productivity tips

  • Staying Motivated as an Entrepreneur

    Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.
    ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

    It’s so easy to tell yourself that you’re going to accomplish something new, but what happens when it takes longer than you originally thought? Like most of us, you’ll probably find that your motivation starts to disappear.

    Eventually, you might even give up on the idea altogether.

    This is what makes keeping your motivation up as an entrepreneur so important, especially when you’re first starting out.

    I want to share with you why motivation is important, what causes you to feel unmotivated and give you some tips on how to keep yourself motivated. Yes, I’ll be talking about entrepreneurs a lot, but this info can work for anyone in any situation, not just for business owners.

    Why Motivation is Important for Entrepreneurs

    Unlike typical 9-5 jobs, entrepreneurs often find themselves performing roles that are usually carried out by multiple people—such as accounting, marketing, and handling customer service. Plus you still have to perform your services or create new products.

    All of these are things that would normally be carried out by different people or at scale, whole departments. Once you realize just how many jobs you’re doing, things can get overwhelming really quickly. This leads to many would-be entrepreneurs losing the motivation to continue.

    Entrepreneurship and proper motivation typically hand in hand. You’ll find it really difficult to focus on all the things you have to do if you don’t have the right level of motivation.

    Below are some reasons why you should focus on improving your motivation to increase your chances of success.

    Motivation encourages positivity

    When you’re motivated, you’ll find your mindset is positive. You’re geared up to work on your goals and improve your life. The more motivated you become, the more susceptible you are to changes you need to make.

    Motivation focuses on the present and the future. It doesn’t dwell in the past or allow room for any negativity. Without it, you could find yourself stuck in a negative spiral which is really hard to get out of.

    Motivation keeps you focused

    Staying focused on your goals isn’t always easy. However, motivation helps enormously. It causes you to focus solely on the goal you’re working towards. Provided you’ve set realistic goals, you’ll stay consistently motivated and therefore more likely to achieve success.

    It’s up to you to figure out what it is that keeps you motivated, but it can help to have something external to focus on. A picture or a dream map/vision board of what you want to achieve can prove especially effective.

    Motivation encourages more effort

    You’ll notice that when you’re motivated, you put a lot more effort into achieving your goals. The most effective motivation comes from working towards something you’re passionate about.

    The more passionate you are about your business, the more motivated you’ll become and the more effort you’ll put into achieving your business goals.

    Motivation helps you think outside the box

    With the right motivation, you’ll be able to come up with new, creative ways to achieve your business goals when you need to. Without it, it’s easy to give up when you reach obstacles along the way.

    Though there will always be some tried and tested methods of conducting business, being able to embrace new ideas and ways of thinking is sometimes necessary. Motivation can help you to keep moving forward rather than doing the same things over and over again.

    Why It’s Hard to Stay Motivated

    For many of us, we experience a huge burst of motivation at the start of project, but it slowly or suddenly fades away, sometimes within just a few days.

    It’s easy to lose motivation after the initial excitement wears off. But if you want to be successful, it’s important to keep going. The work isn’t going to get done itself.

    Read the seven reasons for demotivation below and think about which ones apply most to you. Are there any other reasons you can think of? You may want to write them down and think about how you can avoid your reasons or improve how you handle them.

    (Or you can tell us about them in the comments, as well!)

    The planning phase is more fun than the execution phase

    Sitting alone at night and making plans for the future can be an exciting time. Everything seems possible, because you’re only limited by your imagination at that point.

    However, when the sun comes up in the morning, it’s time to actually get busy. It all seems a little more daunting and less enjoyable when it’s time for the rubber to hit the road.

    Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.

    ― E. Joseph Cossman

    You lose track of the end result

    Remind yourself of the prize at the end of your journey. Visualize how it’s all going to be when you’ve reached your goal. You should feel an immediate boost of motivation.

    Having actual visuals of your goal may help too. Try creating a vision board filled with inspiring photos, affirmations, and quotes; or make your phone or computer desktop backgrounds a representation of your life after completing your goals.

    Your goal doesn’t suit you

    Many of us choose goals that are acceptable to the world at large. It might be buying a huge house or a fancy car. Is this really what will make you feel fulfilled?

    Maybe your goal is totally mismatched to your real desires or temperament. Ensure that you’ve chosen goals that match your interests and abilities. Don’t feel pressured to take on extravagant goals if that’s not who you are.

    You’re taking on too much at once

    It’s easy to feel up to completing a single task or two, but when you have lots of different things to work on, you can easily become overwhelmed. You may find yourself switching between several different tasks or worse, you never get started because you don’t know where to start.

    Practice creating lists of tasks to complete your goals. List your tasks in the right order so you always a clear path for what you need to it. You can make your lists be from most to least important, based on deadlines you need to meet, or a step-by-step start-to-finish order.

    You feel uncomfortable and aren’t dealing with it effectively

    It’s normal to feel uncomfortable when you need to do something new. Whether it’s creating a new income stream, beginning a workout routine, or a new diet, it’s going to be uncomfortable.

    It’s important to deal with this discomfort effectively. Expect to feel uncomfortable and have a plan for working through it.

    You have too many negative thoughts

    Negative thoughts are paralyzing. They’ll make you rationalize all the reasons you feel that you should quit.

    Though it doesn’t always feel like you have control over your thoughts, you do. You can choose what you want to think about.

    Take control of your thoughts. Catch yourself early in the process of thinking negative thoughts and redirect your focus to something more positive.

    Though it takes time to master this ability, the key is to notice quickly that your thoughts are going off the rails.

    You’re stuck in your old habits and routines

    The older you are, the more challenging it can be to break out of your old patterns. We find comfort in our old routines, and our brains become hardwired to repeat them. You’ll need to create new habits and routines if you want to change your behavior and your results.

    Identify one habit that is getting in your way and one habit you need to create to attain your goals. Put your time and energy into dealing with these two items. When you’re successful, tackle two more.

    Good habits are the key to all success. Bad habits are the unlocked door to failure.

    ― Og Mandino

    Expect that your motivation will falter and be prepared to deal with it. Focus on creating habits that will take you to your goals, because habits reduce the need for motivation and willpower.

    Now that we’ve talked about the reasons why you might lose motivation and what to do about them, let’s talk about how to keep yourself motivated!

    How to Keep Yourself Motivated

    Gaining motivation is often a lot easier than actually maintaining it. You’re eventually going to have to deal with plateaus, setbacks, or relapses, which are completely normal when it comes to life-changing goals.

    The important thing is to keep pushing through even when things get tough. Try following the tips below to keep up your motivation consistently.

    Take action daily

    This is the single best step you can take in order to further your momentum. Taking action ensures that you’re making progress, no matter how small. Even if you don’t know exactly what action you’ll be taking, just do something, anything, to further yourself.

    For example, If you want to lose weight, it’s important to burn more calories than you take in each day. If you want to grow your business, review business growth materials.

    Find motivational nuggets

    Take a few minutes each day to read something inspiring, whether it’s motivational quotes or affirmations to keep your confidence going. Motivational quotes or affirmations that inspire you can help transcend your mindset away from the daily grind and onto things that are bigger than yourself.

    We have a lot of these within our articles here on Stay Goal’d! Check out our Pinterest account, too.

    Check your progress

    Write down your goals and check in on your progress each day. If you’re feeling stuck or like you’re not moving forward, review the goal that you’re trying to accomplish.

    Think positively about how close you are to the goalpost rather than how far you are from it.

    Talk to another

    Find another person who has already achieved goals similar to the ones you’re working on.

    If you’re goal is to get physically fit, for example, find a bodybuilder, runner, athlete or other like-minded individual whose been in your shoes.

    Extract all the wisdom, advice and helpful tidbits that you can from their story.

    Plan ahead

    Scheduling time to work on things related to your goals is critical. We use schedules for everything else in our lives, so there’s no reason that time devoted to working on personal goals cannot be included as well.

    Invest in a personal planner, use printable planner pages, or use an app on your computer or phone. Maybe try a combination, with one handling your daily plans and another your monthly or long-term goals.

    If you don’t know exactly where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?

    ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

    Reward yourself

    Small rewards have been shown to motivate everyone from kids to older adults. Rewards act as a positive reinforcement, and even affirmation of a job well done.

    When we’re being rewarded, we tend to continue pressing on towards our goals.

    Limit all distractions

    You already know that procrastination is detrimental to motivation. So, if you’re looking to maintain your motivation, you’re going to need to limit all distractions.

    This includes limiting your time on social media, browsing websites or even using your phone. Whatever tends to distract you, set limits on when you can use them. You’ll be surprised how much of a difference this can make.

    Make sure you’re eating right

    Did you know that your diet can affect your motivation? If you regularly skip meals, or simply eat fast, unhealthy foods, you’re going to struggle to stay motivated.

    This is because a poor diet zaps your energy. The less energy you have, the harder it is to stay focused and motivated. So, make sure you’re eating a healthy, balanced diet rich in Vitamin B6 and iron.

    Make sure you’re not skipping meals or you have healthy snacks on hand. If you’re hungry and all you can think about is your next meal, it’s really hard to focus on whatever work you’re doing.

    Surround yourself with positive people

    Who we choose to surround ourselves with makes a huge difference to how motivated we remain. For example, if you find you’re mainly communicating with negative people, your motivation is going to dwindle away.

    Negative people literally zap the energy right out of you. So, just like a poor diet, they’re going to leave you feeling drained and unmotivated. Positive people on the other hand, will leave you even more motivated to fulfill your goals.

    Find a role model

    Following on from the last point, finding a role model can do wonders for your motivation. It could be somebody you know, or it could be someone famous or maybe even a character from your favorite TV show.

    If you have a role model, it gives you someone to look up to and aspire to be. This in turn really boosts motivation and keeps you focused on your goals.

    Focus on short-term goals

    Finally, when setting goals, it’s so important to make sure you have a plan that includes easily achievable short-term goals. While you’ll still want to have a long-term goal to strive towards, you need to split it into smaller goals so you have a plan with quicker steps to achieve.

    For example, if you want to lose weight, that would be your long-term goal. However, to stay motivated you’re going to need to see progress. Your short-term goals could include the changes you want to make to your diet and starting an exercise plan.

    As you consistently meet your smaller goals, it’s going to really boost your motivation.

    Start each day with a positive thought and a grateful heart.

    ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

    It’s definitely not easy to maintain motivation, but the tips above will help. Like anything in life, the key is to work at it and do whatever it takes to keep your motivation levels high.

    A few other things you can try are

    • writing in a journal,
    • listening to inspiring talks,
    • join a support group related to your goals,
    • spending a few minutes in quiet meditation on our goals,
    • or posting daily reminders.

    These are just a few of the things that we can do on a regular basis to keep motivation and ensure that we’re continually making progress.

    The key word here is “progress.” If you taking some action or doing even just one thing on a daily basis that furthers us along in our goals, you’ll feel better about yourself and be able to keep that momentum.

  • What are Goals? Examples of goals to set for a happy & successful life

    “A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.”
    ― Greg Reid

    If you’re looking to turn your dreams into reality this year (or anytime in the near future!), you’re going to want to utilize the power of goals. Ask any successful person their key to success and they’ll tell you it’s largely in the goal-setting.

    So, what are goals and how exactly can they help you to achieve your dreams? Here, you’ll discover everything you need to know.

    What Are Goals?

    The definition of a goal is a desired result a person wants to accomplish, combined with the effort to achieve it. Goals can be set for every single area of your life and they can be both large and small.

    For example, you may want to progress in your current career. This would be your large, overall goal. However, in order to achieve it, there are certain steps you’ll need to take, such as training. These steps can be broken down into smaller goals.

    It’s actually really important to make sure you are setting smaller, achievable goals and not just large ones. This is because, in order to achieve any goal that you set, you need to stay motivated.

    If the goal is too big, such as progressing in your career or losing weight, it’s going to take a long time to actually achieve it and you won’t see much progress along the way.

    However, if you were to break down the goals, you’d accomplish them quickly, boosting your motivation to continue.

    Examples of smaller goals include:

    • Go for a walk once a week – Main goal: better health
    • Sign up for a training course to learn a new skill – Main goal: provide more/better service in your business or career
    • Create a checklist to use with clients or as a lead magnet – Main goals: a new way to help clients or build a larger email list

    The smaller the goals, the easier you’ll find them to stick to.

    Why It’s Important to Set Goals

    “Success is the progressive realization of predetermined, worthwhile, personal goals.”

    — Paul J. Meyer

    Goal setting allows you to work towards your dreams. Success does not come easy, but goals help to lighten the load and make things that may have seemed impossible before an actualized reality.

    To get more specific though, here are a few reasons why it’s so important to have goals.

    Take control of your life

    Do you often feel like you have no control over your own life?

    It’s easy to lose our way and get caught up in living on auto-pilot. However, goal setting can really help you to take back control over your life.

    By setting goals you’re thinking about what you want from life. Instead of just doing what everyone else wants you to do, you’ll be starting to act more upon what you want to achieve.

    Keep focused

    When you’ve got a list of goals to work towards, it really helps to keep you focused on your dreams.

    It’s easy to lose focus when you don’t have a specific goal in mind and you’re just going through the motion’s day upon day. Goals give you a sense of direction, which in turn focuses the mind.

    Achieve the best results

    It’s pretty tough to get maximum results in life when you don’t have goals to work towards. Did you know that all of the most successful people in the world set goals they look to accomplish?

    When you have a list of goals, you’ll find you push yourself harder to achieve them. You are literally taking the first step to achieving your dreams when you create goals in your life.

    Keep track of progress

    Finally, goals can really help you to measure your progress. You can see just how far you’ve come, as well as how far you still have left to go to achieve them. This, in turn, can really help to keep those motivation levels up.

    6 Types of Goals to Set for a Happy Life

    “Happiness is not a goal…it’s a by-product of a life well lived.”

    ― Eleanor Roosevelt

    Now that you’ve learned the importance of creating goals, it’s time to start actually creating some. If you’re new to goal setting, it can be difficult knowing what type of goals you should set yourself.

    You can set goals for all areas of your life. So, to give you a little inspiration, here you’ll discover 6 types of goals you need in life.

    Business Goals

    We spend most of our lives working, so it makes sense to ensure you’re doing something you actually enjoy. Setting business and study goals is crucial to success.

    Think of the top business people in the world―Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos―all of them set goals that they work to achieve.

    When thinking about your business goals, consider the type of career you want to have or business you’d like to create. Think about the impact you’d like to have on the world.

    Learning Goals

    Whether you’re in school or taking classes or not, having some goals for learning something new will enrich your life. They could be business related or just something you want to do as a hobby.

    For those of you for are still in school or college, setting goals can also help you to focus more on your studies and help you to achieve better grades. It could also help you create better balance between your school and social life.

    Don’t forget that learning and studying is also good to further your career or build a better business. If you don’t have them already, you’ll want to start listing your business or study goals now, so you can work towards success.

    Relationship Goals

    “Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.”

    ― Shannon Alder

    Relationships of all kinds require work to keep them strong and healthy. Whether you’re looking to improve your relationship with your spouse, a friend, or with family members, setting goals can really help.

    It could be setting a goal to reconnect with your partner via more regular date nights. Or maybe you could make more effort to meet up with friends for coffee?

    Think about the different ways your relationships could be made stronger.

    Health Goals

    If you want to live a long and happy life, you’re going to want to focus on making sure you’re as healthy as possible. It’s easy to neglect our health when we aren’t working towards specific goals.

    Your health goals could include anything from cutting down on alcohol, to getting fitter and boosting your immune system. Any steps you can take to boost your health is going to help you achieve a better quality of life.

    Don’t forget about your mental health as well as your physical health.

    Financial Goals

    Let’s face it, focusing on finances isn’t exactly fun! At least not all the time.

    However, if you don’t get on top of your financial situation, it can have a significantly negative impact on your wellbeing.

    Financial goals can include anything from getting out of debt, to saving more or gaining a higher income.

    Personal Growth Goals

    “The key to ultimate happiness and fulfillment lies within our own transformation. The more we learn and grow and evolve as individuals, the more we will find happiness and satisfaction in relationships, work and life.”

    ― Kristi Bowman

    Working on personal development really helps you to become a much better, happier person. By improving yourself, it’s going to help you to become much more successful, as well as mentally healthier.

    The great thing about personal development is that it never really ends. There are always ways you can improve yourself and develop healthier habits.

    Whether you need to increase your willpower, improve your self-esteem and confidence, or improve your communication skills—setting personal development goals can help. This is what Stay Goal’d is all about!

    Spiritual Goals

    If religion or spirituality is important to you, you’ll want to make sure some of your goal setting is focused on more spiritual goals. Spiritual goals can help you to feel closer to whichever deity you believe in, as well as help you to connect with your inner self.

    Even if you’re not religious, you can still set spiritual goals for yourself. The whole purpose of these goals is to help you to connect with your real self and ensure you are following your life’s purpose.

    Examples of Simple Goals to Set in Your Life

    “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.”

    ― Albert Einstein

    Now that you know what types of goals you can set, it’s time for you to start thinking about what goals you’d like to set. If you’re struggling to think of some, don’t worry! This next section is just for you.

    Let’s take a look at some examples of large goals you can set and then some smaller goals within them. You could even break down the smaller goals even further to create some baby steps to achieve those goals, but I want to keep it simple for you.

    You can use these as inspiration to create your own goals, or you could choose to use them as they are, but make sure it’s something personal to you. Remember that you’re more likely to achieve goals that you set based on your own specific wants or need.

    Okay, ready for a little goal inspiration? Here are the examples.

    Focus on self-care

    Despite how important it is, many people don’t really consider focusing on self-care. Plenty focus on being physically healthy, but you should also focus on the health of your mind, as well.

    Self-care includes everything from making sure you get some much needed “you” time to learning how to say no to things you don’t want or don’t have the capacity to do.

    As entrepreneurs, we’re often so busy working on fulfilling the many roles our business demands, often taking care of clients and customers, that we forget for taking care of ourselves.

    Here are just a few examples of self-care goals you could set for yourself:

    • Starting a gratitude journal
    • Spending time doing a relaxing activity
    • Forgiving yourself for bad decisions
    • Finding more time for yourself
    • Making time to practice a hobby

    What other goals can you think of that you could set for your own wellbeing?

    Travel for fun

    “Everything I was I carry with me, everything I will be lies waiting on the road ahead.”

    ― Ma JianRed Dust: A Path Through China

    I realize that some of us are lucky enough to travel in our businesses but forget about business travel for just a sec. What about traveling just for fun?

    Even if you’re not a natural nomad, traveling delivers many great benefits. When you travel, it really broadens the mind and helps you to develop more empathy and compassion.

    It can also help you to realize what’s really important in life, giving you a much bigger picture of the world around you.

    Some example goals you can set if you’re looking to travel more include:

    • Set aside a specific amount of money each month to save for a vacation
    • Aim to visit at least one new foreign destination each year
    • Explore local destinations once a week
    • Experience different methods of travel or transportation
    • Plan a cross country road trip

    Think about the places you’d love to travel to and how much you can realistically afford to spend on travel this year.

    Improve your health

    Most of us could do with improving our general health. Whether it’s to get fitter, boost the immune system or develop healthier habits, there’s always something you can focus on to get healthier.

    Examples of general health-related goals can include:

    • Drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up
    • Exercise at least 4 times each week
    • Add exercise into your workday breaks
    • Try a new healthy recipe each week
    • Set a strict bedtime routine to improve sleep

    Whichever area of your health you’re hoping to improve, setting goals can really help.

    Give more to those around you

    Of course, our goals shouldn’t just be all about ourselves. It’s a good idea to aim to give more to those around us. The more you give in life, the more you’re likely to receive.

    It’s easy to live an egotistical life, getting caught up in our own lives and dramas. However, there’s a reason giving makes us feel good, and that’s because it’s ultimately at the heart of who we are as human beings.

    Some example goals you could set include:

    • Compliment a random person
    • Be kind to all of the people you meet
    • Volunteer at a local charity
    • Donate things you don’t use to charity
    • Take a friend out to lunch

    Giving involves so much more than donating money. So, even if you don’t have the funds to donate to charity, you can still help in many other ways.

    Have you set some goals yet?

    Now that you know how crucial goals are if you want to turn your dreams into reality, you can now start setting your own. If you haven’t created any goals yet, now is definitely the time to do so.

    What types of goals are most important to you?

    This is great place to start when setting goals, whether it’s your first serious attempt or you’re looking to set a new goal.

    Set goals in the areas that will make you feel the happiest and fulfilled in your life. Start with some easy or simple ones to get into the practice.

    Remember, no matter which type of goal you’re looking to achieve, it should be something specific and personal. It’s important to break each big goal down into small and easily achievable steps.

    Good luck with working to achieve your dreams! The more you set goals and achieve them, the easier it will become to keep it up, and the more success and happiness you’ll be able to achieve.

  • 7 Ways to Be More Productive in Life

    Productivity doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be easily boosted through a manageable combination of the right tools, resources, and habits to make the most of your time. — Caroline Ghosn

    We all want to make the most of our time and get as much done in a single day as possible (well, I do anyway!). It seems like time slips by quickly, and often we feel that we have nothing to show for it.

    No one wants to waste valuable time, but often it can be difficult to manage your time wisely. Here are some actionable ideas that will help you to become more productive, whether at home or at work.

    These tips will help you get the most out of the never-ending cycle of having too much work and not enough hours in the day.

    How to Be More Productive

    Get enough sleep

    Everyone has a slightly different requirement for how much sleep they need, but the one thing we all have in common is that we do not function at our best unless we are getting that necessary amount.

    Try to find your sweet spot as far as how much is best for you, and make it a priority to get that sleep. I function best at anywhere from 6-9 hours and usually make sure I get in bed with time to get about 7.

    Set simple goals

    If you don’t know where you want to go, you are not likely to get where you need to. Set goals to guide you where you want to be.

    Also, don’t try and “eat the whole elephant at once.” Break those goals up into small chunks and conquer them bit by bit. Create simple to-do lists for each day that help you complete larger projects.

    Here are a couple of quick examples:

    Trying to clean your house? Go from room to room rather than trying to take on everything at once.

    If you have a project at the office, do a few things every day in order to complete it by the deadline.

    Create a daily routine

    Our bodies function well when we work on a daily routine. There is no need to be boxed in by a rigid schedule, but if you loosely follow a certain pattern each day you will find that it leads to greater productivity.

    Set aside certain times of the day when you work, take breaks, or sit down for lunch. I’ve found it helps to schedule in some ‘me’ time, too, even if it’s just 20 minutes or less.

    Keep your space tidy

    Make this a priority. When you live in chaos, it drags you down in every way and makes it almost impossible to accomplish anything.

    On the other hand, a clean and orderly home and office contribute to clarity of mind, which will increase your productivity. You also won’t have to stop because you accidentally knocked something off your desk!

    Focus on one task at a time

    No matter how many people feel that multi-tasking is a positive and necessary trait, it’s actually more counter-productive to getting anything of value done. You may think you are making good use of your time by multi-tasking, but it actually makes it impossible to focus on anything fully and the quality of your work often suffers because of it.

    This is one that I struggle with a lot. I find it helps to keep my phone just out of reach so it’s less convenient to pick up every 5 seconds, and I often utilize the Pomodoro technique.

    Treat your body right

    An important aspect of being productive is taking care of the body you live in. Make time for exercise, as it releases natural “feel good” chemicals which will give your day a boost and provide you with a positive outlook.

    Eat right and be sure to drink plenty of water, as this will give you the energy you need to make the most of every minute.

    Prioritize

    No matter how much you try to get everything done, there are only so many hours in a day. It’s best to accept this and start to prioritize what you need to get done.

    Make a list of tasks and decide what is most important, what is least important, and what falls in between. You might have many good things on your list, but you need to decide what is not only good but the best for you personally.

    “Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work in hand. The Sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”

    ― Alexander Graham Bell

    Put these tips into practice

    For your final tip, make sure you put as many of these tips into practice as possible! The best way to start being productive is to simply start working on whatever it is you need to get done.

    You probably have a lot that you want to fit into your busy schedule, so don’t waste another moment and just get started.