On this episode of The Business Mastermind Podcast, Gavin is joined by Kris Ward, the author of Win The Hour Win The Day which is packed with practical steps that cuts through the noise that you hear about so many different productivity and time management strategies and training to the stuff that works in a really simply and accessible way. More importantly, you'll be able to take away tips, tools and strategies from Kris that will help you improve your productivity  and help you win the hour, win the day. KEY TAKEAWAYSSo many people think productivity is about being organised and is a constant race against time – that certainly used to be my answer to everything, to go faster and harder. The transition happened when it was pointed out to me that I was starting to lose some of my charm due to lack of sleep. I went from 16 hours a day to 6, which didn't happen overnight, but I was lucky that I had done that because my husband got diagnosed with cancer and I had to get pulled away from the business for about 2 years. When I returned after his passing my existing clients had no idea that I'd been absent. Then I started getting asked by people how to manage their productivity.It was shocking to me how much I was working against myself, it was shocking that my efficiency, my income, my joy for the job, my productivity all went up. When I think of productivity, I don't mean getting more done, I mean getting the next thing out: writing a book; starting a podcast; whatever the next thing is for you.Simply hiring someone to transcribe my meeting notes, my first hire years ago, was like taking a pebble out of my shoe, it relieved pain throughout my whole body. The burden it took off me was immense, and on the weeks I was using I was paying her $12, on the weeks I didn't use her I didn't pay her, all of a sudden I'm not misquoting people, getting stressed and staying later and later.SOPs (standard operating procedures) aren't usually written by the end user, they're used to cover reliability and they're static in nature. My Super Tool Kits are breathing documents and you can always improve them. It takes anything you do more than once systematised so you can move on and create the next thing. It means you can get stuff done quickly without having to make decisions which fatigues the brain.A to do list is an excellent tool if you just want to stress yourself out, it creates all sorts of anxiety and open loops in the brain. What you should do is use your calendar like a time bank account where the work is measured out and prioritised. Work backwards, like you do in your personal life. I'm Canadian, so my kids play hockey: You think about the time you need to be at the rink (2pm), what time do you need to leave – adding in time for bad weather, feeding the kids first… all of a sudden you're starting off at noon, meaning you've got to start getting organised at 11am.  BEST MOMENTS‘Your business is there to support your life, not consume it. You didn't start a business just to run a business.'‘They say Eskimos have 40 words for snow. I could have easily given you 40 different symptoms or layers of being exhausted.'‘All the best inventions in the history of mankind come from when you're in rest or play. That's how the brain works.'‘We all agree McDonalds does not make great hamburgers, but it's the consistency that made them billionaires.'‘70% of small business owners and entrepreneurs expect their business to provide for them in some capacity in retirement and 2% successfully do that, because they don't have the infrastructure.' VALUABLE RESOURCESThe Business Mastermind PodcastTo get 20% off at Knowable, go to www.knowable.fyi and enter the code GAVINGet your copy of Survive And Thrive NOW at https://www.surviveandthrive.cc Keep Your Boat Afloat – https://survivetothrive.biz/keep-afloatgavin@gavinpreston.com  GUEST RESOURCESKris Ward is the founder of the Win The Hour, Win the Day philosophy. She helps entrepreneurs create their W.I.N (what is next) team using her signature Super Tool Kits so you can get your Idea to execution.After the loss of her husband, Kris returned full-time to her work as a marketing strategist. She was thankful to see that her business had not only survived her absence but was growing. Now, she has completely changed the landscape for entrepreneurs by sharing the successful practises that allowed her absence.Kris has been interviewed by one of the original sharks from Shark Tank, Kevin Harrington, and ABC's The Secret Millionaire – James Malinchak. She has been featured on award winning podcasts, radio and TV shows through the world.You can hear Kris on her own podcast – Win The Hour Win The Day, where she has engaging conversations with dynamic guests covering a variety of business topics so you can get to your next win now!Website: https://winthehourwintheday.com/ Givaway: https://www.freegiftfromkris.com/optin-260379661584543434463 LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kriswardstopworkingsohard/  ABOUT THE HOSTGavin PrestonGavin is an inspirational Speaker, Business Strategist, Business Growth Mentor, Trainer and high-performance Coach.  He works with Business Owners and Entrepreneurs and has a strong track record in creating the creative strategies to accelerate growth of their business. He has helped hundreds of SME business owners and leaders improve their performance and that of their business and a comparable number of executives and employees in blue chip corporates over the last 20 years.Gavin's energetic, insightful and yet down to earth and practical talks, workshops and coaching is in demand with high growth business between £250,000 and £30 million revenue and with multi-national organisations at all levels from Board to frontline Managers. He is an expert in Business Growth Strategies, Peak Performance Mindset, Persuasion & Engagement, Marketing, Productivity, Leadership Development, Team Development & Motivation, Leading Change, Stakeholder Management, Personal Effectiveness and Behavioural Change.  CONTACT METHODSWebsite: www.gavinpreston.comLinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavinpreston/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/gavinpreston1Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GavinPrestonGrowthStrategies/Twitter: @gavinpreston Hosted on Acast. 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