4 employee-minded behaviors to change to be a more productive (and sane) business owner
1. You respond to email within minutes...maybe even seconds.
I remember clearly the culture at my former employer. Someone would send me an email and about 5-10 minutes later I'd get a phone call or they'd show up at my desk asking: "Did you get my email?" It drove me crazy and then like a rat in a lab, I soon became conditioned to respond to emails more often and quickly. So in the beginning of my business, I sat at the computer for HOURS responding to and acting on email. But it was a rabbit hole of activity that made me feel busy but never productive. I'd end the day with no more clients or prospects then when I started the day and I felt overwhelmed with added things my emails added to my plate.
CHANGE: It took a while but my relationship with email has changed dramatically. I'm no longer pressured to have my inbox at zero everyday. When you're sitting at a desk all day it's easier to manage emails that flow into your inbox. But as an entrepreneur, and especially one in the service industry, you aren't at your desk much. You are (or should be) in activities that generate prospects (at vendor shows, out speaking, at networking events, building relationships over coffee), and/or actually working with clients or working on deliverable items. Often you can choose to set a automated response that alerts your clients and vendors that you will respond to their email within 24 hours. If they need to reach you immediately, then give them an alternative like a mobile number for calling or texting you.
Related article: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-many-times-a-day-should-you-check-your-email.html
2. You use supposed down time to take care of personal matters.
Don't get me wrong, being able to have the flexibility in my schedule is one of the best things about being a business owner. Recently I was sick and I was able to reschedule my whole day's activities to different times of the week so that I could spend time to recuperate. If I was an employee I would have had to jump through a lot more hoops in order to make the kind of changes I was able to make last minute. On the other hand, when you don't have a boss telling you where you should be during the week, the lines can be blurred about your responsibilities between home life and business. It's easier to shrug off to do items that don't have a short-term effect on your business like networking and following up with clients to take care of personal matters like shopping and getting your oil changed. Since I hate grocery shopping during the weekend with our 9am-5pm counterparts, I still prefer to shop during the week. But I try to let it be a specific day of the week and hours, so that I have some control over when I do it (like Wednesday from 8am-12pm) and make sure it's not crowding out time I should be doing something in my business.
CHANGE: Having time "buckets" in your calendar that feed into your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. Make these times just about non-negotiable. If a friend or family member wants to in crouch on that time, you can definitely say "I'm sorry I'll be working on ______" or "I have to work then, could we try for {random alternative date/time}?" If you had a boss you wouldn't be able to get out of work and your friends and family would understand, it shouldn't really be that much different just because you work for yourself.
3. Your success is tied to money.
Now this one is LOADED. What does it have to do with productivity you might ask? Well...if you are in business simply for the money you won't be in business for long. As an employee you usually have a yearly performance review. If you've done over and beyond your job description you rightly and justly expect recognition for your hard work and effort. Usually that recognition comes through in a form of a bonus or a raise. Often times as a business owner you put in countless hours that you don't get paid for. Invoicing, client follow up, and networking are all some of the various and many activities you must do to get results but you can't bill for. Therefore your motivation has to come from another source, otherwise your incentive to get busy on those time-intensive fun-sucking activities will be just about zero. Another disadvantage to being motivated by money alone is in the first few years of most businesses the revenue you get is reinvested back into your company and you get to enjoy little of it.
CHANGE: There are tons to be proud about in your business besides your revenue and bottom line. Perhaps launching a new initiative, increase your prospect base, building a profitable relationship, or getting great feedback from your clients are all things that can help you put coals in your fire when money isn't flowing in or when you start to feel unrewarded for your hard efforts. Reflecting on your successes will keep you motivated to keep going and be productive when it seems like you're working for free.
4. You pride yourself in having an empty inbox at the end of the day.
In some of my past employment, I had more day than I had work. I prided myself on getting all my work done before the close of business. When I started a business however, I soon realized that I often have more work than I have hours daysssssss. (Yes I meant to put all those s's). It stressed me the heck out too! I soon realized that I was doing the workload of 4 positions and so I had to prioritize. I'm not going to lie and say that I've mastered it. But I will say that I've gotten a lot better at deciphering what's important, and when to call it the end of the day.
CHANGE: It's often easy to spend time in what you like to do and shrug off on the things you don't. Often the things you don't like to do are the things that actually generate the money. Making sales calls, generating content for your social media and blog, sending out a newsletter, and planning your marketing strategies and implementing them are sometimes difficult and sometimes icky.
Other related articles: https://experiencelife.com/article/how-to-beat-the-self-employment-blues/
Are you a business owner? Tell me in the comments below what you had to change (or realize you might need to change) from your employee-mindset to your business owner mindset?
Andrea Hancock is a professional organizer, blogger, and speaker that assists and empowers busy professionals and business owners create and maintain organizational systems that work for them personally. Andrea is also founder of Dexterous Organizing, a results-oriented professional organizing company. To receive free productivity and organizing tools, or to venture into a more organized home, office, and life, click "I'm ready to get started!" at www.DexterousOrganizing.com or by phone at (703) 606-8968.
