If you’re reading this, you likely already know that moving from Employee to Entrepreneur is a major transition. This article focuses on some of the common mistakes those in the midst of this transition make and how to manage your time well. When we don’t manage our time effectively it can have a huge impact not only on our business but our emotional wellbeing as well.
When we consistently fall behind on projects and are unorganized we often feel defeated, drained of our energy and running the business begins to lose its excitement. But when we manage our time properly we feel confident about where our business is going. It also makes room for us to spend more time in the areas of our business that we enjoy most.
Here are some of the most common mistakes related to time management and entrepreneurship are listed below.
You don’t have a written schedule specifically for your business.
Many times I find that new entrepreneurs have schedules for their jobs, kids, appointments, etc. They have a to-do list of things that need to be done. But, they don’t have a written schedule for their business activity.
There are so many things to do in your business, especially when you are early on and likely to be a one person show. So having scheduled time for specific business tasks is essential.
You don’t work backwards.
When I say you don’t work backwards, I mean you don’t have a clear goal and then work backwards to determine how long that task is going to take and all the things it requires. And when we don’t work backwards we fail to allocate enough time to accomplish specific tasks, thus causing it to fall off our schedules.
You don’t do the most important things first.
There are aspects of our business that we love, after all that’s the reason we started the business, but there are also aspects of our business that we don’t care as much for. Sometimes the things we love are not the things that are most urgent. When we don’t make certain tasks a priority it increases our chances of not getting it done (since its activity we don’t enjoy) leading to increased frustration.
You’re not intentional about feeding yourself.
One of the most important things that should be in your schedule is activities that feed you. These are activities that keep you excited about the journey you’re on. They are activities, that once you do them they increase your motivation to keep working hard to build your business.
You don’t schedule time to rest.
Building a business is hard work. And it comes with a lot of ups and downs. And if you happen to still be working it’s even more work. The only way we can maintain a long journey is to have periods of time where we rest, both our mind and our body. This allows us to regain focus and energy.
Join the Employee to Entrepreneur Group on Facebook for more tips.
LaChelle Barnett is the CEO & Strategy Consultant of The Reset Room, a personal development consulting firm that specializes in working with new entrepreneurs as they make the transition from employee to entrepreneur. She is an expert at helping small business owners take the guess work out of their next steps as she provides clear instruction for strategic growth and done for you solutions.