And here I am at the EXPO! Literally!

As you read this I am teaching either a “Makeover Your Marketing” class or an “Add Redesign to Your Drapery or Decorating Business” class.

I love mixing both business and design when I am teaching – and I do the same in my personal business.  I do plenty of hands-on decorating, as well as teach and consult with others on how to run their business.  But as it might happen, here I am – a little stressed.  My good friend Elizabeth Hagen is a great organizer and business coach (and speaker!), and I am going to share with you some of her great stress reducing tips from a previous newsletter of hers.  Enjoy!  -Mary Larsen

by:  Elizabeth Hagen – click here to learn more about Elizabeth or sign up for her newsletter.

April is Stress Awareness Month. Can you believe it?  A whole month dedicated to stress!  [Note from Mary - I know it's not April, but I have had an oddly stressful past week wedged in between a week in the Dominican and soon to be a week in Idaho!]

Stress is recognized as the number one killer today. The American Medical Association has stated that stress is the cause of 80-85% of all human illness and disease.  Goodness!  We had better learn to do something about it.

I have found that I and others I speak to experience the most stress when we’re not taking action, we’re tired, and we feel overwhelmed.  So, it makes sense that to cure stress we need to take the right kinds of action, be rested, take good care of ourselves, and figure out ways to NOT feel overwhelmed.

Not taking action:
The next time you feel stress and anxiety don’t push yourself harder, stop.  Ask yourself “What is just one thing I can do?”  We can always come up with one thing.  But the key is to not look at the whole picture but just focus in on one project and do one thing.  Try this.  You’ll be amazed at how your stress evaporates when you take action.

Feeling tired:
This is a personal thing.  Are you feeling tired because you’re burning the candle at both ends or is it a physical issue?  If you’re not taking enough time for rest and relaxation you have to put this in your schedule.  I’ve never seen a tombstone that said “I wish I had worked more.”

If it’s a physical issue call your doctor now and schedule a physical.  Last fall/winter I was having horrible sleep issues and finally saw my doctor and she got me the help I needed and turned my sleeping issues totally around.  I can’t tell you how much better I feel when I wake up rested.  And, how much less stress I feel.

Feeling overwhelmed:
When I ask my speaking audiences what they do when they feel overwhelmed the 100% response is – NOTHING!  And, when we’re not taking action we feel stress.

I have a great system I call the 7 Steps to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed which is outlined in my book “Organize with Confidence”. It works when getting organized and it works when you feel overwhelmed about anything.

Step 1: Set a date. If things are too hectic at the time look at your calendar and set a date/time to think about the problem that you are overwhelmed over.

Step 2: Identify what’s bothering you. On that date/time sit down in a quiet place and think about what you’re feeling overwhelmed about. Write everything down about the project.

Step 3: Prioritize. Now that you have it down on paper you can prioritize the steps to take.  You can’t do that when it’s all in your head.

Step 4: Choose a date. Choose a date to tackle the first priority.

Step 5: Get ready to take action. Write down what you need to take care of that first priority.  Everything!  Any supplies or names or people to talk to about it.

Step 6: Do it.  On the date you chose in Step 4 start tackling the project.

Step 7: Relax, reward, and repeat. Great job!  You’ve started working on what was overwhelming you and I promise it feels great.  Pat yourself on the back, give yourself a reward for what you’ve done, and move on the next priority in this project.

But that’s not always the case.  I have had many vacations where getting back to work was the last thing I wanted to do.  So today I am going to share with you some of the tricks I use to help me get back to it!

Getting Back to Work

• Make Your List. If you are anything like me, you probably made a list before you left for vacation.  If not, do one now.  Just do a “brain dump” of everything on your mind, and everything new and exciting that came up for you on vacation.  Then categorize by priority and deadlines.
• Ease into Things. Once you are in motion it is easier to stay in motion (hey!  physics from a designer!).  So you might want to start slowly with the easy things, to get back into the groove.
• Take Breaks. Okay, if you are on a roll, just keep going!  But if you find your mind wandering, take a break.  Take 10 minutes to move around – start that load of laundry, go through the mail – but then get back to work.
• Don’t be Too Hard on Yourself. If it takes you a bit to get back in the groove, that’s okay.  But be responsible.  Decide WHEN you will get back to work, and then do it.
• Reward Yourself. So you’ve made it back!  Good for you! Now truly take the night off, so you can be back into things tomorrow!

What do you do to get back into the swing of things? I’d love to know what works for you – comment below!

Have a good one!

-Mary Larsen

There doesn’t seem to be any room for error in our businesses right now – every little thing counts.  And I am finding in my own business that now more than ever it is the little things that are making the difference – when I am shopping and when my clients are shopping with me.  This might be a good time to let the big things take care of themselves – yes you know how to design, yes you know how to price your services, yes you know how to run a project – let’s assume all of that is in place and let’s really concentrate on the little things so you can GET to the big things.  For example:

The other day I placed a big online clothing order for my sunny vacation to the Dominican Republic.  Ordering is easy on line, my stuff shows up quickly – and that’s what I expect.  Same thing this time – with one difference. About a week after receiving all of my items, I received a letter in the mail from the CEO.

Now I have worked many years in customer service, and I know this is a form letter, but never before have I received this letter.  And this letter thanked me for my purchase AND gave me an email address and phone number for the CEO that was DIFFERENT from all of the contact info on their receipts or website.  So that got me thinking…. What little things are you doing right now to cement, confirm, grow, establish, reinforce your client connections?  What are you doing right now so that your client base is thinking of you first??

When I first started my business, I spoke with an acquaintance who had hired a designer to do window treatments and some accessorizing.  On the day of the installation the designer was not present.  She did call the client, asked how she liked it, and then said I’ll stop by some time soon and look it over with you.  And she never did.  And the client was truly puzzled.  She had spent thousands of dollars with this designer and it was never important enough for the designer to “enjoy the moment” with the client.  Not surprisingly, I was hired the next time around.

It is SO EASY to NOT do the little things.  And it is SO EASY TO do the little things – and right now, THAT is making the difference. What little things CAN YOU DO?? I’d love to know – leave a comment.

Have a great rest of the week – Mary Larsen

WE Magazine for Women named me as a “Top 101 Women Bloggers to Watch” in 2009 – and I was really thrilled to receive the honor. If you haven’t read my previous blog posts – you should. Lots of helpful information here from me AND your peers – good stuff!

What was funny/not about this honor is that WE Magazine caters to women in their 40s – and I don’t turn 40 til NEXT WEEK! HA! But really, just like everyone else, I am looking around saying – how did 40 happen already???

At the end of May I am hosting a webinar in conjunction with the ADE on “The Art of Window Treatments: How to Add a Proven Revenue Stream to Your Staging, Redesign and Decorating Business.” This will be a great introductory look at adding window treatments to your business if it is not something you are doing already. I’ll keep you posted with more details as they develop.

Don’t forget I will be at the EXPO in Atlanta May 13-16! Here is a little blurb about the redesign class I am teaching – you might want to check it out.

And I have big plans for a retreat this fall for a lucky handful of you – and the topic is “money.” As in “how to make it work for you, and how to make more of it.” Just getting started on the details, but will keep you posted.

And for today’s Marketing Minute I am going a bit off of the beaten path – I am hosting 19 of my family for an Easter/Big FOUR-OH (before the big trip with my siblings to the Dominican Republic to REALLY celebrate) dinner and I thought these tips from Southern Accent Magazine on how to host a dinner party were really helpful - and beautiful, too.

Happy Easter!

Here’s to Designing Your Success™,

-Mary Larsen