By Patricia Young.
As a Purpose-Driven Entrepreneur you can get distracted easily and pulled in many different directions, and if you’re not careful and aware of this pattern, you will not be able to stay focused on your mission and you will not be able to share your gifts with the world.
One of the things that I’ve seen that gets in the way over and over, is having to take care of our day to day responsibilities, like taking care of the kids, the house, running errands, and even having a job, while you build your business on the side.
When you juggle with so many things on a daily basis, time is a limited resource, and if you don’t stay focused, you will not be able to make the impact you want, and you can feel that you are working very hard but barely getting any results. This leads to feelings of frustration, of not being good enough or not having what it takes, and you can even question if it’s worth so much effort for nothing in return.
In order to make a bigger impact with your business, while you have your daily responsibilities, your passion needs to be your drive and motivation, so you don’t waste your energy on things that are robbing the time you have available to work on the things that really matter. Just think about what a challenge for you, and what a loss for the world, if you don’t embrace what you came here to do, and do what it takes, to serve others who need your gifts!
Remember, success does not happen overnight. Most of the successful entrepreneurs, share that in order to achieve sustainable success, it really takes persistence, willingness, determination, believing in your mission, believing in yourself and taking inspired action every day, no matter what.
When I started my Business I had a full-time job and made a few mistakes, so I want to share some of the things I learned, so can you stay focused and use your time in the most productive way. Here are my 7 productivity secrets for Purpose-Driven entrepreneurs so you can make a bigger impact, even if you currently have a job:
- Get clear about your goals and make a plan – Writing your goals down will allow you to stay focused on only those specific areas and then, make a plan so you can take aligned action.
- Make your priorities a Priority! – A great tip that a mentor gave me once is that when it comes to prioritizing, you need to do it in alignment with your values and your goals. Once you have clarity on your goals and your values, you’ll be able to prioritize. So what needs to get done that will make you feel a great sense of accomplishment and that will move you forward in your life and Biz? I share more tips here: 7 Easy Steps to Prioritize Your Tasks and Move Closer to Your Dreams
- Put building your Business on the front burner – Cut on non-essential activities—time wasters like T.V., internet surfing, social media, etc. This has to be a non-negotiable in your business and life. You will be surprised at how many hours you can find in your week from eliminating non-essential activities. Ask yourself how bad do you want your dreams and schedule time every day to work on your business. Use your “Why” as your driving force and be willing to do whatever it takes!
- Plan Your Day the Night Before – Every night, before I go to bed, I know what I have to do the next day and how I’ll be prioritizing the things I need to do. That way I don’t waste time planning in the morning and I can start taking action.
- Start building your dream team – Delegate, you can’t do everything by yourself! Start delegating tasks that someone else can do for you, and you will have more time to do things that you really love in your business and that will bring income. Examples are: get a cleaning lady, hire a VA - even if it’s on a project basis, etc.
- Schedule Sacred Self-Care Time Before You Start Your Day – Dedicate even if it’s only 5 or 10 minutes of “Me” time, so you can ground yourself. Some of the things that I do every morning are: meditation, journaling, reading or listening to something inspirational, picking an angel card, being out in nature, etc. The way we start the day will set up the tone for the rest of the day, so make sure you do something that is relaxing and grounding - something that you love.
- Build meaningful relationships – in business, there’s nothing more important than relationships! They open doors for you in so many different ways. Never underestimate the power of relationships, so invest some time in cultivating and nurturing your connections, you will not regret it.
Even if you take a baby step every day, make sure it is in alignment with what you want to achieve. Being persistent means that you take action even if you don’t feel like it, that’s the only way that you will start seeing the results you want!
One last thing that is equally important, is to never stop learning… you have to be open to learn from your mistakes and from other entrepreneurs. I invite you to find a mentor that will help you shorten the learning curve for you!
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Suzie Cheel says
Patricia, great points that i needed to read today I know i have to refine and cull what i do to move forward fearlessly thank you
heartpaths@ameritech.net says
Thank you Thank you Thank you Patricia I needed these practical and usable tips today as I can get so distracted in my business and these will help me prioritize and stay focused. <3
Tae says
This is so timely for me as I have so many balls I’m juggling right now, plus limited energy reserves. Thank you for sharing these practical steps to keep me on track.
Kat Tozier says
I’m so glad you including building relationships in your list! I think it’s crucial - for the obvious reason of having collaborators - but more importantly, for support, encouragement and knowing you’re not alone on the days you’re discouraged, tired, frustrated. Great post, Patricia!
Melissa Rapoport says
For me, it’s so easy to get distracted by taking care of family and friends. The moment I catch myself saying “yes” to something that should be a “no” I say to myself, “Melissa, you are self-employed, not unemployed.
Andrea says
I’ve been making more space for new relationships in my professional life and it is wonderful. Thanks for the tips.
Lea Tran says
Great tips, Patricia. Thank you! It does take so much focused persistence to get those goals achieved but it’s worth it 🙂
Zeenat {PositiveProvocations.com} says
“Make your priorities a Priority!”~ Love this one! I needed this reminder SO badly today. I’ve been stretching myself thin lately…and really need to pull back and refocus.
Thank you!
xoxo,
Z~
Claudia LeBaron Islas says
Love your productivity tips Patricia. I’m so glad that so far I’m on the right track since I have a handle on most of them. Now it’s time to start planning my dream team. Love it!
Virginia Reeves says
Focusing and building relationships are such important elements - and the ones I don’t do enough of. Thanks for good reminders Patricia.
Martha Tassinari says
Patricia great article and the timing is perfect for me and I appreciate the reminder of all your tips . It is so easy to get weighed down with all the daily activities and responsibilities and then feel energetically depleted. I think it’s so important to block out the time and have that time devoted to your business.