Tony skinner 00:02
Hi, and welcome to the podcast channel for podcast my business and content Made Easy.com.au today we have a special guest with us, Les from get more time.com .au How are you Les
Les 00:15
Fabulous Tony. It’s great to be here.
Tony skinner 00:18
Fantastic. That’s good. Okay, so what we’re gonna be doing over the next few months, whatever length of time it takes, we’re gonna be looking at Les. He’s got a PDF book in a business that helps you get more time and help you gain productivity. Yep, so he’s got a great PDF on his website at get more time.com. au So we’ve got the plug out early. There we go. And it’s got lots of tips. And it’s what we’re going to be doing. We’re going through those tips each month to help you be more productive rather than doing it all in one go. And how’s things with you Les in Victoria. Although you are from Tasmania, from
Les 01:01
Tasmania, someone once said, I’ve got too much energy, you need to come over to the mainland. So I went Yes, you’ve got me. So on the mainland now for 30 years 25 of that in Sydney, currently in Victoria, blue sky. It’s fabulous and ready and raring to go, Tony.
Tony skinner 01:20
Fantastic. Indeed. Yeah, we’ve got a gray sky here in Sydney, we’ve had a really weird bit of weather at the moment. But there we go, it happens. And let’s face it, we’ve had a weird two years. So that’s made things difficult for us. So tell us your backstory,
01:39
I did a lot of personal development and started my own training company around sales, customer service, team building, communication, and time management and productivity, obviously. And it was something that struck that everyone came to me and said, We need more time, we need more time. And I decided to hone in on time management and productivity and ended up writing a book, get back an hour and every day, working across Australia and the globe. And having a great time I my brand promises I can give you back an our a day. And that’s why the book is called get back an hour in every day.
Tony skinner 02:27
Right? Well, that’s good. So it’s good to have something simple to say, as in an average day and how to be productive. So I was reading through your intro and at 22, you thought that you were the king of the world?
Les 02:43
Well, let’s keep going, keep going.
Tony skinner 02:48
So we’ve all had those moments. So what was the moment in particular, that made you realize that not only were you enjoying giving people more time, but you realized it was going to be a business where you could help people.
les 03:03
Because I had a training company, that it was all about bringing the best out in people. So that as I progressed in doing this more and more and more people started to get more and more results. And with the results comes that that feeling inside of people like this, and people want this, I should keep going. So it was a matter of what I had, I was able to take and give to others. And it worked. So it’s from the inside out. The stuff that I have in the book that stuff I do in training isn’t about a theory. It’s all practice and stuff that I’ve done myself and pulled from around the world.
Tony skinner 03:48
Fantastic. So what do you think is the most important aspects in a business sense? And we’ll go through the letters shortly. To have a successful business, you mentioned about having lists and having targets and so forth, and all of that. But what were the one thing above everything,
Les 04:13
Planning, planning, it really underpins everything. So planning, make sure that you plan, and you can’t do enough planning. And on top of that action, but there are two others that sit beside it, and one is leadership. And the other one is discipline. So leadership and called Taking your business where you want to go, no one’s going to lead your business but you so lead it, and then the discipline to do what you say you’re going to do. So don’t just pay it lip service, actually do it and do it again and again and again. Because it’s in that repetition. It’s in that discipline. You’ll create results for yourself.
Tony skinner 04:50
Yeah, that’s right. I mean I do. I’ve done lots of plans and planning on different forms and on a Word document you’ve got A And then B and then C and the A’s today, you deal with them, the B’s become a’s and c’s become Bs, and the Bs become A’s and you can get caught up in all sorts of crap. So I’ll do something really, really simple. I put stuff into my calendar,
Les 05:14
that works a treat an absolute treat, and I would highly recommend, because, well, the question on the table is why? Because if it’s in the calendar, it will get done. I’ve got an appointment with Tony or take, I’ve got an appointment. Wait a minute with myself. Well do that because it’s important.
Tony skinner 05:33
Yeah, exactly. Because once you’ve got a list, you can go the list list list, and you lose sight of things. Once you got to lists or as in the calendar, not only that, you get reminded from the calendar. So you can’t escape the damn thing.
Les 05:45
You’ve done well with that. And there are we will get onto it in the book talking about prioritization and a’s and b’s, however, one method is putting in the calendar and working from there.
Tony skinner 05:59
Yeah, that’s right. Okay, so we’ve got the first part. Okay, so I’ll start off with a quote Incomplete Tasks in your head, consume the energy of your attention, as they knaw away at your conscience? Well, I think we’ve sort of covered that. There we go. Coincidentally, that was pure fluke,
Les 06:19
Were complacent about stuff in your head, and rattles around. And if you don’t get it out of your head down onto paper, it stays there. And you end up with 4’050 100 200. And that clogs the brain. So I’m saying get out of the head down to paper, then you can see what you’re going to do prioritize it and get it done.
Tony skinner 06:40
Great. Okay. So why are we started? Well, because the first A is Action. So do you want too take us through action.
Les 06:49
For me, action is about not just thinking about it, but doing it. So if I can, let me let me take you through what I’ve got in the book, because I’ve already written it. So action. Have you ever felt stuck? Are your plans and goals or dreams stalled? There’s always something you can do to move them forward, ask yourself, What’s the single next action that you can take to make progress, then act on it? Do something go start planning is all very well, Tony, planning is all very well. But it’s only the action that will get you the desired result. Lao Tzu said, the journey of 1000 miles begins with a thing a single step, therefore, do what you need to do. And Picasso says, action is the foundational key to all success.
Tony skinner 07:44
That’s great And then we step into something, I guess pondering to the calendar called accountability
Les 07:53
Ahh good old accountability. So we need to make yourself accountable to someone. Now, if you and I were working together, or we were friends on a daily basis, Tony, I’d be going how you doing with that thing? Make yourself accountable to somebody, show your plans that you want to someone that will then keep you accountable, as opposed to just being in your own head. And why do New Year’s resolutions fall over? Because most people don’t share them with anybody. Therefore, if you don’t do them, who cares? It doesn’t matter. Whereas if you’re accountable, somebody like going to the gym or going for a walk, then that spurs you into action?
Tony skinner 08:37
Well, there’s ways of doing that. Like, for example, on Monday morning, at seven o’clock in the morning, I go to the gym, I have a personal trainer that I pay for. And because I’m paying for it, and because I’m a massive tight arse, it makes me accountable to turn up because if I don’t turn up I get kicked up the ass by the personal trainer anyway. So there’s ways of making yourself accountable.
Les 09:04
I have a coaching business and people come along, specifically for the accountability so that they can be held to account in that regard. So if that’s something that you need in your life, get a coach, get a buddy, get someone that you can be accountable to.
Tony skinner 09:20
Yeah, and we’re still going through the A’s. I like this one about Altitude. That’s an intriguing concept.
Les 09:27
I get it get out from underneath where you’re at, if you’re in the quagmire of the day to day, get up, get up above it. And one of the things that I always say is, what’s your vision? Where do you want to go? What’s your purpose? And a lot of people have never gone there never actually asked themselves the question, but if you don’t have a purpose, it gets tough. But if you don’t have a vision, you don’t know where you’re going, and often you’ll get bogged down. So come up above it. Take the chance, take the time. come up above your day to day and get on top of the have a look at everything that’s going on, not just get stuck in the quagmire of the day to day.
Tony skinner 10:09
Yeah, exactly. And you know, talking about the day to day you got Attitude. And again, I have a content coach, that helps me to do my posts on Facebook and LinkedIn or what have you. She keeps me accountable for that. It’s 7am in the morning, it’s, in fact, once a month, it’s 5am in the morning, nice. So, you know, I turn up, I turn up, I do I get it done, gives me a great start to the day. So maybe people need to start a little bit earlier as well.
Les 10:41
Yeah. And a lot of people’s how I can’t get out of bed, well, he can’t get out of bed because you don’t choose to. If I said there’s a million dollars at the airport, and you need to be thereat 4 am, you will get out of bed and be there. So we’re not making it important enough. And this piece about attitude is what do you set as your attitude at the end of the day? Do you bounce out of bed and go? Whoa, let’s go or do this another day. So what’s your attitude for us? In this household? It’s, I can’t wait to get into the day. And you set your attitude, the beginning and follow it through for the whole day?
Tony skinner 11:18
Absolutely. And the attitude again, Avoidance is good. It’s not good. Sorry, it’s easy to have an attitude of avoidance, and who had an attitude that’s poor, the attitude of avoidance will be go up even higher.
Les 11:32
The question on the table for us all is what are you avoiding? What are the hard things? What are the stuff that you don’t want to do? And often, if you put those in first, you can get them out of the road, and you can get on with your day called, hey, it wasn’t that bad. So notice the things you avoid, often had conversations. Who wants the conflict? I don’t know. Don’t even think about it. However, as soon as I get that out of the road, all the energy comes back, clarity comes back, and I can get on with a good attitude for the rest of the day, rather than tugging it around all day.
Tony skinner 12:09
Yeah, well, that’s the thing. I mean, get the hard things out of the way first, and then the day flows a lot better than putting the hard things at the end of the hard things at the beginning of the day.
Les 12:25
Awareness is a good one. It’s the reticular activating system, part of the brain that if it wasn’t there, we would fry our brain by all the stuff that’s coming in. So based on awareness, what are you setting to be aware of, and that’s where goals come in. That’s where targets come in. So that as you set your goal, the reticular activating system, the RA s actually screens out what you don’t want and brings in what you do want it’s like that top that you always wanted the yellow VW, and you go, I’m gonna get a yellow VW and you go. There’s another one. There’s another one. There’s another one. Did they put them on the road just for you know, that RS going? What do I want? And there’s another one of it?
Tony skinner 13:11
Well, at the moment, we’ll see. All right, yes, we look talking about R A T your RATS, RATS, is what’s popular. Alright, so we’re not going to go through all of these. So you’re planning in the morning we’ve covered? And I think getting that balance on that belief. Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t. You’re right.
Les 13:38
It’s a great quote from Henry Ford. Whether you think he can or whether you think he can’t be right. If you believe you can’t be on time you won’t be on time. If you believe you can be on time you will I even to the point where if you believe you can wake up without an alarm clock you can now I’ve tested it myself. I used to be an alarm clock person. And now I’m not why because I’ve actually trained myself. So that probably a minute before the alarm would go off. My eyes come open. Now. Can that happen for you? I don’t know. But I know that it’s possible because I did it myself. So believe in things and they will head towards it as opposed to putting in there what you don’t believe.
Tony skinner 14:24
Like it’s funny. I do wake up before the alarm. Even on days off when I want to bloody sleeping. When I’ve done when there is no alarm, I still wake up.
Les 14:35
I love it. Love it. Love it. Love it. We got time for a couple more. We do
Tony skinner 14:39
look we’ll break so really important and brainstorming. So again, beginning back to planning brainstorming is where you throw things up in the air. There’s no such thing as wrong answers when I do brainstorming. But let’s look at breaks because I think breaks are undervalued and underutilized.
Les 14:56
I always say morning tea and afternoon tea there so that you can stop, turn the computer off in your brain and let it go. Let it idle down, and then come back. Same with lunch lunches exactly the same take lunch away from your desk, even to the point of take lunch away from your mobile phone. Oh, no, don’t know. I’m actually saying, do the complete break. So you can go work. And I’ll come to peace with Pomodoro. But Pomodoro is 25 minutes and five minutes, 25 minutes on, five minutes off, 25 minutes on five minutes off. And what that does is enable you to stop, have a break and come back fresh. So the same have yourself some breaks.
Tony skinner 15:43
Yeah, and we’re finishing off with busy and body. And I know we are all guilty of being busy, you get in a day away on a busy day. And you go, Well, what did I actually do? So to help you with that, I think is way you also need a buddy. Even if it’s once a week you check in and say, Look, this is the one thing out of everything I’m going to do this week
Les 16:05
Nice, very good. And there’s no use being busy going to be productive. Therefore, what are the outcomes that you’re doing with your day. So don’t just spin your wheels actually get momentum and traction into those things that you want to create. And having a body enables you. My buddy is my wife. So every week and I’ll get to this at the end of the book, we have a weekly review as a buddy system to go, what did you do this week? What worked? What didn’t work? And what can you do differently next week? So I’m held accountable by that buddy, enabling me to be more effective, because I don’t want to let my buddy down.
Tony skinner 16:42
Yeah, and you know, and I, again, the content coach, she works as a bit of that as well. It’s a bit of a combo, which is great. So if you don’t have a buddy, then Les is available for you. So you know, I’m sure he wouldn’t complain. If you went to his website, get more time.com. au you download the PDF, but also if you want a bit more support than that, and we do need that at different times. Then he’s available for that. Would it be okay,
Les 17:08
great. And you can even email me les@getmoretime.com.au you just send me an email. Let’s have a conversation. It starts on the app. Got lots of freebies for you. So get in touch.
Tony skinner 17:23
Exactly right. Okay. All right. All right. So that’s the podcast interview for podcast my business.com.au and ContentmadeEasy.com.au Thanks for your time.
Les 17:33
