So, you decided to start a business? Congratulations!
Entrepreneurship is an exciting venture with many benefits. However, along with those benefits comes a lot of sacrifices and hard work.
Unfortunately, statistics show only about 50% of all new businesses survive the first 5 years; about 30% survive 10 or more years. With this in mind, most people who start a business understand that there is a good chance they won’t make it.
As an entrepreneur, part of your job is to do everything you can do to maximize your business’s chance at ‘making it.’ It starts with where you place your focus, and what distractions you allow to dominate your productivity.
3 Distractions to Drop If You Want Your Business to Succeed
Maximize your chance to succeed by recognizing and eliminating the following success-killing distractions:
- Disorganization
While ‘getting organized’ may seem like a lot of work in itself, we promise you it will make your entrepreneurial life a whole lot easier in the long run. A clear organization strategy will help keep you on track to reaching your short and long-term goals.
As a business owner, you adopt many roles, or ‘wear many hats,’ so to speak. It’s easy to get pulled in a million different directions, which kills your productivity. Not only is this a distraction for you, but it is also a distraction for your customers or clients. Show prospective clients that you are able to handle their business by staying organized.
Luckily… There’s an app for that!
Consider using a scheduling or task-organization tool such as Teamwork or Asana. These can be really helpful in planning, organizing and prioritizing tasks so you can maximize your time.
- Cell Phones
While cell phones are an important, even critical, tool for business, it’s important to keep yours from becoming a detrimental distraction. Avoid the temptation to check your phone compulsively.
According to a recent study, the average North American spends approximately 4 hours per day on their cell phones, with nearly 2 hours of that being on various social media channels. What’s more, the average American sends 3,853 text messages per month and checks their email inbox 15 times each day.
If you don’t think this obsession is going to tank your business development, think again.
Limit your time on social media to 15 minutes per day, and be productive with this time by using it primarily to build and maintain relationships that will foster your business growth. Try cutting down to checking your email and text messages in batches; schedule it in so you stay focused, efficient and on-task.
- Laziness
While we all understand the concept that entrepreneurship takes hard work and dedication, few truly understand what it actually takes to succeed. Many entrepreneurs who are struggling think they are working really hard… “I’m doing everything I can,” they say.
But the truth is, they simply are not putting in enough effort.
In the words of Gary Vee, “you can live off of 6 hours of sleep… So, what are you doing with your other 18 hours?”
It’s not that rest isn’t important, it’s that you must maximize your rest time as much as you maximize your work time. If you’re set on getting 9-10 hours of sleep and tuning into your favorite show every night, then it’s time to accept the fact that your business isn’t going to make it.
The lifestyle of a successful entrepreneur comes with maximizing your time and efficiency. You cannot forget the hustle… Be honest with yourself. Don’t be lazy.
Distractions: Don’t Let Them Get The Best Of Your Business
Distractions run wild in the life of an entrepreneur. The cost of these distractions is detrimental to your business. Recognize what your biggest distractions are, and take steps to slash them, so you can hustle without getting burned out.
Thrive is here to help! Contact us today to learn how we can help you maximize your time and increase your productivity by handling your business marketing initiatives.
