Well, you’ve finally done it. You leaped from a traditional corporate job to working for yourself and starting your own business.
You’re excited about the freedom it offers, like a flexible work schedule, the ability to work from anywhere, and no more office dress code.
Your business will undoubtedly be slow at first. People need time to discover your business and its service/product offerings.
During this initial slow time, many things can distract you and steal your motivation and productivity.
Here are 9 hacks to stay productive while you’re building your business that will help you maintain that productive edge:
1. Be Realistic
Are you struggling to work remotely?
Do you get cabin fever when confined to working at home all day, or do you enjoy the peace?
Some people thrive in the hustle and bustle of an office setting. They work better around people. Others are more productive working remotely where they can enjoy the peace of their own company.
One isn’t any better than the other when determining whether you should start your own business or not. It just means you must be honest with yourself if figuring out what kind of work environment will make you the most productive.
This will help you not only build your business but also help it in its future operations.
2. Designate a Work Space
When you begin your company, your home will be your office.
Depending on how you answered the previous point, you will spend a lot of time at home (if you’re one to work better solo). Working from home can easily blur the line between work and leisure.
If you don’t designate a work area in your home, your work will consume your life, leading to long hours and burnout.
When you choose a home working area that is used only for work, you’ll be more productive and strike a healthy work/leisure balance.
Doing all your work in this designated area will free you from distractions and put you into a work mindset.
3. Set Up a Consistent Schedule or Routine Every Day
One of the biggest reasons you probably left your former job was the opportunity to break free of the 9 am-5 pm work day. You want to work your schedule.
There isn’t anything wrong with picking your schedule and working from dawn to dusk or vice versa. What matters and will make you productive is working the same hours every day.
A consistent routine is known to boost productivity and increase focus, helping your business build more smoothly.
Designated work hours will also help you to keep that vital work/leisure balance intact.
4. Dress Up
No matter if you’re working from home or in your favorite coffee shop, you should dress nicely.
You may be tempted to lounge around in sweatpants and a sweatshirt when working from home. After all, you’ve got nowhere else to go, and you’re not interacting with anyone.
While this may be true, dressing up, even just a little, will make you feel better about yourself. You’ll feel more confident and positive, which will boost your productivity and aid in focus.
This dressing up doesn’t have to be a dreaded suit and tie. A nice shirt or blouse with nice jeans or casual business pants will do.
5. Get Important Things Done First
While you may feel a little groggy in the morning, you should aim to tackle the most important, demanding tasks first.
Many things must be done to get your startup running. When you accomplish an important task, you’ll feel energized and motivated throughout the day.
By getting the big projects done first thing in the day, you’ll avoid losing productivity due to the afternoon energy slump.
Your day will go smoother, and you’ll get more done when you get the big tasks done early while you have energy, as well as the menial, less important tasks done when your energy is waning.
This will force you to have a plan or agenda for each day, which will help you stay focused and be more productive.
You’ll have to prioritize tasks, which will also lessen the anxiety, stress, and feeling of being overwhelmed by all the tasks that need to be done.
6. Take a Break and Relax
Your start-up will take up a significant amount of your time and energy. It is important not to let it be your life. The phrase “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” is true.
Working 10 hours or more a day on your start-up may make you feel accomplished and relieved. You may get tasks and projects done, but over the long term, your mental, physical, and emotional health will suffer.
To avoid burnout, you need to take regular breaks from work during the day. A short walk around the neighborhood, meeting up with friends, or sitting at your favorite coffee shop are some ideas for getting out and taking a much-needed break.
To get your business off the ground, you’ll need all your energy, focus, and willpower. These things will suffer if you sacrifice sleep and skimp on breaks and leisure time.
When you’re prioritizing your daily tasks, be sure to block out time for regular breaks and leisure time.
While this may be counterintuitive when there is a ton of work to do in building your business, you’ll be surprised at how much better you’ll feel and how energized you’ll be to be more productive.
7. Collaborate and Network
Starting a new business will likely be new, unfamiliar territory for you.
While you’re excited about this new chapter, you may have a level of anxiety because you don’t know what you’re doing.
Networking with other entrepreneurs and having a business coach or mentor can instill the encouragement you need to keep your motivation alive and well.
Peers and mentors can also spark your creativity, give you ideas you hadn’t thought of, challenge you on how you’re running things, and offer advice and suggestions on how to make your company successful.
Building a business from scratch is a major battle that few people can tackle alone. The help and support of other entrepreneurs can do wonders for your self-esteem, motivation, and productivity.
Take advantage of the slow time by attending local networking events. These events are a great way to meet other entrepreneurs who can be your support network and an idea-sounding board.
Networking will also help you reach potential customers by promoting your name and company.
8. Keep Learning
It has been proven that the more you know how to do something, the faster you can do a task involving that thing you know well. Increased innovation and knowledge, therefore, correlate to increased productivity.
During this slow time while you’re building your business, take advantage of the time by taking courses, both online and in-person, attending networking events, participating in forums, and reading blogs, industry magazines, and the like.
9. Use Resources
Your start-up isn’t the first. Hundreds of thousands of start-ups have been created over the years.
Plenty of resources are available for startups, including business model templates, accounting software, marketing resources, and even website templates. Always buy website templates, plugins, etc., from trusted sources to avoid having your WordPress website hacked.
Conclusion
Starting your own business provides flexibility and independence.
However, the early phases can be slow as you establish your presence and clients. To stay focused, avoid distractions with these 9 techniques.
- Be realistic: Identify your ideal work environment and productivity triggers.
- Designate a Workspace: To preserve balance and attention, keep work and leisure separate.
- Set a Consistent Schedule: Create a routine to improve productivity and work-life balance.
- Dress Professionally: Even at home, clothing well promotes confidence and productivity.
- Prioritize things: Focus on the most critical things first to preserve momentum and energy.
- Take pauses: To avoid burnout, schedule regular pauses for relaxation and renewal.
- Connect with peers and mentors to get support, ideas, and motivation.
- Continuous Learning: Invest in learning and development to improve your abilities and efficiency.
- Utilize Resources: Take advantage of existing tools and resources designed specifically for startup needs.
Implementing these tactics will allow you to effectively handle the hurdles of entrepreneurship while also maintaining productivity during the early phases of your business journey.
