To run a successful business it is essential to prioritize responsibilities and set goals. However, it’s easy to get distracted from the goal when something bigger kicks in: habits.
Our lives are made up almost entirely of habits that control what we do, when we do it, and how we do it. Those habits can be used to your advantage, or deviate from your goals.
It’s so easy to get caught up in workday activities that lead nowhere and distract us from those responsibilities that matter most to our customers, employees, and investors.
Although they may seem innocent, recognize the three habits that can affect your success in business .
3 habits that make you waste time in your business
1. Refusing to hire an assistant, even when justified
If you are one of those who think that hiring an assistant is unnecessary and even inconvenient because paying money for foreign aid equates to lower earnings for you, it is because you are not considering that expanding your capabilities and your freedom will ultimately translate into expanded benefits.
Delegating tasks can be a scary step, but not having an assistant will detract from some free extra time that can help you be more likely to perform better at work, enjoy better physical and mental health, and have better health. relationships with others.
Today there are even so-called virtual assistants, who remotely and with the necessary skills can make it not only about extra time to invest in matters important to you, but also improve the productivity of your business.
2. Accept meetings out of place and meaningless
Business meetings can become an inefficient and, therefore, infallible source of waste of time in the business world , especially in those cases in which they are poorly planned, do not have a specific focus and do not have a structure that guarantees that the objective will be accomplished. Even worse is when we attend to emails, Linkedin, Facebook, etc., in which they make us invitations invoking excuses such as the following:
- “I am impressed by your success and I wonder if one day I will be able to sit down with you to exchange experiences.”
Don’t be a fan of any of these approaches. Learn to recognize and ignore them. 99 times out of 100 the senders of these invitations are just trying to sell you something.
To be successful in work meetings, it is imminent to organize them correctly, monitor the most tangible aspects (start and end on time, that the facilities are adequate and that the technology works properly) and lead it correctly, among other aspects of interest.
3. Not planning ahead
Planning is a method that allows you to directly execute actions based on the objective. In other words, they help you design, identify and create the direction through which you want to run your business.
The plans are not always perfect, but they are an excellent habit that will prevent you from wasting time in your business , since it is a vital piece to guide us. In this context, however, it is not talking about a high-level strategy or drawing up a safe business plan. It refers to the kind of planning that can be done at night, while you are in bed with your favorite show in the background; that is, the kind of planning that a bird’s eye view of the next day offers.
For example, cleaning your inbox at night or remembering the next day’s schedule are perfect ways to start. These details allow you to separate what is urgent from what is important.
conclusion
Recognizing and correcting those habits that make you waste time in business is essential if you want to be successful. The 3 most important are the following:
- Refusing to hire an assistant.
- Accepting meaningless out of place meetings.
- Don’t plan ahead.
Always remember that satisfaction, after great effort, can come faster when we work with discipline and good habits. It is up to you to decide which path you want to take.
Reference
- King, L. The 3 Biggest Business Timewasters You Can Avoid Right Now. For Inc [Revised August 2018].
