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Barbie Decker (Wed)

August 9, 2012 By Barbie Decker

From an outsider’s perspective, I imagine that it may appear to some that the sum of my work as a Beachbody coach involves posting sometimes informative, sometimes silly status updates on Facebook or simply selling product. If only that were so, well, my job would be easier, but much less challenging and rewarding! On yesterday’s blog post, I provided a job description of sorts, albeit incomplete for the sake of brevity. Part of my work, I noted, involves recruiting customers and team members and providing them with support. With over 6000 customers, a few hundred coaches that I have personally sponsored, 8000 team members, and a world of possible prospects and just random folk that could write me on a given day, let’s just say my inbox gets a little gnarly. In an ideal world, I would have an endless amount of energy in a day to answer all of my emails and to engage in all the activities that go into running my business. So: how do I manage to stay on top of it all? The truth is, I don’t and I can’t.

Isn’t that everyone’s story?

Not being able to do it all or to do things on someone else’s timeline can be frustrating because I want people to feel that I am responsive. I could, I suppose, hire someone to answer my emails, but 1) people don’t want my assistant to answer their emails and rightly so and 2) building personal relationships is what I do best. People buy into me as perhaps almost as much as they do the product. (By the way, I do have an assistant that helps me out with the day to day activities and operations. Luckily, I have learned to delegate and ask for help when needed.) The key for me, if I am to stay sane, happy, and productive is to prioritize and to accept that I can’t and won’t make everybody happy. In my early days of coaching, when I was still teaching and when I only had a handful of customers, I was able to follow the “20-second rule” of responding immediately that people in our society seem to expect. Moreover, I was able to spend a lot more time on individual emails. These days, I set aside a few hours every week during which I devote myself to answering emails. Today was such a day and to be honest, I wish I could do better. While I was able to answer the most important emails, there were some that I know I simply won’t get to. Furthermore, spending time answering emails meant that there was something else that wasn’t getting done. Alas, that’s life. On the other hand, refusing to work 14 hour days until it’s all done (and it is never really done) would lead to burn out.

That said, my day turned out like this:

6:00 a.m.

  • Wake up. Walk dogs on beach.

7:00 a.m

  • Ooh! My new Peacock Alley sheets and bed set came in. I think I’ll delay working for a while this morning while I mess around with home decoration. Today is also a rest day from exercise, which I do 6 days a week.

8:00 a.m.

  • Itemize my charitable donation to Goodwill. I have to save on taxes where I can.

9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

  • Answer emails selectively.

2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.

  • Chiropractor appointment
  • Drop off clothing at Goodwill
  • Walk Dogs

Decide I’m done for the day. Oh wait, I have to post in my Facebook groups. That’ll take me about an hour or so and then I’m done.

Til tomorrow!

Barbie Decker (Tues)
Barbie Decker (Thurs)

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Barbie Decker, PhD

Independent Coach & Business Developer
Team Beachbody

PhD, French Literature

The Name of the Father: Retif de la Bretonne and the Representation of Paternity in Late Eighteenth-Century France

New York University, 2007

Connect with Barbie

If I knew then what I know now…

… I would have left academia sooner with less of an internal struggle.

My Professional Philosophy:

Don’t stop until you get what you want and reassess what you want periodically to make sure you are pursuing the right goals.

Barbie's "Week in the Life"

  • Barbie Decker | One Year Later
  • Barbie Decker (Fri)
  • Barbie Decker (Thurs)
  • Barbie Decker (Wed)
  • Barbie Decker (Tues)
  • Barbie Decker (Mon)
  • Barbie Decker | Team Beachbody

Which is more important: luck, smarts, or know-how?

You really can’t say it’s just one. It’s what the individual does with all three that determines the outcome.

Best career advice ever received:

From a self-development book (can’t remember which): When you do what you’re passionate about, work feels like play. And when work feels like play, you’re happier, more creative, and more likely to produce great money.

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