I highly recommend the book "Crazy Busy" by Dr. Ed Hallowell introduced to me by Joe Polish!  I have observed that so many of us are truly crazy busy and stressed out over all the demands of daily life, both personal and business.  

Below are 7 valuable takeaways from the event that I know will help you to get through the days….

1.    "Recreate Boundaries":  Because there are so many distractions, people and projects calling for our attention daily we must set boundaries for everything and everyone.  Of course, some of us want to answer the phone on every ring and check email every minute, but how do you concentrate and get things done in a focused manner if there are interruptions every minute?

For those of you who don't live and die by the phone or email, perhaps set a block of time twice per day to respond to all emails and voicemails.  Let everyone know this and let them know what time you will respond to them.   This will free up the rest of your workday to work on your marketing and other projects that are revenue producing for you.  I find that a whole day will go by if you keep responding to everyone's emails and voicemails, especially when they don't put money in your pocket and simply suck up your time and fulfills the other party's agenda and not yours!

2.    "Protect Your Morning Burst":  According to Dr. Hallowell, "Your Morning Burst is that time of day when you are mentally at your freshest, most able to concentrate and think clearly, least burdened by annoyances and new tasks, most able to bring your entire mind to bear on a single task."  It does not have to be morning time, it could be afternoon or nighttime for the night owls in the crowd!  It is wise to identify and use this time to get your most important and challenging work done while you are fresh, without interruptions!

3.    "Move your laptop from Front Center on your Desk to somewhere else where you have to walk to it or turn around":  With the computer in front of you, admit it, you are more likely to check email every minute and get distracted surfing the web unnecessarily.  With the computer out of easy reach you can get real work done and increase your productivity.

4.    "Schedule everything in your calendar!":   Since most of us take on more than we can handle, it is difficult to keep track of everything.  "Doomdart" is Dr. Hallowell's word for an obligation you have forgotten about that suddenly pops into your consciousness like a poisoned dart.  You may be going about your business and then something you forgot pops in your brain and ups your stress level!  You are immediately anxious, distracted and in a panic!

The solution is to calendar everything and make a plan in your mind of how you will address the problem as soon as the Doomdart hits you.  Saying "I'll take care of it later" is not enough as the doomdart stays stuck in your brain and adds to your stress and list of millions of things to do.  Tell yourself when and how you will take care of it and be okay with that. 

In other words, DECIDE how you will handle it once and for all.  The doomdart will then fall out and you can move on stress free and guilt-free.  Because we have exceeded our capacity to keep track of details in our brain, we are all subject to doomdarts, unless we schedule items on a calendar and then forget about it until it's time to handle it.   

5.    "Create a Consistent Pattern of Behavior & Actions":  If you schedule in weekly or monthly activities on your calendar like Paying Bills, reading books, Marketing Planning, Writing, Exercise, and Connecting with Key People, you will have a set schedule in place where you won't lose track of critical tasks that need to be done.  This is so much better than telling yourself that you will "get around to it" and never do!

6.    "Say NO with love":  We must learn to say No to opportunities and demands that we just can't handle.  Dr. Hallowell suggests getting the nerve up to say No when asked AND explain to the other party why you are saying No so that they will understand. 

For example, I have many requests coming in because of all my business activities.  I have learned to simply say No and will happily explain that I can't take on other obligations because I simply would not be able to do them justice!  Works fine and I am free of guilt!

7.    "Make time to Make Love":  Dr. Hallowell urges all of us to never give up intimate human contact.  He said if necessary, schedule time to make love to your significant other…"Show up in bed naked at 10 pm on Tuesday"!  He tells the story of an attorney who is so tied to his Blackberry and computer that he takes the Blackberry to bed with him as he makes love to his wife!  His wife refers to the Blackberry and the computer as his plastic mistresses.  

What does this kind of behavior tell you?  He is not fully there with his wife!  Pitiful.  We must lead a connected life and BE FULLY PRESENT WHEREVER WE ARE NOW!

8.    BONUS:  Never Worry Alone!  Several times during the weekend event, Hallowell advised us to never worry alone.  As lonely entrepreneurs who need to maintain face with customers, clients, employees, prospects and colleagues, you really don't have anyone to share your worries and challenges with!  Hallowell says he sees this constantly with the entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals who come to him for counseling who then internalize their worries and have it increase their stress levels and impact their health negatively. 

Best Bet is, (and I know this is hard), for you to connect with others who you trust, who can understand and relate to you without judgment.  I did my best to create this type of environment in both my monthly Mastermind and Chapter meetings when I had those groups in the New York area.  Business is not always perfect and rosy as many believe and everyone must have somewhere to speak candidly about the good and the not so good stuff that is going on in both your personal and business lives.

Bill Glazer said "The Successful Entrepreneur is One of the Loneliest People on the Planet".  So true, but if you connect with other like-minded business people where there is human, face to face contact, you will be so much better off than worrying and being alone! 

You may also discover that others are much worse off than you are (somewhat consoling), or better yet, get a solution to your problem because of the power of the other great minds in the room!