4 Ways to Help You Focus on Your Business Every Day

As entrepreneurs, staying focused on your business is challenging. Having clear business goals and objectives that have been written out and are visible daily can support you in your efforts to remain focused on the tasks needed to move your business forward. But if you need more to keep you moving, here are 4 ways to keep you focused, in action, and engaged to get business results.

Align Your Activities To Your Business Goals and Objectives

Think about the things that you do every day to move your business forward. If you do not have a list, create one daily. This should include your projects/tasks, to-dos, phone calls, emails, or networking activities. Do a weekly check-in to determine what is working and what is not. This is how you are measuring your time, energy, and effectiveness.

[Related: 10 Things To Remember When Trying To Achieve Any Goal]

Plan Your Day

How do you plan your days and weeks to move your business forward? If you are planning your days on the fly, chances are you may be spending precious productive time planning rather than utilizing the time more productively, like connecting with people and attending events that will support your business. Even if you feel that you are “busy doing,” are your actions aligned to your purpose and intensions of your business? Wasted time plus wasted energy equals wasted efforts. 

Stay Away From Shiny Objects

If you are like most people, new is cool and will distract you. Yes, you may want to support a friend on their project and yes, the new cool thing seams like it will help you in someway. Think about the time you plan to dedicate to your friend’s project or that new and cool thing. What will be the impact to your business? Before you commit yourself to that new thing, look back at your list of activities that you created, look at your business goals and objectives, and do a gut check to determine how this new thing will move your business forward. If it does not support you in moving your business forward, stay away.

It’s OK to Say NO

Do you feel like you have to say “YES” to every request that is made of you because the ask came from your family, friends, or colleagues? The nature of the request should be taken into consideration. However, if it boils down to you being afraid to hurt someone’s feelings then its time to start flexing your NO muscle. Are you really helping the other person? Or is this a mechanism of avoiding the “work” that you should be doing for yourself and your business? Avoidance or procrastinating are two ways you can get side tracked from achieving your goals and objectives. Using avoidance and procrastination will also have you feeling stuck and not moving forward. If you like spinning your wheels and enjoy the feeling of remaining stagnant, then be the best "yes" person you can be. However, consider that if you are able to communicate to the other person that you are busy working and are willing to help them out once your task is complete, consider the power you have created in your corner to take actions to support your business. Using your “no” muscle takes lots of courage and determination.

Focus, accountability, careful planning, and knowing when to say “no” are essential for business success. If you find it challenging to accomplish any of these things or just feel stuck for any reason, seeking additional support is an option to consider to help you keep on track, move forward, and get the success you deserve.