I have often brought here articles about the importance of leadership in a company, but today I would like to address the reality of other types of entrepreneurs: those who are not leaders and do not have a leader.
In these cases, the entrepreneur works alone and faces a daily need that imposes many challenges: self-management.
Staying productive at work is never easy, and entrepreneurs know this very well: not working in an office certainly has its advantages, but one must be able to manage oneself.
Otherwise, problems can arise that compromise the proper performance of each task and even risk neglecting one’s private life.
Therefore, let’s see how a solo entrepreneur can be more productive and efficient and take advantage of all that this type of work has to offer.
Demand x Productivity
When working alone, one of the first things to learn is the importance of balancing the scales by putting demands on one side and productivity on the other.
The fact that you have to manage yourself and accomplish each task in the time it requires can be liberating on the one hand, but on the other hand it can mean a real risk that you will not achieve your goals.
To keep that balance, here are some tips:
Make a plan
As a solopreneur you have to plan your activities in advance, taking into account the amount of work and the deadlines you have to meet by fitting them into your personal agenda every day.
Don’t rely on your memory or papers lying around the room, set a real schedule (daily, weekly, or monthly) to be respected so that you are productive and can sleep soundly.
Use technology to your advantage
If you have multiple projects to manage during the day, plan at the beginning of the day the right amount of time for each and set timelines within which to complete the various small tasks.
Use technology to your advantage by using apps that help you create lists, time your tasks, and don’t let any appointments or insights get missed.
Everything in its own time
You need to learn to set a time to accomplish each task, otherwise you will accumulate too many worries and not take action to solve anything.
In order for your tasks not to be seen as an insurmountable mountain, it is necessary to set goals that help you to be more conscious of the work accomplished.
Cut out distractions
When we are in an office, working in a team, we wouldn’t dream of interrupting our work, would we?
Working alone, on the other hand, allows us to be more flexible, of course, but we should never exaggerate this freedom as an opportunity to leave all tasks to the last minute.
Now, what to do when the conversations that distract us are often those of our customers? This is another challenge that the solo entrepreneur must go through.
To control this impasse, set a time in your day just to answer clients and avoid being “available” at any time.
Don’t forget your health
Make sure to set strict times for snacks, lunch, and especially for ending the workday.
Even if you do a job that is very satisfying for you, it is still a job and your body needs a break, even if your mind doesn’t realize it.
If you have to be your own boss, always try to be the boss we all want to be: a boss who understands the needs of his employees and cares about their health and well-being while respecting the right amount of rest time.