Discipline In Your Business

Discipline In Your Business: What Are You Doing EVERYDAY TO MOVE TOWARDS YOUR ULTIMATE SUCCESS?

I know that this word discipline can sound very strict, and even negative as we may associate with teachers and rules ETC, but – there are positive ways to apply discipline.   I will share them here.

Every Day we all have an opportunity to choose.

We can choose what we do, how we do it, why we do it and IF we even do it at all.

Personally I will get up and meditate on my most pressing Goals For 20 minutes before I do anything else.

I even start the night before by looking at how I want the next day to go so that I can get into the state I wish to feel the following day.  And – yes, it works for me.  The more I am able to create habits which support me and my business the better I become.

As obvious as it sounds – it ain’t that obvious to many.

So, many business owners struggle because they struggle to manage themselves.

You can guess what happens then right?

YES, a business becomes another flaming WW2 fighter that’s rapidly moving towards the Earth.

So, I want to share some of what helps me in both mindset and with tools I use to help me manage myself and my business.   Without doing these things I know that I wouldn’t have lasted this far, so I know that this works for me and works for my clients all over the world.

One of the first things that has helped me is in acknowledging and appreciating those whom I have worked with.

“Always remember people who have helped 

you along the way, and don’t forget to lift someone up.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

Without others we often cannot be our best as they come along for the ride. So be grateful, reward others and yourself, and stay in a place of appreciation whilst you aim for your vision.

The next thing is focus:

An absolute understanding of FOCUS – one of my favorite words, and again fairly misunderstood.   

Without a strong focus on what is needed every day, week, month, quarter and year we are doomed.  But what does great focus actually mean?

It means knowing WHAT to focus on every day.  It means knowing WHERE to focus every day.  It means knowing WHEN to focus on something every day.  Plus it means knowing HOW to focus effectively on a set of tasks every day.

We are only effective and productive when we are focused on the right tasks, so the key is in using either a pen and paper or an online tool to help you define your core role and your daily tasks.  This means knowing what you do daily, and what the role of that looks like – and also knowing the roles of others in your team, organisation or those whom your outsource.

It is easier (i believe) to be performing at optimum levels when we are fulfilled in a role. When we can feel a buzz and good energy and almost being a bit nerdy – as we are so obsessed with what we do in our craft and feeling a sense of satisfaction from our role.

Get clarity

Are in you in the right role for you and your working style?

Do you feel satisfaction every day?  Some days? Not much?

Really, I always believe that we have to get clear on what we wish to do and why so that we don’t waste time in a role all our lives which is just not fulfilling.

So, what I am really saying is – ‘ensure you are first in the right role for you’.

Then  you can start to understand what true focus means.  When you can get into a zone or flow in your tasks in order to achieve high levels of output.

If we cannot be disciplined in our business no-one may be there to bail us out, and that’s why I think it is so important to understand.

The trouble I often see in those with home based businesses is that they see it as a kind of part time thing which they can delve into now and then, but they rarely see the kinds of results they dream of as they don’t put in 110%.  So for example – the dream for many is to ‘work from home’ right?  Sure, but many also have never experienced it, so they get a shock when they realise they have to put in so much.

The role of a business owner is very different to being employed and being told what to do every day.

We have to tell ourselves what to do.

We have to be leaders of our own organisations.

If we have team members we also have to be able to manage them, so as a business owner or founder we need to not only work on ourselves to become great communicators and leaders but we also have to be able t ensure the smooth running of our operation.

If you are just a one man or woman business then you really need to be on your ‘A’ game as you are the beginning and end of it all.   You may have to wear different hats and be in different roles, so self management is crucial.

This is why I outsource; and why I do what I do best whilst others do what they do best.

Not only do I hire the right types for my vision, but I also know how it all runs and that is because, in me knowing my business I know if something isn’t right.  I trained myself to understand the numbers, so I can see where money is wasted or where something can be scaled up.  By me seeing growth charts also I can have mini meetings and planning meetings to work to tight timescales in order to be accurate in application.

Throughout my training with teams both physically and virtually I have learned to notice what is going on in order to make decisions as quickly as I can.

This way i know how the operation works inside out and I know it is transparent for me – thus I can spot where to make adjustments and changes as often as needed.

Discipline In Your Business

Use the right tools

Here are some tools which i have found really useful to help myself and my team in managing the daily running of operations and also tools for managing self care:  

Do you use online tools to help you and your business?

PIPEDRIVE IS CRM TOOL WHICH IS DESIGNED TO KEEP YOU SELLING

Features in Pipedrive help you focus and these are features that help you prioritize deals, track performance and predict revenue.

There are other tools which I love and help me and my own performance also which are:

HERE ARE 32 TEAM COLLABORATION TOOLS 

There are a variety of powerful tools here which can transform your team communication, effectiveness and productivity.

MONDAY.COM IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITES

For Laying the groundwork for success with a powerful project management software for productive teams

ASANA IS A PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOL I LOVE HERE

Manage projects with one tool – You don’t have to shuffle between spreadsheets, email, and other tools to keep your projects on course. Track and manage everything—from day one to the deadline.

I HAVE FOUND FOR SELFCARE TOOLS THIS WAS USEFUL CLICK HERE

This is all about looking after YOU and the better you look after yourself, the better state you are in to run a business, thus there are a variety of tools which all can help.

Whatever we need to use we can use depending our budget of course, and I recommend that depending on your business type or model that you invest in the right tools for the job, as many of these tools help all forms of business growth.

There has to be effective communication and management between all parties as ‘ALL’ members have to have a tight vision, around the passion for creating high standards in your operational process as well as with your systems and structures.

So, remember that FOCUS isn’t a buzz word, or trendy motivational word it is a REAL WORD which matters in business.  It doesn’t matter how many people work with you or for you either, the right tools are vitally important to all business.

Discipline In Your Business:

Whats your plan

What type of business do you operate?  And is it working for you? What is your daily plan of operation? 

If you ‘ONLY’ do what you enjoy doing regarding the tasks which are required from you then you will quickly find yourself treading water as you are simply doing what makes you feel good and comfortable.  Now, whilst I believe in living in our passions I also believe that we have to do things which we sometimes don’t always enjoy in order to be our best.

We cannot just paint if we are an artist, we have to promote our work, gather fans, get into galleries, network with like minded types, create a social buzz, use media in order to get onto various outlets to speak about our work and what it means to us – and we need to create enough work to sustain ourselves to boot.

So, what I am saying is that ‘sure’ find your passion, interests, hobbies, strengths, skills or experiences you wish to express BUT you had better put in the work of a business owner.

Discipline In Your Business: Daily Discipline Destroys Doubt!

ACTION

The more we ACT the less we feel bad, and so mentally and emotionally we become stronger and create great habits which support us.  So, in being disciplined and organised we create a kind of culture whereby we build strong foundations.   So this is just as mental as it is physical.

This is just as much about being obsessive 
as it is operational!   

You may not have considered the sheer importance of working on YOURSELF much, but it has certainly transformed my life and business as I have been in the game.

You are either in or not; and as tough as that sounds it will pay off in the long run.

Before I went into business for myself i had this amazing Holiday.

I have been fortunate enough to have traveled all over the world since then, but this stands out as one of the greatest times of my life.

This was a trip I had to Hawaii for my 30th Birthday.  I can honestly say that it was the best time of my life. And 4 weeks of Hawaii with some California thrown in was just fantastic.

I came back to my home town in England and I was pumped, energetic, motivated and high on life when I got back.  In fact I was still warm from my excessive tanning, so I started a business with my brother when I got back to build my dreams.

However, this business had such great potential and we also had an awesome brand and message, we also had plenty of work, but we didn’t have the right control over it.   We didn’t run it like a business. We played at it and we placed some effort into it – but we essentially ran it at a loss for a long period.

Looking back I knew it was down to us. It was down to our attitude.

We could have built a highly successful business if we had put in the right effort every day and grown it we could have literally changed out financial future.   But I learned a great lesson from it instead.  It was an experience and an education.

Start with the end in mind - Stephen R Covey

Discipline In Your Business

Discipline In Your Business: This Was The View From Our Hotel Room In Hawaii!

Once I had got myself together and stated my next plan I could then learn from my mistakes.

I hadn’t stretched my business muscles enough and I was hungry to create a successful business this time.

Did success come right away?  Of course not!  I had tried and failed more, and I had grown more.

Once I had established my brand though I started piecing it all together.

I knew that I had to build my own brand and do it from my heart. And so, I got to work, firstly on my own and then with hiring others.

I had to be disciplined and I had to know what I was doing every day or I would fail again.

How was it different this time though?

It was different because I was different.

The business i have since built comes from many hours or trials, tests, tweaking, and sometimes having to let go of ways I thought worked.  But with more wins than losses I started to write this blog and build my Coaching business.  I wrote my first book and was getting inquiries from potential clients.

WAHOO!  Or was it?

Well – kinda!  You see, I had to know what I would deliver that was better than others and this took some considerable effort, creation, refinement, clarity, feedback and much more, in order to get it right.

As time passed and things grew I knew that I was on track and I have never looked back since because I put in the work.  Although that in some ways idyllic it wasn’t and isn’t.    It took a great deal of mental strength to face failures, challenges, setbacks and just about every obstacle there was – but I got there.

The reason I am writing this post is because you need to know that ‘if’ you are new to business you will get good times and bad, but a great deal of it will depend upon your ability to stay the course and work through it because you have that passion to do so.

So, what was it that enabled me to succeed in my Coaching and writing business?

It would require from me an unwavering and relentless determination.

Do you have that?

I suggest you learn to apply it.

Discipline In Your Business

MANAGE YOURSELF

Here is now an example of what my typical days look like in order for me to be my best!

1. I would plan my day the night before – write it all down and imagine it going well.  By the time the next day came around I already felt that it would be successful so I could manage anything that came my way.
2. Once I have finished that I would plug into a positive audio of my choice to drift off to sleep with so I could program my subconscious mind the way I wanted it to be.
3. The next morning I would look at the 3 most important tasks and tackle them in order of importance.
4. But this was after a good breakfast to start the day.
5. Then I would plan my time frames for each task and also plan in time for phone calls and social media/
6. Whatever i didn’t finish that day I would carry over to the next day.
7. I would work from 8am to 8pm with a lunch break and dinner break.
8. I would get at least 10 minutes exercise every day and do this for 6 days of the week unless I have a family thing or a day off of course.
9. By the end of the Week I review what I have achieved and see if I reached my Goal for the Week.
10. I look at if I am on track to hit my monthly goal and if not I will outsource certain and specific tasks.
11. I would stick to my strengths and hire others where I was weak, this was important to focus and to maximum productivity in my performance.
12. I would use certain tools and resources to help me stay organised.   CLICK HERE TO SEE A LIST OF THE BEST TOOLS FOR ORGANISATION IN A SMALL BUSINESS

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently 

that which should not be done at all.” ~ Peter Drucker.

We have to know what we are working on and why, otherwise we may be wasting time.

I work primarily on my own these days, so it’s easy for me to apply this style of working.  But, do you have what it takes to become a business owner or operator and could you manage a team?  Can you manage yourself in a team?

It all really depends upon what you are looking for but also HOW MUCH YOU WANT WHAT YOU WANT!

Get to know YOU most of all so you know your best working style.  From there you can determine whether you can work with others and with how many.

I will say that – if you know what it is that you desire the most, then it really doesn’t matter what is going on around you, or what is happening outside of ‘you’ – if you have a dream, then you have to be 100% in to see it through.  

Start your plan however rough it may starting out.

In this very old video below I talk about the simple and almost old fashioned art of writing things down and having planning strategy.  I created a business Plan afterwards but it was a starting point to knowing my day and that’s what I want to get across here.

Whilst the video is now 15 years old and made when I was starting out it still makes obvious sense. 

I stuck to that and I kept things simple and built an amazing Small Business.

Now, the video is pretty crummy and not very valuable now, but the point was I wanted to show you that started way back then with planning my days, weeks and months, – had I not actioned this – then I don’t know where I’d be now.

Discipline In Your Business: ALWAYS try to remember this:

We all need breaks and energy boosts.   we cannot work at full power and at our optimum levels without breaks. Other wise we crash.

This is a tough one to get for many who are kind of addicted to being DRIVEN!   They think that they can  never stop and some even jeopardize their relationships because of this; but I am suggesting to you that you ensure you account for time away.

It is not a waste of time to stop and have a snack or to eat something when you are working for yourself.

You will be way more effective in your business with Fuel breaks.  You may even take time out of your working day to WALK AWAY FROM THE SCREEN and make this a part of your overall routine as you will be more powerful and more productive.

The mind needs to recharge in order to function right.  

SELF CARE CURES STRESS

So, understanding that discipline means working in our best ways when we work, it doesn’t mean worrying about it all when we are not working, otherwise again, we will burn out.  Yes, its hard not to worry when we have our own businesses and perhaps it just goes with the territory, but my philosophy is to switch off in order to care for myself.

Self care is so important; and should be a part of your overall strategy.

Discipline In Your Business: Consider Getting A Coach

I DID MYSELF!  If I didn’t hire experts then I may not be successful now?

We all need some help in life at some point as this is what creates PERSONAL POWER AND GREATNESS.  Sometimes another person who can hold us accountable for our actions, support and guide us to reach our goals is what can make a the biggest difference.

I always say to my friends who ask me about Coaching that, where you have weaknesses get some help with that.  It might not be with business at all; it might be with mindset, fitness, accountability or anything else which you could do with some help with.

I was a always ALWAYS A MOTIVATIONAL guy and into Mindset stuff, but it was more the TECH STUFF I needed help with.  Having worked with 3 Coaches across my career this really did transform my life and business – and it’s not a cliche because I wouldn’t have been able to overcome specific elements of my business without their help.

If we are constantly worrying and fretting and trying to do it all ourselves whilst wearing many hats and performing many roles then we can end up burning out.  Add to that the constant fears and doubts of trying to manage everything ourselves and it can become way more stressful than any job and it becomes like a job working many hours rather than a joy, so we have to know how to best determine what we will do day to day.

“Self-management, therefore, 

is all about becoming your own leader 

by training your mental, physical, 

social and intellectual faculties in different ways.”

― Dr Prem Jagyasi

Running any business is tough, but it can be really fun and enjoyable when we are able to give it our all as we are passionate about it.  

Discipline In Your Business

Discipline In Your Business: Determination To Succeed!

DON’T DOUBT CHALLENGE

So, we don’t need all the talent in the world, nor do we need to worry about trying to be the best, we just need to take action and adjust as we move and know where we can best focus our efforts using what we have.  And if we feel doubts coming up then we can tackle them and find solutions.

One Of My Favorite Quotes About Doubt Is This>

Doubt Is An Expense You Cannot Afford!

Great Isn’t It!

We cannot afford to doubt everything all of the time, so we have to know where to place our attention and where to hand it over.

We have to trust ourselves to make those strides forward.  We don’t need to be perfect either we need to just be consistent in our action.  That will determine our ultimate success.

This is why I perform certain rituals every day as I know that focusing on my goals and affirming them to myself every day begins to place my mind in the way of what I want to achieve.  I also know that I will face difficulties and yet I will still keep moving.

This habit is going to create a more POSITIVE outlook and an inner DETERMINATION that simple becomes unstoppable when applied consistently.

Remember its all about habits

MASTER THE HABITS

We all have them ‘good and bad’ – and if we don’t shape our habits then we may struggle to perform.

I know that I was always my own worst critic, and sometimes I think can be a good thing in order to make us improve, as long as it’s healthy.  But what I found helpful was in knowing that I was trying my best and giving it my all without getting up tight about it.  Worry can sometimes be a great indicator that we need to change something, so it pays to face what it is we worry about, however, if we are doing our best and letting others do their best we can create greatness.

Discipline In Your Business: Embrace criticism

> Welcome criticism in order to improve, be open minded from team members and customers
> Deal with what needs dealing with, move on and grow, make mistakes, act and improve
> Don’t get angry or fearful about what may need changing just get better
> Don’t criticize others, support them to get better and enable them to do so

The more we can embrace ideas from others the more we can see different angles instead of being stuck minded and assuming that we have to control everything – and I have seen this become a major issue in some businesses which can be a business owners biggest downfall.  The inability to embrace all forms of feedback.   The more we get the more we can improve our strategies, expenses and focus our efforts more in the right places.

Complaints from staff and customers can be the greatest tool we have to continually improve on our operations, products and services and marketing efforts, so a part of being a great leader really means expecting challenges and dealing with them as a part of our own growth and self discipline.

LEAD AND LOVE THE OTHERS

Discipline In Your Business

We have a certain amount of competitive spirit!

And that’s a good thing I think!

Competition keeps us on our toes and understanding the market so we can constantly strive to be the best.

So, we must focus on what we ARE GOING TO DO INSTEAD of wasting energy getting stuck with overwhelm, so try to use your energy in the right ways.

Something which helps me to be disciplined in my actions is in exercise.   When I can get a good workout before I start for the day I feel more alive, more energetic, driven and focused.  It can be the best start to a day so, take an exercise class if you need to, to help with the positive mindset – and read more empowering books to get more in the zone if you need to.

I try and read for 30 minuted every day, I could read more but my philosophy is that in doing so every day I never miss that habit, and I would rather know I am reading a certain amount daily than dipping in and out of reading which may start to become infrequent.

Mind your Mind

I personally don’t get into too much SMALL TALK with those who might BRING ME DOWN.

I will stay away from negative types mostly as it can rub off on me.

Whilst I will always listen actively to all points of view in all situations I also ‘only’ hire the right types who have a good attitude towards what they do.

So, I must admit that I do limit my time around those who simply cannot add value or enrich my life.

This may sound harsh but in my experience it has changed everything for me.  So we have to look after our own well being in my opinion to guard ourselves from what may get in the ways of our goals and right for happiness and joy.

This is not about seeing life through rose tinted glasses, this is knowing that life will challenge me but it’s also knowing that I can choose where I spend my time and who with.

SOME MORE TIPS which can help with your own well being every day:

> Drink More Water
> Eat More Healthy Food
> Think Powerful Thoughts More – Aim For Greatness
> Smile More Generally
> Let Go Of Negative Friends and associates
> Exercise More
> Read More Relevant and powerful literature and Listen more openly
> Don’t Get TOO EMOTIONAL on Bad Outcomes, move on

“Making appointments with yourself 

and scheduling other things around 

them is key to proactive self-management.”


― Michael Hyatt,  From 
Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want

Discipline is really just a set of simple actions.

When you follow these actions you have more integrity with yourself and YOU MOVE WAY FASTER towards your goals.  This is why having goals are the key in all life and business development as they get your mind focused on improving each aspect of what you do.

Tony Robbins Coined C.A.N.I Meaning Constant And Never Ending Improvement; it comes from the ancient Asian word of KAIZEN! Kaizen (改善?), Japanese for “improvement”, or “change for the better” refers to philosophy or practices that focus upon continuous improvement.

This to me is the key in me thriving in life otherwise i am just existing and that’s NO GOOD AT ALL!

I really hope that you have enjoyed ‘Discipline In Your Business’ Share It And Motivate Your Friends!

If you want any help with self management and growth strategies in your business just drop me a quick message to see if we might be able to create a plan for you to better manage yourself in your Small Business @ www.GregDeTisi.com

Discipline In Your Business

GregDeTisi

Author and Small Business Blogger at Greg De Tisi Writing and Small Business Blogging

Author of 26 books, a course creator and business blogger - Greg has been supporting clients from all backgrounds all over the globe for over 15 years in developing ideas and passions into sustainable Small Business Models. Greg now has more of a focus on supporting his local business community in Bristol UK.