“I would like to do more, but I don’t have enough time! So what should I do?!”

I am sure many of you would have been through a similar situation as above. Let me humbly submit it to you, it is not that you don’t have enough time, but you are wasting time doing things that don’t matter!

First things first, write down what do you really want to achieve – whether in business or in life. Say… you want to 10x your business this year. Write that goal down and put it on a wall.

Next, I refer you to the Eisenhower Matrix, made popular by Stephen Covey in his book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” It is a classic book that teaches you how to manage your time more efficiently and be more productive – I highly recommend you to read it.

The Eisenhower Matrix consists of four quadrants, which is as below:-

As you can see, Eisenhower Matrix divides tasks based on whether it is important/urgent – and decide on whether you should do it accordingly. Hey, if this matrix is good enough for a United States President – it should be good enough for you.

Let us go through this matrix now:-

Quadrant 1: Do

These are the tasks that will fall into your “to do” list for the day – writing an article/projects with close deadlines. These are the tasks that you can only go home if you have completed for the day.

Most importantly – it is also the time for you to ask yourself, “How the heck did these tasks come into this quadrant? Did it appear on an ad hoc basis? Or did I procrastinate so much that it suddenly becomes too close to the deadline? Or was it because of the delay from other parts of the project? If yes, how can I improve my communication skill to ensure it doesn’t happen again?”

In any case, tasks quadrant 1 are where it is urgent and need an immediate solution – do it now!

Quadrant 2: Plan

This is where most of the highly effective people spend their time on. Planning. The main objective to constantly work on this quadrant is to make sure they don’t fall on to the first quadrant.

In other words, plan and finish your work before deadline approaches. Generally speaking, works which you have done and pre-planned beforehand are definitely of better quality than those you rushed through the last minute.

So always look at your calendar, and anticipate deadlines approaching a week or two from now.

Quadrant 3: Delegate

Some things are urgent, but not important. Like before my talks, I need to make sure the stage is set and calling up potential leads to ensure their attendance.

Are all these tasks urgent? Yes. But are they important enough to require my personal touch? No.

Therefore, the way to deal with tasks in this quadrant is to DELEGATE it. Get your team member to do it for you.

Quadrant 4: Eliminate

Not important. Not urgent. Don’t do it. Unless it is absolutely necessary. We all need to wind down every now and then. Go for a movie or shopping or anything that relaxes you. But these are not important tasks, neither it is urgent enough that you need to get it done TODAY.

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There you have it. How to be more successful and productive over time. Classifying things into quadrants should be your second nature. Don’t waste time replying to unimportant emails then come around complaining 24 hours a day is not sufficient.

Of course, it’s not enough. You are wasting time!

Alright, this is the question that has been appearing for some time, so I will attempt to address it. Spoiler alert: There is no right or wrong answer!

That’s right. It depends on your intention more than anything else! Case in point: I have some awesome cars, as you all know, but when I go to the market I will just hop into a Myvi.

Why? Because a Myvi serves its purpose better than driving an expensive car to the market and stain it with the groceries I bought from the market.

So let’s jump into the characteristics of sub-sales and project-based properties, before dwelling further into which should you use for what intention:-

1. The Unit Itself

Buying a sub sales property means that you are buying the property from someone else instead of directly with the developer. It means that the unit is properly already in the market for some time and is older.

While it is true that what you see is what you get, what you are seeing is usually not very favourable (think: wear and tear due to older property). You will usually need to come out with extra cost to renovate and replace/repair the furniture in the property.

On the other hand, buying a new unit directly from a new project built by the developer means that your unit will come with a 2 years warranty for any defects such as bathroom leakage, cracks in the wall or door and window hinges that are not properly installed – thou with that being said, it will usually take a while for them to act on the defect.

2. Trend

Buying a sub sales property means that your property is probably not up to date in trend (think: new condominium these days have better interior design, better facilities, two parking spaces which might not be available in older apartments). However, the benefit is that once you have purchased it, you can move in immediately.

When it comes to project, you are not sure when you can move in or if there will be any risk to the project development. Sure, everything might look good on paper, but we wouldn’t know if the developer might delay the project or worse – abandon it altogether.

3. Cashflow

By virtue that sub-sales means the property is there already, it means that upon purchase, you can get tenants to move in the soonest possible. Besides that, you can know how much the rental value in that area is – and if negative gearing is needed, you can project how much more you will need to pay per month. This is indeed a plus point if you are buying this property for rental purpose as you will have immediate cash flow.

On the other hand, as mentioned, there is this risk of delay with properties that are still under construction. With that being said, once the property is finished, usually the value will go up. So if you are buying this property to flip it – then this will be a plus point.

4. Paperworks

This is the aspect in which many buyers neglect – but this is indeed a crucial part. Buying a sub-sales property means that you will incur more cumbersome paperwork. When compared to buying a project based property, the developer will usually cover the cost of paperwork and make the entire process as easy as possible to you.  

Think of the time and effort saved. If you are a working class, this is one of the things which you must consider as you will have difficulties taking time off work.

5. After sales and looking for information

If you are buying a developer unit, you can generally expect a certain level of after-sales service should there be any problems. It is also easier to look for information on the unit that you are purchasing as it will be supplemented by the developer too.

If you are buying sub-sales? Don’t expect the previous owner to come back and rectify any error, especially if they have received full payment from you. It is up to you yourself with no support to rectify any error.

Question: So what is your investment strategy?

If you are buying the property to rent it out – I would suggest sub-sales instead. Why? Because predictability of rent and you can know how much money you need to fork out for negative gearing. You will also know how much is the rental for other units in the same area.

If you are buying to flip? Buy a new unit from the developer. Once the unit is ready and the price increase, you can flip it. While it comes with its own set of risks, that’s why due diligence is required.

“But Adrian, if I buy for own stay how ah?”

Idiot! I have said many times stay at places of convenient. If you are working near that place, stay near it even if you must rent – otherwise, why buy an expensive house if you are going to just sleep 8 hours in it then go to a faraway place to work the next day and basically have no quality of life!

If great ideas would get us rich, everyone would be rich and successful. Every week or so, some brilliant person will come up to me with an even more brilliant idea. Most of the ideas are really good ideas – brilliant!

One problem thou, how come we don’t see as many rich and successful people around? Thinking alone will not get you rich – it lies in the execution. Executing your plan is what makes you rich. Not mere thinking.

In execution, most of us are not consistent – and this is largely due to procrastination. Feeling lazy, no direction, no “mojo” – so to speak. So let’s break down the top 5 things that you can do immediately to have the energy to get through the day!

• Sleep Early

This seems like an obvious solution. However, usually, it is the obvious solutions that we are not paying attention to.

If you are always feeling sleeping all the time and have a lack of focus, no energy to work and cannot be on time – try sleeping early tonight. Don’t spend your time at night playing computer games or watching a movie, sleep early and wake up early to have that extra energy in life.

They say, “Early birds get the worm,” and it’s true!

• 

• Eat Lesser

Additionally, eat lesser during lunch hour. Always make it a habit to order “medium” portion food, or better still small. Only allow yourself to be reasonably filled, and not too full.

I think I don’t need to explain to you that if you are stuffed, your stomach will need more oxygen to digest food and less oxygen will travel to your brain. That’s why you are constantly feeling sleepy after lunch!

• Drop the Temperature

This is one of the dumb things that I find most companies are doing. They switched on the air-conditioner too low, and as a result, the staff needs to wear a jacket to keep warm.

They spend so much energy making the room cold that the people need to invest in jackets to keep warm. What’s the point?!

Increase the room temperature. As long as you are not sweating and the air is circulating, that to me is the ideal situation to work in.

If the temperate is too cold (I have seen some offices whereby the temperate is cold enough that your finger feels numb), then how can you work when your finger cannot even dance on the keyboard.

• Stand up!

If you are still feeling sleepy after all of that, then stand up! Walk around. If you are working with a laptop, always try to change the work station after 3-4 hours.

That’s why I can stand on stage and speak for the whole day, while you are under the stage, sitting down and feeling sleepy. There’s no special trick, it’s just that I am in a position which generates energy, while you are at a place that’s exactly the opposite.

The turbine can only generate electricity when it’s hot. The engine can only propel movement when there’s combustion. Similarly, you can only be productive when your blood is flowing and you are feeling the heat!

• Cut All Distraction

If you need to work on a computer (which I bet most of us need to), switch it to airplane mode. Close the internet connection.

If you need to listen to music? Download it beforehand.

I come from a generation whereby going onto the internet is to search for information. I find it sad that this generation is abusing this privilege and using the internet as a distraction instead.

Ask yourself – if the information/song that you are listening to productive to your goal today? If not – eliminate it. Stop doing it.

• Always remind yourself “WHY!”

I know I only said FIVE methods. But let me over deliver and give you ONE extra bonus.

Always set a task/goal that you need to accomplish today. Remember the Pareto 80/20 Principle. Generally speaking, it means 20% of the things that you do will produce 80% of results.

Practically speaking, do the things that if you don’t finish it today, you will not sleep well tonight. These are the important tasks. Finish it first.

Constantly remind yourself the mission today is to finish these tasks. Don’t deviate from it.

There you have it. The 6 methods to stay productive the whole day and eliminate procrastination. Don’t procrastinate anymore. Your idea is only as worthwhile as you put it in action.

This article is translated from the original article HERE.

“This is the pain point!”

It was in a marketing course that I was first introduced to this concept. The instructor introduced ‘pain point marketing’ as such, “Your marketing must play with the customer’s pain points, let negative emotions overwhelm his mind. Comparing the expectations of products or services with the actual products or services, Let them feel the pain of not engaging with your product or service. This way, you can capture the heart of your consumer.”

I shook my head and walked out of the classroom.

The concept of ‘pain marketing’ has been around for centuries, and I don’t deny that it can still stimulate volume. However, if the merchants are too focused on the ‘pain point’ of the consumer, who will pay attention to their ‘complaint point.’

I am a businessman yet at the same time I am also a consumer. I love creating wealth, but I feel that having a lifelong mission is more important than just making money.

It’s good to be an owner of a big business, or merely to sell fried “Kuey Teow” by the roadside. You have to have a lifelong mission. A lifelong mission drives you to treat every customer seriously and with a big enough mission, you will give your best to the society.

Consumers may initially buy your product because of your ‘pain point marketing.’ Later, he may leave you for the same reason.

A) He may have found another new pain point from you;
B) Your competitors can better solve their pain points.

So how do you keep your customer?

I think the key is to solve their ‘complaint points’ instead.

With the use of social media apps these days, people’s trust in your company and branding is often based on “reviews” by a group of strangers they have ever met before. For example, before you visit a restaurant, you will check the rating as well as the comment of customers in the restaurant before making a trip there. Or, if you are planning a trip, you will look through the comment of previous customers. If you find bad reviews, you will probably not want to visit the hotel.

Therefore, it is more important to address the customer’s ‘complaint point’ rather than to solve the ‘pain point’.

So, how can the ‘complaint point’ be resolved? There the law of attraction.

The Law of Attraction says that there is a positive, and a negative side to everything in life – and whichever side you focus on will grow.

Therefore, we must pay attention to the positive side. So, what are the advantage of actively thinking about the solution rather than the complaints?

1. Find ways to increase business efficiency.
2. Turning complaints into opportunities to increase consumer loyalty.
3. As long as customers enter the store, there will be more business opportunities, so complaints are also a form of blessings .

When dealing with ‘complaint points’, there are 7 main points that we must pay attention to:

1 Smiles welcome people and receive them in time.

2. Listen carefully and interact actively.

3. Relieve emotions, kindness and kindness.

4. Ask the customer to understand the need.

5. Achieve consensus and solve problems.

6. Transfer the venue if necessary.

7. Warm return visits, follow up sales.

If the customer is willing to complain, it will give you a chance to improve on behalf of him. To make progress in the company, it is necessary to constantly face up to your weaknesses, and then let customers see your intentions and efforts.