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Do you have the discipline you need to run a business? Unfortunately, many people don’t ask themselves this question until they are totally immersed in a business of their own. Nobody is there to tell them what they need to be doing on any given day and they are doing everything but running their business. They are staying “busy” but nothing seems to get done and their business is not growing. The reason for this can usually be traced back to a lack of discipline. Discipline is the ability to get things done regardless of your mental state, what’s going on around you, or how you feel. Discipline means taking control of your time and yourself to get the important things done first.
Lack of discipline is not always as obvious as you may think. Consider this. How much time do you spend checking email every day? Some people spend hours every day updating their Facebook page. How much time are you spending on Facebook? How much time do you spend on the phone or having coffee with “potential” clients? Are these tasks contributing to your bottom line or is it just “busy” work that keeps you from doing what you really need to be doing?
It’s so important, especially if you are a solopreneur and work from home, to make sure the time you spend working is productive time. This means you don’t have time to wash clothes, cut the yard, or read the newspaper. You wouldn’t do these things on a regular job and you shouldn’t be letting these things interfere with your business. This takes discipline. This takes getting up in the morning and doing whatever you have to do to make things happen in your business.
Here are five steps you can take to improve your discipline:
1. Don’t let other people sabotage your efforts. Set boundaries and enforce those boundaries with your business associates, friends, and family. Let them know that you are running a business and when you are at work, you are there to work.
2. Don’t beat yourself up when you have an unproductive day. Just get back on track as soon as possible and put it behind you.
3. Track your time for a few weeks to find out where you are spending your time. Weed out the time wasters and replace them with productive tasks that will move you and your business forward. Every week you will become more disciplined in your approach to working in your business. As a result, you will become more productive.
4. At the end of every day, write down what you need to get done for the next day. Don’t make a list of 50 things you need to do. Make a list of things you know you can actually get done. This could be one task or five tasks.
5. Learn to know the difference between tasks that make you money and tasks that do not make you money. Spend more time on the tasks that make you money.
We are days away from starting a new year. Now is the time to start making the small changes that will make a difference in your business in 2010. Getting more discipline in your life is a great first step.
To
Your Success,
Mike Coleman
P. O. Box 291642
Nashville, TN 37229
615-308-8078
www.mikecoleman.net
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