One thing that I see stresses friends and family to the max is just living day to day putting out fires.

I want you to think about that statement.  Putting out fires.  Is that what you do?

Do you get up with a routine, knowing what happens to be done, but having no plan?

Before you click away, I don’t mean something so regimented that it takes away your “free” spirit.  Just the opposite.  This is something that actually liberates you.

Yesterday I chatted on MSN (I’m dave at davejackson.com on there) with a friend who admitted he loved working for a paycheck.  And the more we got into the conversation, I could see that what he really loved was the freedom from stressing out over what had to be done.  Go into a job, punch your timecard, get a coffee, and see what has to be done that day.  Putting out the little fires.

Is that what you really want out of life?  And there is a sense of security in that.  Yes, even when others who pitch their lifestyles to you, telling you that many who have had corporate jobs forever have found themselves unemployed, you look at your job and find security in that.  It’s OK.  Don’t stress.

The question you have to ask yourself is whether what you’re doing is getting you any closer to what you had in mind for life?  It may be… slowly.

Take two things away from this today, OK?  First, I don’t know about you, but for me, the best way to stop living putting out fires, stressing out all day, is to plan.  Now I didn’t go out and buy a planner, but I do have one of those 99 cent composition books beside my bed, and I know where it is at any given time.  I write things in it.  Plans.  Things I know I want to get done.  And it works.  Something about that writing down stuff.

Next, don’t stress out about it.  I find that making my “plans” about helping other people in life make it fun and worth doing.  It’s not all about me, then.  It’s how I can help others.  That’s the main reason for this website.  I’m hoping it helps others…somehow.  I don’t stress out about it.

Plan and help others.  Hey, a good motto.  Think about it.

Actually, I’ve been using this time saver for a few months now.  Something I learned back in early June.  The whole premise is while working at something, if you can focus for two hours, you save a ton of time.  And I know that sounds simplistic, so let me explain – at least how I do it.

Oh, before I forget, I need a few helpers.  I can hear you saying – you don’t have time, so how could you lend a hand here?  Well, what I am looking for is something you may already do.  What I am looking for is a contributor to the blog here.  Some of you have been huge contributors as commentors, so this might be right for you.

And what do you get for it?  Well, I can’t pay you yet, but I want you to know that your articles will be seen by hundreds of subscribers on my mailing list, and people who visit the website.  Your entries will have your name and people will be able to contact you – even though your email address won’t be on the website.

I’m looking for contributions on observations on life, network marketing, success, and human interest.  So if you are interested, please let me know and I can get you started immediately.

Now, back to time saving.

Here’s the deal.  It has been found that the body works best in blocks of two hours.  If you can start your day doing the most important thing you need to get done, and stick with it – focused – for two hours, you will get tons of work done.

Then, take a break for about 10 to 15 minutes.  And then get back into it.

I am creating an ebook on this time management system that will help anyone in a fun and easy way get control of their time.  It will be available soon – and I’ll let you know right here.

You know, one thing that blew me away with the study of time was that after the two hours, you know how you get sleepy or sluggish and reach for a coffee?  Gotta have my coffee…

Well, the current study is that your body actually needs to take a quick time-out during those 10 to 15 minutes and coffee will actually starve your body from the rest it needs.  So you end up becoming more tired, and worn out by the end of the day.

Just try this and tell me how it works for you.  I’ve been doing it and it works wonders.  Work for two straight hours – focused and really staying on track.  Then take a little break – maybe eat a little snack.  But no pick me ups!  Then get back into it.

Sure, you can have a cup later on – but when you are feeling that little sleepy feeling and think that a cup of coffee is the answer – let your body rest for a bit.  Let me know what happens.

Hey, more tips coming your way to help you be more successful and if you can please help me here, with contributions, I would like to hear from you.  Thanks!

I’ve written on Starbucks before. One reason is I have a son who works there, and the second is for quite some time I owned a bunch of their stock. I made out like a bandit on it and it to date was my best investment move with stocks.

But now things have changed. Competitors have come in and made things even more convenient and cheaper. So Starbucks added drive thrus and started serving sandwiches and assorted things that were not coffee like.

In an effort to stop the downward spiral of the stock, Howard Schultz, founder, decided to take some drastic moves.

Make the espresso machines shorter so the baristas can chit chat with the customers. Right now you can’t see the barista behind that tall machine. Next, get out most of the sandwich stuff. And finally, a big move is to bring back grinding beans in the store which makes the whole place smell like, well… coffee.

But that wasn’t enough for some. A rather rich person recently bought a ton of stock in Starbucks to shake up the company even more. And this will end in even more changes. Since the company is public, someone can buy up a bunch of shares and have voting power.

Shake it up, make it more profitable.

I thought about that for a bit and wondered what would happen if someone took stock in your life for the sole purpose of making it more profitable?

Wouldn’t that be a cool thing? I mean someone who cared and wanted to see good come out of all you do. They would give you ways that you could leverage your time and ideas that you could use immediately to better your life.

I am working on a product that will hopefully do just that. This is a small system that you can keep on your computer or print out and go through to make sure you are lined up in all areas of your life. Sort of my way of coming in and shaking things up for the better.

In a few weeks I will let you preview the product. You’ll love how well this works. And it’s something we all need. Make sure you are signed up on the newsletter list because I’ll be giving more updates there.