Recently, Claudia and I were talking about how our shortcomings are magnified when self-employed. Now that I’ve started my own business, I can no longer rely on the structure of a job to push me through the day. If I’m not handling something well, it will derail my whole day.
This is something that I have to be very vigilant about or it creeps up on me nearly everyday. One of the ways I’m being proactive with this is by frequently going to the library to work. It clears my head to get out and move around rather than working at one place all day.
Here are three things you can no longer rely on when self-employed and the action I take to combat them:
1. Always knowing where your time and resources are best invested. Do I spend the afternoon working on my website or networking and getting new leads? Another area is marketing strategy. It’s up to me to decide to what extent I’m going to advertise verses network with key individuals. I can get so caught up in thinking about all the things I need to do that I end up getting nothing done.
I have found it most effective to make a list of my 3 top priorities. I then tackle the ONE I am dreading the most! I got this idea from Brian Tracy in his book, Eat That Frog. Once the hardest task is out of the way, I feel much better and can think clearly to tackle the next item on the list.
2. A schedule to get you back on track. If you have a job, the routine of the day guides you through the day even if you’re having a bad day. Not so when you are starting a business. There is no routine. If you get derailed, you alone have to figure out a way to get things back on track. And do it quickly before you get sucked too far down a negative spiral.
I have set hours that I work on a daily basis and this keeps me on track.
3. Someone else to inspire you. If you are working for a company, they have managers and leaders to keep you inspired and productive. If you are self-employed, you need to figure out how to refuel to stay motivated.
For me, I get inspired by reading books and my Bible and listening to great audio content. I need to do this daily to refocus my mind and keep it in a healthy place.
While each person may handle these three points differently, the common theme is to take action to keep yourself from getting derailed.
Whether you are self-employed or not, are there areas of your life that you need to take action on instead of relying on others?
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Awesome that you recognize these points,Michael!
Michael,
Yeah, that’s the first part, recognizing them. Now, to get better at them. 🙂
You have some really good points, Michael! I would have to say that there is a lot of structure in a JOB that we often take for granted. It sounds like you’re having to learn a lot more about yourself, because you are both your best and your worst employee! Keep working, and you’ll be able to share what you learn with others along the road!
Thanks for the encouragement, Ryan. Yes, learning lots.
Michael, these are three great points. I have been self-employed for over 8 years, and #2 continually pops up as a big issue for me. There is always more work to do, and for me it’s a challenge of prioritizing and sticking to a schedule so that I don’t work too many hours. I didn’t realize it until reading your post that this is another application of the 20 Mile March principle that Jim Collins recommends in “Great by Choice.” I talked about the 20 Mile March yesterday on Man Cave Radio, but it didn’t occur to me that a fundamental place to implement it is in our daily schedules — having both a lower limit and an upper limit on the number of hours you work each day can ensure steady progress, avoid burnout, and provide margin to deal with the emergencies and opportunities of life.
By the way, what is the business you have started? I looked on several pages of your website; the info may be here somewhere but I’m missing it.
Jesse,
Great input. Steady progress makes such a difference. It’s the difference between the tortoise and hare. I haven’t listened your most recent show yet but I’ll be sure to do that. The 20 Mile March sounds interesting.
The business I’ve started is Soundboard Music School (http://soundboardmusicschool.com). You know, I should add that to the about page. I talk about it in a number of posts, but I think that’s about it.
What sort of things have you done over the past 8 years? I’m curious if you stuck with one idea or has it morphed and changed over time.
I’ve been enjoying the show, by the way. Keep ’em coming!
[…] of talking about the 20 Mile March principle on episode 15, Jesse discovers the blog post “3 Things That Can Derail Your Success While Self-Employed” by Michael Good. Jesse realizes that applying the 20 Mile March to his workday — […]
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