Check Yourself (Before You Wreck Yourself)

Searching out entrepreneur tips is like doing a search for any generic term--you're going to get a ton of results. The problem is that how do you know which are really going to apply and make a difference for you? Some of these depend on external factors and others might seem vague in regard to your particular business type.  Most imporantly, they should be ACTIONABLE tasks.  

There is one thing you can do that is guaranteed to help you get results, no matter how many other tips you put into action. This is a to-do item that is completely under your control and it's going to increase your consistency at the same time. Considering that most goals are not achieved because of a lack of consistency, you'll see the results of increasing this almost immediately.

Writing a journal may not have occurred to you before for a variety of reasons. You may not think you're a great writer, you may not have the time, you may not want others to see what you've written--it can be any number of issues. However, all of these are addressable and non-consequential when you look at the benefits of a productivity journal.  For example, ff I would have written one with my real estate company back in 2012, I would have remembered to celebrate the fact that I owned 2 houses by the time I was 25, instead of worrying about only being able to pull out $275/month to live off of.  That would have refueled me to keep my momentum and energy, instead of letting my stress increase.

Break it down:

1.) You don't have to be a great writer. You're not putting together a novel or anything that is meant to be enjoyable for another person. This is about you, stating your goals, putting them down in black and white and then being accountable to yourself about how you're progressing towards them each day. It's powerful to see goals on paper, and it gives you a mindset change that doesn't happen simply by telling someone else what you want to achieve.  Plus, Simon Sinek says you release "feel good" hormones, like dopamine, when you check things off a list, upping the chances you'll do it again because it happens to be a highly addictive hormone.

Someone somewhere (I'm sorry, I don't remember who!) said that an idea gets just a little bit more real when it is written down.  Once something is written down, it's way more likely to turn into an action.  Those are the steps you can take to success. Plus, there is the ever so famous principle called 'Commitment & Consistency' which basically states that you are more likely to be consistent with your actions when you commit to them. Writing it down physically is a commitment. 

2.) Time is not an issue. You can set a timer and have this done in five or ten minutes. It's not about sitting down for a long session and doing personal therapy. It's about stating what is going to occur and what has occurred on paper, because again, that is more powerful than simply stating those same facts. It can be a quick process and everyone can squeeze in five minutes.

Just do 3 bullet points right now if you think it would take too much time - it wouldn't even take 5 minutes

3.) If you're worried about someone else seeing it, then STOP IT.  When other people see your goals, you are creating a situation in which you are held more accountable which will help you reach your goals faster.  Past Handshakin Guest, Andre Durand, the Founder of Ping Identity (350+ employees, 1 Founder), says, "The entrepreneurs job is to surround themselves with people and situations that hold them accountable." 

One of our favorite tools is Trello, which allows you to organize tasks by creating categories. Our favorites columns? To-Do, Doing, Done & Urgent. You can share this board with other people working on projects with you, or create a personal board. You can add due dates, checklists per items and really zero in on where you are at - plus, if you download the app you can elect to get notifications on your phone. Sign-up now.

Entrepreneurs are constantly looking at themselves to learn how to be better individuals, how to be more efficient and productive and how to work around their natural instincts to sabotage themselves. Keeping a journal lets a person identify these problems, avoid them and become more profitable and effective by creating new habits. You might even find that you start listing other tips you've put into action in these entries, and this can help you focus your efforts more effectively.

Need help identifying goals and implementing plans to see them through? Check out our Pre-Accelerator to see how we can take you to the next level.