Never Get a ”Real„ Job (14 page)

Making time for fitness is also important. I promise that you will be much more productive if you take better care of yourself. If you can’t afford a gym membership or to purchase equipment, create simple workout routines that you can do in your bedroom.

Do yourself a favor: Don’t make excuses.

You always have time to take care of yourself. I used to be the laziest person in the world when it came to exercise—something I paid for with a lack of productivity caused by spells of exhaustion and fatigue. Stay physically and mentally strong so you can put in the time your start-up requires. Eat right, get sufficient rest, and exercise regularly.

Before you plan a single personal activity, put the proper safeguards and protocols in place to protect your business. Be sure that your standard or amended hours of operation are easily available to inquiring customers. Keep clients notified of changes to your schedule. Always be sure to offer convenient rescheduling options to clients, should you need to cancel on them. Consider implementing an emergency contact plan in case customers need immediate attention.

Then, once you’ve established your safeguards, unplug completely. The world will not crumble if you turn off your phone or take a short break from e-mail and texts—so long as you’ve taken the proper precautions and notified the right people. Make time for friends, family, personal hobbies, and activities. Only check in on your business during short, timed intervals. You’ll become a happier, more effective, well-rounded business owner when you give yourself time to enjoy your life.

Create a “boredom backup plan.”
As I mentioned earlier in the chapter, there is
always
something to do. Fight back unproductiveness by having a boredom backup plan: A series of action items you have stored in your back pocket that are ready to be executed anytime you’re about to opt to watch mindless television shows or play video games on your couch. Having this plan in place will help you stay on top of your game during slow periods.

Adjust your backup plan regularly and strive to improve productivity. Remove outdated activities or any that don’t generate positive results for your business. Make sure that any new tasks you add are always productive. Some people may need to spend time doing product R&D; others may need to develop new products. Don’t let downtime become “you” time; otherwise you’ll find yourself with much more time than you ever wanted.

Get organized
. There will always be plenty to worry about—hunting for a ringing telephone that’s hidden under a mountain of paperwork or searching multiple devices and hard drives to locate files shouldn’t be on the list. Don’t drown in clutter. Keep all of your tasks written down in one easy-to-access place, preferably online, where it can be synced across all of your devices. Develop an uncomplicated organizational system. Structure your contact databases for maximum effectiveness, create searchable file systems on your computer or mobile device, and design an efficient labeling system.

Have an idea notebook with you at all times
. Ideas will hit you out of the blue all the time. Unless you’re prepared to jot them down at the moment of their conception, you’ll forget them entirely. Your brain will be pulled in a thousand directions, and there is only so much you can possibly recall. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that your extraordinary photographic memory will store every thought. No matter how foolish, crazy-sounding, or just plain useless something may seem—write it down. You never know when one of your ideas will be the catalyst that positively transforms your business.

What time is it?
Ever have a moment where you looked at your watch and asked yourself, “Where did the day go?” or “Is it 5 pm already?” As an entrepreneur, it is essential to manage your time effectively. However, proper time management is only effective if you master proper time
allocation
.

Before you perform any task or entertain any time commitment, determine first whether the activity is time-efficient or a time drain by asking yourself these four questions:

Should you decide to take on the task, do everything in your power to remain on schedule. After completing it, assess your results with these four follow-up questions:

Assess your time usage daily. If you find that an activity doesn’t pass muster, amend or eliminate it entirely.

“MIND” YOUR BUSINESS

Well-rounded entrepreneurs are capable of making informed decisions and thinking on their feet. It’s imperative you learn
how
to think for yourself—not simply listen to others’ opinions of
what
you should think.

The most important thing you can do is to learn from your mistakes—and never make the same mistake twice. Once you figure out how to nudge your way out from between a rock and a hard place on your own, ask yourself why you ended up there in the first place—and you’ll be less likely to end up trapped again.

Do one thing perfectly, not 10 things poorly
. Too much multitasking will result in spreading yourself too thin—which will, in turn, eat up valuable time and limit both your effectiveness and productivity. Don’t feel compelled to jump at every opportunity. Just because someone offers you the chance to become an equity partner in their cool-sounding, penniless start-up or a shot to sell their untested, no-market share product alongside yours doesn’t mean you should agree. You shouldn’t even listen to them—because these so-called opportunities are often nothing more than distractions.