It’s easier to give other people advice than to live by it yourself. But sometimes we’re over complicating what is actually quite simple. It’s about getting things in order so you are able to see the forest amongst all the trees, and about being honest with yourself.
I’m working full time at the moment (the day job). It’s a very exciting project but also very demanding, both time and energy wise. I know that a few months down the line from now I will look back at this time having learnt a lot from the current situation, and my current frustrations with not having enough time for byflock at this moment. However, as with most things we often already know deep down what needs doing. This is my honest advice, to myself and people in my situation.
Living by your priorities
So you’ve defined what your priorities are – sleep well, take some time off, exercise regularly and focus on your company. That is a great start. But are you actually living by them? If the answer to some or all is ‘no’ one of the first things you need to do is actually give these things priority. If you don’t action them they are just empty words and your priorities are either else where or you’re managing your time poorly.
With such a big undertaking that starting a company is, all of the above need to be ticked off or you are likely to break along the way or not make it at all. So if you’re serious about starting a company, set your priorities and live by them.
Are you going for it or is it a hobby?
If you mean business there is no way around it but doing. Without the right kind of time allocated to your startup you will move nowhere. As long as you keep treating it as a side project it will remain as such. Is that what you want?
Setting up a startup and launching products is, unless you’re working on something smaller, a take on that easily requires more than a full week’s work. And that goes for every week. If you think the time needed is less than that, you are not realistic about the time that is required. And that only means one thing. You will not meet your targets, or your vision.
Be realistic with the time you have and what you can achieve with it
Certain factors means that a day job may be needed for some time. If that is the case and you can’t dedicate the time that your startup in reality require, then you need to be realistic about what you can and can’t achieve with the time that you do have. Up until a certain point it’s still doable to balance both, but the pressure on getting your priorities straight and making progress is even higher. And the workload will be higher as you’re juggling more and that’s not a time commitment that should be underestimated as it will mean even less time off.
Have a project plan and stick to it
Business plans and project plans are not there just for the sake of it. They are there to guide, help monitor and steer a project. It’s the backbone to help keep the work going and assess what is required next as well as when to involve the right people. Depending on where you are in the process a detailed project plan may not be a necessity. But you do need milestones, even if they’re just scribbled down on a piece of paper and hung on the wall.
Milestones are especially important if you are working with a team that is driven by having goals to work towards and achievements to accomplish. Without milestones things will slip and it won’t really matter. Only it does. If you are serious about what you’re setting out to achieve you need to hit your milestones and quite frankly you should. If you don’t, think about what that communicates to the people you talk about your company with. And to future investors.
Break down the tasks and focus on what is important
With so much that needs doing feeling overwhelmed and blinded by it all can easily happen. But when you break it all down it’s quite simple. One task at the time the job will get done and your company will be built. So identify small manageable chunks and commit to when you will do them by. Make sure something happens everyday that you are working, and for the bigger ones every week. When you stick to it you’ll soon see that little grows into a lot and things you didn’t think could be done with the time you had all of a sudden are done. I guarantee that with that the extra push in motivation and drive to keep on going will also come, and the times when it will feel hard will be fewer and further in between.
Make a work schedule
If you’re juggling a day job and your startup it’s easy to feel that you do nothing but work. Chances are you will do very little but work. But, if you manage your time properly you can ensure that you’re not only working but have time for the (other) little life delights. And as per my first point, you do need a break every once in a while.
Make a schedule for when you will work and when you will be off and stick to it. It can be specific days and hours of the day, or based around the amount of days/hours you will work and when you will be off. Matched with the tasks for each day and week if will give you a clear progression along the way and something to look forward to – your time off. And it will also help manage expectations with your close ones.
Manage expectations & make sure you have time for loved ones
The importance of having the support from friends and family, and the role it plays, should not be underestimated. But neither should the implication that starting a company can have on them. You will be incredibly busy and it’s time that will be taken from somewhere. Your spare time with them.
Much of this, as with most things in life, can be managed and problems avoided, as long as you’re clear on your commitments, when you are available and when you aren’t. The last thing you need in all of this is upsetting the people you really care about. Not because it’s added stress, though that isn’t good either, but because you do not want to hurt the people that really matter. So be clear with them about what your startup commitment will mean in terms of the time that is required for you to work, and talk to them to make sure that they feel and know that you are at least listening to their needs. There will be times when work has to take priority but equally, there should be times when family and friends come first.
Stop coming up with excuses
Finally, stop making excuses for why you can’t get the work done. You’ve committed to starting your company and if you really mean it there is no way around it but ensuring that your life is adjusted accordingly so that what is required for your company to succeed, or at least get to the next level, can happen. Until you make that adjustment nothing will change. So get to it.
Tomorrow – Day 145 | Energy can come from many places
Image source: www.flickr.com/photos/arimoore/195456356
