We understand and deeply resonate with the motivations of young entrepreneurs to take the initiative and active steps toward funding their startup, undergoing mentorship, and building the necessary capital through their side-hustles. Whether it’s learning how to start a property management business or creating a storage solutions company, entrepreneurial minds are always busy taking that first step and doing all they can to reach the goals they’ve set out to achieve.
However, one of the biggest hurdles young entrepreneurs end up facing early on in their journey is the lack of time and how it seems like every second dedicated to working somehow ends up coming at a time deficit. And that, regardless of the effort invested, there seems like no way out to capitalize on the opportunities waiting right in front of you. So, today we’d like to talk about the harsh truth; and why you’ll never have enough time to do everything.
You Don’t Find Time; You Make Time.
You see, we all spend our time by default, and regardless of what we’re doing, the clock will always be ticking down until the next day; rinse and repeat. Therefore, we strongly advise not to “find” time because you’ll always find other things to do and very appealing opportunities at every corner as an entrepreneur. Instead, you should “make” time and commit a portion of your day to make progress toward your goal.
- Finite-Time, Infinite Excuses: We’re all guilty of finding an excuse not to do something, and even when they come with good intentions, this leaves you with a plate of far too many portion sizes. Remember, you only get 24 hours every single day, and nearly a third of that is already spent resting and recuperating your energy. So, you’ll need to make time for your goals, or else the infinite amount of excuses will come crawling up your back.
- Multi-Tasking Is A Glorified Facade: A lot of us like to think we’re capable of multi-tasking and completing many things all at the same time. However, when the quantity increases, the quality of your output also decreases proportionately. So, you end up sacrificing something “potentially great” only to end up with a lot of “just-good” results.
Focus On What Really Matters To You
So, for all the young entrepreneurs aspiring to become the next generation of thought leaders in their respective industries, we strongly recommend focusing on what really matters to you. Instead of trying to do so many things at once, select one out of the many and specialize in this chosen field. Of course, you don’t have to be an expert, but what matters is that this startup or business idea has your undivided attention.
#1 Identify Your Personal Goals
Number one, you want to identify your personal goals and assert what path you want to take. The road to success in entrepreneurship is very challenging, and there’s no doubt you’ll have to pivot and adapt at every step of the way. So, you’ll want to emphasize your personal conviction early to avoid second-guessing yourself later.
- Highlight A Focal Point: From a weekly schedule perspective, we recommend highlighting a focal point you want to achieve by the end of seven working days. In doing so, you can easily break down the task into smaller steps and come out more consistent and productive.
- Eliminate All Distractions: Distractions are everywhere, and in the field of entrepreneurship that requires creativity and efficiency, you’ll find yourself suffering from occupational stress if distractions are eating away at your working hours. So, cut out all the unnecessary things from your daily schedule and stick with what’s important.
#2 Adopting The “Everyday” Mindset
Number two, we recommend adopting the “everyday” mindset for you to look past the minor details and focus on the bigger picture. There’s no benefit to thinking too long and hard about how each day goes by. You just want to get into the habit of staying consistent and making good progress every single day.
- Steady Progress Vs. Instant Growth: Most young entrepreneurs often get the misconception that, in a matter of months, their startups will succeed, and they’ll get calls from investors soon after. However, in reality, it could take up to years and many changes before you even see a slim ray of light. So, focus on steady progress rather than those overnight stories of instant growth.
#3 Don’t Let Others Define Your Passion And Commitment
Last but not least, we want to remind every aspiring entrepreneur not to let others define your passion and personal commitments. Expect to receive mixed responses from your close friends, peers, family, and loved ones when you share with them your dreams about owning a successful startup. Some might be encouraging, but others could come with a worrying sentiment and shake your resolve to be an entrepreneur. So, don’t let your goals be dissuaded by hollow words that have not seen the effort you’ve given.
Pulling Off The Entrepreneur Lifestyle
The entrepreneur lifestyle is challenging, but pulling it off is not impossible. All you need is the unwavering dedication to your goals and the drive to change whenever needed and stand firm when required. So, take all the advice mentioned above to your heart, and we wish you all the luck on your entrepreneurship journey.