5 Lessons Entrepreneurs Teach Us About Productivity
Entrepreneurship is not for everyone. What you see on the surface also doesn’t tell the whole story.
Successful business owners, millionaires and serial entrepreneurs often started from nothing. They had to overcome many mental barriers, make a ton of sacrifices, make mistakes and learn from them, test different business ideas many of which failed, and deal with the lack of understanding of other people in their life.
Perseverance, focus and motivation helped them stay strong for years and work hard until they created the one business that changed the rest of their career and life.
Each and every one of us has the potential to do the same. But even if you aren’t on your way to entering the business world and making the big money, there’s a lot you can learn from entrepreneurs that you can apply to your life. Here’s what they can teach us about productivity, for example.
1. Small steps make the biggest difference.
How many times did you procrastinate on something because you weren’t sure where to start? Because you thought it will take a long time and didn’t know if you were ready?
We make so many excuses not to take action. We plan a big step and then don’t take it at all because it’s too overwhelming.
Starting a business is a scary move too, but it starts small. One daily action is enough, even if it’s researching the market for 30 minutes. All you need to do is begin and every next step gets easier.
Entrepreneurs know that the best way to beat procrastination and finally get something done is to break down big goals and projects into smaller ones. Then, you simply need to do one thing from your list per day to move forward.
2. Your time is your most valuable resource.
Businessmen know how to manage their time well. They learn that long before they manage a business and a lot of money.
The good news is that we all have the same amount of time. It’s just that successful and productive people know where to spend it and track everything they do so they can be sure they work on the right things.
3. You can do more in less time.
Entrepreneurs have a lot to do and a lot more is going on in their lives, so they need to work smart. That means finding ways to have more energy, doubling their productivity, eliminating unnecessary tasks and activities from their schedule, finding laser focus and getting anything done in less time.
You can do all that too with the right productivity techniques. These include waking up earlier and planning your day. Reassessing your to-do list and removing things that don’t help you. Eating good food, sleeping well and exercising so you can be in top share and maximize your input.
4. Have routines.
Entrepreneurs structure their days. They plan them down to the last detail and follow that ideal schedule knowing it’s the most effective way to spend their time.
That often means starting and ending the day in the same way so they can keep their energy and focus till the evening and make the most of their creativity. You can do that too with the right routines.
Wake up early and include a workout and some positive and productive habits in your morning. Plan your day, review your schedule, prepare for interruptions, even plan your free time. Decide what to work on first. Journal your thoughts to let them out. Meditate and stretch. Drink water and eat nutritious food.
In the evening, use the time before bed to relax and prepare your mind and body for rest. That will allow you to get your full 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep and wake up fresh the next day.
5. Keep your focus for the important things.
100 different things try to take the focus of an entrepreneur during the day. So many people want to meet them, their inbox is full at all times, there are new clients requesting changes, new deals to be made, payments to be received, and business ideas to be tested.
That can be stressful if you don’t know how to manage your focus. However, it’s key to ignore the less important things, ditch the unproductive activities and instead only pay attention to what matters.
You can apply that to your personal life right away. Find out the areas of life you care about the most and define what you want to achieve a year or a few from now. Then, save your focus for activities related to that each day.
Successful entrepreneurs know what they are doing. And productivity is one aspect of life they never stop improving. Do the same by following the tips above.
