Disciplined Entrepreneurship
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Over the course of my life I never would have used the word “disciplined” to describe myself. But that all changed once I started my online business and became an entrepreneur in 2006. Almost from the start I found joy in the discipline required to make everything come together each day. Every moment had to be accounted for. Tasks and activities were planned and scheduled. And the idea of “not feeling like it” became defunct in my realm of reality. Once I embraced the concept of staying disciplined, entrepreneurship became a joy to pursue.
Soon I realized I had become an expert in the areas of time management and productivity. When I was working I was completely focused on the task at hand. The projects came together and the time flew by in a joyous and productive manner. By ten o’clock or so each work day I had accomplished more than I ever could have imagined in my previous life. And I was proud of my work, which increased my confidence and self-esteem.
Along the way I had set up systems and this made all the difference as my business grew. Disciplined entrepreneurship pays off quickly.
Lori Winslow shared her knowledge of systems in her post on Entrepreneurship Requires Discipline:
Systems can be simple. For example, a checklist for each blog post that you write may include things like, SEO Friendly Title, Call to Action at the end of the post, Images to use, and a reminder to share to social media sites — you get the idea. A checklist is a system and you can find checklists that others are using and then adapt it for your business.
As your business becomes more successful, you will want to be able to outsource tasks, that you don’t like doing, aren’t really good at doing, or that just take up too much or your valuable time. Having systems already in place allows you to more easily see the tasks you can outsource and it helps you to explain what you expect from the person you are delegating that specific task to.
Without systems, it is harder. I’m not saying you won’t be successful, just that it will feel like more work and less reward if you can’t ever be away from your…
