Little tricks to stay motivated and build your business every day

Building a business is hard work. There is always so much to get done, both large and small tasks on what seems like a daily basis, and sometimes little to show for it in terms of business success or revenue. This is when your self-motivation gets tested the most.

Anyone who’s attempted even the smallest of startups knows how important it is to get things done, even if it seems trivial. Those images you need for your WordPress website won’t find themselves, you need to browse through to find the ideal ones that resonate with your brand. It seems like a small task, but it takes time.

These little tasks add up, and soon you’re on a daily grind, often overwhelmed by the ever-growing to-do-list.

I know this feeling first hand. Just a few weeks ago I wanted to post an early-bird promotion for my book that you can find here. Seems simple enough? That’s what I thought too. But when I got to it, I realized I needed to have the cover of my book ready. Upon one glance, I decided I didn’t like how it looked at the time: a better image was necessary. This required some minutes of browsing through placeit.net. When I finally found the image and template I liked, there cropped up another problem: I now needed a spine graphic. Sigh.

I then had to open up Photoshop to create said image and then there was an avalanche of questions:

What font should I use?
How large should it be?
What’s the color code for my ‘yellow’?

By the time I tackled these, got back to Placeit to upload the spine graphic, and finally opened up WordPress to upload this one little picture of my book, several hours had passed. What seemed like a simple task ended up being cumbersome. What a lot of effort to complete a single task! But it had to be done and it was done.

This is what it means to grow a small business: every step you want to take seems like it’s got ten hurdles. This takes immense energy and sometimes leads to frustration.

So here are a few points to stay on the ball every day without getting bowled over too soon.

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It’s ok to have a bad day. We all have them.

If you are having a Garfield sort of day, try to do a single small task before letting go. Focus on other things that you can do that won’t drain your batteries as much. Alternatively, leave work behind for a little while and give yourself permission to move, workout, eat good food, or take a nap. Then come back and continue, albeit refreshed.

Ask for help when you need it. And you need it more often than you think.

You cannot do everything on your own. Be smart with your time. There are many things that you may have to do, but don’t forget that those are full professions in their own right. There are skilled professionals just to undertake the sorts of things you need done at low costs. Better yet, there may be people out there willing to trade services with you. ‘Skill trades’ between freelancers and small companies are common. One person can write but cannot program a website. Another is good at design but bad at finances. Make the smart choice to maximize on your expertise and theirs. It’s a win-win situation.

Be consistent.

Designing a routine based on what you do, when, allows you to create a mindset that is conducive to efficiency. Consistent work habits help you to focus. Don’t be a headless chicken. Avoid scrambling between multiple tasks because this will only ruin your focus. Do one thing at a time and do it well.

Create a ‘clean’ working environment.

I mean ‘tidy’ when I say ‘clean:’ a tidy mind and tidy space. This is especially necessary for tasks that take a lot of your focus. Make sure nothing distracts you on your desk or in your office; be it visually or acoustically. Mute your communications, if that is an option. Find a fixed time in your day during which you can maximize focus and stay free from distractions.

I find that a combination of my suggestions above makes work work for me. I have carved out a particular time for me; this snugly fits the frame during which my family is asleep and I can work without distractions. I put on calm music that helps me stay focused. A fixed time and clean environment allow me to find my productive zone mentally, much faster. These practices have increased my productivity exponentially.

Further, as I am building my secondary business, I allow myself to have a bad day. If I run into one of those hurdles, I try to get the smallest thing done. Even if it only takes me 5 minutes to do so, it saves me from feeling disappointed. I celebrate the smallest of accomplishments as a win. Funnily enough, if I scored that one win, most of the time I start hunting for a second little thing to accomplish. Often, those 5 minutes end up being 30 minutes or an hour of productive work.

The little tricks to gear up your self-motivation work. I promise.

Let me know if you have any questions. Feel free to reach out through any one of my social media channels or book a free consultation here.