It is easy to dive into a lot of activities to improve your business and overlook that the foundation of your business is you. As contractors we often put our own mental and physical health on the backburner so that we can generate a profit and feed our families. To begin restructuring your business I will share with you the three major habits I've had to implement to stay on top of my business.
It is easy to dive into a lot of activities to improve your business and overlook that the foundation of your business is you. As contractors we often put our own mental and physical health on the backburner so that we can generate a profit and feed our families. To begin restructuring your business I will share with you the three major habits I've had to implement to stay on top of my business.
1) The Early Bird…We've all heard about the early bird catching the worm, and as clichéd as it sounds, it really is true. Around my house, the children want you to play if you are in the house, and I do my office work from home. To get ahead of things I wake up at 5 a.m. several times weekly to hit the gym and do all of the important things that require focused thinking. It gives me about two hours before the wild bunch wakes up. If you procrastinate on the important things in your business (marketing, job scheduling, etc…) until the evening, you're doing them at a time when you are often tired and unfocused. At 5 a.m. customers and employees are not calling, and you cannot make an excuse for putting off the important tasks. Whatever time you choose for business matters, just make sure that it is when you have the most energy and fewest interruptions.
2) You Really Are What You EatHungry contractors are prime candidates for keeping fast-food restaurants in business. Fast food is an easy choice to pick up while traveling to jobs and eat along the way. I'm not claiming to be Dr. Oz, but the food we eat and the stuff we drink holds the key to our mood and well-being. Prepare yourself an emergency kit of nutritious food and make sure it is in the truck when you hit the road. It will keep you from going off the deep end from hunger and eating foods that drive down your mood and affect how you run your company.
3) Surround Yourself With SuccessIn my last post I talked about audio books for job-site radios as a way to stay inspired while working. Whether it is the people you are around, what you read, or what you listen to, make sure it is of good stock. We generally learn from examples of the past, and in most cases, negative people are rarely a huge success. I did a quick search of free mp3 podcasts and found the following experts had FREE material for listening on iTunes: Dave Ramsey, Tony Robbins, John Maxwell and Stephen Covey. Those people are just a small number of the great resources for learning about successful life and business practices.
I want to just finish up this post with a thought from the late Jim Rohn who said, "Don't wish for things to be easier, wish for you to be better." I cannot think of a more relevant quote during these times, and I hope all of my peers take this to heart because that's why we're NWFA members.