When I work with a business owner, one of the first things that I cover with them is their schedule. Specifically, I want to know when they work on their business. Most of the time, I just get a blank stare that lets me know that we are going to have to work on developing some habits.
The best time to work on your business is in the morning. Before any calls. Before any employee interruptions. Before you get your day blown up by an angry client.
This morning time for me is called a power hour and I use my power hour at times to ensure that I am working on my own business.
Just working on your business is not enough though. You need to make sure that you are setting yourself up for success and using your time effectively. Here are three ways that I ensure that this happens.
Select Your Location Carefully– I was reminded of this while I was watching on old episode of 30 Rock recently. One of the characters, Pete, would come into the office early to have some time to himself and just enjoy the morning. One such morning a co-worker, Kenneth, happened upon Pete and asked him what he was doing, thought it sounded good and then started joining him. Kenneth proceeds to blab Pete’s ear off with story after story every morning.
The moral of the story? When working on your business, choose your location carefully. Your office or place of business may not be the best place to get things done in your business.
Create Time and Space– If you are going to work on your business, then you need to schedule the time. Otherwise it just won’t happen. This can be a set schedule or rhythm or it can be at different times each week. Just make sure you set the time and that you have a specific agenda regarding what you want to accomplish with that time. Also, make sure you are doing it more than once a month.
Have A Strategy To Implement– Coming up with ideas and strategies are great but you have to be able to implement them. Make sure that as you create you have a good idea on who can help you implement the work that you are doing and the timeframe that this needs to happen. This is usually the point that good work goes to waste, don’t let that happen to you and your business.
You can certainly choose to work on your business in the evenings or during the afternoon but I have found that business owners have more success when they work on their business in the morning. Take a look at your own work schedule. How much time is allotted for working on your business?