I don’t know about you but when I talk with many of my clients I often find that despite the fact that they are striving for success in their business, they are also engaging in acts that sabotage that success. I know that has been the case for me recently.
I have this picture in my bedroom that says: “Don’t confuse your career with your life”. I brought this when I was working in the corporate world but I have realised that this paradigm is still true for me when I’m running my own business. So many of us get focused on the success of our businesses that we fail to stop and review what is really going on in our lives.
There are definitely situations I am tolerating as a business owner that I would not when I was an employee, and to be truthful some of these are making me miserable. So why am I doing that? Why I am sabotaging my business success?
The irony is that ambition and the desire for success can in fact become the very thing that can sabotage your chances for success.
1. Break the multitasking habit.
I have to confess that I’m a work-in-progress when it comes to realizing that multitasking is not my friend. I knew I had a serious problem when one day I looked up and realized that I had a notebook, laptop and iPhone all in front of me, and I was trying to do something different on each of them. Needless to say I wasn’t very productive and ended up with a bunch of partially finished things—not one thing actually completed.
No matter how skilled you think you are at dividing your attention, you really are more effective when you focus and break that Entrepreneurial ADD problem. Don’t jump ahead or try to do it all at once in an effort to save time. You’ll feel more accomplished, building momentum you need to go onto the next task, if you complete just one task at a time.
2. Catch some real Sleep.
Forget what you heard about sleep-deprived super-successful people. Getting no sleep and working through the night is overrated—the all-nighter, “I-only-need-four-hours-of-sleep” bit isn’t something to brag about. Because no matter how late you stay up, if you aren’t productively knocking things off your to-do list, it doesn’t really matter.
And if you’re waking up tired every morning, you will end up cranky and frustrated—and unproductive. Both your mind and your body need that time to rest and recover, to wake up refreshed. It’s not just OK to get that eight hours—it’s necessary to be at your peak, personally and professionally – and that happens when you get uninterrupted, deep sleep.
3. Stop comparing yourself to other people.
I have to confess to be a comparitus addict. I do it all the time, often under the guise of research. Every time I’m on LinkedIn or Facebook, I see what other business owners are achieving and compare myself to them. This then makes me feel bad that I’m not as successful in meeting my goals.
The thing about comparing yourself to others’ achievements is that there is never a win. Someone will always seem to be one step ahead of you. Make a commitment to only compare yourself to the best version of you.
4. Remember to make time for family and friends.
I get it. You’ve found your passion and you’re excited to get to work to make it a reality. You’re so excited and motivated that you’ve forgotten you need to spend quality time with the important people in your life.
Any relationship takes work—contact and communication—in order for it to stay alive, so make some time. You can’t discuss all of the progress you’re making in your career with your computer, and believe me, you don’t want to suddenly realize the only person you’ve had a real conversation with lately is Siri or your horses!. I’ve been told many times by my friends that I just need to take a break, have fun and “turn my brain off.” While I haven’t quite mastered that yet, what I have learned is that I don’t have to figure everything out right now.
So just remember work is just one part of your life and that whatever you are working on can wait for a minute or even an hour or two. Don’t be afraid to turn your brain off and rest and relax.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
