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Small Office, Home Office Information |
| Small Business Discipline and Motivation Sometimes it's not easy to get up in the morning and face another day. You don’t have to be in business for long before you realise that one of the biggest advantages of not being your own boss is the ability to call in sick. Remember those days when you worked for someone else and you just didn’t feel like working so you would call in sick and then just take it easy for the rest of day? When you run your own small business you don’t have that luxury anymore but you still get the urge every now and again. On those days actually making a start is often the biggest hurdle and once you get into the groove you just keep on working. But how do you get into the groove. Well there are several strategies that use and I picked up both of them from my days when I did work for someone else and I’ll share one of them with you now. Back then I had a job that insurance companies assessed at being only one level or risk less than that of a circus performer. I’m serious, a life insurance salesman told me that once. Now that’s a great thought to have every day when you get up for work. Is this the day that my luck is going to run out? Kiss my wife, hug the kids, take a deep breath and go out to serve Queen and Country for yet another day. I’m just an ordinary bloke so motivation wasn’t always high, I had no aspirations to earn any medals or be branded a hero so the temptation was always there to stay home. However, staying home too often didn’t get the bills paid so I developed a routine that would run a bit like a production line. Once I was hooked up to the line I would inevitably find myself out the door and in the departmental car and working. My production line consisted of always getting up at the same time each day (unless I had a very early call to make). A quick shower, always shaved, into the uniform, have breakfast, on with the belt and out the door. You may think that what I’m talking about here is crazy, how can a routine overcome a lack of motivation? I don’t really know for sure but I can tell you that it nearly always worked for me. By the time I was in the driver’s seat of the car and calling into the radio room I was over my lack of motivation. I was switched on and ready to work. And there
are some days in small business when just reaching that point is half
the battle. 27 Aug 2005 |
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