We all have the same amount of time in the day — 24 hours. Whether we live in the United States or in Japan, the one constant is time. But some people seem to find more time and are able to get more things done in a day than others. What is their secret? Do they have a time machine that no one else knows about? Nope! They have a routine that they follow religiously.
When you made the transition from an employee to an entrepreneur, your routine changed. Your schedule changed, your priorities changed … your sleeping habits changed.
Being an entrepreneur is a full-time job, no matter what anyone else says. If you’re reading this, then you know how fleeting time is. And now you are looking for a routine to help you reclaim your lost time …
Right?
If so, then this routine will help you find the time that you’ve been losing.
First Things First
Most entrepreneurs enjoy the freedom of waking up whenever they want, especially digital entrepreneurs. But, if you want to be successful, you need to change the way you think. When you worked for someone else, you woke up early and got ready for the day.
Well … nothing has changed! Now, you don’t work for one boss, you work for many (probably).
The most successful entrepreneurs don’t treat their jobs like a hobby. Instead, they treat it like a full-time job – because it is. Following a routine helps you to maintain the mindset that you have a full-time job – not a hobby.
First off, if getting out of bed is your number one obstacle when starting your day, then you need to make some adjustments in some aspects of your daily routine.
What do you do before you go to bed? What time do you go to sleep? Are you getting enough sleep to wake up with the energy to sustain you throughout the next day?
If you find yourself struggling with making these lifestyle adjustments on your own, then hiring a life coach can be your solution. Keep in mind though that before you hire a life coach, you need to ask about their credentials. You can also do a bit of research on the types of program accreditations for life coaches to help you determine which professionals have the training that meets your requirements. Another option is to use task manager apps to help you manage your schedule and can get you motivated to accomplish them.
Starting Out The Day
When you wake up, don’t get out of bed. Instead, you need to do these three things before your feet even touch the floor.
1. Check Social Media
Check all of your social media accounts using your tablet, phone, and/or computer. Make sure that you are caught up on any news that you might be able to share to your followers.
2. Engage With Your Followers
If anyone has commented on your social media accounts, take the time to respond to them. Be open and friendly with them. Treat them great and they’ll return the favor.
3. Respond To Emails
If you’ve received any emails, take the time to respond. Don’t just send a one-line email, unless it absolutely only requires a one-liner response. A well-crafted email will go a long way in showing that you care, especially to the recipient.
Once you’ve completed these three tasks, then it’s time to get out of the bed.
Get Out Of The Bed
Now it’s getting real! It’s time to start your day. For this part, again, there are three things you should do before moving on. They are:
1. Exercise
While most people don’t enjoy exercising, it is beneficial to the body and the mind. Exercise helps to combat anxiety, stress, and depression. It also helps to boost your self-esteem and it releases the feel-good hormones, Endorphins. And in the process, it helps to wake your mind up.
2. Eat
After a vigorous workout, there’s a good chance you’ll be hungry. Don’t skip out on breakfast. There are too many good reasons why you should have a good, healthy breakfast. One major benefit of eating a good breakfast is that it will help you remember things easier.
3. Get Dressed
And finally, get dressed. Too many entrepreneurs believe that they can be successful in their pajamas, laying on the couch, doing whatever they want. For an entrepreneur starting out, that’s a pipedream – not reality! After you’ve become established, with multiple passive income streams in place, you can stay in your pajamas. Until then, get dressed. If you’re serious, and since you’re here, we know you’re serious, get dressed. There’s an old saying that you should “dress for success”. It’s true! You need to dress for success.
Now that you’ve handled these tasks, it’s time to set some goals for the day.
Set Goals For The Day
Some do this the night before, some do this the day of – whatever you choose, make sure it works for you. Setting goals gives you something to aim for. Do you want to start a blog?
Go for it! Too many entrepreneurs don’t have a specific focus, except to make money. But what are you going to do to make money? What we suggest is handling your hardest projects first. Why? Because you are awake, alert, and you haven’t been weighed down with other projects yet. After you’ve finished your hardest projects, keep moving. Some entrepreneurs like to spread out their projects over a large time frame. Don’t do this. Knock everything out before stopping. Staying busy helps to keep you focused on the goals you set for the day.
Once you’ve reached your goals for the day, it’s time to shut it down.
Shut It Down
And finally, you need to find a jumping off point. One thing entrepreneurs often forget is that the day does end. When you work for someone else, you clock in at 8 am and clock out at 5 pm – the day is over. But for an entrepreneur, there isn’t a specific clock-in/clock-out time. There should be. If you are following this routine, there will be.
There are two things that you should do when you shut down for the day.
a. Keep Score
Did you hit your goals today? Were you productive? Did you make money today? Why not? Grade yourself, and be honest about it. If you wouldn’t give yourself an A+ score, do better tomorrow. One way of doing better to reach your goals is to assess where you need to improve. For instance, if after assessing you find out that you lack compelling content, then you can go to freelancer marketplaces like Freelancemyway to find freelance writers who can help you with content. Not only would outsourcing the task ensures that a seasoned professional is doing the work for you, but you can even get it done without adding an extra task in your workload.
b. Take Time To Regroup And Relax
And finally, take a deep breath. Enjoy time with the family. Don’t look at your social media accounts, don’t revisit your emails – shut it down. If you have trouble shutting off your brain, try listening to some relaxing music. Put on your earphones and ease yourself out of your busy thoughts. The most successful entrepreneurs are not ALWAYS ON. And you shouldn’t be either.
Following This Routine
Now, we understand that this routine may not fit you perfectly. But, it should give you a great starting point for defining a routine that will keep you motivated. Too many entrepreneurs just like you fail to succeed because they get stuck in a rut. Don’t be like them. Instead, be successful.
Use this routine, or a variation of it, to reclaim your lost time. You’ll find that you have more time in the day and you’ll be one of the ones with the secret time machine – it’s not a secret anymore.
