Spring Fever: 5 Ways to Refocus on Your Business
By Andrew Patricio
May 11, 2016
Productivity
Share Facebook Tweet on Twitter Share with Email Share with LinkedIn Share with Pinterest
By the small business content developers at BizLaunch.com.
The weather starts warming up, blue skies become more common, flowers burst forth from their winter slumber, and the urge to play hooky may get stronger. If you’re struggling to stay focused on your business and feeling pulled in a multitude of directions this spring, you are not alone. So what can you do to get back to being centered on your function as a business owner? Here are 5 pointers to put your business back in focus and get your energy directed at building success:
1. Review your goals.
You may have written out your business resolutions for the year, but forgotten to break them down into achievable objectives. If your goal is so big or undefined that you’re not sure how to get from point A to point B, you could be losing a lot of momentum just figuring out what to do next.
Look to see how you can create attainable targets that can be accomplished on a smaller scale. If your goal is to produce daily content for your business blog, how are you going to do that? Set aside time to select topics, do research, write, and edit your copy. Break your big ambitions into smaller operations that you can accomplish in a day or a week.
2. Schedule your day.
It can be energizing to jump into your day and start putting out fires, but without a plan, you may not accomplish all that you need to do. Before you open your email and your coffee gets cold, make a list of several things you’d like to accomplish each day. Look at your daily tasks and fit them into your schedule.
Periodically check in to see what you’ve completed and what remains. You might find it helpful to break your day into smaller chunks dedicated to different aspects of your business. Your mornings might be the time when you bid on new jobs and your afternoons when you complete contracted work. Whatever you need to do, put it in your schedule and stick to it.
3. Get reconnected.
If you feel muddled and prone to daydreaming, you might need to reaffirm why you decided to become an entrepreneur. If you’re lucky enough to have a mentor, this is the time to reach out to them for encouragement. If you’ve been meaning to get to that networking event, put it on your schedule and go. Just being around others who share your passion can be enough to get you focused again on what really matters.
4. Evaluate what you've accomplished this year.
You might feel disconnected because you’ve been working without seeing results or devoting significant energy to something with a negligible payoff. You may need to re-evaluate your priorities or recalibrate your goals. Ultimately, you’ll have to decide if your endeavor is worthy of nurturing or if you’ve been pursuing a dead end. Either way, you’ll have clearer idea of what you need to do next and how to stay motivated.
5. Incentivize your to-do list.
If you find yourself taking breaks just to get away from the office, you may need to use those outings to get yourself motivated. Give yourself a reward for accomplishing vital tasks. Even if it’s an extra cup of coffee or a new pen, those little boosts might be just what you need to get yourself back on track. Once you’ve written that onerous proposal, give yourself time for a walk or a lunch out. Integrate balance between work and downtime, so that you stay refreshed and focused on what matters.
The weather starts warming up, blue skies become more common, flowers burst forth from their winter slumber, and the urge to play hooky may get stronger. If you’re struggling to stay focused on your business and feeling pulled in a multitude of directions this spring, you are not alone. So what can you do to get back to being centered on your function as a business owner? Here are 5 pointers to put your business back in focus and get your energy directed at building success:
1. Review your goals.
You may have written out your business resolutions for the year, but forgotten to break them down into achievable objectives. If your goal is so big or undefined that you’re not sure how to get from point A to point B, you could be losing a lot of momentum just figuring out what to do next.
Look to see how you can create attainable targets that can be accomplished on a smaller scale. If your goal is to produce daily content for your business blog, how are you going to do that? Set aside time to select topics, do research, write, and edit your copy. Break your big ambitions into smaller operations that you can accomplish in a day or a week.
2. Schedule your day.
It can be energizing to jump into your day and start putting out fires, but without a plan, you may not accomplish all that you need to do. Before you open your email and your coffee gets cold, make a list of several things you’d like to accomplish each day. Look at your daily tasks and fit them into your schedule.
Periodically check in to see what you’ve completed and what remains. You might find it helpful to break your day into smaller chunks dedicated to different aspects of your business. Your mornings might be the time when you bid on new jobs and your afternoons when you complete contracted work. Whatever you need to do, put it in your schedule and stick to it.
3. Get reconnected.
If you feel muddled and prone to daydreaming, you might need to reaffirm why you decided to become an entrepreneur. If you’re lucky enough to have a mentor, this is the time to reach out to them for encouragement. If you’ve been meaning to get to that networking event, put it on your schedule and go. Just being around others who share your passion can be enough to get you focused again on what really matters.
4. Evaluate what you've accomplished this year.
You might feel disconnected because you’ve been working without seeing results or devoting significant energy to something with a negligible payoff. You may need to re-evaluate your priorities or recalibrate your goals. Ultimately, you’ll have to decide if your endeavor is worthy of nurturing or if you’ve been pursuing a dead end. Either way, you’ll have clearer idea of what you need to do next and how to stay motivated.
5. Incentivize your to-do list.
If you find yourself taking breaks just to get away from the office, you may need to use those outings to get yourself motivated. Give yourself a reward for accomplishing vital tasks. Even if it’s an extra cup of coffee or a new pen, those little boosts might be just what you need to get yourself back on track. Once you’ve written that onerous proposal, give yourself time for a walk or a lunch out. Integrate balance between work and downtime, so that you stay refreshed and focused on what matters.