Good Sense Living

The alluring incentive of a life full of liberty and separating oneself from the tedious office life is one of the main reasons why people decide to become entrepreneurs. However, this is one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding entrepreneur life as successful entrepreneurs will usually end up working more than your regular nine to five job. Dreams of liberty and independence must be fueled with hours upon hours of hard work, dedication and networking. If the entrepreneur life interest you, consider following these tips that will guide you in the right direction.

Be prepared to work smarter.
As we mentioned before, being an entrepreneur does not mean you’ll work less than you are currently working. In most cases you will end up working many more hours which is why you need to learn how to make better use of your time. This habit will only come through discipline and persistence but it will develop quickly if you manage to remain productive and learn how to manage your time. Do not be afraid to delegate or automate tasks but make sure you do not leave these tasks unattended and while 12 or 14 hours of work a day may be workaholic territory, it is also important to find the time to disconnect and relax even if it is one day a week. Go out and take a walk, ride a bike or go watch a movie, turn your cell phone off for an hour or two and watch a movie with a glass of good wine and then come back prepared to tackle those long hours again.

Adhere to a strict routine.
Becoming an entrepreneur can quickly turn into a sour experience if you deviate and start mixing your personal life with your professional lifestyle. I’ve seen it happen before, “maybe i’ll just check Facebook really quick” can quickly turn into an hour long social media session where productivity goes out the window. Make sure that you establish a strict routine where you limit the amount of time for personal tasks. Taking some time off here and there is fine, but do not let it get in the way of your productivity.

Start the day by working from bed.
We truly live in a wonderful time, a time where technology has allowed us to be connected to our business at all times by simply checking our Smartphone or accessing our email through our computer. Do not be afraid to start the day off right by having breakfast in bed while you respond to email, look for new business opportunities or make a few phone calls before you even get off the bed. This will allow you to develop a working discipline that will stick with you until the time you go to bed. Do not be confused, we are not telling you to take the work to bed with you, but this goes hand in hand with what we mentioned in the previous point; find and develop a routine that works for you. And if you need to check your email from bed there’s nothing stopping you from doing it.

Continue to educate yourself.
Education and self-improvement has no limits. While you may think that college is the end of your education timeline, the truth is that entrepreneurs who continue to educate themselves have a higher chance of achieving success and -more importantly- will potentiate their growth as they learn how to take advantage of new business opportunities. Read everything you can get your hands on, talk to professionals in your field, watch TED talks and learn about new websites.