Top 5 distractions that business owners struggle with
Entrepreneurs are known for having a laser focus and a strong desire to be productive. But, because they’re only human, they’ll make mistakes from time to time, and that’s okay.
However, if they take more breaks than sales and their personal and corporate growth is slowing down, something is wrong. They’re losing sight of their goals.
Executives, managers, and business leaders are easily distracted, and breaking free requires a strong desire. Here are the top five distractions that business owners face on a regular (and, surprisingly, still) basis.
See if any of them (or more) speaks to you.
Procrastination
If you are thinking about how you can do something better tomorrow when you should be doing it today, you are procrastinating. Procrastination can also be caused by a fear of failure.
When you’re not comfortable cold-calling clients, you’ll put it on hold until you find someone who is. If you’re not good with design work but it’s the only thing left to do, you’ll find another task to do to avoid getting it done.
Why do something you’re not good at, to begin with? Delegate, or even better, outsource. This allows you to concentrate on what you do best while the business runs smoothly.
Social Media
You most likely have a business and a personal social media account right now. You might even have one for your children and another for your other business.
Do you remember when you only had your own account? You’ve probably spent hours scrolling through it. Consider how many hours you’ve recently squandered now that you have two or more.
If your company has an online presence, you have the perfect excuse to spend hours scrolling through social media.
Maybe you want to be the first to reply to any customer reaction or complaint, but while this is admirable, your days will be spent putting out fires.
You should grow your business and delegate social media management to an employee. They can collect responses so you can identify and address trends.
No one is stopping you from engaging with your audience, but make time for it so you can focus on them and then work on the other aspects of your business.
Meetings
It is a waste of time to attend meetings solely to sign in on the attendance sheet. If you know you’ll be impacting the agenda’s progress, politely decline.
Subordinates will invite you to all meetings to show respect and subtly inform you that they are working on a project. Rather than attending the meeting, tell the host of your expectations and simply observe the outcomes.
Your mere presence makes your employees nervous. Some will hesitate to speak up, while others will try their hardest to please you rather than thinking outside the box about what is best for the company.
Take a breather. Trust your team and attend meetings only when you are needed. These are typically the weekly town halls and management meetings.
Regularly checking your email without a clear purpose is akin to wasting time on social media. Many productivity experts advise only checking your inbox at specific times of day and logging out when the timer expires.
I used to prefer that my inbox be empty before I left for work. Now I see how useless and ineffective it was.
I simply told myself that if an email demanded my immediate response, I would respond immediately. If the situation was complex, I’d just call the person instead of emailing back. Emails that have nothing to do with me are now ignored. Perhaps you can do the same.
Being in the office all the time
Going to work is one thing, but producing results is quite another. There is a belief that being at the office increases productivity, so everyone is expected to clock in at specific times.
Fortunately, remote work has been proven to increase employee flexibility while also increasing company productivity.
Deer Designer, an on-demand design service, understands the importance of accountability and how much great work can be accomplished when you trust your employees.
We get more done when our designers work remotely, rather than forcing them to commute to work and produce uninspired work because they are tired and exhausted.
Focus cuts steel
There are countless distractions and so many things in your life that you must prioritize. Don’t let anything or anyone distract your attention from your goals. Never allow yourself to make excuses for not achieving your objectives.
You will only be distracted if you allow yourself to be sidetracked, so it is best if you understand why you do so. Are you bored, terrified, or exhausted? Then, rather than ignoring your inner conflicts, tackle them!
If you want to go far in your entrepreneurial journey, look for help. Supportive partners and services can enable you to accomplish more than you could alone.
