5 Entrepreneurship Hacks

5 Entrepreneurship Hacks

 

As an aspiring entrepreneur, you know what gets you out of bed in the morning, you don’t need our input there. But hopefully these 5 tips will help you implement a few habits and hacks to become the most efficient and reposeful entrepreneur you can be. 

 

1. Time management

2. Dealing with pressure

3. Making the most of the mornings

4. Keeping things clean

5. A clear sense of direction

 

1. Time management 

 

Don’t be optimistic when booking meetings; if you pencil in 15 minutes for something you’re pretty sure is going to take more than, err on the side of caution and book out half an hour. We say this because we strongly advise you to never let meetings overrun. Spending the rest of your day chasing your tail will put you in the wrong mindset to make careful, meditated decisions and will cause you to slip up on the simplest of tasks, a vital mistake when running your own business. On the bright side, if you book out 30 minutes for a meeting and it only takes 20, it gives you time to decompress, grab a coffee and gain a little clarity before heading into the next task. 

 

With this in mind, we’d also recommend scheduling breaks into your calendar, especially if you have numerous employees that have access to it and inundate you with calendar invites. After a three-hour working block your mind is going to start getting distracted, so try to book out 15-minute breaks every 3 or so hours to take a breath – this may seem a lot of “time out” but will ultimately benefit you in the long run, as it’ll keep you refreshed and you won’t be staring at a 1 page document for 45 minutes trying to work your way through it! 

Read more on how to stay focused at work HERE. 

 

2. Dealing with pressure 

 

There’s no doubt that, running your own business, you will run into many stressful situations and you will, at times, be under enormous amounts of pressure. Whilst these situations are somewhat unavoidable, there are certain ways you can deal with pressure. 

 

Sleep: this may be difficult if you have a thousand things running through your mind and us telling you to “get your 8 hours!” will be redundant. However, do keep a pen and paper at your bedside table, so if there are certain thoughts that jump into your mind at 2am, you can write them down and let go of the fear that it’ll be forgotten by morning. 

 

Exercise: we’re not talking about a 5am daily sweat session in the gym. Psychologists studying how exercise relieves anxiety and depression suggest that a 10-minute walk may be just as good as a 45-minute workout. It’s all too easy to put this off or rank it lower on the list of priorities but walking can quiet your mind and refresh your eyes and brain, resulting in a more focused and productive working day. 

 

Taking time out: although this may seem near impossible (especially during the early stages of your start up) taking annual leave or even just the odd afternoon completely off work will do wonders for your mental health, and help you maintain a clear idea of what is important to you in your working and personal life. 

 

3. Make the most of the mornings 

 

Setting your alarm for 5am may seem counter intuitive, as you’ll be running your empire on 2-3 hours less sleep than usual. However, your body will soon get used to the “early to bed, early to rise” routine you’re creating and you’ll soon be able to take advantage of getting a head start when the rest of the world is asleep. 

You can send out emails knowing that you have a few hours before you’ll receive a reply, or set aside time to do something for yourself before you’re being pulled in many different directions. 

 

Try to complete the day’s hardest task before 9am – nipping procrastination in the bud and lifting a weight off your shoulders all before breakfast! As a result, you’ll be much calmer throughout the rest of the day, and will enable you to tackle last minute issues with a much clearer mind. 

 

4. Keep things clean 

 

“A messy desk is a sign of genius”, sources say. However, unorganised workspaces have been proven to raise levels of stress in staff and that’s far from ideal when you’re trying to focus.

 

Consider taking one of the aforementioned 15 minute breaks to clean up your inbox – we do recommend taking a “little and often” approach to this and tackling your email daily. Take some time to create a number of clearly named subfolders and keep everything tucked neatly away, and mark an email as unread or flag it up if it needs to be actioned.

 

Let’s also touch on personal hygiene here. There are many links between personal hygiene and anxiety, and it’s all too easy to prioritise getting an early night or spending the extra time going through emails instead of jumping in the shower. However, keeping yourself clean is imperative to your physical and mental wellbeing; make sure to look after yourself first and foremost – your business is replaceable, but you are not! Indulge in small acts of self care each day and you will not only feel better, but you’ll look better which will cause confidence levels to soar. 

 

5. A clear sense of direction

 

Starting a venture without a business plan is the equivalent of going out in a thunderstorm with wellington boots but no umbrella – ultimately destined to fail. It is essential that you create a business plan ahead of your company go-live, so you can always refer back to it when you’re at an impasse. As your business grows and you’re involved in every single aspect of the business, from accounting to customer service, sales to social media – it can be easy to lose track of where you’re headed and what’s important to you. Create a detailed business plan and always keep it at the forefront of your mind.

Read more on how to start up your business HERE. 

Sage’s downloadable business plan and template covers the following and includes informative overviews and hints to help you along the way.

 

 

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