Do you want it to seem like you have more hours in the day? Do you want to work smarter, not harder or longer? Do you want to reach those goals which have been on the back-burner year after year?
Here are two places to start.
1) Fully commit to being the boss
We all have heard about the high failure rates among small businesses. One of the main reasons for these failures is that many small business owners do not want to, or do not know how to, act like a boss. They go into business for a variety of reasons, which do not usually include wanting to be a leader or to manage others.
Sidebar – “I tell my employees what to do, and they won’t do it” is not management.
John owned a machine shop. He wanted to grow but was unable to. When he looked at how he spent the day he realized it was filled with other people’s duties. He was working as a shop supervisor, office manager, and salesman – positions held by employees not doing their jobs. He was picking up their slack. John felt like he was “just another employee”, not a boss.
It was a wake-up call for him – he realized he had never fully committed to the duties and responsibilities of leadership. He had wanted his employees to manage themselves, which was naïve and unrealistic. As he learned new skills, John finally understood that busyness and productivity are not the same things.
2) Do not multitask
Multi-tasking is a poor use of time, and it is ineffective. Our brains are not wired to focus on several things at once, and it is impossible to do it well. It divides our attention and decreases our work quality and quantity. It damages our ability to prioritize. Owners who attempt to multi-task lose focus quickly, and have a hard time seeing the forest for the trees.
Productive owners do not multi-task. Instead, they create and focus on clearly defined, specific goals. Their goals are challenging, but also reasonable and not overwhelming. They have vertical cohesion – long, intermediate and short-term goals all fit together to achieve the desired end.
Most people are not born with mental toughness. It has to be learned and developed, just like any other good habit. Your ability and willingness to discipline your mind and create new, more effective habits will make you more productive. You will have greater control over your day, your company, and your life. Who does not want that?
At Cogent Analytics, we never stop looking for ways to improve your business and neither should you. So, check out some of our other posts for helpful business information:
