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The Biggest Man-Made Myth and What You Can Do About It

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Everyone hates to admit it, but you know it’s true. Time is our most essential asset if used efficiently. We all have 24 hours in our schedules. Thus, no matter what anyone says, we’re equal. It’s how we use our time that makes all the difference.

Isn’t it fascinating how some people can maximize their productivity levels while others can but don’t? I’ve always wondered how someone like Elon Musk runs his businesses, stays sane and functional, and lives a fulfilling life. Then I thought: it’s not that he has time for everything; it’s that he made time for things that matter to him the most.

The myth is, many people believe they don’t have the time to start a side hustle, learn a new skill or language, or read a book. It’s easy to fall into this trap. Think about it, you must have said NO to one of those before. I have. I do it all the time knowing it’s false. The trick to conquering the “I don’t have time” myth is to become aware of it. 

Here are 4 ways to stay on top of your game, catch the excuses in your head, destroy them, and be extra productive.

1. Set 3 big goals for the month

I hate planning. It overwhelms me. Most of the advice out there is that you should sketch out your month, week, or day in advance. That you should make a detailed plan. It sounds like a chore if you ask me. Being able to manage time well and increase productivity shouldn’t involve more work, should it?

The best way to go about this is to have 3 big goals at the beginning of each month. When you have a list of 15 goals, just looking at them will crush your drive. As a result, it will cause inaction and a decrease in motivation. However, when you write 3 goals on a piece of paper or Google doc, it’s light, doable, and manageable, and there’s nothing more empowering than having a can-do attitude when looking at a list of goals.

2. Eat the biggest frog of the day

This is in Brian Tracy’s book “Eat that frog”. In it, he refers to big goals as frogs. When you wake up, you need to identify your hardest, most important task for the day, and go after it first thing in the morning.

It’s essential to eat ONE big frog, preferably a task that demands energy and focus. For me, It’s writing a long piece, article, or email. I head straight to my Mac when I get out of bed because I know I need to be one step ahead of my day before it sweeps me away. You need to preserve an hour or two that is free of distractions to work efficiently and get meaningful results.

Again, the more goals you have, the harder it is to manage time and be more productive. Do this every day and every small step will add up to enormous accomplishments.

“Time is a created thing. To say I don’t have time is to say I don’t want to.” – Lao Tzu

3. Prioritize and protect your time

Like money, it’s important to watch where your time goes. That’s your first step towards effective time management. Choose a suitable time to do your most important tasks and protect that time with your life. By that I mean never say yes to unexpected tasks. Life can easily get away from you.

Also, most people undervalue time. They don’t know if you’re busy or free, and they’ll always ask you to hang out and have fun. Use that lack of knowledge to your advantage. It’s better to look unavailable or active even when you’re not. It makes it easy to say no to things that add nothing of value to your life. By protecting and spending your time how you want, you have more in control.

The worst thing that can happen is when time is controlling you. That’s what makes a person say “I don’t have time”. It just means they’re entangled in their own illusion, and the sad part is they’ve convinced themselves they can’t change their situation. As a result, they lose hope and live the rest of their lives thinking there was no solution to their problems due to “lack of time”.

In a nutshell, be more aware of how your time is spent, and invest it into important habits that’ll move the needle, which will allow you to grow personally and professionally.

4. Hell yeah or no

This concept is based on a book by the same title: “Hell yeah or no: what’s worth doing” by Derek Sivers.

When you’re asked to do something, anything, the answer to it should always be hell yeah or no. If you’re not feeling pumped about going after a goal, question that decision. There should be nothing between hell yeah and no. 

Therefore, we have to be picky about where our time goes. Before taking on new projects, I think long and hard about how much time I’ll have to invest. I ask myself these questions:

  • What am I going to get out of this once it’s complete?
  • Is it genuinely going to be worth my time?
  • How much time will I have to invest every day and week?

For example, I’ve always wanted to learn how to code. Even though it’s boring — a clear red flag — I knew it’s necessary for my writing business. Given that I’m not a techie person, I find coding ridiculously time-consuming and unenjoyable. It’ll take me weeks, if not more, to become decent at it, so it won’t be worth my time. Instead, I can use that time to do other exciting things for myself.

Mehdi Jouay (or MJ) helps personal brands, course creators, and business owners double up their online presence, get more high-quality traffic to their websites, and improve their sales funnel. He is a certified content marketer and copywriter who specializes in writing SEO-friendly blog posts, landing pages, and emails that turn prospects into customers. Mehdi is a prolific writer on Medium. Check out his work there or go to his website to find out more about him.

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Success Advice

How to Alter Your Business Approach With Technological Advancements

Keeping up with technological trends has become a challenge for almost every business owner.

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altering business approach
Image Credit: Midjourney

Technology’s evolution has impacted everything, and business is no exception. Keeping up with technological trends has become a challenge for almost every business owner. Entrepreneurs unable to do so are being wiped out of the market.

There is no doubt that AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) have taken over the business world. These technological advancements are impacting decision-making, success percentages, and other entrepreneurial aspects.

Adapting to these developments is integral to business success. Let’s explore how you can accomplish these milestones.

Embed the strength of AI and ML.

AI has modified business operations in major ways. For instance, companies have employed bots for customer support. These bots go through an effective learning process via Machine Learning before being able to answer like humans.  

Bots can also perform detailed data analytics and make business moves with high success percentages.

ML is used more for the analysis of data chunks and generating successful predictions. This simply means that business owners do not have to worry about large-scale financial losses. 

In terms of deployment and usage, a reputed company like Netflix employs machine learning for decision-making.

Blockchain is increasing the count of business opportunities

Tampering of financial transactions is quite common and causes severe monetary damage to customers. With the rise of digital payments, this risk has increased. 

Blockchain is used to elevate your experience for monetary transfers. It combats penetrating events to extract confidential customer information. 

Most business sectors are using block chain but finance and supply chain management sections have a higher count. These two corporate sections have several monetary deposits and withdrawals taking place. 

In terms of percentage, approximately 72% and 5% of finance and supply chain firms have implemented block chain successfully.

Dedicate Yourself to Continuous Learning and Individual Development

You invest in learning some of the very important skills, including digital marketing, financial management, and how to gain customers as an entrepreneur.

You need to set up your knowledge base about doing business on Coursera and Udemy with the basics that are necessary for the business, building further by networking with experts through webinars.

Besides, Agile methodology will introduce elasticity to your company: this review and feedback system with further correction regularly will allow for enhancing efficiency and promptly reacting to the market.

Developing key skills to achieve goals

Running a business successfully is not only about having niche/domain knowledge. Business owners need to have communication / soft skills as well in addition to niche information.

Here are some key technical/domain-related areas that business owners should have a strong grip on.

Data Storage on Cloud: These days, companies do not store their data on physical servers. Therefore business owners should know how data is stored/edited/removed/updated via AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and other platforms.

Data Analysis/Interpretation Qualities: These days, data is as precious as gold. Business owners with data analysis abilities make correct predictions. As a result, their ventures grow in volume.

Development/Coding Knowledge

Programming knowledge gives business owners an edge whether the application is developed in-house or outsourced. It assists in getting updates deployed and handling application underperformance without getting professional support every time.

Hacking proof framework

There is no benefit of having an advanced automated system if can be penetrated. Successful business owners have above-average knowledge of cyber security and hacking attempts. They are able to choose top-notch anti-hacking software without much of an ambiguity.

Communication Abilities/Soft Skills

Here are some key communication qualities that business owners should have:

Communication/Conversation: Business owners should use to-the-point sentences in both written and oral communication.

Issue Resolution Abilities: Business owners should be able to drill down to problems and solve them. This is done successfully only if an entrepreneur has in-depth business domain knowledge.

Agile Implementations

It is mandatory for business owners to have knowledge of iterative/agile models. With such a competitive environment, it is impossible for business owners to succeed without adopting an agile framework.

Create a productive well-crafted Business Strategy

A productive business venture starts with a clear vision. The first factor making a business successful is the idea behind it. It helps with endless growth and combating competition successfully. Katherine Philips once mentioned that business goals are inevitable if goals are set concretely.

  • Goals should be based on smart achievements instead of complexity. Focus on the value that each one of them adds. 
  • Business objectives should not be vague. Key indicators should be constructed to measure the success/failure of each milestone.
  • Be realistic when setting goals. Do not aim at impossible milestones since they can be demotivating.
  • Milestones/goals need to be time-bound. Set a completion deadline for each one of them. 
  • Business goals should not be alien. Owners can think out of the box but not be obsolete / unrelated.

Create a productive well-crafted Business Strategy

Business owners cannot succeed without having a network. Some tips help in this case. Attend conferences and professional gatherings to connect with other entrepreneurs.
Here are some other related points business owners should pay attention to.

  • Attend meetings and conferences to stay updated with trends and meet business owners who already have well-set ventures. This helps in enhancing the learning curve of new / growing entrepreneurs.
  • Being a part of business communities/groups is very productive. When one shares opinions and discusses decision-making tactics, it helps in preventing errors and enhancing success rate.
  • Even the most experienced business owners have mentors as learning never stops. Take part in mentorship programs so there is an assurance that you are following the correct roadmap.

Conclusion

There is absolutely no doubt that business dimensions have evolved with technological advancements. Successful entrepreneurs have grabbed these changes in due course of time and continue to evolve. On the other hand, people following old paths and conventional steps fade out of competition. In a nutshell, keep an eye on the processes and practices you follow as these factors decide success rate.

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Success Advice

Understanding the Power of Yes and No: How to Create Boundaries For Success

These words have a significant impact on how our success unfolds

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Creating legal boundaries
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The two smallest yet most powerful words in life, “Yes” and “No,” have a big impact on our growth on both personal and professional levels. In addition to affecting the choices we make every day, these words have a significant impact on how our success unfolds. (more…)

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Motivation

From Couch Potato to Go-Getter: A Step-by-Step Motivation Plan for Everyone

By understanding what motivates you, you can turn your dreams into reality

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How to be motivated
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Are you tired of feeling like a couch potato? Do you want to transform your life and become a go-getter? You’re not alone! Many people struggle with motivation, but the good news is that change is possible. (more…)

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Success Advice

10 Micro Financial Habits for More Wealth and Peace of Mind

The World Economic Forum still reports that half of U.S. adults lack financial literacy

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micro financial habits
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You’ve heard about developing financial habits, but what about micro-financial habits? Micro habits are the tiny things you can do every day with minimal effort that, together, transform your future. (more…)

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