Business Information for Entrepreneurs by an Entrepreneur

One interesting challenge I see a lot of entrepreneurs struggle with is the pendulum that swings between working too much… and procrastination. Even I tend to do too much some days and not enough other days and, frankly, I wish I could find the perfect spot between and hold that level each day of the week.

When it comes to procrastination, how do you get your work done? What can you do to push through that internal resistance and do the work you need to do? Here are some ideas:

If the task you're avoiding is unpleasant:

• When prioritizing your work, schedule one unpleasant task first and get it out of the way.
• Consider rewarding yourself with appropriate rewards to motivate you.

If the task you're avoiding is too big:

• Break difficult tasks that you tend to resist and leave until the last minute down into smaller tasks that can be scheduled over a period of time.
• Consider outsourcing it to someone who could use the work or the money. If it's an easy task, hire a high school student. If it requires some technical expertise, go online and hire a freelancer to do it.

If there's some other reason you're not sure of:

• Don't be afraid to embrace who you are. Sometimes we need that extra pressure from a deadline to help us do the job. Although I wouldn't recommend this as a “best practice” to do every time, leaving something until the last minute — as long as it's not a vital business task that could make or break your business — isn't the end of the world.

Someone recommended to me a copy of Cramer's book, published in 2002. They suggested the book as part of a conversation I was in regarding the challenge of owners of established and growing small businesses who find themselves up against a wall: too busy to take on more clients but not busy enough to hire someone else.

I was hoping the solution would be in When Faster, Smarter, Harder is Not Enough. The book, subtitled “Six steps for achieving what you want in a rapid-fire world” seemed to be exactly the kind of book I was interested in reading on the topic. Unfortunately, when I completed the book, I wasn't sure that I came away with any practical, actionable items.

The author's six steps include such ideas as outrageous optimism, building momentum, and leveraging success… good concepts! And she contrasts the idea of Faster, Smarter, Harder (which are not enough to get more done) with the ideas of Richer, Deeper, Wiser… supposedly a new outlook on life.

Perhaps I went into the book expecting something different than what was delivered. The book was still a good and it dealt with perennially timely topics like goal setting, optimism, motivation, and strategic alliances… all critical to an entrepreneur's success. But it is definitely a book about higher-level concepts… more of a what-is rather than a how-to.

If you are looking for a detailed step-by-step how-to approach to solving the growing business dilemma, you'll have to keep looking. If you're sick of the workday grind and want a fresh perspective, this is the book for you.

I wasn't sure what to blog about today so I thought I'd solve my dilemma by taking a walk around the block to get some fresh air.

I stopped for a moment at a children's playground and sat on the bench and watched them. Inspiration strikes at the oddest times and I thought of something to blog and returned home.

From the few moments I spent near that playground, I give you 5 Things I Learned about Business at the Playground.

1. If you fall, get back up. I wasn't there for more than 10 minutes and I think that every child there stumbled at least once. They got back up and kept playing. We'll make mistakes in business and if we're not making mistakes periodically, we're not trying very hard.
2. Find what you love to do and do that. Some kids hogged the swings. Others couldn't be pulled away from the slide. Whatever it was they loved to do, they did again and again and were joyous each time. Your business should be something you love to do.
3. Imagine the possibilities. They say that youth is wasted on the young. I think that imagination is wasted on the very young. If only I could imagine such great possibilities as readily as those kids. I think the great entrepreneurs of our time imagined with boundlessness.
4. Savor every moment. The kids were having so much fun and they made a big fuss when some had to be pulled away. That's the kind of fervor we should have in everything we do, whether we own a business or work at a “regular” job.
5. Play fair. Okay, this doesn't always happen on the playground as much as it should, nor does it happen in real life… but a little extra helping of it is always welcome. It's okay to be competitive to build your business but pay your people what they're worth and share the wealth when you have it.