I am a huge fan of Gary Vaynerchuck – the creator of Wine Library and Wine Library TV.Â
Gary’s in the middle of a major book launch for his new book The Thank You Economy
One of the chapters in Gary’s book is titled “Everything Has Changed…Except Human Nature” and that gets the heart of what his message is for today’s online (as well as offline) businesses – that we should always be bringing back any marketing or technology to the fundamental relationship we have with our customers based on truly caring for them.
So, when he uses a technology like Twitter, Facebook or Ustream. that means committing to the relationship these social networking platforms create with your marketplace…committing to a two-way dialog and to adding value within your market.
True enough, Gary interacts considerably with his audience and I’m guessing that takes hours upon hours each day…and many people wonder if THAT sort of dedication to social networking is really smart or just a waste of time?
But here’s the truth – if you are not in business to add value, connect and help your customers, what are you in business for?Â
Similarly, if you aren’t putting a high value on methods of directly communicating with your marketplace – how can you be sure you are adding that value?
So, where do you find the time to actually Give A Damn…as Gary likes to say?
In this interview, Gary tells us…my cutting out the fat!
KNOWING YOUR PRIORITIES
Look, we only have between 16-18 awake hours in the day, even fewer truly productive hours…so doesn’t it make sense that if we are spending 8-10 of those hours doing things that are not as important to us as other things we are missing…that will not only lead to getting less done, but it will also lead to frustration, unhappiness, impact our health and eventually, can be fatal.Â
So what IS the way to do more of what you want and need to do?
Know your priorities and guard them as if they were your highest value treasure.
For me, here are some MUSTS that I have to fit into my day:
- At least 30-minutes of meditation
- At least 40-minutes of exercise (walking, treadmill, hockey, or some other activity – as long as it is 40-minutes total throughout the day)
- I must write content (most important task in my business)
- I must spend time dedicated to listening to my family
- I must spend time on developing processes to help automate my business – this helps me to be more efficient and spend more time on the really important stuff
- I must have at least 20-minutes to spend on my music
Most days I don’t even have to think about it – my schedule is more-or-less set, I efficiently go about doing the things I absolutely love doing and the rest is – as Gary calls it – the FAT!
If you find that you don’t have the time to do the things you know you SHOULD be doing, then sit down and write up a list of MUSTS, SHOULDS and OTHER – only when you prioritize your goals and activities will you put yourself in a position to win AND will you experience fulfillment and happiness because you know you are controlling your time instead of having it controlled by others.Â
By the way – pick up a copy of  Gary’s The Thank You Economy
