10 Myths of Small Business Productivity (part one)

I don’t know about you, but working alone from home sometimes means mixed results in terms of getting things done.  Some days I amaze myself by whizzing through what I thought would take me all week, but then other weeks seem to arrive and depart before I quite manage to get started :)

I was relieved to learn, from speaking with other home based business owners, that I’m not alone in finding it difficult to stay motivated and be productive all the time.

Here are some of the excuses I’ve heard (some of mine are included!)

1.    I need to make a cup of coffee first
I suppose the thinking behind this is that I don’t want to stop once I get going, so get a drink first.  But actually, I’ll enjoy that coffee much more as a reward after working for an hour or so.

2.    I’ll get more done after tidying my desk
This is pure procrastination and usually crops up when we don’t want to do a particular task.  Is it because of lack of knowledge, lack of resources or worry at not doing a good job? 

3.    I’ll be more productive .... tomorrow
Tomorrow is always the busiest day for a procrastinator!  A tip I learned from Mark Forster, to commit to completing one action each day, helps break this cycle.

4.    I don’t have enough time to finish this task today, so I’ll leave it until I do have time.
If you don’t have to get the whole job done in one go, then break it down into smaller steps and just do the first one.  That’s often enough to break through the barrier of getting started.

5.    There are too many interruptions
While you can’t stop all interruptions, you can cut them down by setting and keeping to clearly defined boundaries when it comes to friends & family. 

(part two tomorrow!)

Do any of the above resonate with you?  What stops you from being productive?  Please share in the comments below – and a retweet would be lovely if you enjoyed this post