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This might be heavy for our first business motivation tip, but it’s important to start on the right foot left side of your brain.
Do you tell your family and friends that you’re “just working on your blog this weekend”?
Don’t.
Success starts with the correct business mindset — a commitment to build a business.
Think business, not blog, from Day 1.
Sure, it’s easier to tell your family and friends that you’re working on your blog… but in your head, you need to consider your blog as a business.
Successfull online business people understand that they’re building more than “just a blog.”
You’re building a real live business, which is not something that can be mastered with a commitment here and there. It takes motivation, self-determination and effort to succeed.
Think and breathe business.
After all, the work you put into your business is what will ultimately make you achieve your goals…
People start businesses to make money.
“OK, duh, yeah,” you’re likely thinking.
But, you should consider why you want to make money.
Is it so you can…
When you put a real outcome to the why, you’ll be more likely to stick to
building your business.
What is it that truly excites you?
In other words, money should not be your ultimate goal. It’s the vehicle to get you to your ultimate goal.
Would simply “making money” drive you to continue your business for a year? Even when things get tough?
Likely not, because you’d think that you could always fall back on your day job.
The goal of quitting your 9-to-5 would likely keep you a lot more focused than simply “making money.”
Once you set your why bigger picture goal, then you can set the how goals.
Spending an entire day on your “About Me” page isn’t an effective use of your time when people likely won’t be searching for you when they Google your niche.
At each step of your how goals, consider if they’ll actually get you closer to your ultimate goal.
A big part of starting your own business is figuring out time, time management, and when to spend your time working.
If you have school-aged kids, working during the day when the kids are at school could be the best time. If you’re a morning person, maybe wake up a few hours before they do.
Basically, though, try to figure out where and when you work best.
Maybe you enjoy working around other people — in which case, working at your favorite coffee shop could help fuel you more than a latte.
Maybe you focus best at night — so, well, work at night!
If that means giving up 60 minutes of TV-time on weekdays, do it. You likely won’t miss anything life-changing while watching another reality TV show — but you may make significant progress towards your goals.
It’s your business, which means you ultimately have control of your time.
You need dedicated time to focus and get work done.
Setting a list of priorities is also important.
Queuing up your social media posts? Writing your next newsletter? Finally building that landing page ?
Great, then do those first. If you get distracted easily, try setting a timer.
Let’s say you set it to 60 minutes. You spend that hour wholly focused on your task. Don’t get up to make a cup of coffee until you’ve completed that 60 minutes.
If you have tasks that you look forward to — save those for after you’ve done your more demanding work as a treat.
With time and time management also comes the subject of balancing your time.
In other words, be careful not to push yourself too hard.
Nothing kills business motivation faster than a burnout. It will only make you resent your goals and business that you were once so passionate about. Take small breaks during the day when you feel satisfied with the work you’ve done so far.
If you feel stuck during the day, or totally unmotivated, take a break.
Stepping away from the computer could be just what you need.
Take a walk or a jog outside… or anything where you’re away from a screen (catching up on your TV shows doesn’t count, sorry!).
There are so many times when I pause my yoga practice so I can write down a new business idea or where I end up thinking about something I wrote and want to change the wording.
Getting away from your computer can seriously help you keep on track and focus on your business.
For more ways on finding the right balance, browse through this ultimate list of work from home tips
After stretching your legs, when you get back to your desk, maybe you still can’t focus.
That’s fine and totally normal.
Why not try look for inspirational business quotes?
Pick one or two of those business quotes that resonate with you, and reflect on it.
If you take the time to fully understand what it means, chances are that it’ll get you back to your keyboard again.
You may feel lonely when you start your own business — but that doesn’t mean you have to be alone.
Find other bloggers and small-business owners who are also starting out. Building a network of folks who are in a similar situation as you will help you feel less lonely.
Whoever you surround yourself with, you want them to be helpful and optimistic (and realistic). You don’t want a community around you that’ll shoot down every idea you have, yet you also don’t want a bunch of yes-sayers around you.
To stay motivated, you’ll need to feel that your how goals are being met and your business is moving ahead. To meet those goals and see your business progress, you need to focus.
When you set your kitchen timer to 60 minutes, you’ll need to spend that hour focusing on what you’re working on.
Without true focus, it’s hard to get work done and, in turn, meet your goals.
Despite all the blogs and podcasts that try to convince you of their secret to succeed at business and stay motivated, there’s no simple way to get there.
Success is a complicated, multi-forked road.
Building and growing your own business is work.
No matter how you want to do it (online, offline, big or small, VC-fueled or bootstrapped), there will be setbacks.
How you deal with those setbacks will determine how far you’ll go.
Identifying why people fail is crucial (hint: it’s not just a lack of motivation).
Once you overcome your lack of motivation, you’ll fully understand the difference between “I’m just working on my blog” and “I’m working on my business.”
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