There’s a conundrum at work: your workday typically pulls you in a million-and-one directions, but you simply don’t have the bandwidth to cover all that ground.
And in business, the ultimate priority is to create revenue and make more money. But how can you cut through the clutter and noise to focus on that ultimate end goal?
By building habits that help free up brain capacity, empower you to do your best work, and ensure you stay on track.
Here are seven habits that will help you grow your business and make more money.
1. Find Time to Put Yourself First
It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of putting your work before yourself. After all, it’s important to dedicate time to getting things done in your business life.
But here’s the counterintuitive truth: in order to succeed at work, you also need to be the best version of yourself from a personal perspective, and that’s not going to happen if you’re burnt out.
So, you need to make a habit of setting aside time for yourself to do things you enjoy too. Doing so will ensure you’re refreshed, happy, and in a positive state of mind at work–and, in turn, more productive and engaged
2. Set and Define Goals
Goals are tricky things. You want them to be big and lofty but also attainable. And this balance can sometimes be daunting, leading many people to simply neglect them.
But it’s important to make a habit of setting goals, and the key to success is knowing how to do it properly.
Aim to create big, scary business goals, but then break them down into bite-sized chunks. When big goals are broken down into small steps, achieving them becomes automatic. And having small tasks each day that contribute to your big goal gives you small, encouraging victories on a regular basis.
3. Prioritize by Importance, Not Urgency
There’s an important distinction between “urgent” and “important.” And if you want to make more money in your business, you need to understand how to tell the difference–and make a habit of prioritizing important things first.
After all, important tasks typically contribute directly to the success and growth of your business, whereas urgent ones all too often distract you from the important things.
You can use a method like The Pareto Principle to do this. It involves categorizing your tasks using the following formula:
- Importance: A=high, B=medium, C=low
- Urgency: 1=high, 2=medium, 3=low
This will show you how important your tasks are–for instance, your priority tasks would have a grade of A1 while lower priority tasks would have a grade of C3.
Always work on the most urgent and important goals and tasks first, and then move on down your list.
4. Protect Your Time
As we said, your workday will often pull you in a million-and-one different directions–if you let it.
But as the old saying goes, time is money. And that’s why it’s vital that you protect yours at all costs.
Time management is one of the most important habits to build in business, but it doesn’t have to be hard. There are some great techniques and tools you can use. And if you’d like to learn more about them, check out this article we wrote that covers seven techniques and tools to help you master time management.
5. Start the Day with Business-Building Activities
Instead of starting your day by being reactive, create a habit of starting your day by being proactive.
Reactive tasks include things like responding to emails and requests whereas proactive tasks include things that directly contribute to the growth of your business.
Even if it’s just carving out one hour every morning to focus on something that proactively contributes to the success of your business, it can be enough to help supercharge your revenue.
6. Be a Sponge for Knowledge
The most successful people in business are the ones who make a habit of continually learning and sharpening their skills.
This includes reading books, listening to podcasts, tuning into webinars, and taking courses. Being a sponge for knowledge is absolutely essential for success.
Carve out time each day to learn something new and it’ll pay off in the long run. Not sure where to start? Check out our six essential books for entrepreneurs and our ten favorite podcasts for on-the-go pros.
7. Prioritize Rest, Exercise, and Healthy Eating
This comes back to the idea of being the best version of yourself personally so that you can excel professionally: you need to prioritize proper rest, exercise, and healthy eating if you want to perform your best at work and make as much money as possible.
Healthy food has been scientifically proven to offer benefits that could improve your workday, from boosting productivity to making you more engaged and energetic, stimulating creativity, and even boosting your mood.
And exercise offers health and cognitive benefits that can supercharge your professional performance and help you maximize your days. In fact, those who partake in midday workouts experience an average performance boost of 15%, and 60% of people who work out during the day see improvements in their time management skills, mental performance, and ability to meet deadlines.
So, make sure to incorporate the right brain foods into your workday diet and to find innovative ways to exercise before, during, or after your workday.
The right habits can be among your most powerful tools when it comes to growing your business and making more money. The key is simply identifying them and implementing them into your life.
If you’d like to learn more about how a flexible workspace like The Post can also help empower the success of your business, get in touch with us today. Our team is available to speak with you.