I admit that it can sometimes be easy to fall into a place where I’m not sure WHY I’m doing what I’m doing. I can lose sight of my motivation and goals in my business and get caught up in the daily grind—so much so that I’m spinning my wheels and not actually having a positive impact on my business. One way to get back on track is to start asking “how does this activity help my business?
This suggestion is really another way of “keeping an eye on the bottom line”—we can get caught up in trying new ideas, going the extra mile for a customer or two, doing busy work or things to “improve efficiency” and before we know it—our days are filled with activities that are not really adding any value to our small businesses. Creating a little internal dialogue and being able to ask yourself “is this helping?” and “how is this helping or improving my business?” By creating this very simple checks and balances, you may be able to keep yourself from investing a bunch of labor, resources, and focus into an activity, client, or business practice that is taking AWAY from your business instead of adding to it.
So, the next time you are bogged down with all sorts of details that seem to be getting you nowhere, ask yourself if that really is the case. There is a difference between activities that might not show a short-term return, but will pay off in the long-term, and those activities that really are a waste of our precious business time! It also helps if you have a written plan for your business—this way you can also check your daily activities against the plan—evaluating whether or not they are getting you closer to where you want to go.
Also: How Will Your Decisions Affect the Future?
Do Your Values Affect Your Decision-Making Style?
Do You Have Enough Information to Make a Good Decision?