Listly by Peter Vogopoulos
Are you an entrepreneur? Have you ever wondered which behaviors and habits are the ones shared by the most successful entrepreneurs? Weight in by telling us which habits and behaviors work for you and make you most successful. Add your own suggestions!
Source: http://www.firepolemarketing.com/blog/2012/03/15/critical-habits/
You must keep the body healthy if you are going to have the energy to kill it an entrepreneur.
Big goals are great but could be overwhelming and vague. Break them down into tiny, specific tasks. This keeps you focused and fulfilled at the end of the day.
Yes, it can be an important business development tool, but it can also be an outrageous time suck.
Do you have any tips/rules you use? Leave a comment
Downtime is critical, even if you are the busiest entrepreneur.
What do you do? Leave a comment
Surround yourself with people strong enough to tell you you are wrong and wise enough to give you a better idea
Without proper nutrition, I'll run out of steam pretty early on. Without that and exercise, not much will get done in the long run
There are clear times of day when I can focus and do my best work, so that's when I try to do it. It may not be the same schedule as others have, or even one "experts" recommend, but it seems to work pretty well for me. BTW, my good time is mid-afternoon & early evening, which means I do check email first thing in the A.M.
I keep a long list of everything I need to do, including simple tasks and challenging tasks as well as short term and long term goals, then I prioritize regularly. Often you have so much to do you don't know where to start. Keeping a list helps you focus and stay motivated -- and It's quite satisfying to cross tasks off your list.
Build a community. Stay focussed on the target. Share what you can. Support those in need and take only what you deserve.
I do the important things on my to-do list. If I check and start responding to email, the next thing I know, half my morning is gone.
Great anecdote/advice for entrepreneur. Top Habit.
Or a good portion of it. Planning my day in advance makes me hit the ground running and be able to work without searching for my next to-do item
Keeping focused helps me get things accomplished and keeps me motivated while taking little (and sometimes unfulfilling) steps forward toward an ultimate goal. PS. This list is great for anyone - not just entrepreneurs!
It helps expose things that need fixing.
Remove something - like cash. Place obstacles in the way. See how people deal with the friction.
See what gets exposed. See what solutions get proposed.
Adveristy/friction and conflict all work to out better ideas and solutions
Saying yet to everything sometimes is not the right thing. Encourage those around you to learn to be creative thinkers
If your body is deficient in vitamins or minerals then it's not going to do it's best work. There are also specific combinations for optimal brain functioning - not witch doctor stuff - Q10 for example - and Ginko Biloba for cerebral blood circulation (this is not medical advice!)
'Droning' music like Groove Salad on Soma FM helps 'alpha brain waves' to take over--the ones that feel like you're in the zone. I also know that I get distracted so easily, so I invested in a comfy pair of earbuds that lock out all audio distractions--including the sound of my phone, which I often forget to silence.
There is secret magic in stories. Stories speak with the timeless power of emotions, use them and succeed, skip them and struggle.
I habitually think and frame things in stories, visual or otherwise.
Why re-create the wheel? My business is growing. I don't have time to wear every hat any more. I need to produce so I'm outsourcing the rest!
I seek out the collective intelligence of strangers (who them often become friends).
Listening. Being vulnerable. They both work really well.
And people love to contribute
ie I filter much less.
I delegate my filtering to others. People are filtering enough - you don't need to add to the problem - you don't need to add another layer of filtering.
This helps me get creative
Send is a metaphor. Sometimes it just pick up the phone. Just make a video. Just act.
When I plan my entire week, things pop up - a call from a new potential client, an urgent need with an existing one, etc. I plan at least an hour a day that is unplanned, so that I'm ready for those pop-ups.
When the morning is quiet and no one but me is awake, I get everything done in a shorter amount of time. With my coffee by my side, the words and photos flow much easier.
Best lesson I learned from Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi. Momentum is killed whenever you forget.
Working on one project always spurs new ideas. As soon as new ideas come to mind, I jot a quick note in my Ideas File so I can stay focused on the current project & not feel like I'm losing a great idea.