Are you burnt out, devastated, or lacking the motivation you need? Life is overwhelming, but through it all, you must never forget what a fighter you are. Time and time again, we stumble across motivational phrases emphasizing that actions speak louder than words, or that actions speak the language of your personality. But sometimes, these sort of golden words have no effect on our productivity, and that’s okay.
Entrepreneurship is never a bed of roses. Even dreamers have moments of weakness when they find themselves in a plethora of ongoing struggles in the proverbial business arena. The only instant fix in such occurrences is to put yourself on autopilot and keep going.
To be honest, consistency is the ultimate key to success. Smart work, honesty, wisdom, and logic are flung out of the window the moment your brain gets fogged. A successful career is similar to an award-winning recipe. However, in this case, the star ingredient is not an exotic one, but simply the ability to focus and be productive
Challenging situations give a new perspective altogether on life’s limitations, inspiring people to strive for heights they would never have dreamed of reaching. People who are navigating the difficult journey of learning and growing, sometimes end up defeating all the odds and reaching the zenith of success.
Continue reading to know some of the best-proven ways to help you increase your own productivity, get the most out of your day, and stay ahead.
Seek some refuge in family and friends
Entrepreneurship provides a fast-paced environment that has thrill, but the determination ends up flatlining when you are on the brink of overworking yourself.
Engage in social media, meetings, business operations, emails or text message correspondence, and surfing your favorite websites. Spend time catching up with colleagues, friends, and family. Concentrating on your private life will help you unwind and bring in the freshness that will ultimately help in boosting your productivity,
Read inspirational journeys of fellow entrepreneurs
In today’s increasingly over-stimulated entrepreneurial climate, short inspirational stories might provide the boost you require. A burgeoning list of writers and speakers has addressed the problem repeatedly.
However, solutions vary for everyone. While there are many such books and resources offering entrepreneurs advice on how to manage their time and maximize their efficiency, the mere act of thinking about becoming more productive and setting the necessary factors in motion can be challenging. So lean towards finding positivity in your peers.
Planning everything out
Being in the business sphere is like a gamble. It’s either a roaring success or a disappointing loss. So be prepared for both scenarios. Extraordinary people should always be prepared. They not only have a plan B but also multiple backup plans and strategies to battle surprising crises. It’s always inspiring to read biographies and many times have I read how successful people mentally rehearse and visualize the possibilities vividly so that when the actual situation occurs, their brains will “remember” what to do.
People who are successful are in control. They know they always have a choice, so they never cave in or let their guards down when the opponent gets stronger. They don’t feel victimized by genetics, history, and/or circumstances and they truly believe that the past does not determine the future. They write the script of their lives, and planning things out is their shield. So have contingency plans for the time when you feel out of control or lack productivity.
Prioritize your tasks
Jotting down and setting your goal holds foremost importance but things are bound to go downhill if you don’t prioritize the importance of your goals. When it comes to prioritizing for yourself, set aside blocks of time for specific tasks or limit yourself to certain activities at the beginning of the week. Also, maintain a crystal-clear picture of your needs and wants, identifying the key items that will impact your business’s bottom line.
Pay less attention, meanwhile, to the tasks that impact only a secondary aspect of your business and that thereby have no direct impact on revenue generation.
Let’s be honest, successful entrepreneurs should be able to identify those actions that have the greatest impact on their business’ success. Doing so keeps them informed of what’s happening and allows them to delegate tasks that another person can execute. They’re also happier doing this, too: When you work on something that directly affects your bottom line, you enjoy it more and are more productive.
The advantage of being an entrepreneur is that you have the autonomy to organize your day and set your schedule as you please, letting you ultimately focus on key items at critical times when they will deliver the biggest impact.
Keep distractions at bay
A study of the world’s most successful business leaders would reveal many shared habits, but a key one would be the focus. For any entrepreneur, the power of focus is undeniable. Being able to unscramble the to-dos in your brain, to commit to key items is a proven, effective strategy.
Every minute spent on distractions does nothing but cut into your productivity. When it comes to emails and texts, try to check them while you’re on the go, to save time. Keeping your phone on silent mode or offline altogether, while you’re at work, also helps with focus and limits distractions.
Spin your failures into success
No saying for entrepreneurs is more important than this one: “Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” Consciously deciding where your entrepreneurial path should begin and the end is key to success. You may have also heard another saying, “Always start with the end in mind.”
Well, there’s a reason why the resumés of the most successful entrepreneurs read like a strategic chess game. The ability to actually execute a game plan puts you one step ahead. Whether your business is selling widgets or developing apps, knowing the end game will allow you to structure the entire game in the desired direction.
Today, entrepreneurship is mostly about creating relevance, then maintaining it, so you can compete in a very saturated market. This is where productivity comes in. Maximizing productivity by developing a keen focus on results-driven actions is what leads to success. But the latter is less likely if you don’t start with that first step: the priorities list.
Bottom line
Your personality shines through when difficult circumstances are hurdled towards you and define who you are. Rather than questioning the ‘why’ of any situation, we should focus on how we could emerge from it successfully. Let no roadblocks stop you. The aforementioned strategies along with a vision for what you want to accomplish are paramount to your success.
Dr. Steven Kaufman is a successful investor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is the founder of Zeus Lending and Zeus Equity Group. Ranked among the Top 40 Most Influential Mortgage Professionals in the United States and as one of the Top CEOs in Houston, Kaufman has a sound knowledge of financial markets. Aside from being a finance enthusiast, he enjoys life as a daredevil who thoroughly believes in one’s ability to achieve anything. He is a four-time world champion power-lifter, summited Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt Fuji, trekked to Everest Base Camp, and participated in the run with the bulls in Spain.
