Barbie Decker (Mon)

5:30 a.m.

• Wake up.  It’s so nice to not have to set an alarm clock. I just wish my internal clock weren’t such an early riser. Still, the truth is I like being up to watch the sunrise.

6:00–7:00 a.m.

• Read a few chapters of Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky. These days I read mostly on topics relating to business/marketing, self-development, and health & fitness. When I was in academia I would always wish I had more time to read for leisure. Now I do and take full advantage of it by reading three to four books at a time.

7:00 a.m.

• Write a quick post on Facebook to wish everyone a good morning and alert the online world that I am awake! Building and maintaining an online presence is crucial to building my business. I post on my profile throughout the day. My posts relate to health, fitness, motivation as well as random thoughts and happenings in my life.

7:00–8:00 a.m.

• Walk dogs on beach. It never gets old. I moved to Santa Monica in 2011 by choice, since my online business allows me to be anywhere in the world.

8:00–10:00 a.m.

• Post links about my guest blogging on A Week In the Life with personal note on Facebook profile and groups and on Twitter. Promoting what I do (without coming off as self-promoting) is an important part of my work.
• Remind team of Beachbody’s National call at 9 a.m. pacific time. The members of my coaching team should know to plug in to the calls every week, but just like with our students, reminders are needed and appreciated.
• Go through mail. Dealing with paperwork related to my corporation is the least enjoyable part of owning my own business.
• Pop my head into two of my customer Challenge Groups on Facebook to say hello and let them know I’ll be back later.
• Listen to Beachbody’s National Call while doing all of the above.

10:00–11:30 a.m.

• Get my workout in.  This morning I did Chalene Extreme (a Beachbody fitness video) and 45 minutes on the step mill.
• Text back and forth with one of the leaders on my team while on the step mill. Mentoring via text, there’s a new concept that actually works and allows me to multi-mask. I’ve come to realize that these impromptu texting sessions with my team are sometimes more valuable than scheduled phone calls to check in.
• Fill out Business and Classification Report from the US Department of Commerce. Wow, I think, I really do have my own business.
• Update payment info for Compassion International. Giving back is important. I make a note on my calendar to find out about volunteer opportunities in Santa Monica. I finally have the time these days to volunteer twice a week. Now I just need to make it a priority.
• I peek at my inbox for any urgent messages and choose to hold off on answering any for the moment. It’s easy to get derailed.
• Check qualification status for my next rank advancement to 9-Star.
• Write to two coaches on my team to offer support.
• Post in my different customer and team groups on Facebook. In case you haven’t noticed by now, Facebook is where the magic happens!
• Mentor one of the rising leaders on my team via text and set up Wednesday appointment.

2:00 p.m.

• I feel myself getting tired. Lunch and nap.

4:00–4:30 p.m.

• Send reports to Liz who is leading our team call this week. I usually lead the calls, but lately I’ve been asking my growing leaders to step up. It’s amazing to see people blossom; it doesn’t matter if they are your actual students.
• Promote team call on FB, reminding team members to hop on the call.
• Listen to call.

5:00–6:00

• Begin working on guest blogging entry

6:30–7:30 p.m.

• Be a guest speaker on my friend Julie Schulte’s call. Topic: Treating Your Business Like a Business. I love public speaking and sharing what I have learned over the past five years in this business.

7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

• Guest Blog

8:30 p.m.

• Hit save on blog entry. Screen goes blank. Eek. I write to Michelle Erickson to alert her of possible problem and hope that my work was saved somewhere in cyber land. It’s ironic that losing my work hasn’t happened to me since I was in academia. I have to smile although I’m frustrated.

Stick a fork in me–I’m done! My workdays usually end around 4 pm, but there was much to do. All in all, I had a great day. When you love what you do, you don’t mind putting in long hours.

Join me tomorrow for the next installation of a Week in the Life.