Robert Craven's To Don't List - What's Your Version?

[the white rose]

In the latest UKBF newsletter, there's link to a fabulous article by business expert Robert Craven, entitled Running a business: What to include on your not to do list (I hope Robert will forgive me for abbreviating it in this thread title.)

What's your version of his wonderful list? The bold underlined are Robert's original list points. The bold italic are taken from his original comments in his list.

I'll go first as I'm a grandma! (And don't I just love reminding people of it. Well, my grandson is the most beautiful tot in the entire universe!)

Don't email first thing or last thing each day

This one is great advice as a template but everyone's got a best time of day. I do all my social networking and emailing between around 6am to around 9am, with the birdsong outside the window and a few cups of tea. If I'm writing, then my head has to be completely free and I can't have it disrupted by communication with the outside world, so communication gets dealt with first. I also have a "No posti pisti" rule for forums. I never, ever, email or post on forums if I have had even one glass of wine.

Don't check emails regularly

Fabulous advice. If my gmail pings then I'll quickly glance at the subject line and if it's very urgent, as an email from a fellow UKBFer was yesterday, then I will deal with it immediately. I'll answer emails from my partner and editor within the hour as well, but everything else gets dealt with in the morning batch.


Don't answer calls from people you don't know/recognise

I don't have a PA (um, the lady in the Fleur De Lys Publishing newsletter is satirical for those whose humour radar may have been temporarily malfunctioning, and reflects the satirical nature of the content of some of our products ie our books.)

So, I don't have a PA and as a result the company phone stays on ansaphone. If I'm not too busy or doing design work then I'll screen and answer. If I'm writing, the mobile is off, company line is on silent ansaphone and I will shortly be installing a video doorbell so that the only person who gets dealt with during office hours is the postman.

Do not turn up to meetings on time

Robert suggests fifteen minutes early and I agree.

Don't work with (or employ) energy sappers

*applause* for this one. I totally agree. I would take that further to include energy sappers on forums. In fact, it's more than energy sapping. It's attempted energy theft.

Many forum addicts spend more time on forums than doing the thing the forum represents, whether it's climbing, writing or business. Some of those forum addicts attempt to boost their low self-esteem and sense of under-achievement by following around posters they perceive to be successful, and sneering at them and making snidey comments to them, in an attempt to "level the playing field."

Ignore these posters, they are losers, time-wasters and are attempting energy theft.

Don't build the business around yourself

I love this one. Humbling. Read the full content on Robert's article. I'm aiming at a system where I work like a demon for a few months writing a book, typsetting it and designing the cover, then marketing it and publicising it, then I can go and do some living, people watching and material gathering for a few months whilst the cheques roll in from my distributor from our already published books.


Don't carry a Blackberry 24/7

I don't own a Blackberry, never mind carry one anywhere. When I'm out of the house I take my excercise books and pencils, and use my eyes and ears to soak up and enjoy my surroundings. I am not available 24/7. I am not a robot or hard-wired to the internet.


Don't play it too safe

The riskiest thing is to be safe. Very good is bad because no-one notices it.

Yeah, bit worried that my sexually explicit debut novel involving a love affair between a middle aged woman and her gorgeous twenty something son-in-law may be a bit dull for daytime TV interviews, actually. I'm going to push the boat out and take risks with the next one.

However I have to doff my cap to Ling of Ling's Cars here. She is a Queen in the taking risks department.

Don't be reasonable

As Paul Arden says, "Most people are reasonable; that's why they only do reasonably well."

Ling is Queen in this one too! I'm far too polite sometimes.

Don't get the negative feedback habit

One of my weak points. I'm a whining miserable trollop sometimes.


Don't take it all too seriously

No-one enjoys working with a bore and while we are at it...

I totally agree. You've got to laugh out loud a few times a day. Including at yourself.

Don't forget why you are doing this in the first place

When you are on your deathbed you will not say "I wish I'd spent more time at the office." Get real, have fun, laugh and lighten up!

"I wish I'd spent more time with my friends and family" as well...

Nice one Robert, an excellent and thought provoking article.

Is anyone else going to give their version of Robert's list? It's a humbling exercise ergo very constructive for personal development, in my opinion.

 

[Aspect Investments]

Dont blow all your money in the Casino.

 

[F1SEO]

Robert Craven - I've been to one of his seminars and it was worth every minute. A great guy with great messages.

I like the above tips too .. I'm not sure of the 'don't answer the phone unless you know who it is' .. could be a new client wanting a quote?

 

[adventurelife]

Don't answer calls from people you don't know/recognise


If I listened to that one it would have cost me in excess of £10k yesterday.

As with all lists of advice, only apply those that make sense to your business model.

 

[Matt1959]

great post. the only one I have issue with is always arrive 15 minutes early. I think as much as 15 minutes is early enough to be annoying to many people.

 

[the white rose]

Robert Craven - I've been to one of his seminars and it was worth every minute. A great guy with great messages.

Fabulous. He seems very inspiring.

I like the above tips too .. I'm not sure of the 'don't answer the phone unless you know who it is' .. could be a new client wanting a quote?

I guess what he's getting at, is that if you are always available it makes structuring your day very difficult. I know that I work best if I have a list of jobs to get through during the day, which I either cross off when done, or cross off and move forward to the next day if there hasn't been time to do them. The urgent jobs always come at the top of the list, naturally.

The thing is, if you are constantly answering unexpected calls and emails in bits or bobs throughout the day it really interupts your train of thought. Answering calls and emails is a job in itself and I prefer to chunkify it (if there is such a word!) in order to switch my secretary/PA head on first. If I'm really focused on an artistic endeavor, it's simply not constructive to suddenly have to become a PA.

I think that's what Robert may be getting at.

 

[the white rose]

great post. the only one I have issue with is always arrive 15 minutes early. I think as much as 15 minutes is early enough to be annoying to many people.

Mmmm. The thing is, the only ones who would know you had arrived so early, would be the others who arrive that early themselves, so as you're doing the same as them, they would be no reason for them to be annoyed, logically (although humans aren't logical, of course!)

Anyone arriving 7 minutes early and seeing you sitting there, doesn't know whether you arrived 8 minutes before them or 2 minutes before them!

 

[Gillie]

Don't answer calls from people you don't know/recognise

That ones hilarious!! How on earth would my business most certainly and lots of others exist??

I am always getting phone calls from people who have been recommended to speak to me, my business would collapse within weeks if I followed this one!

 

[noidea]

Robert Craven: What is his wealth?

 

[maxine]

Don't email first thing or last thing each day

This one is great advice as a template but everyone's got a best time of day. I do all my social networking and emailing between around 6am to around 9am, with the birdsong outside the window and a few cups of tea. If I'm writing, then my head has to be completely free and I can't have it disrupted by communication with the outside world, so communication gets dealt with first. I also have a "No posti pisti" rule for forums. I never, ever, email or post on forums if I have had even one glass of wine.

Great post

I try not not to send the emails that I write late at night (for fear of looking like a workaholic) so save them into drafts ready to send first thing in the morning so I look as though I work reasonable hours.

and I should probably give the "No posti pisti" rule a go too

Wish I could screen calls to only answer from people that I know but customers wouldn't like it though I will admit that I sometimes pretend that I am not me and pretend that I will be back later

 

What a load of claptrap .

Don't check your email regularly.you mean leave all the orders to suppertime and not respond to your clients.?

what a dipstick whatch with mother stuff .hardly things that people with half a brain don't know.:|

No Karma there maybe a bit of Karma sutra for Dick heads.

Earl

 

[Dawg]

Cor Earl. Tell us what you really mean!

 

Cor Earl. Tell us what you really mean!

Sorry I am much to refined for that,one has to retain a bit of decorum init peeps everybody.


I forgot to ask if he was a yank as they have lots of peanuts there.

Earl

 

[the white rose]

Great post

I try not not to send the emails that I write late at night (for fear of looking like a workaholic) so save them into drafts ready to send first thing in the morning so I look as though I work reasonable hours.

That is a wonderful piece of advice. I actually don't work well late at night, never have, but I like this scheduling of emails idea, that's really terrific advice and I will take you up on it, thanks.

and I should probably give the "No posti pisti" rule a go too

Learnt the best way, from experience, wink.

Wish I could screen calls to only answer from people that I know but customers wouldn't like it though I will admit that I sometimes pretend that I am not me and pretend that I will be back later

As I said in my OP about the first of Robert's points, I think it's a good idea to regard some of his ideas as a template which you can then customise to suit your own business. People want it all on a plate sometimes, they see someone's original thinking and brilliant ideas, and are so negative (Robert does address negative thinking in his list!) that they only want to dive on how it won't work for them. Hold on, I'll quote a bit from his list...

Don't work with (or employ) energy sappers

They seem to squeeze every last ounce of passion and excitement out of any project. Their mantra is some permutation of:

• "Yes but..."
  
• "If only..."
  
• "They won't/can't'/haven't/shouldn't/couldn't..."
  
• "Well, if that's what you want to do..."
  
• "I don't really see the point of..."

Nothing is perfect, apart from our own babies, (as Gillie pointed out the other day! ) so we have to try and extract the positive from a project or, in this case, a list, and find what works for us, encourage debate so that we may learn something positive from another contributor, as I've just done with you maxine, and look at what does work.

Look around you in your everyday life. The people who sneer the most are actually the most unhappy, frustrated and unsuccessful. It's the ones who smile a lot and extract the positive from any given situation who are happier, less frustrated and more successful. Sneering is a cop out in my opinion. It's easy. Doesn't even register on the scale of personal growth.

Sure, some things on Robert's list won't be appropriate for every business. I worked for a few weeks in a friend's catering establishment a couple of years back to help her out in a crisis, and if the phones weren't answered immediately for lunchtime takeaway orders, their business would have suffered. But if you're an artist running their own business like me, then it's not practical to down tools to run to the phone every five minutes, you simply have to be organised and compartmentalise your time.

 

[the white rose]

Don't get sick could be another one. What do you do when you get sick and there's work to do, and you haven't followed Robert's advice to steer the company so that it can function almost independently of you?