Getting Past the Busy Work

We are all guilty of doing it, procrastinating when we should really be doing something else.

Procrastination is an efficiency killer for many new entrepreneurs who fall into a cycle of spending days, weeks and even months staying "busy" without actually doing any real business or work.

This time is spent usually doing small task which you know should come after doing more important work, browsing fourms and checking email. It's easier to stay in your mental comfort zone rather than networking, apply those SEO techniques you learned yesterday or actually paying for advertising.

Here are a few things you can do to move forward and get some real work done

1. Make a To Do List
Make a list of all the things you need to get done today, tomorrow this week, next week and within the month. As you go through the list getting things done you'll find yourself adding more things to the list of things to do and this will get you moving forward towards your end of the month goal. Keep this list around your work area so it is ready at hand and visible to remind you of the important task to be done. Be sure to jot down ideas when they occur to you also.

2. Keep Your Steps Small
It can be overwhelming when you look at your month's goal and not know how you’re going to reach it. You need a plan of action to bridge the connection. It is important to keep your steps small in the beginning so you can reach your goals. (Sidebar: don't set unrealsitic goals such as make "$100,000 by next week" if you're just starting out. Before you make $100,000 you first have to make $1) For example if you want to get up a flight of stairs you need to walk up one step at a time. If you try to jump up them all at once to get to the landing you're really going to hurt yourself. Keep these tasks small and manageable so you'll be able to get them done and move on to the next one. Eventually you will reach your goal, maybe even surpass it.

3. Get That First Customer
No matter what business you're in or whether you do business online or offline, without customers you don't have a business. Finding those first few customers is very challenging. A first customer doesn't have to be a stranger it can be a freind or family member. Give that friend or family member who needs what you have to offer a discount. If they like your business that friend or family member will eventually recommend your business to someone they know who needs what you have to offer. Freinds and family also make great advertiser's for your business.

But don't wait for that friend or family member to spread the word about how great your business is, use part of their payment to advertise online or offline(preferably both). Cheap methods do exist so don't spend a small fortune advertising.

4. Forget about Being Perfect
For new small business it's hard to move past the fact that they aren't the perfect business with all the tools they need and big budget. Forget about being the perfect business or having ideal conditions and work with what you have now and use your strengths to leverage for development and growth. When you starting out you are entitled to not be perfect. Just don't take this too far otherwise your cutomers will flee in mass. Just because you're the one man show in you're bedroom doesn't mean you have to appear that way to the public.

5. Believe in Yourself and Your Business
This may sound cheesy, but if you don't believe in your business how do your expect customers or anyone else to either? You need to give a good impression about your business. It all starts with changing the way you talk about it.

Talk about your company like it already is a business, not like it will be a company some day, it seems you're not really committed to what you‘re doing to people you relate this information too. What you're also doing to yourself subconciously is you are mentally conditioning yourself to treat it as a part time hobby. A Business is a business not a hobby. People go into business not to pursue a hobby but to make money, it doesn't matter which way you cut it either.

So instead of saying "I'm kinda starting my own business" to family or friends say "I own my own business," this shows them you're really serious about what you're doing and it also comes in handy to stop the nay-sayer's and skeptics from telling you to "get a real job."

6. Look Ahead to the Future
A good way to see if what you're doing right now is going to get you to your end of the month goal is to look at what you're doing right now. Will reading email get you their? Probably not. Stop reading email, don't go to fourms and chat; do some serious work which won’t waste valuable time and more importantly get you moving forward toward your goals.

7. Remember Your Purpose
When you reach those tasks you think you chate to do and would rather eat glass than, remind yourself of your initial dreams you had on the very first day you started out on the long road. What purpose is this work serving you? What dreams did you have for yourself? Do you want to be financially free? Travel the world? Just have more time to spend with the kids? The purpose of your work is to turn those dreams into reality.

If you can't think of a purpose or don't have a dream stop everything and think long and hard about why you're the things you do everyday. You need a dream, purpose or goal to motivate you through the tough times.

8. Finally, buddy up with a friend to help you get the work done or get someone who will motivate you when you need it. You can even form a joint venture to work more efficently. If you don't have a someone who wants to team up with you, online forums are a good alternative. Find a forum which deals with other like mindied people or you will learn a lot seek out a member or two to partner up with. As they say two minds are better than one.