South Florida is considered an extension of New York where the word "freakin" is extremely common - it's home.

Let me give you all my top seven business rules for respecting your time, getting more done and being a more productive person. These are rules you should live by, if you want to have the time to do things that you love. Remember, I am able to play tennis three times a week, volunteer at my kids' school and run a successful business because I don't waste my time - I respect my time!

The rules that I am about to share with you with you work regardless of the type of business or niche you are in.

The Seven Business Rules You Must Follow to Succeed

1. Never have meetings before noon: I see this all the time. Folks meander into the office at 8:45 and the first thing they do is hold a meeting. What they should be doing is working on critical tasks. Years and years of studies have shown that the morning is your most productive time of the day - don't squander it on meetings.

2. Always have an "end time" for your meetings and phone calls: Whenever you put anything on your schedule, it should include a start time and an end time. This way you prepare an agenda a head of time and you follow that agenda. Even when I play tennis, I set my iPhone alarm, so I know when my two hours are up and it is time to end.

3. Never use the phrase "ASAP": When some one asks you when you need something by the worst thing you can say is ASAP. This says, I'm disorganized and confused. Always give a specific date and time that you need a task or projected completed.

4. Complete and/or revise your "to-do" list the night before: Trying to put a to-do list together in the morning just sucks your energy. The night before is the best time. You know what needs to get completed in your business and your home life. Plus it will help you have a better night's sleep knowing it is all down on paper and you don't have to try to remember it for the morning.

5. Check emails twice a day: This is one of the biggest time suckers of all. Think about how much time you spend checking emails - it's crazy! The first time you check email should be before you have lunch. This way you will not spend unnecessary time on them, plus you will see how many issues were resolved without your input. The second time is EITHER COB (close of business) or before you turn in for the evening.

6. Create an environment where you eliminate the words "Got a minute": These three little words waste more time than any others. If some one is constantly saying this to you or you are saying it to your business associates you are leaving big dollars on the table.

7. Never leave a meeting or get off the phone without a POA (plan of action): The entire purpose of meetings is to help grow the business. If you are having meetings for other purposes - stop it! In order to grow the business, action must take place. Create a POA sheet today and bring it into your next meeting.

When you start implementing the above you will see not only an improvement of your productivity, your mood and your stress level will adjust accordingly.