Habits:
An important part of being an entrepreneur is making sure you have good habits. It can be difficult to stay motivated, especially when working from home. Distractions are everywhere but it is imperative to make sure you stay on track during your workday despite that.
The “when I do this, I do that” method can help form habits that will lead us to a more productive lifestyle. This habit creating technique was created by BJ Fogg. He came up with the idea when decided to get into better shape. Every time he went to the bathroom, he did two pushups; soon two pushups became 4 pushups and so on. Understand how triggers work to que certain behaviors – whether good or bad.
It is little things like those that can have a huge affect on your life. To start forming those small (but important) behaviors, there are 3 essential steps:
1. Start Small
Make it easy on yourself when starting out. Don’t try to tackle all your items on your financial checklist. The quickest way to get unmotivated is by starting off with too much. If your goal is to start budgeting, then start by forecasting revenue for next month. It will get you into the swing of understanding how the process can work before biting off more of your expense forecast.
2. Find an Anchor
Find something to tie the new habit to. For example, talking on the phone, answering a text message, or before answering emails. Either tie your habit to when you do certain activities, or just before (e.g., breathe for a full two minutes before answering emails). These are things you might do frequently throughout the day that can be a consistent activity to tie your new routine to.
3. Celebrate Immediately
Critical to forming new habits is immediately rewarding yourself for the positive behavior. It does not have to be a big reward, just something that can help your brain recognize the accomplishment. Smile at yourself in a mirror, give yourself a pat on the back, or indulge in a funny YouTube video. Whatever works best for you.
By forming tiny habits, you will become more productive as an entrepreneur. The little things add up to big accomplishments down the road. The “When I Do This, I Do That” method is a great first step in the process of forming better business habits. To see how CPA On Fire can help you become more productive in your business, schedule a financial review with us.