Over the past couple months, I’ve been outlining how to ramp up your online business from nothing to something to profits. I’ll pass along some more updates soon just before my wife, and I’s online store hits the web.

Let’s chat about mindset

You’re out on your own when you’re starting a biz or it can seem that way, and the psychological barriers to success can limit you. These little rodents pestering your mind can keep you up at night, keep you away from family, hell it can ruin your business. So, how do you get your mind in shape to handle the day-to-day tasks?

You’re one of the very few, but you’re not alone.

I was speaking with a young, entrepreneur yesterday, and he told me about having a beer with his buddy a couple weeks back. His buddy has a decent paying 9-5 job, and he was in awe of this entrepreneurs new truck. Let’s call him Lee (the entrepreneur, not the truck).

Lee’s friend was pounding back a cold one, and the conversation went something like this:

Friend, “Is that a new truck? Didn’t you just come back from Disneyland? Didn’t you just remodel your house? How the hell do you afford it?”

Lee: “You see the ‘fun’ parts about working for yourself, but you don’t see what happens when I’m juggling numerous projects, when I’m up until 1am putting together estimates or when I have to forgo having a beer with a friend because I’m running a business.”

It’s sometimes tough to get over the illusion, and remember the good about what you’re doing. When you’re starting out – you have to do the things most people don’t want to do. You have to crunch numbers, deal with annoying suppliers, figure out who to hire, and plenty of unglamorous stuff. All of this can seem insurmountable. So how do you get around those barriers?

One little trick I’ve found that works for me is to set my phone timer for a few minutes, and tell myself I’m going to work on the website for x amount of time. Even though it’s only for a few minutes, when I get started, it’s difficult to stop. So 5 minutes turns into an hour, and a bunch of stuff gets done.

It’s like one of the lines from Dumb & Dumber, “I can’t stop going when I’ve started…it stings.”

Lloyd Christmas at his finest

It’s a little trick to frame your mind, and put it into work mode. I used to do this when it came to cleaning the house. I would tell myself to start with one bathroom. Then after doing the one, I know I wouldn’t like the second bathroom to be dirty, so I would clean it. Then I would clean the floors, and on we go.

Set your mind into work mode, and you’ll find yourself to be more productive, especially with those tasks you don’t really want to do.

Another tool

Do you use a calendar? It’s one of the most useful tools in my tool belt. I put EVERYTHING in my calendar. If it’s not in my calendar it doesn’t exist. I even go as far as putting when to shop for groceries in my calendar or when to sit back and think about whether or not I need Netflix (I do this about every 3-months). It’s the little cues that keep me going, and keeps my mind focused on the business at hand because I don’t have to worry about forgetting to shop for groceries because I know it’s in my calendar. It doesn’t seem like the most glamours thing in the world to have a schedule so regimented, but it works for me. Anything I can do to save brain power, I will try and do it.

Re-energize

Do you take time for yourself? This is key. Find a time, put it in your calendar and cherish it. Maybe you like going to the gym, meditatation or do yoga like I do, but find time for yourself to reflect, rest, and re-energize. It’s easier said than done, but it’s so important. I usually like to read before I go to bed or as I mentioned above – practice yoga. I do this every Sunday morning, and rarely anything gets in the way of it.

Find time for yourself, and your business will benefit.

Love you,

Jordan ‘The Guy with the Bow Tie’ Rycroft

Ps. Feel free to leave some ‘tricks’ you use to get your mind in the place it needs to be by leaving a comment below.