You didn’t tell your boss where he could go to lose money. You told your boss where he could go to open your own business and hit him where it hurts. You will put him out of business, but you never realized how difficult it is to be the boss. One thing entrepreneurs have in common is a learning curve, and many lose sight of their original goal in their daily and nightly grind. First, you must maintain your work/life balance or you’ll burn out before you ever open your doors. Second, follow these tips to keep yourself on track every day. You’ll be amazed how quickly you move up in your niche.
1. Tough Stuff First
Even though you’re an adult, you still put off the things you dread, and guess what? So does everybody else. Stop this habit and tackle the hardest things you’ll face in your day in the morning when you are fresh and alert. Once you get those dreaded tasks out of the way, you’ll breathe a sigh of relief and whistle while you work through the remainder of your day. Putting important tasks off place a weight on your shoulder that will burden you and make it harder to accomplish the rest of your to-do list.
2. Speaking of a To-Do List
Financial and business publication Forbes also recommends you write a to-do list in the first place. If you think you know everything you must get done before day’s end without documenting it, you will be surprised at how much you fail to accomplish. Write down your daily goals and the tasks it will take to achieve them. Then, organize them by dread and importance. You can do this on your business calendar, which keeps your tasks and meetings in one place. Break the tasks down into manageable chunks so you don’t feel overwhelmed when you look at what you must accomplish by day’s end.
3. Streamline Operations
Companies that streamline their operations enjoy higher productivity levels due to effective time and cost savings, which facilitates easier management for businesses. With that said, you can consider establishing a full electronic point of sale, also known as a full epos system to consolidate payment processes. This also reduces the scope for human error and enhances scalability, much like software integration, which optimizes and automates different processes in businesses. You could even choose to seek outsourced help, which removes the need for you to be worried about the completion of a particular process in your business.
4. Shut Off the Internet, Too
You must also avoid the temptation to spend time on the internet throughout the workday. No, you don’t have a boss breathing down your neck anymore, but you won’t succeed if you keep checking your social media platforms or playing computer games. If you use the internet for your work, and pretty much everyone does, use it only for work while at work. Just because you’re online doesn’t mean you can quickly see how to sell your home fast once you make your millions, for example. Each “quickly” adds up to more time away from your work than you realize.
5. Take Advantage of Your Productive Periods
Finally, one reason why you hated your job was you’re a night owl. You cannot get up early enough in the morning to handle the 9-to-5 grind successfully. Now that you’re your own boss, plan your work schedule around your natural productive periods. If you find yourself more alert and productive in mid-morning through the afternoon, work from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you’re an up-all-night-sleep-all-day person, work at night. Work with your circadian rhythm, not against it.
You can succeed in your new entrepreneurial venture. It just takes discipline. Take advantage of these five tips to keep you on track throughout your workday, no matter when it is, and take your boss down. Discipline is key to success!