Entrepreneurs are people who are often responsible for a huge number of things. Along with trying to launch a successful startup, they also need to concern themselves with coming up with the perfect pitch to investors, figuring out their target market, running a team, and more. And unfortunately, there are only so many different hats that one can wear before it can start to become a little too heavy.
But what if there are things that you can do to become a better entrepreneur? A small change or a different approach might be what you need to improve your productivity, boost your creativity, and help you become the entrepreneur that you’ve always wanted to be.
Here are some things that you can do to improve your career as an entrepreneur and get better at what you do.
Improve Your Education
If you’ve never run a business before, it’s likely that you’re going to be learning a lot as you go as a new entrepreneur. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with this. Many successful entrepreneurs managed to achieve their business goals and then some with no previous business experience and no qualifications.
However, getting qualified to run a business is easier than ever these days and you can even study for an online business masters program from Suffolk University as you work on launching your startup. Some benefits of studying for a business degree online include:
- Flexibility to study at times that suit you
- You can learn as you go and apply what you learn to your business
- Great networking opportunities to take advantage of
- Boost your confidence
- A wide range of options to choose from
Boost Your Diet
We’ve all heard the phrase ‘you are what you eat’, but how much truth is there to it exactly? As it turns out, quite a lot. Research suggests that proper nutrition won’t just improve your overall health, but also improve your productivity levels.
So, there’s never been a better time to ensure that you are eating a healthy, balanced diet than right now while you’ve decided to turn your business idea into a reality. Some of the best foods for your brain include:
- Oily fish
- Nuts and seeds
- Leafy greens
- Citrus fruits
Work Near a Window
If you’re often finding yourself losing productivity and feeling tired and lethargic throughout the day, it might not always be down to doing too much. In fact, it could simply be down to working from a dark room without much natural light coming through.
In fact, research from both the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Northwestern University found that natural light can enhance not only your energy but also your creativity – so moving your desk to a window could actually help you get better at what you do.
Eliminate Distractions
While your laptop, PC, tablet, and smartphone might be essential tools of the trade when running a business, you probably already know too well that they can become huge distractions. Skimming through social media can easily turn into a full hour of procrastination before you know it. To avoid this, try the following:
- Putting your device in ‘do not disturb’ or ‘airplane’ mode while working
- Switching off notifications for any apps that you do not need while working
- Using an app that blocks your access to distracting websites for a certain period
- Letting non-urgent calls go to voicemail and returning them at the end of the day
Avoid Multitasking
You might think that trying to do more than one thing at a time is a good way to be more productive and get more done. However, your brain struggles to handle doing several things at once. In fact, the human brain is only capable of comfortably working on no more than two tasks at a time, so if you’re trying to do more than that at once, you’re only risking making more mistakes that you’ll need to go back and correct later – taking up more time in the long run.
Banish Perfectionism
While there’s nothing wrong with striving for greatness, striving for perfection is a whole different matter and it can actually do more harm than good. Nobody in this world is perfect, including you and your startup. The sooner an entrepreneur realizes that perfection isn’t attainable, the sooner they can get their product or service available in the market instead of wasting time trying to improve something that’s never going to live up to completely unrealistic standards anyway. In fact, studies have found that perfectionists tend to actually get less work done, so keep your standards realistic and aim to be as good as you can.
Improve Your Sleeping Habits
Trying to function on not enough sleep can be damaging both physically and mentally, but sadly, it’s all too common for new business owners to try and get by without getting enough rest. There’s a stereotypical image of an entrepreneur that has him or her working on their business at all hours of the day or night, and when you’re just starting out with what can feel like hundreds of different hats to wear, it can be easy to forego some sleep in order to get more done. But in the long run, this can cause serious damage to your health and your business. Instead:
- Make sure that you get 7-9 hours of sleep every night for optimal energy and productivity the next morning
- Upgrade your sleeping area if you are having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep due to discomfort
- Sleep early and get things done in the morning rather than staying up late to complete them
Network
Finally, networking and meeting as many influential people as possible will help you learn more about entrepreneurship and make it easier for you to learn from the mistakes that others have made before you. Attending networking events, getting involved in online networking groups and forums, and reaching out to your network for advice or assistance when you need it should become a habit as an entrepreneur.
Whether you’ve just started a new business or are wondering how to improve your career after some time, these are all common habits of highly successful, effective business owners.